GENEVA – The Global Institute for Water, Environment and Health (GIWEH) convened a high-level side event during the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council to examine how digital innovation and South–South cooperation can serve as catalysts for realizing the Right to Development. Held at the United Nations Office at Geneva, the panel brought together experts from international organizations, civil society, and academia under the theme “Digital Innovation and South–South Cooperation: Pathways to Realizing the Right to Development.”
The event was moderated by Mr. Nidal Salim, Director General of GIWEH, who framed the discussion by affirming that the Right to Development is not merely an economic objective but a fundamental human right—one that must be inclusive, participatory, and equitable. The panel featured presentations by leading voices from the International Labour Organization, civil society, and the private sector, as well as video messages from scholars and advocates in India and Kashmir.
A Human Rights–Centred Vision of Development
Panellists underscored that the Right to Development affirms the entitlement of every individual, community, and nation to participate in, contribute to, and benefit from development in a manner consistent with dignity, equity, and cultural identity. Digital technologies—including artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, cloud computing, and blockchain—are now essential instruments for the enjoyment of human rights. These technologies have the potential to advance up to 70 per cent of the Sustainable Development Goals and reduce global carbon emissions by up to 20 per cent through improvements in energy efficiency across industry and transport.
Mr. Ayman Okeil, CEO of Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights, and ECOSOCC Deputy Presiding Officer for Northern Africa, highlighted that in the Global South, adopting public digital infrastructure could increase GDP by up to 1.4 per cent by 2030. He emphasized that access to digital technologies expands essential services—health, education, and economic opportunities—especially for the most vulnerable, and called for best practices to be shared through South–South cooperation.
India’s Digital Public Infrastructure: A Model for the Global South
India’s experience with Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) emerged as a central case study. Mr. Surya Kanegaonkar, Columnist and Global Trading Expert, presented how India’s JAM Trinity—combining Jan Dhan bank accounts, Aadhaar digital identity, and mobile connectivity—has created foundational digital rails reaching approximately 97 per cent of the population. The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) processed over 228 billion transactions in 2025, enabling street vendors, rickshaw drivers, and small entrepreneurs to participate in the formal economy. With 55.8 per cent of Jan Dhan accounts held by women and 78.2 per cent located in rural and semi-urban areas, the system directly addresses inclusion gaps.
The Ayushman Bharat health protection scheme now covers 55 crore beneficiaries across 12 crore families, providing cashless hospitalization and reducing the financial burden of catastrophic health expenses. The e-Sanjeevani telemedicine platform and the e-Shram portal for informal worker registration were cited as further examples of how digital tools expand access to healthcare and social protection for the most vulnerable. Panellists noted that these platforms are conceived as open, interoperable public infrastructure—designed as shared goods rather than proprietary assets—offering a replicable model for other developing nations.
Civilizational Values and Ethical Frameworks for Digital Governance
Mr. Prashant Sharma, representing the Dharma Alliance—a tax-exempt, non-profit organization based in Geneva and the world’s only pan-Dharmic institution dedicated to integrating Dharmic perspectives into global governance—offered an ethical lens for the discussion. He emphasized that technology alone does not guarantee inclusion; values determine whether innovation empowers or excludes. Drawing on principles of service (seva), compassion (karuṇā), truth (satya), non-harm (ahimsa), and openness to multiple perspectives (anekāntavāda), Mr. Sharma argued that South–South cooperation reflects an ethic in which knowledge is shared for the welfare of all rather than hoarded for competitive advantage.
He also highlighted how digital platforms are being used to preserve and transmit civilizational knowledge through the digitization of manuscripts and AI-powered translation of classical texts, demonstrating that development need not require a choice between tradition and modernity. Citing Japan’s value-driven approach to digital health and disaster resilience, Mr. Sharma called for a global culture of cooperation grounded in equality and mutual respect across North and South, East and West.
Green and Digital Transitions: Opportunities and Inequalities in Labour Markets
Mr. Moustapha Kamal Gueye, Director of the ILO’s Priority Action Programme on Just Transitions towards Environmentally Sustainable Economies and Societies, presented findings on how combined investments in green and digital economies could generate up to 57.6 million additional jobs by 2030. Investments in universal broadband coverage alone could create approximately 23.5 million jobs, while climate and energy policies aligned with the 1.5-degree target could yield around 37.2 million additional positions.
However, Mr. Gueye cautioned that these transitions will not resolve labour market inequalities by default. Women stand to gain a significantly smaller share of additional jobs than men—by 30 percentage points in the digital transition and 46 percentage points in the green transition. Older workers, informal economy participants, and rural populations also risk being left behind without targeted policy interventions. The ILO called for workforce development strategies that are both time-sensitive and inclusive, with short-term reskilling for green occupations and medium-term planning for digital roles that scale with infrastructure growth.
Video Messages: Voices from the Field
The event also featured video messages from Ms. Faiza Rifat of Apex University in Jaipur, India, and Ms. Darakshan Hassan Bhat, Founder and President of the Kashmir Women’s Organisation (KWO). Their contributions reinforced the importance of ensuring that digital innovation reaches women, marginalized communities, and conflict-affected populations, and that the Right to Development is realized at the grassroots level.
Data Sovereignty and AI Governance
Participants raised concerns about data sovereignty challenges facing the Global South, noting that large countries with advanced AI capabilities are increasingly targeting Digital Public Infrastructure data in developing nations. The training of AI systems requires massive citizen datasets, and reliance on foreign cloud providers poses risks of surveillance and behavioural profiling. The panel stressed the importance of data localization policies, local data centres, strong encryption and consent frameworks, and open-source solutions to protect the digital rights of citizens in developing countries.
Recommendations and the Path Forward
Panellists converged on several key recommendations to accelerate the realization of the Right to Development through digital innovation and South–South cooperation. These include: establishing a global fund to bring digital technologies to the Global South; fostering bilateral partnerships for knowledge-sharing and capacity-building; implementing debt relief programmes to free fiscal space for digital investment; providing United Nations guidance for secure and ethical technology use; supporting civil society in assessing impacts and promoting digital literacy; safeguarding data sovereignty through local infrastructure and open-source alternatives; and ensuring that green and digital transitions are accompanied by inclusive labour market policies that address gender gaps and protect vulnerable workers.
The panel called for a shift from isolated innovations to shared ecosystems, from transactional partnerships to relationships built on trust, and from fragmented approaches to a universal ethic of development. Speakers emphasized that digital innovation can provide the tools, international cooperation can provide the structure, but ethical principles must provide the compass.
Moderator Mr. Nidal Salim concluded the session with a shared call to action: the question before the international community is not whether to adopt digital technologies, but how to ensure they serve people, reduce inequalities, and advance the Right to Development for all. By aligning digital innovation with enduring ethical principles and strengthening cooperation among nations of the Global South, the Right to Development can move from aspiration to lived experience.
