Page 25 - Building digital public infrastructure for cities and communities

and affect humanity on multiple scales. The Pact’s drafters recognized that emerging technologies
are reshaping societies rapidly, and that international cooperation must “keep pace with a changing
world” and guard against technology outpacing governance (UNGA, 2024a). The GDC establishes
a common baseline of principles for the digital space, promoting an open, free, secure and human-
centred digital future.

The GDC brings together issues that were often treated separately. As noted, it spans connectivity
& digital inclusion, DPGs/infrastructure, human rights online, Internet governance, trust and safety
(including misinformation and cybercrime), data governance (privacy, security, cross-border
flows), standards and interoperability and artificial intelligence. Historically, each of these might
be handled by different institutions or techno-policy communities — such as the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) for connectivity, the human rights council for online rights, and
standardization bodies like the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International
Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and ITU for telecommunications standards. The GDC does
not replace those specialized efforts, but by covering all in one compact, it encourages a more
“networked multilateralism” that links these domains.

Urban DPI can be seen as the operational arm of the Pact for the Future and the GDC by translating
the high-level principles they promote into concrete strategic plans, institutional reforms, city level
strategies, implementation frameworks, and technical standards, that enshrines an inclusive, open,
sustainable, fair, safe and secure human-centred digital adoption for all.

2.3 Implementing the global digital compact locally

While the GDC is a global framework, its relevance cascades down to local governance of digital
infrastructure, particularly in smart cities where digital technology meets day-to-day governance.
Smart cities are at the frontlines of the implementation of many of the technologies and policies
addressed by the GDC. The GDC’s emphasis on universal connectivity and closing digital divides
translates, at the city level, into ensuring that all urban residents have affordable Internet access.
In many cities, connectivity is uneven; wealthier or central districts enjoy high-speed networks
while low-income neighbourhoods or peri-urban areas remain underserved. The GDC effectively
provides political backing for treating digital access as a public necessity. Additionally, digital
inclusion in cities must consider groups like the elderly, migrants, or persons with disabilities,
echoing the GDC’s human-centred approach. Urban policy makers, guided by the Compact, may
implement digital literacy programmes, free device lending, or multilanguage e-services so that
all city residents can benefit from smart city services.

The Compact advocates for “open, free, secure” DPGs – these could include open-source software,
open data and interoperable platforms. For smart cities, this is highly pertinent. Cities face choices
between proprietary “smart city platforms” provided by vendors/technology providers versus
open, interoperable systems. DPI in cities act as a key instrument to implement this framework
by developing the key interoperable components that would not only enable local city services
from interoperating and interworking, but also, allow the interoperability and interworking of

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