Applications and services

More digital systems that have been designed for societal use are necessary to help expand DPI. These systems should be built with their respective societies in mind, taking into account their citizens’ needs, Internet access, and digital tools, not only today but in the future. Particular attention should be paid to guaranteeing that the infrastructure is safe and secure for all people to use. DPI is often described as technologies that tend to be “horizontals”, solving problems impacting the state (taxation, government aid), the market (start-ups, enterprises), and consumers, and are the rails that other interventions “run on top of”. Their implementation typically enables many other interventions and business models to flourish. DPI interventions can improve the lives of citizens around the world by enabling digital inclusion, and some governments have been able to harness these digital tools to address urgent challenges facing society.

The economics and governance of the DPI should be informed by its users, the public. Responsible PPPs or collaborations can facilitate the development of DPI, where governments enact suitable policies and provide incentives and viable use cases for it, and the private sector supports its expansion and service offerings. Greater investments – potentially from investors, funders, donors, and national budgets – can accelerate the implementation of the infrastructure. Building meaningful PPPs is instrumental in developing good DPI, and businesses, large and small, will benefit from this.

Digital public goods (DPGs) are defined by the UN Secretary-General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation as “open-source software, open data, open artificial intelligence models, open standards and open content that adhere to privacy and other applicable international and domestic laws, standards and best practices and do no harm”. From providing remotely accessible learning resources and paying out social benefits, to distributing vaccines and providing vaccination certificates, we have seen first-hand how DPGs can enable governments to swiftly respond to immediate health and social protection needs.

Ensuring meaningful connectivity for all, requires a perspective that recognizes the need for digital technology to be a DPG – a collective global resource. When digital resources are made freely available, they promote innovation and scale as anyone around the world can leverage and contribute to them. As DPGs continue to be shared and recycled, they only become more valuable to society; however, they need to be customized to the specific needs of a country, especially in LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS. Collaboration and coordination of the public, private and social sectors are fundamental to the discovery, development, and use of, and investment in, DPGs. By incorporating them in national development strategies and plans, governments can further strengthen their impact. Alignment to the standards of the Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA), which include the following, is important for sustainability and scalability:

1. Adaptability: Governments can freely adapt DPGs. For instance, Aadhar can only be adopted after permission from the Indian Government, whereas Modular Open Source Identity Platform (MOSIP) is open-source and can be reused. DPGs can be adapted to fit local needs, and this can also help build long-term ownership and agency for the implementing countries.
2. Scalability: Adopting DPGs that have been successfully implemented at scale elsewhere can save a country’s resources and enable faster piloting and roll-out.
3. Country ownership, trust, and capacity to iterate for future needs: DPGs can trigger the deep involvement of local expertise in country-specific implementations. Agency, in combination with the transparency of DPGs, can also help build country ownership and trust in technology.
4. Harmonization of approaches: DPGs can facilitate community building, knowledge sharing, and joint training approaches across jurisdictional boundaries.
5. Transparency and accountability: The open-source licensing of DPGs means that their code base can be independently scrutinized and audited. This also facilitates accountability and public discourse around issues such as incorporating best practices and designing DPGs with the aim of doing no harm.

B) Smart sustainable hubs (smart villages and cities)

Another approach to expanding the reach of the digital ecosystem is to embed it in cities, integrate it into daily life and empower people to leverage the technology at their disposal. Cities, villages, islands and rural communities can be transformed into “smart” hubs that are innovative and technologically modern by harnessing ICT to improve competitiveness, residents’ quality of life, and the efficiency of urban operations and services. For example, digital tools can be utilized to improve housing, healthcare, energy efficiency and waste management. The integration of digital innovations – like the IoT, AI, digital twins, smart grids and robotics – is pivotal for smart hubs and can drive the need for additional applications and services. It is important that these hubs operate sustainably too, and a catalyst for this is renewable energy providing stable electricity. Other aspects of sustainability to consider include energy efficiency and e-waste.

Global collaboration and advocacy across sectors can help introduce the necessary policies, standards and buy-in to transition to smart sustainable hubs. Transitioning successfully will rely on strategies, targets, KPIs, data collection, monitoring and reporting across five major dimensions: ICT usage, infrastructure, social inclusion and equitable access, quality of life and environmental sustainability.[119] Even though no city is a smart hub yet, continued advancements in ICT increase their possibility. It is estimated that smart hubs will represent 4 per cent of total revenue opportunities by 2025.[120]

C) Co-creation with local communities

It is fundamental that local communities and key stakeholders in LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS contribute to and are engaged in the development of new applications and services. This helps ensure that innovation meets an existing need and will be relevant to the local context. More people should be equipped with the capabilities to co-create in these regions. Co-creating with locals and key stakeholders can also inform and inspire more ideas.

This theme is explored in depth under section Relevant/local content and services

A more global, holistic and balanced approach to data governance is imperative for empowering citizens, achieving equitable access to the benefits of digital technology, and minimizing the associated concerns and risks. It may be fairer and more impactful for a multilateral, multistakeholder and multidisciplinary coalition to develop a global data governance framework. Enabling the development and execution of this framework would depend on openness, aligned definitions, adequate measurement, terms of access to data and its treatment as a DPG, and the adoption of universal rights and principles as well as international standards. People from underrepresented groups should be included throughout the process. The global framework needs to complement and be integrated with national policies while providing countries with enough regulatory leeway to allow them to benefit from the data-driven digital economy irrespective of their readiness and maturity. In LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS, additional support can be leveraged to raise awareness about data, detail national strategies, enact relevant regulatory frameworks, and encourage effective engagement in international processes.