DPG Charter process announced at OECD event & Estonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs joins as the latest member of the DPGA
Today, the Digital Public Goods Alliance had the pleasure of collaborating with the OECD and the Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL), to co-host a high-level discussion on digital transformation, specifically how to harness innovation and technological advancements. This event stemmed from the OECD’s 2021 edition of the Development Co-operation Report, which advocated for hardwiring inclusion into digital technology processes. It also highlighted emerging norms and standards, featuring evidence and policy analysis from government, academia, business and civil society actors – including a chapter on the role that digital public goods can play in advancing digital sovereignty, contributed by the DPGA.
The high-level event brought together leaders from multilateral organisations and think tanks such as the OECD, UNDP, and iSPIRT as well as ministers and high-level government representatives from Colombia, Estonia, Germany, Norway, Senegal, and Sierra Leone to discuss how to harness digital innovations for development globally. This event also highlighted two announcements that the DPGA would like to take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate:
Estonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs joins as a member of the DPGA
Estonia is a global leader in governmental digital development and shares in the belief that digital public goods provide unprecedented opportunities. This includes the work they’ve done to secure and protect their own digital sovereignty, but also in sharing that work with others as well.
Building on decades of experience, Estonia’s approach to digital public goods has become a key component of their digital diplomacy and digital foreign policy work as well. Today, we welcome Estonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a member of the Digital Public Goods Alliance. At the event, Nele Leosk, Estonia’s Ambassador-at-Large for Digital Affairs, announced their membership, and shared that in joining the DPGA, they will continue to share their digital transformation experience with others and to advocate for DPGs. Their leadership in digital public goods already includes co-funding the DPG X-Road, and sharing vendor training and certification approaches for DPGs through the Nordic Institute for Interoperability Solutions together with Finland and Iceland.
Announcing the Digital Public Goods Charter
Throughout the event today, it was highlighted that we are at an inflection point in history. It is widely agreed that capitalising on developments in technology is critical to global development and to attain the sustainable development goals. But, ensuring the safe, secure, and equitable implementation of technologies cannot be overlooked.
Digital public goods are part of the solution. DPGs create and open opportunities for countries to meaningfully harness technological advances to support their populations and overcome challenges. But, national governments, civil society and public and private institutions must prioritise and support DPGs in order to enable countries to build safe, trusted, and inclusive digital public infrastructure at scale, improving outcomes for people everywhere. Many stakeholders recognise this need, and have come together to create a Digital Public Goods Charter.
The Digital Public Goods Alliance and Digital Impact Alliance are teaming up to co-lead the DPG Charter process which will bring together with a broad set of stakeholders from governments; private sector companies; philanthropic foundations; the United Nations, development banks and other multilateral institutions; non-governmental organisations, academia, media and other civil society organisations. This coordinated effort aims to mobilise high level stakeholder commitments, investments, and actions to advance the use of digital public goods.
To learn more about the DPG Charter and the DPG Charter process, please visit this website.