AlSur in the Summit of the Future

At the end of September, the Summit of the Future took place, an event convened by the United Nations to establish a common agenda of global agreements on various issues, including an “open, free and secure” digital future for all people.

Part of this process was the development and approval of the Global Digital Compact (GDC).  AlSur has been part of it through multiple actions of contributions and previous discussions to define the basis of this important document. Along these lines, and with a view to the subsequent implementation of the GDC, between August and September we generated two spaces for discussion with government delegates and colleagues from civil society, which we comment below:

The first of these was a virtual session that brought together government representatives from Chile, Brazil, Peru, Guatemala and Mexico, and members of the 11 Latin American organizations that make up AlSur. Under the title “The agenda of the Latin American South vis-à-vis the Global Digital Pact - Summit for the Future”, a space was created for exchanging perspectives, challenges and opportunities related to the GDC.

During the meeting held on August 27, the representatives of the States shared their impressions of the GDC and the digital agenda of their countries. The importance of meaningful digital connectivity was highlighted, while emphasizing the need to build capacity for AI governance and to preserve the Internet as an interoperable and secure network. The importance of addressing information integrity as a critical issue for the future of the Internet was brought to the table. Finally, the GDC was also addressed as an instrument for development and its role at a critical time for international security and peace. As a whole, the importance of maintaining Internet governance from a multistakeholder debate and recognizing the mandates of existing spaces such as the IGF, WSIS, among others, was established. AlSur emphasized the importance of approaching issues from a human rights and gender perspective from an intersectional perspective as cross-cutting elements.

Within the framework of the Action Days of the Summit of the Future, on September 20 we organized a face-to-face meeting in New York, which was attended by around 30 representatives from various sectors with the aim of discussing the priorities of the GDC for the regions of the global South. From AlSur, we presented the main elements of our contribution as well as priority lines of action.

Discussions with participants allowed us to compare the perspectives of countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and to identify commonalities. Understanding the diverse needs of each region, it is important to highlight that in this area, significant connectivity is a common denominator, generating special concerns regarding its effects on vulnerable populations. The digital divide is not a resolved issue, which is why priority should be given to a multicultural approach with a gender perspective, strengthening participation processes and allocating public resources to address the inequalities that currently affect access to technologies. Issues surrounding the implementation of AI in the public sector and the need for human rights-based approaches were also discussed. On the other hand, the growing relationship between the so-called digital transformation and environmental impacts, not only in terms of energy use, but also in relation to the carbon footprint resulting from more complex data processing such as AI, blockchain, cryptos, etc., was addressed.

Another common concern was reflected in discussions around meaningful participation. In this regard, in relation to geopolitics and internet governance, disparities between regions and among diverse actors were addressed, considering limitations to effective multistakeholder approach. There are concerns about a possible centralization of these discussions at the UN headquarters in New York that could affect civil society participation.

Considering both spaces, we note that the priorities for Latin America with respect to the future implementation of the CDG are multiple and complex. Understanding the diverse issues in the region, we found that the critical focuses of implementation could be centered around four main themes with the understanding that addressing gender and the multi-stakeholder mechanism cuts across all axes: meaningful connectivity, AI governance, environmental justice and the integrity of information on the Internet.

This is the right time to articulate joint strategies. From AlSur we are committed to support actions aimed at implementing the GDC based on human rights in our countries.