On December 12, the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) joined Access Now, Article 19, Derechos Digitales, and other civil society organizations in expressing their support for the United Nations Global Digital Compact (GDC). The GDC is part of the Pact for the Future and aims to establish shared principles for a collaborative digital future. The statement highlights that the "GDC has been an ambitious and well-intentioned effort for stakeholders — especially Member States and the private sector — to agree upon a set of shared principles and commitments for a more collaborative digital future." It is noted as positive that the GDC includes an international human rights framework applied to digital technologies.

Despite this support, signatories also voiced concerns about certain aspects of the document and its adoption process. They argue that the GDC could have made stronger commitments against rights-violating technologies and internet shutdowns. Additionally, it lacked an intersectional gender perspective. The adoption process was criticized for insufficient civil society input, despite efforts to include it.

The coalition calls on the UN and its Member States to ensure new mechanisms are open, inclusive, transparent, and facilitate meaningful stakeholder engagement. They stress these should not undermine existing forums like WSIS or the Internet Governance Forum (IGF).

Read the full letter here.