INTERVENTION BY FIRST SECRETARY MATTHEW WONG OF SINGAPORE AT THE THIRD THEMATIC DEEP DIVE ON THE GLOBAL DIGITAL COMPACT ON THE ISSUE OF DATA PROTECTION, TRUSTEESHIP COUNCIL CHAMBER AT UNHQ, MONDAY, 24 APRIL 2023, 10.00AM

1 Thank you to the co-facilitators for convening today’s discussions and for your guiding questions.

2 Given the role of data as a critical resource in the digital domain, Singapore believes that any data protection regime must be balanced and well-calibrated, ensuring both the protection of individuals’ data while supporting the use of data for innovation and growth. At the international level, it is imperative that we have international systems that can smoothly facilitate cross-border data transfers while also ensuring that personal data transferred across borders continues to be adequately protected.

3 In line with the G77 and China’s call for a meaningful, action-oriented Global Digital Compact (GDC) that can accelerate the achievement of the SDGs, we propose three concrete initiatives the GDC could adopt to allow us to seize the opportunities afforded by data in a responsible and well-regulated way.

4 First, the GDC should encourage the development of tools and processes that enable innovators to extract value from datasets while ensuring the protection of personal data. These tools could be developed as digital public goods by UN agencies in partnership with interested States and stakeholders, and could be made freely available globally. The development of common global tools could also help facilitate cross-border data sharing by providing assurances that datasets have been anonymised, encrypted or otherwise protected to a sufficiently high standard. Allow me to share some examples of such initiatives that we are developing in Singapore. We have developed a Basic Anonymisation tool and guide to help organizations carry out basic anonymization of datasets. We are also working with trusted providers of Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs) as part of our PET Sandbox programme, which allows companies in Singapore to experiment with PETs in a supportive regulatory environment. We would be happy to share our experiences in more detail and work with the international community on the development of additional useful tools. 

5 Second, the GDC should take action to promote interoperability between various regional data sharing initiatives. As an example, consider the case of Model Contractual Clauses or Standard Contractual Clauses. These are template contractual terms that can be included in legal agreements between businesses to facilitate cross-border data transfers. Within ASEAN, we have developed the ASEAN Model Contractual Clauses for Cross-Border Data Flows, which can be used by firms operating across ASEAN. Other regional organizations have also developed similar initiatives. However, while such initiatives can facilitate cross-border data flows at the regional-level, more work is needed to ensure the global interoperability of these initiatives. In this regard, the UN could serve as a platform to bring together these various regional initiatives to explore possibilities for cooperation and harmonization. 

6 Third, the GDC should facilitate and encourage the development of global initiatives to facilitate cross-border data flows. Allow me to share one example as inspiration. In April 2022, Singapore, together with partners in APEC, co-founded the Global Cross Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) Forum to build upon and expand the APEC CBPR certification mechanism originally developed by the APEC economies. Our ambition is for the Global CBPR Forum to be an inclusive global mechanism for cross-border data sharing certification, and we invite all interested States to join the Global CBPR Forum. We would also be happy to share our experiences in more detail, which could help inform the further development of such initiatives under UN auspices. 

7 These are some of our initial proposals for concrete initiatives the GDC could adopt, and we look forward to continuing this discussion in the weeks ahead. Thank you.

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