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Statement: Sustainability in the Digital Age applauds adoption of new Pact for the Future and Global Digital Compact

September 25, 2024

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New York, September 22-23, 2024

Summit of the Future 

Last week, world leaders gathered in New York for the Summit of the Future. Organized by the United Nations Secretary General, the Summit was called to strengthen international cooperation for global goals. Member states adopted a Pact for the Future committing to action across five themes: 1. Sustainable Development and Financing, 2. International Peace and Security, 3. Science, Technology and Innovation and Digital Cooperation, 4. Youth and Future Generations and 5. Transforming Global Governance. 

The Global Digital Compact – a historic first

As part of the Summit, the Global Digital Compact was also adopted, the first ever international agreement for an inclusive, open, sustainable, fair, safe and secure digital future. Member States agree and recognize the new challenge of digitalization and their role in managing the risks of the digital age in order to achieve an “inclusive, responsible and sustainable digital future.” 

Extract from the Pact for the Future. Para 51, under Science, technology and innovation and digital cooperation.  “Digital and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, play a significant role as enablers of sustainable development and are dramatically changing our world. They offer huge potential for progress for the benefit of people and planet today and in the future. We are determined to realize this potential and manage the risks through enhanced international cooperation, engagement with relevant stakeholders, and by promoting an inclusive, responsible and sustainable digital future. We have annexed a Global Digital Compact to this Pact in this regard.

The Compact sets in place measures to strengthen international cooperation and multi stakeholder collaboration to achieve objectives around:

  • closing the digital divide and advancing the SDGs (Objective 1), 
  • expanding an inclusive digital economy (Objective 2), 
  • fostering an inclusive and safe digital space that protects human rights (Objective 3), 
  • advancing interoperable data governance systems (Objective 4), 
  • promoting AI governance to benefit all of humanity (Objective 5). 

Sustainability in the Digital Age and Future Earth Canada were present at the Summit’s Action Days, with an event highlighting Digital and AI Environmental Sustainability and the Global Digital Compact. We endorse these objectives and aim to help decision makers uphold and implement the Global Digital Compact. 

Many of our activities already support the aims of the Compact. For example, in line with the Compact’s goals to “promote sustainability across the life cycle of digital technologies,” and to “ensure that digital infrastructure and equipment are sustainably designed to address environmental challenges,” we disseminate knowledge on how to address the direct and indirect impacts of AI on the Environment (resource here and toolbox here), we conduct applied research exploring digital tools for nature based solutions, and we are partnering in a greenhouse gas data collaborative to measure emissions in Montréal

The Global Digital Compact also recognizes the importance of digital literacy and education in closing the digital divide and advancing the SDGs. This includes actions such as integrating digital skills across education curricula, providing digital skills to adults and public officials and assessing national needs in education, to name a few. Our team is also partnering in this space on the Leadership in Environmental and Digital innovation for Sustainability (LEADS) graduate training program and as co-founders of the Global Alliance for Digital Education and Sustainability (GADES) program, newly launched at the Summit of the Future. GADES is a partnership between 13 core entities spread across the globe and is supported by a community of practice with over 80 experts from over 25 countries and 5 continents. GADES is leading  global dialogues and collective intelligence  on how to advance awareness, capacity, and literacy around the design, development, and use of digital technologies, with consideration for social and environmental sustainability.

Finally, as co-champions of the international Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability (CODES) we also stress that environmental sustainability  – in particular the interrelated issues of climate change and biodiversity conservation –  must be a central consideration as Member States now seek to implement the Global Digital Compact. We urge governments, the Office of the Secretary General’s Envoy on Technology, and other key actors to ensure that design and development of sustainable digital solutions focuses on tackling present environmental and social crises and meeting the SDGs. Further, we encourage the acceleration of research and funding to better identify and quantify the direct and indirect environmental and social impacts of digital technologies.

Member States, including Canada, have now agreed to implement the Global Digital Compact nationally, regionally and globally. As key experts on digital sustainability, we are excited to further collaborate with the policy sector, private sector, academia and civil society in implementing the Compact and advancing our common vision of digital sustainability. 

Read the full text of the Pact for the Future and the Global Digital Compact here https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/ltd/n24/252/89/pdf/n2425289.pdf