People living in cities around the world use a wide range of municipal services on a regular basis. Services provided to residents such as garbage collection, the provision of playgrounds, parking spaces, streetlights, affordable housing, social support and public transport all require a local government that is committed to facilitating good quality of life in the city. As city governments undergo digital transformation, the digital and physical aspects of the city become more closely connected with digital technologies being used to deliver services, manage urbanisation processes and communicate with residents.
This publication refers to human rights in the digital context as ‘digital rights’. These are not new human rights. ‘Digital’ rights are interpreted as existing human rights which need to be protected in the context of digital technologies, as physical and digital spaces are increasingly intertwined. Digital rights assess how digital technology affects previously recognized rights – i.e., civil, political, economical, social and cultural rights. These rights form the basis of commitments described in this report and emphasise a culture for more inclusive and responsible use of technology.
Download the guide here.
The guide "Mainstreaming Human Rights in the Digital Transformation of Cities: A guide for local governments" was developed by UN Habitat, the Cities Coalition for Digital Rights in 2022, Eurocities and UCLG with support from Open Society Foundations. It was launched at the 2022 Smart City Expo in Barcelona.
use:picks by the use team
Want to learn more about digital rights? In the essay A human rights-based digital transformation, Paula Boet builds on the work carried out by the Cities Coalition for Digital Rights and outlines both challenges and opportunities associated with use of digital technology in cities and calls for the need of digital rights based policy-making. Read our use:topic essay here.