ATD Fourth World Contributes to Civil Society Advocacy on Digital Technologies and Human Wellbeing

ATD Fourth World contributes to Civil Society advocacy at the UN Commission for Social Development focusing on Digital Technologies and Human Wellbeing.

From February 8th to February 17th 2021, the United Nations’ 59th session of the Commission for Social Development (CSocD59) centered on the theme of digital technology and its impacts on social development and human wellbeing. This discussion was particularly timely considering the unprecedented move towards digitalization that has taken place since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

ATD Fourth World led a multitude of initiatives throughout the Commission, both independently and as a part of the broader civil society community, in its capacity of co-chair of the NGO Committee for Social Development.

ATD Fourth World’s Message to the Commission

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Volunteer Corps member Suraiya Foss-Phillips delivering ATD Fourth Word’s Oral Statement at CSocD59

Advocating ATD Fourth World’s positions on digital technology and poverty, Volunteer Suraiya Foss-Phillips delivered an Oral Statement at the Plenary Session of the Commission. She highlighted that “for people living in poverty, digital transformation can bring new opportunities to break the vicious cycle of exclusion by improving access to economic, social and cultural rights, but it can also push them further behind.” The statement sought to remind the Member States to address the root causes of systemic injustices, rather than seeking to fix them with digital solutions. It further emphasized ATD Fourth World’s call for all stakeholders involved to prioritize a digital development based on human rights, meaningful participation, accountability, equal access and inclusivity. With this statement, ATD Fourth World reminded all parties involved of the importance of keeping the most excluded in mind when crafting policies related to digital development. 

Advocacy through the Priority Theme Resolution

During the Commission, Member States negotiated and eventually adopted a Priority Theme resolution regarding the role of digital technologies in social development. Several points of this resolution are in line with ATD Fourth World’s message. The resolution was particularly strong in calling for cooperation in efforts to bridge the digital divide and promote digital inclusion, with particular attention given to the divides “both between and within countries, the rural-urban digital divide, the gender digital divide, and between youth and older persons”. 

The resolution also places a strong emphasis on social protection, including a reference to the ILO no. 202, a key treaty that defined social protection floors in 2012. There are additional references to the Guiding Principles on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, which ATD Fourth World pushed for and contributed to when they were drafted by the Human Rights Council in September 2012, and to the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. 

ATD Fourth World welcomes the human rights language in this resolution and references to human rights law, along with several mentions of human dignity of all persons as a fundamental right. 

With two paragraphs dedicated to Covid-19 adaptation and one dedicated to climate change, the resolution seeks to address some of the main concerns currently facing the international community. However, it bears no mention of the importance of pairing digital development with good governance. Possibilities for digital development to be inclusive must go beyond just Member State governance, and international documents should reflect the growing power and responsibilities of the private sector and other key stakeholders in the digital sector. With this angle missing from the resolution, there is a lack of concern for data privacy and protection from biases in the design and distribution of digital tools. Also missing from the document is the concept of the internet as a public good, which was an advocacy point that had been highlighted by ATD Fourth World activists as a necessary first step towards digital inclusion. 

Despite important advances towards the use of human rights language in this year’s resolution document, many facets necessary to inclusive digital development were left out. ATD Fourth World’s contributions to the Commission sought to advocate against the injustices caused by digitalization, and indeed Member States agree that bridging the digital divide should be a priority, but deeper levels of injustices remain to be addressed.