Cities and Digital Rights Platform, CAF and UN-Habitat
- Country /
- Chile
- Services /
- Service innovation
- Year /
- 2023
- Topics /
- Participation and collaboration, Public management and transparency, Participatory design
Context
Today, cities face the challenge of incorporating digital technologies without compromising the fundamental rights of their inhabitants. Digital transformation is often conceived from an efficiency perspective, without considering its impact on equity, privacy, or citizen participation. This gap is especially critical in Latin America, where digitalization progresses at uneven rates, and local institutional capacities are limited.
In this context, the Cities and Digital Rights Platform was created as a pioneering initiative aimed at showcasing, connecting, and strengthening digital transformation projects with a human rights focus, fostering collaboration networks between cities in Latin America and Europe. The platform is part of a global effort by the Coalition of Cities for Digital Rights (CC4DR), supported by CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, UN-Habitat, and the methodological management of UNIT.
Challenge
How can local governments advance their digital transformation without neglecting the protection and promotion of human rights?
The challenge was to design a collaborative and sustainable space that allowed cities to share best practices, build capacities, and showcase cases of public digital innovation with a human rights approach. The project had to transcend being merely declarative and become an active tool to strengthen people-centered public policies.
Impact
- An active web platform that gathers and showcases digital transformation projects with a human rights approach.
- A growing community of local governments from Latin America and Europe connected through shared cases.
- A mentorship program in progress, with over 100 people involved in the first cycle.
