This briefing, authored by the Digital Health and Rights Project (DHRP) and Digital Transformations for Health Lab (DTH-Lab), responds to Revision 1 of the draft text for the Global Digital Compact published in May 2024.
Overall, we are pleased with many of the revisions to the Zero Draft including strengthened reference to human rights, acknowledgement of the absence of effective data protection, and commitments to equity and access.
However, we remain deeply concerned that health remains omitted from the text. This includes lack of explicit mention of health in the text or a comprehensive outline of the complementary role that the WHO can play in implementing the Global Digital Compact. We continue to urge member states to include reference in the text to health, as a human right, Sustainable Development Goal, and sector significantly impacted by digital technologies.
Read the full briefing here.