The Government of Spain promotes an alliance with Latin America to disseminate and protect digital rights

The Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Function, Óscar López, during his speech at the Andicom Technology and Business Congress held in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia

The Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Function, Óscar López, has proposed building a global alliance with Latin America to promote and protect people's rights in the digital environment.

"The digital revolution brings cracks and opportunities. And 21st century geopolitics is being redefined at almost the same speed and by the same hands as AI. That is why we are here today, because Europe and Latin America must take sides and raise their own voices," said the minister during his speech at the event organised by Red.es under the title "Our rights in a digital world".

The event, part of the Andicom Technology and Business Congress, held in the Colombian city of Cartagena de Indias, served to share the advances and challenges in digital rights, both nationally and internationally.

The public business entity under the department of Óscar López has presented the Digital Rights Observatory, an initiative created by the Government of Spain to promote knowledge and protection of people's rights in digital environments, both nationally and internationally, with a special focus on Latin America. "The Government of Spain has no doubts; we want, we design and we finance a humanist and sustainable digital transformation," stressed the minister.

The event, held at the Spanish Cooperation Training Centre in Cartagena de Indias, was attended by various experts who discussed the impact of the digital transformation on fundamental rights. Among them, it is worth mentioning the general director of Fundación Gabo, Jaime Abello; the general director of Fundación Karisma, Carolina Botero; or the former Secretary of State for Digitalisation and AI, Carme Artigas; among others.

"We talk about defending privacy, training in digital skills or ensuring access to accurate information. Because if a revolution does not multiply rights, then it is not a revolution," concluded Óscar López.

Boosting digital rights charters

At the presentation of the Digital Rights Observatory, the director general of Red.es, Jesús Herrero, and the director general of the Hermes Foundation and also spokesperson for the Observatory, Luisa Alli, have vindicated the effectiveness and usefulness of national digital rights charters in raising awareness among citizens and the agents involved, as well as for promoting public policies.

This is a path that the Government of Spain began in 2021 with the approval of the Digital Rights Charter and which was subsequently followed by the European Parliament and Council, at the end of 2022, with the EU Declaration of Digital Rights and Principles; and the 28th Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government, in March 2023, with the approval of the Ibero-American Digital Rights Charter.

About the Digital Rights Observatory

Digital rights are the extension to the digital or virtual environment of rights already recognised in the physical or face-to-face environment. They ensure that fundamental principles such as privacy, freedom of expression, internet access, equality and non-discrimination are protected in the digital age as effectively as in the physical world. It aims to adapt existing rights to technological challenges, ensuring compliance and strengthening democracy in the digital transformation.

It is in this context that the Digital Rights Observatory was created, a public-private initiative promoted by Red.es, an entity part of the Ministry of Digital Transformation and Public Function, in collaboration with 19 organisations from the technological, academic and social spheres, committed to fair, inclusive and responsible digital development. The DRO emerges as a structured response to the ethical, regulatory and social challenges posed by digitalisation with the aim of disseminating the existence of digital rights, as well as raising awareness and promoting the implementation of the Digital Rights Charter approved by the Government of Spain in 2021.

It is part of the Digital Rights Programme, which has a budget of 10.83 million euros and is financed by the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan with NextGenerationEU funds, of which Red.es contributes 80%, and which involves the participation of 150 collaborating entities and 360 experts.

Non official translation