The Global Digital Compact (GDC) was adopted as an annex to the Pact for the Future at the 2024 Summit of the Future (SOTF) during the 79th UN General Assembly. The Compact set itself up for future review processes, considering the fast changing landscape of digital and artificial intelligence (AI) issues and the challenges of keeping up with the pace in policymaking.
A prominent follow-up item in the GDC was the establishment of the Office of Digital and Emerging Technologies (ODET), building on the existing Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology. This briefing delves into items considered in the UN budget laying out the mandated function and activities of the new ODET and those relating to the GDC follow-up.
This briefing also contains highlights from a session report of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) Digital & Technology Network (DTN), where corporations, such as Google, were invited to inform the UN’s system-wide digitalization efforts.