Centering human rights in the design and adoption of DPIs: Perspectives on DPI design, adoption and implementation
Members of the Global South Alliance joined the Global Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Summit, convened from November 4 to 6, 2025, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in South Africa. The theme of the event was “Digital Public Infrastructure in Practice: Implementing Tomorrow’s Digital Society Today.” The summit was co-hosted by the World Bank […]
Members of the Global South Alliance joined the Global Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Summit, convened from November 4 to 6, 2025, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in South Africa. The theme of the event was “Digital Public Infrastructure in Practice: Implementing Tomorrow’s Digital Society Today.” The summit was co-hosted by the World Bank Group, Co-Develop, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies (ODET).
The Summit brought together ministers, public servants, technologists, civil society leaders, and innovators from over 100 countries to talk about how to apply DPIs in practice. Through keynote speeches, technical workshops, and policy discussions, participants explored how DPI, including digital identity systems, interoperable payments and trusted data-sharing platforms, could be designed, scaled and governed to foster inclusive, secure, and sustainable digital societies.
During the Summit, two countries, Gabon and Tanzania, joined the 50-in-5 campaign, increasing the number of countries already part of the campaign from 30 to 32. The campaign brings together governments, development partners, and technical communities and targets reaching 50 countries in designing, implementing and scaling DPI components by the end of 2028.
During the summit, one of the GSA members, the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), conducted a workshop on “Media Narratives for DPI,” which presented a study on how the media in different African countries are approaching the topic of DPI. One of the key findings highlighted the heavy reliance of journalists on official events and government representatives as primary sources, with limited attention still given to civil society perspectives on these digital services, which are, in principle, meant to serve the public interest. There’s also more attention given to DPIs than Digital Public Goods (DPGs), according to the research, and sources usually rely more on men than women, pointing to another issue regarding inclusion and participation.
Another session that reflected part of GSA’s work was the launch of the UNDP Governance Assessment Framework for Data Exchange Systems, where a framework was presented on inclusive data sharing, secure and efficient data management and trust-related issues among stakeholders, bringing forward elements such as public interest, independence and budgeting. Data Privacy Brasil was part of the consultative team with the UNDP. The discussion emphasized the importance of institutions capable of upholding these pillars for the framework to function effectively, underscoring the need for dialogue across different levels.
Among other sessions joined, GSA members also attended a consultative session by the World Bank that focused on the implementation of digitisation projects in fragile, conflict and violence contexts (FCV) and contributed to the identification of good practices, risk identification and mitigation and participatory design. The consultative process allowed attendees to share their insights and ideas on implementing DPIs in FCV contexts (Fragility, Conflict & Violence).
However, despite relevant discussions, the event adopted a technosolutionist approach. The event provided limited insights into the impact of the DPI services on people’s needs, especially in contexts where many countries face challenges ranging from connectivity and digital literacy, to the absence of a suitable regulatory environment capable of safeguarding the public interest. From digital identity to payment systems, there is a need to anchor DPIs in the principles of privacy, accountability and non-discrimination. This helps prevent these systems from reinforcing algorithmic bias, enabling mass surveillance, or unfairly excluding marginalised groups.
In our view, DPI advancements should be supported by strong oversight mechanisms to ensure technology design, adoption and service delivery respect human rights. Without clear accountability mechanisms and avenues for appeal, DPI systems can fail to deliver on their promises. For instance, in June 2025, Uganda suspended its Express Penalty Scheme, which used licence plate recognition to issue fines to motorists. The automated surveillance system was discredited by the public due to its lack of accountability and oversight, owing to procurement irregularities and data privacy concerns in the use of foreign-controlled infrastructure.
Therefore, we would like to see future iterations of the Summit improving in the following:
- Providing community-centred feedback on the impact of DPIs;
- Centering human rights in technology advancement discussions;
- Emphasising effective oversight mechanisms in DPI implementation.
States implementing DPIs should:
- Centre human rights in technology design and deployment;
- Conduct public consultations on DPIs before implementation;
- Uphold privacy rights in DPI adoption;
- Uphold transparent procurement systems in DPI;
- Adopt policies and laws to safeguard human rights in DPI design and adoption;
- Ensure DPI systems are inclusive of marginalised communities;
- Establish effective oversight mechanisms for the implementation of DPI.
The Global South Alliance is constantly working with different stakeholders and building solidarity towards an inclusive and just digital future. We welcome spaces and forums such as the DPI Summit and we also work to improve engagement opportunities and encourage agenda-setting that reflects the Global South.
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