CDT Signs Joint Statement on Civil Society Concerns and Priorities for Global Digital Compact Implementation

On Thursday, December 12, CDT joined Access Now, Article 19, Derechos Digitales, and a number of other civil society organizations and individual experts welcoming the consensus adoption of the United Nations (UN) Global Digital Compact (GDC) annexed to the Pact for the Future. The statement notes that the “GDC has been an ambitious and well-intentioned effort for stakeholders — especially Member States and the private sector — to agree upon a set of shared principles and commitments for a more collaborative digital future” and it is particularly positive that the GDC explicitly incorporates the application of an international human rights framework to digital technologies.

However, even as the signatories welcome the GDC, the statement also points out a number of continuing concerns with the text of the document and the process for its adoption. For example, the GDC could have contained stronger commitments to refrain from using rights-violating technologies and from engaging in internet shutdowns. It also should have incorporated an intersectional gender lens, among other missed opportunities. The adoption of the GDC also occurred with insufficient input from civil society. While there was a laudable effort to include the input of civil society, the effort fell short.

Going forward, the coalition urges he UN, and its Member States, to ensure that any new mechanisms or processes are open, inclusive and transparent in their design, and facilitate meaningful stakeholder engagement, and that they do not duplicate or delegitimize existing arenas like WSIS — particularly the upcoming WSIS+20 review process — and the Internet Governance Forum (IGF).

Read the full letter here.