The Institute for Law, Innovation & Technology has been awarded two years of critical support by global fund Co-Develop to advance a series of strategic initiatives focused on the adoption of safe and inclusive digital public infrastructure (DPI) around the world.
DPI generally refers to the digital systems, tools, and frameworks that enable core societal functions, including digital identity systems, digital payment platforms, and data-sharing networks. One significant focus for both iLIT and Co-Develop is creating tools for civil society organizations to document and analyze the impacts of DPI design decisions on human and civil rights so they can help ensure that protections and effective remedies for such rights are “baked in” to the infrastructure itself. iLIT is an established leader in efforts to develop guidelines for the safe and effective design and governance of DPI, including work on the United Nations’ Universal DPI Safeguards Framework released in September 2024 alongside the Global Digital Compact.
The funding will enable iLIT to expand on existing work in several key areas through three interconnected projects: development of a “bootcamp” for non-state and judicial actors on the competencies they will need to engage in DPI-related work; enhancing the capacity of the HR4ID Civil Society Coalition through research support and accelerated knowledge transfer; and in-depth mixed methods research to estimate the compensation gap that civil society organizations absorb in provisioning the public with direct support and knowledge services tied to inclusion and safeguards for DPI.
“iLIT’s Director, Laura Bingham, has been a generous thought partner, committed advocate and master connector of networks, ideas and resources for many individuals and organizations throughout her career. I’m excited to work with her and the broader iLIT team as we tackle some of the core challenges civil society organizations and other public interest actors face in contributing to the rapidly evolving digital public infrastructure landscape,” said Matthew McNaughton, Co-Develop’s Director for Inclusion, Safety and Civil Society Engagement.
“Public trust and legitimacy in digital public infrastructure cannot be built by governments and technical providers alone, a reality that everyone in the multistakeholder community is increasingly recognizing, said iLIT’s Executive Director, Professor Laura Bingham. “This support allows us to translate those instincts into a transformation in how we understand, design, and govern these systems, with lived experience and accountability at the center. We are proud to contribute to this critical work with an incredible, diverse community of committed partners around the world.”