G20 Delhi Declaration welcomes India’s plan to build, maintain Global Digital Public Infrastructure free for all

The G20 Summit in New Delhi gave a thumbs up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of India’s Presidency–We are One Earth, One Family, and We share One Future.

To that effect, the leaders of the G20 nations have committed to facilitating the bridging of existing digital divides and accelerating progress for inclusive and sustainable development.

Here’s how they plan to go about it.

Building and sustaining DPIs or Digital Public Infrastructures
Leaders of G20, under India’s Presidency, have committed to play their parts and bring forth DPI or Digital Public Infrastructure.

DPI is a constantly developing idea, but it basically refers to a collection of digital systems that are used by both the government and private businesses. These systems are secure and strong, and they can be created using open standards and open-source software. DPI has the potential to provide large-scale services to society.

DPIs need to be secure, trusted, accountable and inclusive while being respectful of human rights, personal data, privacy and intellectual property rights so that it can foster resilience.

For that, the leaders will be adopting the G20 Framework for Systems of Digital Public Infrastructure, which is a voluntary framework for the development, deployment and governance of DPI. The leaders also committed to welcome India’s plan to build and maintain a global
repository or GDPIR a virtual repository of DPI, which will be shared by the world.

The leaders will also consider the Indian Presidency’s proposal for One Future Alliance (OFA), an initiative that is aimed at building capacity and providing technical assistance and adequate funding support for implementing DPI in developing countries.

Building a safe and resilient Digital Economy
The leaders acknowledged that in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, the importance of fostering an inclusive, transparent, equitable, and secure digital economy cannot be overstated. This holds true for all nations and stakeholders, provided it aligns with the relevant legal frameworks.

Therefore the leaders committed to sharing strategies and best practices to establish a digital economy that is not only safe and secure but also resilient.

In order to achieve this, the leaders have endorsed the non-binding G20 High-level Principles, designed to assist businesses in fortifying safety, security, resilience, and trust within the digital economy. They also welcomed the idea of a G20 Toolkit focused on enhancing cyber education and cyber awareness among children and youth, recognizing its significance in nurturing a digitally savvy generation.

Fostering Digital Ecosystems
The Leaders of G20 declared to use all available digital tools and technologies to create secure and resilient digital environments. This should ensure that every person on Earth has access to financial services.

In order to achieve this, member nations will encourage responsible and sustainable use of digital technology among farmers and support Agri-Tech start-ups and small businesses. They will also establish the Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH) under the supervision of the World Health Organisation. And finally, they will use digital technologies available to them to safeguard and promote culture and cultural heritage.