WSIS Forum 2023: Setting Standards for Sustainable Development: Adopting a rights-based approach to technical standard setting

Technical standards are all around us – embedded into digital technologies and related infrastructure, services, protocols and applications in order to enable devices to interact with each other and facilitate the smooth exchange of information globally.

Given the degree of interdependence between society, economy and technology today, standards have the potential to drive social, economic and environmental sustainability, and can have implications for human rights. Recently, the Human Rights Council resolution A/HRC/RES/47/23 has also mandated the OHCHR to draft a report on the relationship between technical standard-setting and human rights.

With an aim to further enhance collaboration among the technology community, especially standards development organizations, and the human rights community, this high-level session will bring together key stakeholders to discuss the intersection of technical standards and human rights, exploring opportunities and mechanisms for the two communities to work together.