The Codes Impact Initiatives
CODES has launched nine priority initiatives to anchor our efforts. Each initiative is related to one of CODES’ digital sustainability goals: Align, Mitigate, and Accelerate.
Our Initiatives
CODES has launched nine priority initiatives to anchor our efforts. Each initiative is related to one of CODES’ digital sustainability goals: Align, Mitigate, and Accelerate.
Align
Align the global practice and discourse around digital advancement with sustainable development.
World Commission on Sustainability in the Digital Age
About
A science-based, globally represented commission supported by the UN, that in analogy to the famous World Commission on Environment and Development in the 1980s (‘Brundtland Commission’) identifies key guidelines and recommendations for Our Common Future in the Digital Age.
The commission’s interactive work programme and outcome can inform institutional updates within the UN, (inter)national policies, reporting standards, research agendas, and legislative frameworks at local, regional, and global levels.
The commission’s interactive work programme and outcome can inform institutional updates within the UN, (inter)national policies, reporting standards, research agendas, and legislative frameworks at local, regional, and global levels.
Outcomes
A science-based report on “Our Common Future in the Digital Age” to streamline the permanent and close alignment of digital transformation with sustainable development in the UN agenda and beyond.
Timeline
2022
Define the scope and terms of reference
2023
Establish World Commission in the context of the Global Digital Compact
2024
Report "Our Common Future in the Digital Age" and UN/UNEA resolution
Clearing House for Digital Sustainability Standards
About
A new, multi-stakeholder and globally representative platform to co-define key standards for digital sustainability and economic circularity (taking into account the recommendations put forward by the World Commission). This clearing house would create an up-to-date, authoritative overview on global digital standards, to address key gaps, and conduct outreach to enable effective implementation across all concerned parties.
Outcomes
A global platform to act as a clearing house and facilitate the exchange of digital sustainabilitystandards and related legal frameworks with a focus on:
- Trustworthiness
- Inclusiveness
- Sustainability
- Interoperability
- Safety and security
- Data privacy
- International collaboration
Timeline
2022
Clearing house platform for existing standards
2023
Consolidate standards and procedural capacity to enable implementation in specific sustainability area (e.g. circular economy)
2024
Widening to include other sustainability areas; including capacity building programmes in partnership with stakeholders
Education for Digital Sustainable Development
About
Collaborative efforts to advance education for digital environmental sustainability through network building, knowledge dissemination, and the development of needs-based and contextualized education programs. This Impact Initiative entails a Working Group that will convene geographically diverse stakeholders, working at the intersection of education, sustainability and digitalization, across the globe to build collective intelligence and report on gaps, challenges and opportunities to advance digital literacy for sustainability.
To enhance knowledge sharing, a White Paper series will be launched to highlight on-going education programs on digital sustainability (including details on processes, frameworks and lessons learnt) to encourage others to adopt and scale similar programs in different settings.
Finally, the Impact Initiative will conduct needs assessments for targeted actors groups and develop and design education programs for digital sustainability. The focus must be on leveraging research and building skill sets needed to advance digital sustainability. This also entails the applied use of data and analytics as well as the build up of strategic multilateral partnerships and open source materials.
To enhance knowledge sharing, a White Paper series will be launched to highlight on-going education programs on digital sustainability (including details on processes, frameworks and lessons learnt) to encourage others to adopt and scale similar programs in different settings.
Finally, the Impact Initiative will conduct needs assessments for targeted actors groups and develop and design education programs for digital sustainability. The focus must be on leveraging research and building skill sets needed to advance digital sustainability. This also entails the applied use of data and analytics as well as the build up of strategic multilateral partnerships and open source materials.
Outcomes
Timeline
2022
Initial network of leaders identified. Launch of Digital4Sustainability course
2023
Establishment of Working Group on Education for Digital Sustainable. Launch of White Paper Series
2024
Report: Advancing Digital Literacy for Sustainable Development - A Global Perspective. First needs-based assesment conducted on education for digital sustainability
Mitigate
Reduce the negative impacts of digital advancement
Harmonization of Digital companies’ GHG inventories
About
New international platform(s) to facilitate harmonization, interoperability and adoption of GHG inventories and reporting standards for digital companies, products and services. This must be progressed by aligning reporting entities and regulators on adopting these standards while consolidating underlying data definitions and validation rules for similar environmental sustainability data elements and metrics.
Outcomes
Creation and roll-out of 2-3 global platforms allowing corporations to compare, combine, and share reliable net zero and sustainability data.
Participation from 70% of fortune 200 and S&P 500 companies.
Participation from 70% of fortune 200 and S&P 500 companies.
Timeline
2022
Setup funding, programme and partners
2023
Co-create focused products and processes with clear directionality on CC mitigation across all sectors
2024
Expansion and implementation
Sustainable Procurement and Green Digital Infrastructure Pledge
About
A new international framework to enable standardization and harmonization of sustainable procurement principles for digital infrastructure and services across governments and corporations. This must be advanced in parallel with a new framework for both public and private sectors to support planning, designing, financing and development of green digital infrastructure.
Outcomes
An international framework detailing sustainable procurement principles for green digital infrastructure and related digital services.
Timeline
2022
Development of sustainable procurement principles for digital infrastructure and services
2023
Sustainable procurement operational framework & infrastructure framework
2024
Sustainable procurement and infrastructures compliance and reporting framework
Digital product passport for circularity
About
Initiate the design and development of standards and pilot testing for digital product passports as an enabler of the circular economy. Digital product passports should help companies, consumers and regulators, to keep track of a product’s climate, environmental, social and other impacts throughout the value chain. The standards must be sector/industry specific and must be accessible in a decentralized manner through a unique identifier, with the vision to enable transparency and circularity.
Outcomes
Global inclusive process is established to co-develop digital product passport standards by governments, industry and civil society.
Timeline
2022
Series of global and regional dialogues conducted on a digital product passport framework
2023
Initiation of digital product passport standards in at least 10 product categories with a high circularity potential
2024
Pilot test digital product passport standards for at least 10 product categories.
Accelerate Innovation
Redirect digital innovation to accelerate sustainable development.
Digital Sustainability Innovation Hubs and Accelerators
About
Launch of a global network of connected, and collaborative Innovation Hubs to accelerate the development and scale up of digital tools and just solutions for national climate mitigation and adaptation goals and other environmental commitments. The hubs would build and scale opportunities for rural and urban climate action with a focus on supporting sustainable livelihoods, resilience and human wellbeing. This must be catalysed by international and national funds and private-public partnerships which provide the financial backing and incentives to stimulate green digital solutions and transformation innovations of key economic sectors, including the informal economy.
Outcomes
Increase public digital innovation support with focus on climate and nature impact by 30% by 2025.
Network of 50 interconnected regional and national hubs.
Network of 50 interconnected regional and national hubs.
Timeline
2022
Initial network of Innovation Hubs and Accelerators created
2023
Mapping of digital innovation funding opportunities to establish baseline
2024
10% Increase in public digital innovation support targeted to climate and nature impact in developing countries
Data and Assessments as Digital Public Goods for Sustainability
About
Development and launch of open global standards and governance frameworks for high value environment and climate data needed as digital public goods to drive sustainability assessments, (planetary) digital twins, global stocktaking, foresight analysis and decision-making. This must be accompanied by the development of open interoperable APIs to allow sharing and quality control of data between entities.
Outcomes
A series of high-value global datasets needed to enable digital sustainability decision-making are published as digital public goods.
Timeline
2022
Initiation of a global dialogue on data infrastructure and standards
2023
Prototype platform and publication of high-value digital public good data sets
2024
Application of digital public good data to conduct a global stocktake on environmental sustainability
Digital Public Infrastructure to Accelerate a Green and Just Transition
About
Harness the transformational power of Digital Public Infrastructure to unlock the financing needed to develop and scale decentralized sustainability solutions such as environmental transparency systems and payment for ecosystem services.
Foundational DPI such as digital identity-based digital payments, built with open data standards and open-source software, can unlock green financing mechanisms, and enable innovative digital solutions such as carbon registries to help scale sustainability initiatives at the local and national levels.
Through knowledge sharing, thought leadership reports and a series of convenings co-organized by CODES, Impact Initiative 9 aims to catalyze the collective action needed to make Digital Public Infrastructure a key pillar of the strategy for addressing planetary environmental risks.
Foundational DPI such as digital identity-based digital payments, built with open data standards and open-source software, can unlock green financing mechanisms, and enable innovative digital solutions such as carbon registries to help scale sustainability initiatives at the local and national levels.
Through knowledge sharing, thought leadership reports and a series of convenings co-organized by CODES, Impact Initiative 9 aims to catalyze the collective action needed to make Digital Public Infrastructure a key pillar of the strategy for addressing planetary environmental risks.
Outcomes
Digital platforms, NTFs and fintech include new algorithms, filters and mechanism that promote decentralizing financing for sustainability solutions that reach 1 billion people
Timeline
2023
Convening 1
Convening 2
Convening 2
2024
Multi-stakeholder convening jointly with CODES
Framing Report Convening 4
COP29 Landscaping Report Launch
Framing Report Convening 4
COP29 Landscaping Report Launch
2025
Continue to scale initiatives
