Background

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The international community keenly awaits the launch of the Global Digital Compact (GDC) at the Summit of the Future in New York. This pioneering document will set global standards for digital transformation, urging digital technology firms to enhance transparency and collaboratively develop accountability frameworks to safeguard digital rights and inclusion during significant digital transformations. Recent contributions from the Wikimedia Foundation have highlighted the need for robust government regulation and private sector accountability in areas such as internet fragmentation, data protection, and upholding human rights online, advocating for digital commons to be treated as a global public good.

 

Despite the existing UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) providing a broad framework for corporate responsibilities, their application in a technologically driven future presents challenges, particularly in implementing human rights due diligence in an environment that favours rapid development and adoption of Artificial Intelligence. The 2023 Digital Inclusion Benchmark by the World Benchmarking Alliance revealed that less than 14% of the world's leading technology companies have committed to digital inclusion, with even fewer demonstrating commitments to online child protection and AI ethics.

 

As the GDC prepares for implementation in 2025, coinciding with Malaysia's ASEAN chairmanship, ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) Malaysia is  exploring its focus on the right to development, with area intersection on digitalisation. This integration is essential for addressing the dynamics between digital advancement and economic growth in the Asia-Pacific, a region poised to see its digital economy reach a value of US$1 trillion by 2030. This calls for an evaluation of the public and corporate sectors’ readiness to engage in an inclusive and rights-based digital transformation, ensuring that the fundamental right to development is respected and upheld.

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Objectives​​

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• Stocktake and share recommendations for ASEAN, specifically AICHR on policy priorities related to business and human rights fulfilment in the digital sector, in alignment with the GDC. 

• Providing a space of discussions on key learnings related to the promotion of transparent and accountable digital transformation, in reference to the GDC.

• Drive discussions on the importance of policy frameworks and industry accountability on human rights due diligence, focusing on digital inclusion, online child protection, and AI ethics​

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Session partners