The UN's Global Digital Compact: Considerations on the Zero Draft

Tue, Apr 16, 2024 11:00 AM (EDT)

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Description: On April 1st, the UN Secretary-General's Envoy on Technology released the ‘Zero Draft’ of the proposed United Nations Global Digital Compact (GDC). The final text will be annexed to the Pact for the Future to be adopted at the Summit of the Future in New York on 22-23 September 2024. The preparatory process involved multiple UN reports, proposals and consultations about global digital governance and cooperation. Some of these proposals got support, while others have proven to be highly controversial forays into sensitive policy spaces in which the international community is often deeply divided. The resulting Zero Draft reflects these dynamics. It includes proposals for new organizational structures and policy processes on such issues as artificial intelligence, digital public infrastructure, digital human rights, connectivity, information integrity, crossborder data flows and the system-wide coordination of UN digital work. On April 5th, the UN commences a series of intergovernmental and stakeholder consultations to help evolve a final text that can serve as a consensus landing zone.

How are the hot button issues reflected in the Zero Draft? Does the document suggest a different interplay between intergovernmental decision-making and multistakeholder participation? How might the proposed enhanced roles of the Secretariat in New York impact existing UN organizations and processes, including the Internet Governance Forum? Are the proposed new mechanisms likely to be fit for purpose and serve as effective responses to the rapidly evolving global environment? Or could these mechanisms be hobbled by the same international political differences and dynamics that have confounded previous global digital governance initiatives?

This webinar assembles a panel of leading experts from the private sector, Internet technical community and civil society stakeholder groups to consider these and other questions. As always, the panelists’ conversation will be followed by an open dialogue among all webinar participants.

The session is simulcast live under the auspices of the Internet Society New York Chapter (ISOC-NY).

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INTRODUCTION
Eli Noam, Director, Columbia Institute for Tele-Information, Columbia Business School.

PANEL
Chris Buckridge - IGF MAG
Anriette Esterhuysen - Senior Advisor for Internet Governance, Association for Progressive Communications (APC)
Timea Suto - Global Digital Policy Lead, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)

MODERATOR
William J. Drake, Director of International Studies, Columbia Institute for Tele-Information
Location: https://isoc.live/17656
Start: Tue, Apr 16, 2024 11:00 AM (EDT / GMT-04:00)
End: Tue, Apr 16, 2024 12:30 PM (EDT / GMT-04:00)

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