UNGA 77 in brief: digital and beyond

Diplomacy returned to New York in its pre-pandemic form, with almost all country leaders addressing the UN General Assembly in person between 20 and 26 September 2022. Statements reflected the gloomy times in global politics by and large. Yet, certain signs of hope are featured in statements from, in particular, small and developing countries.

Digitalisation featured prominently in those statements looking beyond the rather dismal geopolitical reality shaped by the Ukraine war and the climate, food, and energy crises. The internet still is a global communication network that crosses various ideological and policy divides.

This retrospect on the UNGA 77  will provide summary of the covering of digitalisation and Our Common Agenda in national statements.

You will also find UNGA in Numbers, prepared by Diplo’s AI and Data team. As illustrated below, there is a clear upward trend with more and more countries referring to digital issues each year, with the exception of 2020, when the virtual UN General Debate focused almost exclusively on the imminent threat of the COVID-19 pandemic. With 91 countries and the EU addressing digital in 2020, the number of countries mentioning digital issues has almost doubled in 5 years’ time.

Diplo’s researchers have divided the numerous digital topics into 3 main categories described below:

1. Cybersecurity
2. Digital economy and governance
3. Digital rights