Digital Transformation with a Focus on Human Rights
Technology should be at the service of communities. For this to happen, we need ethical, sustainable, and inclusive policies.
To learn more about human rights and further develop your skills, download and read the practical guides for digital transformation.
Glossary
This is a list of key concepts and relevant terms that will guide you in the discussion on smart cities’ development and their relationship to human rights. This compilation was put together based on guides and documents that specialise on this subject.
Smart Cities
People-centred smart cities use innovation and technology to improve the urban lives of their residents, aligned with local objectives such as urban planning and housing. This city vision requires effective leadership and planification, solid frameworks for digital governance, the protection of human rights, and the guarantee of digital inclusion.
Human Rights in the Digital Area
Human rights exist online just as they do offline, and they must be respected in their totality. Digital technologies have the potential of promoting and defending human rights, but they can also be used to repress and violate. The UN is particularly preoccupied over the protection of data and privacy, digital identity, and technological vigilance, including face recognition and online harassment.
GovTech
This is a concept that comes from the English words Government and Technology. It refers to the use of technology and innovation in transforming governmental services and encouraging people to participate in them. The development of digital platforms, the use of software or artificial intelligence, the digitalisation of paperwork procedures, and data analysis are some of the initiatives that exemplify the implementation of GovTech in local governments.
Digital Transformation
Digital transformation is the process of adoption of digital technologies in a national or local government. It’s the incorporation tools such as artificial intelligence, the internet, and other technologies into processes and operations. In order to do this, public officials must receive skills training, and changes must be made in the organisational culture, redefining work processes and adapting new forms of working with people.
Governance
Governance refers to the process through which different kinds of organisations assign themselves a form of functioning that promotes transparency, accountability, responsibility, inclusion, and citizen’s participation in decision-making. For this, they must establish government mechanisms that are efficient and allow for the management of public or private affairs with a focus on sustainability and responsibility.
