Dr. Walid El Abed at the United Nations: Advancing a New Era of Digital Human Rights for Refugees

At the 2025 UN Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva, Dr. Walid El Abed, CEO of Global Data Excellence and founder of the GEN‑PTLA and PADRI initiatives, presented a bold, data‑driven vision for the future of human rights in the digital age. In doing so, he reaffirmed and operationalized the Digital Human Rights Declaration he established in December 2023, positioning it as a practical roadmap for how institutions, governments and businesses should govern data and artificial intelligence in service of people, not just profit.

From Relief to Digital Rights

At the Forum, Dr. El Abed challenged traditional humanitarian paradigms by calling for UNRWA to evolve from a primarily relief‑oriented agency into a strategic digital transformation partner for refugees. Instead of limiting its mandate to emergency support, he proposed that UNRWA co‑create a secure, governed digital platform—“Digital State Palestine 48”—dedicated to Palestinian refugees’ data, rights and services.

In this vision, refugees move from being passive recipients of aid to recognized digital citizens within a trusted ecosystem. Their identity, data and rights are protected, and they can participate fairly and transparently in the global digital economy. This shift directly echoes the 2023 Digital Human Rights Declaration, which frames digital rights as an essential extension of universal human rights in the 21st century.

Confirming the 2023 Digital Human Rights Declaration

Throughout his intervention, Dr. El Abed made clear that the principles embedded in the Digital Human Rights Declaration of December 2023 are not abstract aspirations but operational commitments. He underlined that:

• Digital rights—such as control over personal data, protection of digital identity and fair access to technology—must be treated as fundamental human rights.

• The Declaration should guide policymakers, regulators and enterprises in designing data and AI systems that respect dignity, freedom and justice.

• Refugees and other vulnerable communities must be explicitly included in any serious digital rights agenda, rather than left at the margins of technological progress.

By reaffirming the Declaration in front of a global audience at the United Nations, Dr. El Abed positioned it as a reference framework for any organization seeking to align digital transformation with human rights.

Ethics‑by‑Design: AI Rooted in Sovereignty and Dignity

A central message in Dr. El Abed’s speech was that artificial intelligence must be anchored in constitutional principles of sovereignty and human dignity, not driven solely by technical capabilities or commercial incentives. He stressed that ethics cannot be added as an afterthought; it must be embedded by design into every phase of AI development, deployment and oversight.

This ethics‑by‑design stance is especially critical in fragile and conflict‑affected environments, where refugees and marginalized communities face heightened risks of profiling, discrimination or exclusion. For Global Data Excellence, it translates into designing AI and data ecosystems that are transparent, auditable and demonstrably aligned with both legal regulations and the ethical principles articulated in the 2023 Declaration.

The Data Excellence Approach: Turning Data into Governed Value

To translate principles into practice, Dr. El Abed presented Global Data Excellence’s approach to transforming data into sustainable, governed value. By combining artificial intelligence, natural language processing and advanced data governance, this approach allows organizations to:

• Govern data end‑to‑end, from capture to decision.

• Embed ethical, legal and policy constraints directly into data and AI workflows.

• Ensure decisions are traceable, explainable and aligned with human rights.

• Link data quality and governance directly to public policy outcomes and societal impact.

In sensitive domains such as health, education, housing and refugee protection, this governance‑driven approach helps ensure that AI‑enabled decisions enhance fairness and accountability, rather than reinforce existing inequalities.

Digital Identity as a Core Human Right

Another key theme in Dr. El Abed’s intervention was that digital identity has become inseparable from human dignity. For refugees, the ability to prove who they are, maintain control over their personal information and access trusted digital services can determine whether they are included or excluded from vital opportunities.

Building on the PADRI Charter, the Geneva Declaration on Digital Human Rights and his own 2023 Digital Human Rights Declaration, he highlighted the need to:

• Enable refugees to own and manage their digital identities and consent over data use.

• Create secure, privacy‑by‑design platforms for storing and sharing personal data.

• Guarantee equitable access to digital tools and connectivity.

• Invest in digital literacy so that refugees can understand both their rights and the risks they face online.

In this framework, digital identity becomes a gateway to education, healthcare, employment and civic engagement, not a point of vulnerability.

Governing AI for Public Good

Dr. El Abed urged governments, regulators, businesses and international organizations to recognize AI as a lever for peace, social cohesion and sustainable development—provided it is governed properly. He called for governance models that are both scalable and sensitive to local context, emphasizing several priorities:

• Balancing innovation with responsibility so that experimentation never comes at the expense of human rights.

• Automating compliance with frameworks such as GDPR and other global privacy regulations.

• Designing semantically aware systems that respect cultural and linguistic nuances.

• Using predictive analytics to anticipate risks and inform proactive, evidence‑based public policy.

These priorities mirror the governance principles articulated in the 2023 Declaration, which insists that AI and data systems must be accountable, explainable and aligned with human values.

A Call to Adopt and Implement Digital Human Rights

In his closing remarks, Dr. El Abed called for a broad coalition of governments, international organizations, businesses and civil society actors to adopt and implement the Digital Human Rights Declaration he established in December 2023, alongside existing human rights instruments. He urged the international community to:

• Redefine UNRWA’s mandate to include digital rights, data governance and AI‑enabled services.

• Co‑create the “Digital State Palestine 48” as a secure, governed platform for refugee data, services and rights.

• Ensure that every AI system affecting civilians—especially in conflict and displacement contexts—integrates ethics, governance and accountability across its entire lifecycle.

His message was unequivocal: without robust governance anchored in clear principles, data and AI can amplify harm; with the right frameworks, they can become powerful forces for dignity, freedom and justice.

How Global Data Excellence Can Partner with You

Global Data Excellence operates at the intersection of AI, data governance and human rights. Guided by the Digital Human Rights Declaration of December 2023, the company works with international organizations, governments and enterprises to:

• Transform fragmented data landscapes into governed, high‑quality strategic assets.

• Embed ethical, legal and policy constraints directly into data and AI operations.

• Design and implement digital platforms that protect privacy, respect rights and deliver measurable social impact.

Sectors such as health, education and housing protection are particularly ready for this transformation, especially in refugee‑hosting and conflict‑affected regions where better data and better governance can translate directly into better lives.

If you are a policymaker, international organization, NGO or enterprise seeking to align AI and data with human rights and real‑world impact, Global Data Excellence can help you turn this vision into reality. Reach out to our team today to explore concrete collaboration opportunities—from designing ethical data strategies to building governed digital platforms that protect rights and enhance social outcomes. Together, we can ensure that data and AI actively serve dignity, justice and sustainable development for the communities that need it most.

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