Quad nations focus on Digital Public Infrastructure; affirm principles of inclusivity, interoperability

The Quad nations highlighted Digital Public Infrastructure’s (DPI) critical role in creating a secure, reliable, and interoperable digital ecosystem.

They affirmed the principles of inclusivity; interoperability; modularity and extensibility; scalability; security and privacy; collaboration; governance for public benefit, trust, and transparency; grievance redress; sustainability; human rights; intellectual property protection; and sustainable development for the development and deployment of DPI, according to a statement by Ministry of External Affairs.

The Quad nations also recognised the potential of digital technologies in shaping the future of societies worldwide and offering opportunities to accelerate the realisation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the achievement of its Sustainable Development Goals.

“While leveraging the potential of digitalisation, we also underscore the importance of fostering an inclusive, open, sustainable, fair, safe, reliable and secure digital future in furtherance of our shared prosperity and sustainable development,” the release added.

The release further stated that DPI is an evolving concept described as a set of shared digital systems that are secure, reliable and interoperable; built and leveraged by the public and private sector to provide equitable access and improve public service delivery at scale; governed by applicable legal frameworks and enabling rules that provide for a level playing field and fair competition to drive development, inclusion, innovation, trust, and competition, and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Both safeguards for fundamental freedoms and robust cybersecurity measures are necessary for DPI to be implemented in a way that respects human rights and upholds our democratic principles. Governments deploying DPI should engage in concerted efforts to close all digital divides.

The Quad countries expressed their affirmation to follow the principles of Inclusivity which include eliminating or reducing economic, technical, or social barriers to enable inclusion, empowerment of end-users, last-mile access, and avoiding erroneous algorithmic bias; Interoperability by using and building on open standards and specifications with a technology-neutral approach, wherever possible, while accounting for appropriate safeguards and keeping in view the legal considerations and technical constraints.

Modularity and Extensibility imply a building block or modular architecture to accommodate changes/modifications without undue disruption, the release said.

Scalability by using flexible design to easily accommodate any unexpected increase in demand and/or to meet expansion requirements without changing existing systems.

Security and Privacy by adopting an approach that embeds key privacy-enhancing technologies and security features within the core design to ensure individual privacy, data protection, and resilience based on standards offering appropriate levels of protection, it added.

Collaboration by encouraging the participation of community actors at different stages of planning, designing, building, and operating to facilitate and promote a culture of openness and collaboration.

Governance for Public Benefit, Trust, and Transparency by maximising public benefit, trust, and transparency while respecting applicable frameworks. This means that laws, regulations, policies, and capabilities should seek to ensure that these systems are safe, secure, trusted and transparently governed, and also promote competition, and inclusion, and adhere to principles of data protection and privacy, the MEA release added.

Grievance redress by defining accessible and transparent mechanisms for grievance redress, i.e., user touchpoints, processes, responsible entities, with a strong focus on actions for resolution.

Ensuring sustainability through adequate financing and technological support and enhancements to facilitate uninterrupted operations and seamless user-focused service delivery.

Human rights by adopting an approach that respects human rights at every stage of the planning, designing, building, and operating.

Intellectual Property Protection by providing adequate and effective protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights for the rights-holders of technologies and other materials used based on existing legal frameworks.

Sustainable Development by seeking to develop and deploy these systems that contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and achievement of Sustainable Development Goals.

Notably, President Biden hosted Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for the Quad Leaders’ Summit on Saturday (local time) in Wilmington, Delaware.

The sixth edition of the Quad Leaders’ Summit is a ‘farewell’ summit for both US President Joe Biden and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida before they step down from their respective offices.

Quad is a diplomatic partnership between four countries–Australia, India, Japan, and the United States. US President Joe Biden is the host of the fourth in-person and sixth overall Quad Leaders’ Summit in Delaware.