DAI’s Krista Baptista to Serve on Digital Impact Alliance Digital Principles Advisory Council

February 11, 2021

Krista Baptista, the head of DAI’s Center for Digital Acceleration, has been chosen to serve on the United Nations’ Digital Impact Alliance Digital Principles Advisory Council.

The Council brings together digital experts across U.S., U.K., and European donors to align on digital strategies. The Digital Principles were created in consultation with organizations such as The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Swedish International Development Agency, UNICEF, the UN Development Program (UNDP), the World Bank, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the World Health Organization.

In her role, which has a two-year term, Baptista will work with donors, private sector firms, and other partners to further the goals of the Principles, of which DAI is a signatory.

“I’m honored to serve on the Advisory Council,” Baptista said. “The Digital Principles are essential to the work we do at DAI and increasingly relevant to all the disciplines of development. I believe that I bring new perspectives and energy to putting the Principles into practice with key stakeholders and communities.”

The Principles champion cross-sector collaboration, open knowledge sharing, and community-driven solutions. In 2018, the Digital Impact Alliance established the first Advisory Council to guide the program’s priorities, investments, and projects, and since then the Council has helped the team achieve several important milestones, from having IBM sign on as the first private sector endorser to formalizing partnerships with youth-led groups and incorporating the Principles in donor and digital health strategies.

“The Digital Principles team and the Advisory Council gave me hope that there can be spirited dialogue from different perspectives,” said Jaclyn Carlsen, former Council Member and former DAI staffer. “We, together, can be less polarized and shape, if not nudge, the impact of technology on different communities.”

The other new Council members include Liliana Fernandez-Gomez, Directorate of Digital Development at National Planning Department, Government of Colombia; Dr. Ronda Železný-Green, The Internet Society; Sahil Tandon, The David and Lucille Packard Foundation, India; and Robert Opp, UNDP. The new members join Nora Lindström, Dr. Henry Mwanyika, and Lilian Nduati (Kenya), who continue their tenure.

According to the Digital Impact Alliance announcement, “Key priorities for the new Council include instituting the Digital Principles as a business standard, developing training and curriculum, and reviewing the potential of a future Digital Principles refresh.”