The following session will take place during the 2025 RightsCon Summit, 24-27 February, Taipei, Taiwan. For more information on the Summit, visit www.rightscon.com.
Dialogue session featuring Sabhanaz Rashid Diya (Tech Global Institute), Rasmus Lumi (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia), Amy Colando (Microsoft), Liz Orembo (Research ICT Africa), and Shruti Narayan (Access Now) – Room 102, TICC
Digital technologies have the potential to significantly impact the enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and offer unprecedented opportunities for development and innovation, with the potential to generate social and economic benefits. In this sense, Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) often understood as a key tool to achieve the SDGs, and has been recognised as such through various initiatives, including the UN SG’s Envoy on Technology and UNDP initiative at the 78th UNGA to develop the Universal Safeguards Framework for DPI leading up to the Summit of the Future, and the UN Global Digital Compact (GDC).
In general, DPI is any digital technology that can enable the delivery of public services. There are three functional categories of DPI: digital identity systems, digital payment systems, and data exchanges. While DPI is an important enabling component towards digital inclusion, certain examples have shown how implementation without proper safeguards can lead to negative outcomes, including adverse impacts on human rights.
This session will explore human rights-respecting approaches to the design and implementation of DPI systems, that account for contextual realities in terms of access, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and examine ways to meaningfully engage with communities throughout the lifecycle of DPIs. Various stakeholders from the FOC community and beyond, including government, civil society, and technical community, will share perspectives and insight into ensuring that DPIs work towards securing social and economic benefits for communities, while upholding human rights in an inclusive and collaborative manner with access to effective remedy and redress.
2023 Freedom Online Coalition