The canton of Geneva commits to a responsible digital environment

To mark " Cyber Clean Up Day", a global day dedicated to reducing the ecological footprint of digital activities, the canton of Geneva is announcing its membership of theInstitut du Numérique Responsable Suisse (INR-CH), in order to contribute to the national ecosystem of change agents. The canton is also taking advantage of the day to remind everyone of best practices in reducing the footprint of their digital activities.

Over the past two years, digital technologies have enabled many companies and institutions to continue working in an extraordinary context marked by the pandemic. While digital technology offers many opportunities to support the ecological transition, it also has a significant impact on the global environment. According to "The Shift Project", an international think-tank based in Paris, it is the source of 3.5% of greenhouse gas emissions and 10% of electricity consumption in 2020. Given the rate of growth of digital technology, an ever-greater environmental impact is to be feared.

Aware of this challenge, the canton of Geneva has decided to take a proactive approach by joining the Institut du Numérique Responsable Suisse (INR-CH), an association that serves as a forum for reflection, advice, training, research and innovation in this field, in order to contribute to the national ecosystem of change agents.

As Serge Dal Busco, State Councillor in charge of the Department of Infrastructure and President of the Latin Conference of Digital Directors, points out, "by signing the INR Charter, we are committing our cantonal administration to a set of principles such as optimizing digital tools, offering services that are accessible to all, ethical and responsible practices, a measurable, transparent and legible digital framework, and the development of new behaviors and values". At the same time, the canton of Geneva is in the process of obtaining the "responsible digital" label, which will lead to the creation of a multi-year action plan.

Cyber Clean Up Day 2022 is also an opportunity for the canton of Geneva to remind its staff and the general public of a number of good practices designed to reduce the ecological footprint of digital activities at both professional and private level (see appendix).

These best practices can be viewed via the following link.

Source: Canton of Geneva