UN High Level Panel on Digital Cooperation

The UN Panel was convened by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in July 2018, with a purpose to strengthen global cooperation and address challenges in the digital sphere. It is co-chaired by Melinda Gates and Jack Ma, and co-led by Amandeep Singh Gill (India) and Jovan Kurbalija (Serbia).

The Panel is focusing on six key themes, inclusive technology, trade and development; principles, mechanisms and approaches to digital cooperation; capacity building and closing the digital gap; data as a transformative resource; human rights and human agency in the digital age; digital security; and research and engagement.

5Rights is engaging with the Panel to make it aware of the benefits of system design, as outlined in the Age Appropriate Design Code. We are also sharing our knowledge about human centred artificial intelligence (AI) and the application of children’s rights in the digital environment.

Our assertion - that children are over-associated with a safety agenda, but under-represented on questions of privacy, digital agency, economic development and the development of ethical or principled mechanisms - was warmly accepted by other contributors.

The Panel will prepare a report in April 2019 that outlines good practice and proposes methods for cooperative, cross-sector work.

Read more about the Panel’s first meeting and their consultation with stakeholders.

Read 5Rights response.