October 5, 2023 l  By Heba Shams

Can digital technology help us reach the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 despite the headwinds?

The "Pollyanna Principle" is our tendency to look at the bright side and communicate positivity. We humans have a ‘positivity’ bias. If you don't believe it go to New York City during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) week and sample the events happening around the UN headquarters.

The agenda for UNGA78 was bleak. At the halftime for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with seven years to go, the UN chief reported that hunger has been on the rise for several years and it is now at a level not seen since 2005. Yet, the congregations were abuzz and one speaker after another placed their bets on "winning the second half." This unlikely positivity was no more obvious than in SDG Digital, an event that was organized in the lead-up to the SDG Summit 2023 and focused on the role of digital technology in accelerating progress towards the SDGs.

Digital Technology to the Rescue

The message of the SDG Digital event was very clear. The 2030 SDG Agenda is at risk of failure and digital technology is its best bet at getting back on track. On the eve of the  event, an SDG Digital GameChangers Award ceremony was held celebrating individuals and organizations who are using digital technology to “rescue” the Global Goals. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the United National Development Program (UNDP), Launched SDG Digital Acceleration Agenda (The Agenda), which sought to demonstrate that digital technology contributes to 70% of the 169 SDG17 targets. The Acceleration Agenda provides 34 examples (two for each SDG), of digital solutions that are accelerating progress towards the Goals.

According to the Agenda, certain technical and non-technical enablers must be in place to create digital transformation that accelerates the achievement of the Goals in any country. Technical enablers include: Digital Public Infrastructure; Connectivity Infrastructure; Data Centers; Cloud and High-Performance Computing Infrastructure; and Security. Non-technical enablers include: Leadership and Vision; Governance, Regulations and Policies; Digital Skills and Capacities; Funding, Financing Models, and Incentives.  

The Role of Digital Public Infrastructure

In addition to the overall identification of digital technology as an accelerator of the SDG, the ITU and UNDP identified Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) as central to the SDG Digital Acceleration Agenda. They launched a UN High Impact Initiative on DPI (UN HII) with the purpose of mobilizing support for DPI implementation and strengthening in 100 countries and ensuring that DPI is “safe, accessible, affordable, green, financed, and future ready.” 

The UN HII on DPI builds on the G20 Leaders Declaration 2023, which recognized “that safe, secure, trusted, accountable and inclusive digital public infrastructure, respectful of human rights, personal data, privacy and intellectual property rights can foster resilience, and enable service delivery and innovation.” 

The Limits of Optimism — A Safeguard Agenda

Despite the palpable ‘techno-optimism’ amongst all 50 speakers and 300 participants at the SDG Digital event, caution and awareness of the risks associated with digital technology also shaped the views shared during the event. The risks highlighted included: the increased levels of fraud and cyber threats in recent years; the potential amplification effect of digital technology on inequality and exclusion; and risks of surveillance and undermining of democratic values.

To address these risks and ensure trust and adoption, the first pillar of the UN HII on DPI calls for “the creation and adoption of universal safeguard framework” that guarantees fundamental human rights are universally protected. UNGA78 launched the Universal Safeguards Initiative including 2030 Safeguards Action Hub leading to the Summit of the Future in 2024 and extending beyond it.

Will SDG Digital Crowd-Out the SDGs?

Declaring digital technology and the digital transformation agenda central to accelerating the achievement of the SDGs, has one main practical implication and that is to give countries and digital development assistance providers access to the funds available for the SDGs to implement their digital transformation efforts. Financing mobilization was one of the key calls to actions of India under the G20. With a new window on digital transformation under the Joint SDG Fund, the multiple calls for pledges during the SDG Digital, and the 100 countries by 2030 commitment under the UN HII on DPI, the potential of attracting SDG- earmarked funds to the digital transformation agenda is real.

Up until now, funds directed to the digital transformation agenda have been limited. According to recent Brookings Research only $6.8 billion were directed to helping countries with their digital development objectives in 2019. $4.2 billion came from multilateral organizations, and the rest from bilateral development organizations and private philanthropy.

These numbers are very small when compared to the needs. With 2.6 billion people still offline, an estimated $428 billion is needed to achieve universal connectivity by 2030. Studies also show that the funds needed to build digital infrastructure represent a small fraction of the funds needed to meet the SDG investment needs. For example, Low-and-Low- Middle-Income-Countries (L-LMIC) need 64 billion to meet their broadband and energy needs, while they need one trillion to meet their SDG needs.

Diversion away from higher priority SDG action may also occur in contexts where funds are diverted away from connectivity and energy access investment to investment in digital platforms and applications in contexts with high levels of internet or energy poverty. This may compound the digital divide and amplify inequality. 

Yet the real tension between the SDGs and the digital transformation agenda lies in its potential for abuse by public and private actors. Our bets on digital are therefore as good as the probability of a strong and enforceable UN digital safeguards framework in 2024.