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Global Digital Compact (GDC) implementation - Detailed Initiatives

Objective 5. Enhance international governance of artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity

55 (a) Assess the future directions and implications of artificial intelligence
systems and promote scientific understanding;

55 (b) Support interoperability and compatibility of artificial intelligence governance approaches through sharing best practices and promoting common understanding;

55 (c) Help to build capacities, especially in developing countries, to access, develop, use and govern artificial intelligence systems and direct them towards the pursuit of sustainable development;

55 (d) Promote transparency, accountability and robust human oversight of artificial intelligence systems in compliance with international law.

56 (a) Establish, within the United Nations, a multidisciplinary Independent International Scientific Panel on AI with balanced geographic representation to promote scientific understanding through evidence-based impact, risk and opportunity assessments, drawing on existing national, regional and international initiatives and research networks;

56 (b) Initiate, within the United Nations, a Global Dialogue on AI Governance involving Governments and all relevant stakeholders which will take place in the margins of existing relevant United Nations conferences and meetings

57. We therefore request the President of the General Assembly to appoint at the seventy-ninth session of the General Assembly co-facilitators, one from a developed country and one from a developing country, to identify, through an intergovernmental process and consultations with other relevant stakeholders, the terms of reference and modalities for the establishment and functioning of the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance for the adoption by the General Assembly.

58. We call on standards development organizations to collaborate to promote the development and adoption of interoperable artificial intelligence standards that uphold safety, reliability, sustainability and human rights.

59. We will promote safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence systems that advance, protect and preserve linguistic and cultural diversity and that take into account multilingualism throughout the life cycle of these systems.

60. We encourage the development of international partnerships on artificial intelligence capacity-building to develop education and training programmes, increase access to resources including open artificial intelligence models and systems, open training data and compute, facilitate artificial intelligence model training and development, and promote the participation of micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises in the digital economy.

61. We will leverage existing United Nations and multi-stakeholder mechanisms to support artificial intelligence capacity-building to bridge artificial intelligence divides, facilitate access to artificial intelligence applications and build capacity in high-performance computing and related skills in developing countries.

62. We will promote North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation to support the development of representative high-quality data sets, affordable compute resources, local solutions that reflect linguistic and cultural diversity and entrepreneurial ecosystems in developing countries.

63. We emphasize the importance of increased investment, particularly from the private sector and philanthropy, to scale up artificial intelligence capacity-building for sustainable development. We request the Secretary-General, in consultation with potential contributors and the United Nations system, to develop innovative voluntary financing options for artificial intelligence capacity-building that take into account the recommendations of the High-level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence on a Global Fund on AI and that are complementary to relevant United Nations funding mechanisms and to submit these for consideration by the General Assembly at the seventy-ninth session.

64. We will implement the Global Digital Compact, within our own countries and at regional and global levels, taking into account different national realities, capacities and levels of development, and respecting national policies and priorities and applicable legal frameworks.

65. These efforts can only succeed with the active engagement of the private sector, technical and academic communities and civil society, whose innovations and contributions to digitalization are fundamental and irreplaceable. We will strengthen our collaboration and leverage multi-stakeholder cooperation to achieve the objectives set out in this Compact.

66. We invite international and regional organizations, the private sector, academia, the technical community and civil society groups to endorse the Compact and take active part in its implementation and follow-up. We request the Secretary-General to put in place modalities for the voluntary endorsement of this Compact, and to make this information public and accessible from December 2024.

67. We recognize the importance of financing to unlock the full potential of this Compact. Successful implementation will require public, private and multilateral resources, including the pooling of investments in joint and blended facilities for impact at scale, including through United Nations mechanisms such as the Digital Window of the Joint SDG Fund and facilities in multilateral development banks. We call on Governments to make support to digital transformation integral to development assistance, including through increased allocations to digital and data initiatives. We invite private sector and philanthropic actors to consider financial pledges in support of the implementation of this Compact.

68. We will build on the processes and forums emanating from the World Summit on the Information Society, in particular the Internet Governance Forum and its national and regional initiatives, as well as the WSIS Forum, to advance implementation of this Compact. We look forward to the WSIS+20 review in 2025.

69. We recognize the contribution of all United Nations entities, agencies, funds and programmes in advancing digital cooperation, including but not limited to the International Telecommunication Union, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and invite them, as well as the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, to support, within their existing mandates, implementation of this Compact. We recognize the role of the United Nations regional economic commissions and United Nations country teams in supporting regional and national stakeholders to advance digital transformation.

70. We recognize the role of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development in reviewing follow-up on the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society and request it to consider how it can contribute further to the implementation of the Compact.

71. To track and monitor progress, we request the Secretary-General to provide a Compact implementation map for the consideration of Governments and other stakeholders that reflects the contributions of the United Nations system and other relevant stakeholders and to reflect this in the report of the Secretary-General on progress made in the implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society at the regional and international levels ahead of the WSIS+20 review.

72. We recognize that further strengthening of system-wide coordination is required to enable the United Nations to realize the inclusive platform for digital cooperation set out in this Compact. To this end, we request the Secretary-General, following consultations with Member States, to submit a proposal to the General Assembly during its seventy-ninth session for the establishment of an office, building on and incorporating the activities and resources of the existing Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology, to facilitate system-wide coordination, working closely with existing mechanisms. This proposal should include detailed information on operational functions, structure, location, mandate renewal, resources and staffing.

73. We recognize the role of the high-level political forum on sustainable development and the Economic and Social Council in reviewing progress of the Compact in closing digital divides and accelerating achievement of the 2030 Agenda. We recognize the role of the Human Rights Council, within its existing mandate, in fostering an inclusive, open, safe and secure digital space for all.

74. The cross-cutting nature of digital technologies and the multiplicity of actors involved in digital cooperation require synergies and aligned follow-up. We commit to review the Compact to assess progress against its objectives and to identify emerging opportunities and challenges for global digital cooperation. We decide to convene a high-level meeting entitled “High-level review of the Global Digital Compact”, to take place during the eighty-second session of the General Assembly, based on a progress report by the Secretary-General and with the input and meaningful participation of all stakeholders, including the Commission on Science and Technology for Development, the Internet Governance Forum and World Summit on the Information Society action line facilitators.

  • UN Working Group on Digital Technologies WGDT