๐บ๐ณAbout the Universal DPI Safeguards Initiative
The Universal Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Safeguards initiative is concerned with systems provided by, or on behalf of, government or through publicโprivate partnerships at societal scale and which serve the public interest. The process of developing the Universal DPI Safeguards was launched in September 2023 by the Office of the UN Secretary-Generalโs Envoy on Technology (OSET) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The initiative stemmed from the UN Secretary-General's policy brief on the Global Digital Compact (GDC) and its call for the creation of common frameworks for DPI.
The Pact for the Future and its annex, the Global Digital Compact, were adopted on September 22, 2024, at the Summit for the Future. In the compact, Member States have recognized the potential of DPI in promoting inclusive digital transformation and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This potential is tempered by risks. Accordingly, Member States have also recognized the role of adaptable safeguards for DPI in achieving these goals.
The Universal DPI Safeguards Framework reflects the role of DPI and its safeguards to ensure DPI implementations mitigate new risks and existing structural vulnerabilities of digital transformation at both the individual and societal level, advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and foster trust and equity across all countries.
The Universal DPI Safeguards initiative is an evolving multi-stakeholder effort comprising three key pillars:
Universal DPI Safeguards Framework: Guiding principles and practices for safe and inclusive DPI, covering the entire life cycle of DPI development, from conceptualization to operations and maintenance, monitoring, and feedback. The Framework can be applied in practice using resources made available in an interactive knowledge library. The library includes an interactive component where users can generate scenarios tailored to their context and produce downloadable recommendations.
Universal DPI Safeguards Resource Hub: An online dynamic platform for community engagement offering safeguards-related resources, implementation guides, and emerging insights on DPI safeguards.
Country implementation: Refers to active engagement with stakeholders in countries to create or strengthen multi-stakeholder holding environments that enable spaces for sharing different viewpoints, inputs, collaboration and addressing challenges. This involves facilitating technical assistance, convenings and capacity development for countries, sectors and actors to generate dialogue, build consensus, and create opportunities to advance safe and inclusive implementations.
Together, these pillars support DPI implementation in a way that is not only safe, secure and inclusive, but also practical and adaptable to diverse contexts and needs.
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