Draft:Global Digital Compact

• Comment: Instead of reusing the same (primary) references throughout the article, please use named references so that it only occupies one reference item. This help page gives assistance with referencing. It seems that every single source is primary. Please remove all puffery about this "historic" "engaging" "ambitious" agreement and focus only on how this is covered by secondary, independent, reliable sources that are not associated with any involved parties. Utopes _{(talk / cont)} 15:54, 20 July 2025 (UTC)

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The Global Digital Compact (GDC) is a historic global agreement formed at the United Nations Summit of the Future in September 2024. The GDC was written as an addendum to the Pact for the Future and intended to be a global full-spectrum framework to deal with the governance of digital technologies and artificial intelligence. It seeks to promote shared digital prosperity, close digital divides, and protect human rights in a digital world.

The Compact contains non-binding principles and shared commitments from all over the world from governments, the private sector, civil society, academia and technical experts. Its purpose is to coordinate international responses to the opportunities and challenges which are associated with ever-changing digital technologies.

Background and Origins

The idea of a digital compact on a global scale began to gain traction with the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, and an identification of digital cooperation as a priority for sustainable development. In the next platform, "Our Common Agenda" report in 2021, the UN Secretary-General called for an international summit for the purpose of addressing the transformative power of digital technologies and emerging inequalities, suggesting that the Global Digital Compact be a central outcome.

A comprehensive consultative process also took place engaging over a million voices around the world including individual persons, associations, organizations and governments. This participatory process attempted to ensure the Compact expressed the realities and aspirations of varied communities, especially those in less developed settings.

Adoption at the 2024 Summit of the Future

The Summit of the Future, held in New York on 22–23 September 2024, was the main venue for the adoption of the GDC. After significant negotiations, consultations, and thematic "deep-dives" on issues of digital inclusion, internet governance, artificial intelligence, data protection, and sustainable development, the Compact was formally adopted as an annex of the Pact for the Future.

The process was led by the co-facilitators of the UN General Assembly; originally Rwanda and Sweden, replaced later by Zambia, and consisted of an informal consultations and negotiations timetable throughout 2023 and 2024.

Objectives of the Global Digital Compact

The GDC lays out five main objectives that guide its action agenda:

1. Bracket all digital divides, to ensure universal access to digital infrastructure and to boost progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

2. To drive the sustainable benefits of the digital economy to all, to support equal opportunity and participation.

3. To promote an inclusive, open, secure, and safe digital environment that respects and protects human rights.

4. To enhance responsible, equitable, and interoperable data governance methods.

5. To improve international governance for artificial intelligence and new technologies for the benefit of humanity.

Key principles and Commitments

The Compact has organized a series of core principles and commitments critical to guiding national and international policy and action around digital issues.

Core Principles

• Human rights and freedoms must be promoted and protected online and offline.
• Digital technologies should be developed in an inclusive and responsible way and be a global public good.
• Everyone, everywhere must be guaranteed universal, affordable, and secure access to the internet.
• No one should be left behind: special emphasis is placed on marginalized populations, developing states, and closing gender gaps.

Implementation and Governance

Timeline and Next Steps:

• September 2024: Compact opened for endorsement by UN member states, stakeholders, and the public.
• Q1 2025: Endorsement mappings published, and a roadmap for implementation.
• Mid 2025: Launch of formal implementation activities, and review through the WSIS+20 process.
• Q3 2027: High level review of GDC progress.

The Office of the Secretary-General's Envoy on Technology has the responsibility to lead implementation – monitoring progress, evolution and coherence among various stakeholders, and developing the Compact as a living document that can evolve and respond to new challenges.

Stakeholder Involvement

The Compact encourages an inclusive partnership among governments, private sector actors, civil society, researchers, and technical communities seeking its vision. Multi-stakeholder collaboration is recognized as vital to:

• Improve and scale innovative financing and incentives for digital foundational infrastructure.
• Ensure rights-respecting advances in digital technologies.
• Address skills, access, and digital public goods gaps.
• Act swiftly to address evolving or new risks and trends, such as advances in AI or online misinformation.

Addressing Digital Divides

A fundamental commitment of the GDC is to close all digital divides "between and within countries" with a particular emphasis on the 2.6 billion people still unconnected to the Internet when this text was prepared in 2024. The Compact calls for:

• Universal, affordable connectivity, especially in the Global South.
• Investment in digital literacy and skills.
• Policies that support inclusive content, rich diversity of languages, and content relevant to local contexts.
• Direct measures to support women, youth, persons living in rural or geographically isolated communities, and persons living with disabilities.

Governance of Artificial Intelligence

The emergence of AI and other transformational digital technologies is a key characteristic of the Compact. Some core actions include:

• The establishment of an International Scientific Panel on AI within the UN to help make the case for a science-driven approach;
• Launching the Global Dialogue on AI Governance, which seeks to bring together all stakeholders;
• Supporting responsible and ethical AI innovation, including exploring a Global Fund on AI to support capacity-building (particularly in developing countries);
• Advanced policy-making to mitigate as many risks and maximize benefits, always within the context of human rights.

Promoting Digital Trust and Safety

• Supporting internet stability, openness, and freedom of expression.
• Collaborating to mitigate cyber threats and strengthening the regulatory frameworks that protect children and consumers online.
• Supporting evidence-based, independent information to counteract online disinformation and hate speech.

The Compact calls on states and companies to promote transparency around digital algorithms and platforms which shape public discourse and to design accountability and redress mechanisms.

Date Governance

Acknowledging the global nature of data flows, the Compact calls for:

• Interoperable, rights-based data frameworks.
• Mechanisms for user consent and board control.
• Assurances of privacy, accountability and protections against misuse and discrimination.

There is also an emphasis on cross-border cooperation and supporting policy and capacity-building, to ensure that all nations benefit from the digital data economy.

Alignment with UN chapter and SDGs

The GDC references the UN charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In particular, it clearly articulates that digital technologies ought to support achieving the SDGs and their promise must be linked to addressing issues ranging from education and health, to climate change and economic growth.

The Compact holds and references existing multilateral agreements to complement and elevate not replicate existing governance frameworks.

Review, Monitoring and Ongoing Work

The Compact also lays out a framework for follow-up and review:

• Monitoring commitments and progress.
• Coordination and coherence across UN agencies, member states, and stakeholders.
• Aiding coherency by building on existing international mechanisms as much as possible, to avoid duplicating efforts.

The plan is to have periodic, high-level reviews, reports from the Secretary-General, and other forms of engagement with stakeholders to make sure the GDC remains effective and responsive to new digital challenges.

Conclusion

The 2024 Global Digital Compact is the most ambitious global effort to date to lay down shared norms, principles, and actions for digital cooperation. As non-binding, the implementation of the Compact will be a powerful indication of the global consensus around a call to action for digital inclusion, online human rights, ethical technology, and sustainable digital futures.

As the commitments become action in the 2020s, the impact of the GDC will rely on continued partnerships and collective action for accountability to ensure that the vision for a digitally connected, equitable, and safe world for everyone can be realized.