UN Launches Universal DPI Safeguards Framework to Promote Inclusive Digital Infrastructure

The new guidelines aim to ensure safe, equitable, and inclusive Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for achieving global sustainable development goals.

The United Nations has launched the Universal DPI Safeguards Framework: A Guide to Building Safe and Inclusive DPI for Societies, a set of guidelines aimed at fostering inclusive and secure Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). This release coincides with the adoption of the Global Digital Compact (GDC), where 193 member states and territories recognized the critical role of DPI in driving inclusive digital transformation and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Developed through a collaborative, multistakeholder process under the leadership of the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology (OSET) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Universal DPI Safeguards Framework provides practical guidelines to ensure that DPI implementations promote safety, equity, and public trust. The framework seeks to mitigate risks at individual and societal levels while helping nations build DPIs that are aligned with their specific contexts.

“The Universal DPI Safeguards Framework is the result of a collective effort to create guardrails for the interplay between people, the planet, and public infrastructure that is rapidly digitalizing,” stated Amandeep Singh Gill, the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology. “The framework offers a practical tool to help countries design what that looks like in their context.”

Countries like Rwanda and the East African Community have already embraced safe and inclusive processes across DPI implementation life cycles, showcasing their participation in the global effort led by governments, civil society, and the private sector to develop these guidelines.

Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator, emphasized the transformative power of DPI, stating, “Digital public infrastructure is transforming the delivery of services to people to the last mile. We must commit to the universal adoption of these safeguards to build inclusive digital infrastructure that benefits all.”

To support global adoption, the International Organizations Consultative Group (IOCG), which includes 12 multilateral organizations, has pledged to collaborate on capacity-building initiatives and regularly monitor the impact of DPI implementations on the SDGs. This collaboration aims to ensure the safe and inclusive digital transformation of societies worldwide.