The Universal Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Safeguards initiative is concerned with systems provided by, or on behalf of, government or through public–private 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-General’s 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:

1. 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.

2. Universal DPI Safeguards Resource Hub: An online dynamic platform for community engagement offering safeguards-related resources, implementation guides, and emerging insights on DPI safeguards.

3. 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.

The rapidly evolving DPI landscape requires the Framework to be dynamic and adaptive. Just as the Framework has been created through an inductive–deductive co-creation process, its evolution will be guided by a continuous listening–learning updating process. This first release of the Framework (Version 1.0) lays the foundation through five components. It is important to note that the list of responsible authorities, practices, and processes is not exhaustive, and further feedback, insights, and information curated during its application will be synthesized and incorporated into the emergent knowledge base as the Framework evolves.

The initiative will use the channels below for listening, learning, and evolving the Framework:

1. Ecosystem engagement: The initiative will continue to curate feedback to build additional processes and practices, KPIs, and lessons learned through expert and practitioner contributions. The initiative will continue to engage the ecosystem by creating awareness through campaigns (success stories, testimonials, and case studies), workshops, and contribution calls. Public feedback will be sought through online forums and open webinars, with special emphasis on underrepresented groups. This feedback will be systematically reviewed and integrated to ensure the Framework addresses diverse perspectives and needs.

2. Country implementation: The initiative will, directly and through the ecosystem, actively engage with stakeholders in countries to support their DPI adoption journeys. This will include identifying projects, facilitating connections to technical assistance/funding, and providing support for monitoring or assessment to improve impact. The experiences learned from these country implementations will inform ongoing updates and enhancements to the Framework, ensuring it remains relevant and effective across diverse contexts.

3. International organizations: The initiative will continue to engage with international organizations to collaborate, advocate, and support the effective use of the Universal DPI Safeguards Framework across DPI life cycles. Feedback received from these engagements and any processes and practices used by these organizations will be employed to enhance the Framework.

Regular updates will be announced and documented with detailed release notes. These updates will be openly accessible through the interactive knowledge library on the Universal DPI Safeguards website and the Universal DPI Safeguards Resource Hub. The updates will be available for download in multiple formats, ensuring that everyone can easily access and remain up to date on the latest version of the Framework.

The Universal Safeguards for DPI initiative, launched in 2023 by the Office of the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology (OSET) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), set out to co-create a pragmatic framework for countries implementing DPI. It is a multi-stakeholder initiative designed to ensure DPI implementations mitigate risks at both the individual and societal levels, advance the SDGs, and foster trust and equity across all countries.

Six working groups, comprising diverse experts and DPI practitioners from a broad range of stakeholders within the global digital ecosystem, led the development of the Framework. Insights, feedback, and recommendations from an International Organizations Consultative Group, as well as from convenings, country engagements and public consultations, have informed this guide.

In April 2024, the inductive phase of the initiative concluded with the release of anInterim Report, ‘Leveraging DPI for Safe and Inclusive Societies’ for public comments. The Interim Report provided an overview of the Framework’s components and proposed initial high-level principles.

In September 2024, the guide ‘The Universal Digital Public Infrastructure Safeguards Framework - A Guide to Building Safe and Inclusive DPI for Societies’ was released, along with the Universal DPI Safeguards Framework.

The Universal DPI Safeguards Framework comprises principles, process and practice recommendations to be employed by various responsible authorities within the DPI ecosystem to mitigate risks to safety and inclusivity. Risks are specified in relation to each stage of the DPI life cycle and are also addressed by upholding foundational and operational principles for safe and inclusive DPI. These principles were first introduced in the Interim Report.

To be universally applicable to all DPI and responsive to stakeholder needs, the Framework will continue to be developed through continuous feedback cycles with multi-stakeholder inputs.

The guide explains how to apply the Universal Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Safeguards Framework. The aim is to equip readers and DPI practitioners with a clear understanding of how the Framework can be applied to ensure safe and inclusive adoption of DPI.

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The Universal Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Safeguards Framework is a set of actionable guidelines for DPI design and implementation that serve the public interest. The Framework comprises principles, process and practice recommendations to be employed by various responsible authorities within the DPI ecosystem to mitigate risks to safety and inclusivity. Risks are specified in relation to each stage of the DPI life cycle and are also addressed by upholding foundational and operational principles for safe and inclusive DPI.

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The Framework is an evolving and open public asset, subject to continuous updates through contributions from multi-stakeholder engagement and insights gained from country-level implementations.

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The section highlights the materials produced so far, offering insights into the development of the Universal DPI Safeguards Framework.

We welcome feedback and comments to continue refining and enhancing these resources. You may click here to contribute.

The Interim Report provides an overview of the Framework’s components and proposed initial high-level principles.

Access the Interim Report