Digital technology in International Cooperation

  Focus - Allegati
  07 February 2022
  19 minutes, 45 seconds

Digital technology in International Cooperation

New priorities in political agendas

Edited by: Mariella Brunetti, Policy Analyst MIPP and Valeriana Savino, Policy Analyst MIPP

Digital transformation has led to changes in socio-economic and political-cultural processes and it will continue to be a key factor in the transformation processes underway. In today's complex society, interconnectedness and interdependence characterize relations between states and international cooperation. For governments around the world it will be strategic to place the digital issue among the priorities of political agendas, in order to make the most of the potential of digital tools, while developing a capacity to face the known problems of the digital divide. This analysis offers an overview of the impact of digital diplomacy on contemporary society and aims to suggest particular public policy actions that can guarantee open government projects, infrastructural connectivity and dissemination of digital skills.

What is it all about (in short)?

THE IMPACT OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY ON SOCIETY

1. Contamination, interconnectedness and hypercomplexity

2. The implications of digitization in the complex society

3. The role of Multi-Stakeholder Processes

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE DIGITAL AGE

1. Eight key points from a German study

2. New relations between states, the so-called Digital Minilateralism

EUROPEAN UNION AND UN: ROADMAP FOR DIGITAL COOPERATION

1. Goals and actions at international and European levels

2. Digital policies in Italy

POLICY PROPOSALS

How to unlock digital potential through public policies: open government choices, digital inclusiveness, overcoming the digital divide and increasing digital skills

The impact of digital technology in society

Contamination, interconnectedness and hypercomplexity

Digital technology has changed the economic, social and political structures of countries. People are increasingly connected to each other in the world: the speed of communication, the more informal interaction involving different social actors, the contamination and diffusion of knowledge between different levels are some of the characteristics of the digital age, often defined as the ‘hypercomplex’ era. The resulting interdependence in relations between states introduces a new understanding of international cooperation: digital tools can represent an opportunity for a diplomatic renewal as long as forms of open government are accepted and tested. Technological innovation and digitalization can guarantee the well-being of citizens and population, but they also represent new challenges for governments, which must necessarily intervene with targeted policies and new awareness in order to fully unlock the digital potential. Above all, they must act to manage gaps created by advancements in technology: the intergenerational, gender and territorial digital divide, the increasing global demand for electricity, disinformation and cyberattacks. Today's societies are characterized by a high degree of complexity, or "hypercomplexity": a feature that could be considered a structural assumption of contemporary social systems but which has significantly increased since technological and digital innovation began to manifest itself. Complexity, interdependence and flexibility are concepts that have become part of the common vocabulary - at least in the most economically and industrially advanced part of the world - and that derive from the consequences of digitalization, especially during what is called the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Talking about digital innovation today means being aware that it brings ongoing changes in our societies: not only the discovery and use of new technologies in sectors far from social interaction, but now also inevitable changes of economic, social and cultural organizational processes (1). This is one of the reasons why "hypercomplexity" and interdependence also involve foreign policy or international and diplomatic relations between states around the world. Observing reality in its constant evolution, with an overall understanding of the globality, connections and systemic relationships is essential (2) to investigate how and to what extent digital changes can unfold their potential in improving people's living conditions as part of a renewed international cooperation in the digital age.

The implications of digitization in the complex society

Today's world is constantly updated and is characterized by a new degree of ever faster and simultaneous interaction ever more able to quickly connect different actors on different levels: it is now almost impossible for governments to manage their internal and foreign agendas separately. The digital advance has triggered an extreme acceleration of social, economic and cultural processes (3). Also the state capacity, generally defined as the ability of a government to achieve political goals, it is influenced by the increase in the speed required to take a position in political choices (Covid-19 crisis is just one example). It is important to ensure strategic choices, overcoming traditional models and experimenting with new truly inclusive forms of cooperation so as not to exacerbate pre-existing inequalities. The public debate on digital diplomacy is facing new challenges: diplomat Marco Alberti (4), for several years Head of International Institutional Affairs at Enel and currently Italian Ambassador to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan cites some of these: an expanded international audience, multi-level relations, different problems and reduced reaction times, the growth of the weight of the economic component in international relations (5) and of the role of economic diplomacy. Since one of the characteristics of our society is that «international relations are no longer limited to interactions between heads of state and their staff» (6), in recent times there has been an increase in the use of economic diplomacy, especially in front of some contemporary economic changes such as the deregulation of financial transactions. Hyper-connectivity should be managed by investing in innovative (or rather open) cooperation, according to the prerogatives of what is called "open diplomacy". This is an alternative working method, aimed at the interaction between economic diplomacy and public and private representatives, in order to transform interaction into dialogue, and dialogue into partnership (7). Often these issues are not well known and the public debate is not yet ready because still linked to a traditional idea of foreign policy seen as something far from domestic problems of a country. The result of a this project is the formation of new ecosystems, because the interaction makes diplomatic action multi-stakeholder. We need new projects, initiatives, collaborations for sharing knowledge on common goals, facilitating cooperation.

The role of Multi-Stakeholder Processes

FAO defines Multi-Stakeholder Processes (MSPs) as “processes in which different actors (eg government agencies, producer organizations, NGOs, private actors, donors and others) collaborate to achieve a common goal”. These processes in the digital age, falling within the context of participatory decision-making processes, underline the importance of local stakeholders in developing proposals suited to their own specific needs, building and strengthening alliances and partnerships on common goals, including also sustainability and resource sharing (8) since digital and ecological transformation cannot be separated. Today, more than ever, developing an innovative Country-System also means considering the power of digital technology as a strategic resource for building relationships both within and outside one's own borders, to consolidate one's international positioning and the national intelligence apparatus (two particularly relevant issues). Public sector, foreign policy and international cooperation must also rethink their influence thanks to the changes brought about by digital development.

International development in the digital age

Eight key points from a German study

In January 2021, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), a German federal company operating as the main provider of international cooperation services for the German government, conducted a research with the help of 13 digital development experts. The research aimed to understand how digitalization has changed development cooperation. Starting from the observation that "the issue is not about promoting digital cooperation, but about international development in the digital age", eight key points emerged:

  1. digitalization affects all economic and social sectors: it requires a mentality change
  2. the transition to digital technology cannot be an end in itself: it is essential to understand how to use digital in practice, to add value to a particular sector, evaluating negative and positive effects
  3. it is necessary to know local cultures in which a digital intervention takes place
  4. digital technology is indissolubly linked to geopolitics
  5. to tackle digital divide by avoiding leaving someone behind or causing polarizations
  6. data sovereignty governance must be strengthened: regulations on archiving, access and use of data are needed, as already happened for the commercialization of private data
  7. new partnerships in the digital age must become priorities for political agendas: alliances with the private sector to increase the capacity of public services
  8. more development projects based on adaptive learning and feedback loops need to be developed (9). Actors involved in international development, States, international organizations, youth associations, non-governmental organizations should understand this challenge, the basic principles of digital transformation and its interaction with sustainable, smart and green development.

New relations between states, the so-called Digital Minilateralism

The Bennett Institute for Public Policy of University of Cambridge published a research project on the “Digital State” to lead policy research and to create a forum for wide-ranging discussions on the opportunities and challenges of digital transformation in international cooperation. Covid-19 has prompted governments to recognize the need to cooperate to seek global solutions to a global problem. Scholars from the Bennett Institute propose a new international cooperation strategy: the“Digital Minilateralism”. It consists of new global cooperation networks between a small number of states that create and disseminate knowledge. These networks are based on trust and are innovation-oriented. Minilaterlism is opposed to the historic system of "multilateralism" because it also has a certain informality and flexibility in relations between states. In this way, culture, practices and digital technologies together become tools to promote peer learning and support between governments(10). In particular, this new method of international digital cooperation would develop from an example of a digital minilateral network called "Digital Nations (DN)", founded in 2014 by five nations: Estonia, Republic of Korea, Israel, New Zealand, United Kingdom (joined by Canada, Uruguay, Mexico, Portugal and Denmark). The common goal of this network of states that define themselves as "some of the most digitally advanced governments" is precisely to create a forum in which to identify and share practices for improving international cooperation through digital services, collaborating on common policy projects to support the growth of digital economies and to increase digital services and infrastructures. In particular, the D5 group made a list of nine principles for Digital Development, which emphasize the transparency of governments, openness and digital inclusion:

  1. user needs, design of public services for citizens
  2. open standards, open public policies to ensure interoperability
  3. open source, software sharing between governments
  4. open markets, creation of effective competition for companies
  5. open government, to guarantee governance transparency
  6. connectivity, to guarantee connectivity to all citizens through a high level of quality infrastructure
  7. teach children to code, offering children the opportunity to learn coding to train the skills of the new generations
  8. assisted digital, supporting all citizens in accessing digital services
  9. commitment to share and learn, all members are committed to working together to resolve any issues encountered as far as possible

To pursue its goals, the D5 also makes use of the work carried out by the so-called "Thematic working groups": work areas divided into specific themes, in which various experts participate. Their task is not to homogenize the public policies of the member states but to facilitate debate on the different views of each state on digital issues (for example on the issue of digital identity) in order to create conditions for ever closer collaboration in the future.

European Union and UN: Roadmap for digital cooperation

Goals and actions at international and European levels

Digital technology is changing people's lives. Both the European Union and the United Nations have identified concrete actions to guide global cooperation around issues such as artificial intelligence, data protection, surveillance, privacy, internet shutdown, online harm and growing threats to digital security. The EU digital strategy aims to ensure that this transformation benefits citizens and companies, while contributing to achieving the goal of a climate-neutral Europe by 2050. The European Commission is determined to make this decade the Europe’s Digital Decade. Europe needs to strengthen its digital sovereignty and set its own rules with a clear focus on data, technology and infrastructure. The Commission proposes the Digital Compass: a governance mechanism to translate EU digital targets for 2030 into concrete goals. The Compass will be based on a structured monitoring system of the EU path on the pace of digital transformation, gaps in European strategic digital capabilities and implementation of digital principles. It will include the means to realize the project and define the milestones around the four cardinal points: the first two focus on digital capabilities at the level of infrastructure and education and skills, while the other two focus on the digital transformation of businesses and public services. The four points are:

  • a population with digital skills and highly skilled professionals in the digital industry: digital skills will be essential to strengthen our collective resilience as a society. Basic digital skills for all citizens and new specialist digital skills for the workforce are a prerequisite for actively participating in the digital decade, as explained in the European Skills Agenda
  • sustainable, safe and performing digital infrastructures: Europe will only acquire a digital leadership role with a sustainable digital infrastructure in connectivity, microelectronics and the ability to process large amounts of data, as these elements underpin other technological developments and support competitive advantage of enterprises.
  • digital transformation of enterprises: it will depend on their ability to rapidly and widely adopt new digital technologies, even in industrial ecosystems and in services that are lagging behind. EU support, in particular through the single market, the Digital Agenda for Europe and the EU Cohesion Policy, will promote the dissemination and use of digital skills, including industrial data spaces, computing power, open standards and the testing and experimentation facilities
  • digitalization of public services: the EU's goal by 2030 is to make democratic life and online public services fully accessible to all (including disabled), so that everyone benefits from a best quality digital environment that offers easy-to-use, efficient and personalized services and tools with high safety standards and privacy protection.

Issues related to the digital world were also addressed by the EU Council which on 9 June 2020 released a Communication on "Shaping Europe's Digital Future". In the post-crisis context, the European Union needs to strengthen its digital sovereignty and possess leadership in international digital value chains and strategic autonomy. To achieve these objectives, it is a priority to have adequate infrastructures throughout the European Union, to share data between public administrations, companies, public bodies and research bodies and to focus on cybersecurity. Regarding the United Nations, on 11 June 2020, UN Secretary-General António Guterres presented a Roadmap for Digital Cooperation: a series of actions recommended to the international community to help ensure that all people are connected, respected and protected in the digital age. The Secretary-General's Roadmap is the result of a multi-year, multi-stakeholder global effort to address a range of issues related to: global connectivity, Artificial Intelligence, Digital Public Goods, digital security and rights, skills and digital inclusion. Global digital cooperation is the eighth area of action that the High Level Group for digital cooperation aims to pursue. There are significant gaps in global digital cooperation and issues related to digital technology are too often neglected on the political agenda. Even when there is cooperation, it is often fragmented and does not achieve tangible results or solid follow-up processes. As a starting point, the Internet Governance Forum needs to be strengthened in order to make it more responsive and relevant to current digital issues.

Digital policies in Italy

To make the Italian strategy coherent with international ones, the Ministry for technological innovation and digital transaction, in addition to the adoption of EU guidelines and policies, has launched a specific strategy consisting of a broad international dialogue to play an active role in International Organizations (11). First of all, Italy is aligned with the European Union strategies on digital innovation and EU measurement tools, in particular by focusing on digital skills, development of digital governance for the simplification and transformation of Public Administrations, European digital identity and data usage and control. Furthermore, the Department and the Minister participate in numerous international working groups and task forces dedicated to digital innovation, such as the Italian Presidency of the G20, where Italy has promoted ideas for a digital transformation centered on citizens and inclusiveness. They are also the basis of the 'Italy 2025' strategy for innovation and digital transformation. Finally, the Department participates in international cooperation initiatives chaired by organizations such as the World Economic Forum and OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), implementing the "Agile Nations Network" initiative to foster global cooperation on rulemaking. It consists in removing administrative obstacles for companies, start-ups, and researchers who intend to experiment with technological innovations by introducing new business models to the market, while ensuring the protection of citizens and the environment.

Policy Proposals

Given goals launched by the European Commission and the Secretary of the United Nations, the following actions should be placed at the center of the political agendas:

to continue promoting open government initiatives

An example is the international Open Government Partnership (OGP) to which more than 70 countries (including Italy) adhere to support collaboration between governments and civil society organizations on specific projects in order to promote the opening of institutions and of Public Administrations. The OECD also intervened on the same issue with a Council Recommendation on Open Government and the creation of a Community of experts in the field to share good practices and advice. This change of mentality towards an "open" understanding of national institutions must also be promoted in the foreign policy objectives of the countries;

to ensure digital inclusiveness and digital skills

The Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) summarises indicators on Europe's digital performance and annually tracks the progress of EU countries. It includes 4 key areas: human capital, connectivity, integration of digital technology and digital public services. To take action on digital inclusivity is above all needed: at the national level, guaranteeing connectivity to people with disabilities, elderly people, women and those living in poor economic conditions. One of the challenges of digitalization is in fact linked to the digital divide, which amplify inequalities. The digital divide can be instrumental (lack of connectivity and digital and IT tools), cultural (lack of digital skills and knowledge), territorial (peripheral areas excluded) and generational or gender (gap between old and new I-Generations and between men and women). Greater funding should be offered for the expansion of the fiber optic broadband in a uniform manner throughout the territory, starting from the most isolated regions and guaranteeing connectivity in public places (training, care, simple meeting and social aggregation). Training on digital issues (starting from the youngest people) is also important: it is therefore necessary to deepen information in schools about the risks and opportunities of digital tools and platforms.

Globally, on the other hand, the data show that only 53% of the world population is able to use the Internet, while 3.6 billion people have no network access, especially in less developed countries. This is mainly due to the high costs of installing broadband connections and fiber optic cables. That is why it is increasingly important to sign new bilateral regional agreements with other countries or regions. Italian regions should pay attention to international cooperation. Governments and communities, with the support of multi-stakeholder coalitions, can conduct local (especially within smaller municipalities) and regional assessments on connectivity needs to develop complete and differentiated connectivity plans and projects based on real territorial needs. Regarding digital skills in the world, it is estimated that there will be 230 million "digital jobs" in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2030 which could generate nearly $ 120 billion in revenue, but this would require around 650 million in training opportunities by 2030. In the UN report, the High Level Group proposed adopting "Digital Help Desks" as a potential solution to exploit work between regional institutions, organizations and platforms;

to favor the intermediation and support of organizations that can reduce the digital divide

Local intermediation today is becoming increasingly important: the involvement of needs and wishes of the population should become one of the main political goals in the increasingly digital administration to foster international development cooperation for digital skills. To spread an open and inclusive digital culture, the population must directly benefit from the positive effects deriving from the introduction of digital tools in everyday life. Digital education (at least basic) could be fostered by the support of associations or companies in collaboration with public training institutions (schools, universities or public administrations), expanding the opportunities to attend customized training courses or events.

Conclusions

International digital cooperation represents a multi-stakeholder effort that requires an ever-increasing involvement of private sector, technology companies, international organizations, academic institutions and technical and civil community to address ongoing digital transformations. Governments are the leading players in this transformation process and it is essential that they embrace a vision of openness to dialogue between the various stakeholders to shape new projects in the field of digital cooperation. The United Nations defines itself ready to promote dialogue among stakeholders by appointing in 2021 an Envoy on Technology whose role will be to advise the top management of the United Nations on key trends in technology, in order to champion the organization's tech goals. Addressing the challenges and seizing the opportunities of digital will be one of the main and upcoming goals in the internal and foreign political agendas worldwide: governments must develop valid strategies for Internet access, but also for data analysis and protection (it is no coincidence that data has been defined as "the new oil of the 21st Century"). At the same time, they should make a concrete commitment to less development countries to bring about an inclusive and equitable digital transformation. Digital diplomacy and international cooperation face a great challenge due to still little-known sectors. However, new projects and investments in public policies on digitalization at international, European and national levels are the concrete demonstration of the importance of developing greater knowledge and greater use of digital tools within companies around the world. However, new projects and investments in public policies on digitalization at international, European and national levels are the concrete demonstration of the importance of developing greater knowledge and greater use of digital tools within companies around the world.

Translated by Simona Taravella

(1) Cos’è l’innovazione digitale e come si è evoluta negli ultimi venti anni, https://blog.osservatori.net/it_it/innovazione-digitale-significato-trend-evoluzione

(2) For an inclusive innovation. Healing the fracture between the human and the technological in the hypercomplex society, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40309-017-0126-4?fbclid=IwAR0ABau7PjK_vrwbzBBSeqbDYmX-gr1NLfppbZ63g2j1_bgqRg4SE5tB9L4

(3) Ibidem

(4) Da Marco Alberti, libro “Open Diplomacy”, Case history Enel, https://www.giornalediplomatico.it/da-marco-alberti-libr.htm

(5) Marco Alberti, Open Diplomacy - Diplomazia aumentata al tempo del Covid-19, https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=EcVAEAAAQBAJ&pg=GBS.PT20.w.0.0.116_324&hl=en_US

(6) Ibidem, Prefazione di Henry Chesbrough

(7) L’open diplomacy nel mondo post-Covid, https://geopolitica.info/lopen-diplomacy-nel-mondo-post-covid/

(8) Facilitating effective multi-stakeholder processes, https://www.fao.org/capacity-development/resources/practical-tools/multi-stakeholder-processes/en/

(9) Il futuro dei programmi di sviluppo internazionale nell’era digitale, https://www.ong2zero.org/blog/il-futuro-dei-programmi-di-sviluppo-internazionale-nellera-digitale/

(10) Digital Minilateralism: How governments cooperate on digital governance, https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/publications/digital-minilateralism-how-governments-cooperate-d/

(11) Attività internazionali, https://innovazione.gov.it/progetti/attivita-internazionali/

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