This post is written by Vitalii Zakhozhyi, Digital Analyst, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

  • The problem: Digital technologies are fundamentally changing economies, societies and almost every aspect of people’s lives. However, the digital divide has become the new face of inequality.
  • Why it matters: Digital transformation can reinforce existing inequities in access, power and patterns of exclusion.
  • The solution: Digital transformation must be thoughtfully designed and implemented with people and human rights at the centre to benefit all.

Digital technologies are fundamentally changing almost every aspect of people’s lives. Realising the huge potential of digital technologies and their profound ability to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, countries across the world have been pursuing their digital transformation journeys. During the last three years, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has responded to that growing demand – supporting over 100 countries, together with local counterparts, on various aspects of their national digital transformation efforts.

Digital technology on its own is not inherently inclusive; we need to design it that way.

Given the way digital technology impacts economies and societies, the digital divide has become the new face of inequality. And the COVID-19 pandemic made it worse, as those without access to the internet and devices were left out of opportunities to work, earn, learn and receive critical services online.

UNDP observes that, when purposefully planned and implemented at a national level, digital transformation enables countries to adapt and use digital effectively, systematically, sustainably and in a way that promotes social cohesion instead of exacerbating divides. Without intentional efforts to be inclusive and uphold rights, digital transformation can reinforce existing inequities in access, power and patterns of exclusion.

Being intentionally inclusive

Digital technology on its own is not inherently inclusive; we need to design it that way. As governments implement strategies to guide digital transformations, UNDP works with them to promote the development of holistic digital ecosystems that leave no one behind.

At UNDP, we believe that digital transformation must be intentionally inclusive, thoughtfully designed and implemented with people and human rights at the centre to benefit all. To be truly inclusive, digital transformation requires a whole-of-society approach. This means bringing together all parts of society, including governments, the private sector, civil society and citizens to develop or strengthen local digital ecosystems. People, governments, nonprofits and companies can all benefit from an intentionally inclusive approach.

For us at UNDP, inclusive digital transformation:

  • Addresses the needs of the poorest as well as the most vulnerable and marginalised groups, including women and people with disabilities;

  • Mitigates the tendency of digital transformation to exacerbate existing inequalities;

  • Empowers underrepresented groups to take part in meaningful ways;

  • Protects people from the adverse effects of digital technologies;

  • Works to strengthen local digital ecosystems;

  • Encourages the use and development of digital technology that is open, responsible, and rights-based.

To boost digital transformation at the country level in an inclusive way, governments can consider the 10 illustrative practices below, as useful inspiration. These “good practices” are based on UNDP’s interventions, observations and lessons learnt on supporting over 100 countries on their digital transformation journeys, over the past three years.

We believe that connectivity serves as a foundation and can reduce the digital divide. It is also worth remembering that connectivity is meaningless without proper digital literacy.

Practice 1: Introduce participatory policymaking and governance for inclusive digital transformation – Inclusive policy and digital transformation process design require diversity of input. Policymaking should be evidence-based, oversight should be transparent, and vulnerable groups must be represented at every level.

Practice 2: Strengthen institutions to lead digital transformation – Institutional governance mechanisms are necessary for successful inclusive digital transformation, particularly to ensure that rights are upheld. Governmental institutions must be fit for purpose. It is also important to (re)design institutions for digital.

Practice 3: Strengthen national digital safeguards, laws and standards – Digital transformation requires rights-based regulatory and legal transformation of countries as regulation turns principles into legally enforceable frameworks. A rights-based approach uses digital transformation to entrench new freedoms and inclusivity. Special safeguards need to be introduced to mitigate the risks of digital.

Practice 4: Invest in responsible data collection and usage – To design inclusive digital transformation policies and programmes, countries need to improve their capacities for rights-based data collection and use. Regularly collecting and publishing digital inclusion data (indicators typically relate to internet coverage and use, mobile subscriptions and access, and digital literacy) can help guide digital transformation by ensuring there are positive feedback loops and to mitigate biases in decision-making. Disaggregated data will help governments tailor policies to suit their people’s needs.

Practice 5: Invest in meaningful universal connectivity – Worldwide, 2.7 billion people have no access to the internet. Meaningful connectivity is broadband that is available, accessible, relevant and affordable, but also that is safe, trusted, user-empowering and leads to positive impact. We believe that connectivity serves as a foundation and can reduce the digital divide. It is also worth remembering that connectivity is meaningless without proper digital literacy.

Practice 6: Advocate for appropriate use of digital public goods (DPGs) – Because DPGs are open-source, countries can study, copy and adapt them and get started more quickly, as opposed to going about it from scratch. The use of DPGs increases digital sovereignty and prevents vendor lock-in, as countries own the software and data. Sectoral DPGs addressing digital ID, digital payments or data exchange can mesh to form foundational digital public infrastructure.

Practice 7: Build national digital literacy and capacity – Investing in foundational digital literacy training is important – but not enough. It is also critical to expand training and employment opportunities in technology, product, user research, design and agile delivery. Increasing peoples’ digital skills and investing in national digital capacity creates new job and growth opportunities. Digital literacy programmes must instil awareness of the risks surrounding digital services including data and privacy rights, disinformation and hate speech. Inclusive digital literacy means consciously including marginalised groups and designing training with their needs in mind. In addition to investing in digital literacy among citizens, public sector leaders also need the skills and confidence to steer national digital transformation in a way that benefits the whole of society.

Practice 8: Build diverse, interdisciplinary teams – Digital transformation can be only enabled and achieved by empowered teams, it is not a job of a lone coder. For teams tasked with creating digital policy, programmes or services, varied identities and lived experiences enable them to better understand the needs of underserved groups; to work more closely with diverse communities; and to anticipate unintended consequences.

Practice 9: Support inclusive business models – Countries can also promote, nurture and scale inclusive business models. This might include encouraging the development of affordable digital products (which can open up new markets and revenue streams for businesses), or incentivising companies to provide extra services to people with limited digital literacy.

Practice 10: Promote inclusive service design – Intentionally inclusive service design solves more problems for more people. Good service must address a clear need or problem. A good service must also be usable by everyone who needs to use it, regardless of their circumstances or abilities.

To sum up, accelerating inclusive national digital transformation demands a portfolio of intentional interventions and a holistic, whole-of-society approach to delivering them. UNDP’s rich experience working with countries shows that, when leveraged effectively, the outlined good practices can set countries’ digital transformation efforts up for success.

Read more and find case studies in UNDP’s publication: ‘Inclusive by Design: Accelerating Digital Transformation for the Global Goals’.

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