Digital sovereignty in focus at World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings as Public Digital partners with Devex
Digital sovereignty is in focus at the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings this week as Public Digital (PD) joins Devex for the first time at Impact House in Washington DC.
PD’s Lauren Kahn and James Stewart will speak on why digital sovereignty matters now, as governments navigate rising geopolitical tensions and rapid AI advances.
The new partnership marks the start of a wider global programme ahead of PD’s forthcoming book, Digital Sovereignty: The Power to Decide, to be published in September.
Public Digital (PD), the global digital transformation consultancy founded by the team behind GOV.UK and the UK’s Government Digital Service, has partnered with leading global development platform, Devex, at this week’s World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings in Washington DC.
As governments rely more on global tech platforms, questions of control over data, infrastructure and decision-making have become more urgent. PD, which has established itself as one of the leading commentators on this issue, has defined digital sovereignty as the ability of organisations to make informed choices that shape their digital future.
With the pace of AI accelerating and geopolitical tensions rising, this issue is moving up the global agenda fast. PD’s partnership with Devex brings the conversation to global policymakers and institutions at this key moment.
On Thursday 16 April, a panel discussion hosted by Devex at Devex Impact House: The Capital Summit will feature Lauren Kahn, Senior Director and Head of Global Impact, and James Stewart, Partner and CTO at PD, who will discuss digital sovereignty and its growing significance in a rapidly changing geopolitical and technological landscape.
Kahn and Stewart are co-authors of PD’s forthcoming book, Digital Sovereignty: The Power to Decide, set to be published by London Publishing Partnership this September.
The panel, drawing on the book’s central themes, will explore how nations, CEOs and global leaders can reclaim control of their digital future and what the global development community and institutional funders can do to support these efforts.
Lauren Kahn, Senior Director and Head of Global Impact at PD said:
“Too often, countries are relying on digital systems they don’t fully control. Digital sovereignty is about changing that and giving governments the ability to make their own choices and shape their own future.
“For too long, leaders have viewed technology as something to support their business; today technology IS their business. The consequences of not being in control of it are profound, especially in a volatile world.
“As global leaders gather to address today’s most pressing challenges, we’re excited to bring this conversation to the forefront at Devex Impact House at a critical time."
Alan Robbins, Executive VP and Co-Founder at at Devex said:
“We’re pleased to be partnering with Public Digital to discuss this often overlooked but vitally important topic. This event creates an important platform to spotlight its growing relevance on the global stage.”
PD and Devex will continue their collaboration later this year at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.