Harnessing digital technologies and AI for Development
Anura Kumara Dissanayake, President of SRI LANKA:
“Digital democracy is one of our aims. Ensuring that every person in every nation can enjoy the opportunities and benefits presented by the digital age is a global challenge. If we succeed in our task, we will be able to open doors to technology, accelerate development, and strengthen governance. If we fail, technology will turn into yet another force deepening inequality, insecurity and injustice. The digital divide between States is stark. An even greater gap is being created in relation to artificial intelligence. Sri Lanka and many other developing nations are facing challenges in using AI as a development tool due to inadequate infrastructure. I invite the international community to work together to remove AI technological inequalities. To fund such efforts, we need cooperation and partnership. I present to this Assembly a proposal to set up a neutral sovereign Artificial Intelligence Zone in Sri Lanka, centred on a green AI data centre, a special economic zone, and a data system facility for partner nations.”
Luong Cuong, State President of VIET NAM:
“We must build sustainable development models based on digital transformation and green transition – two mutually reinforcing drivers that can spark a sweeping revolution as they stand for convergence of scientific and technological advancements and environmental sustainability. To optimize this ‘dual transformation’, countries must formulate relevant master plans, invest strongly in R&D, train high-quality human resources, and develop green technology infrastructure. Furthermore, it is of great importance to advance international cooperation on technology transfer and mobilization of green finance. To ensure that no one is left behind, developed countries must take responsibility in sharing and transferring technology to developing and under-developed countries.”
Dhananjay Ramful, Minister for Foreign Affairs of MAURITIUS:
“The transformative potential of AI and digital technologies are undeniable; but they also represent real challenges for contemporary society. AI‘s capabilities should be harnessed
responsibly and collectively. There is need to build a global governance architecture through multilateral negotiations that will ensure safe, secure, ethical and inclusive use of AI. Resource and capacity constraints of developing economies have to be acknowledged and addressed. The digital divide should not be allowed to widen further. We welcome the recent establishment of the UN Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance.”
Lok Bahadur Thapa, Permanent Representative to the United Nations of NEPAL:
Technology must be inclusive, secure, and rights-based. We must narrow the digital divide within and among countries to create a peaceful and equitable society. Nepal advocates for a global digital cooperation framework that ensures access to infrastructure, digital literacy, and data protection for all. Technology transfer must be accelerated and scaled up.”
Bajram Begaj, President of ALBANIA:
“Technological progress is valuable only when it advances in parallel with human progress. We must remain faithful to our values, placing technology at the service of humanity. No matter how advanced, the problems of our time cannot be solved by artificial intelligence, but by human intelligence and compassion. The digital age must be guided by international cooperation, ethical standards, and respect for human rights…. [Albania has] undertaken ambitious reforms to digitize public services, increase transparency, and fight corruption. Albania is proud to co-lead with Kenya the review process of the World Summit on the Information Society and will work with all member states to ensure a successful outcome.”
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of KAZAKHSTAN:
“[A]s AI accelerates, so do the related risks – specifically deepening technological, economic and geopolitical divides. At the same time, we should not let ethical norms fall behind this rapid evolution. Pressing questions of fairness, accountability, and individual rights must be addressed with clarity and urgency. We must act collectively to ensure that every country can benefit from AI…. In Kazakhstan, artificial Intelligence will be integrated across all sectors of economy and public services. The basic infrastructure to deliver this plan is being built, and our bright young people are getting ready to turn this vision into reality. Our strategic goal is to transform Kazakhstan into a fully digital power within the next three years. Large-scale digitalization and widespread use of AI have become a national priority in Kazakhstan. E-government is an important pillar of our national development strategy. Around 90% of public services are already digitalized. Kazakhstan has recently launched its fastest national supercomputer ever. But AI and automation are expected to threaten jobs in many countries. That is why digital progress must go hand-in-hand with professional education.”
David Lammy, Deputy Prime Minister of UNITED KINGDOM:
“AI is the most powerful new lever we have to advance the Charter’s vision of social progress and better standards of life…. AI can empower freedom, or it can entrench repression. AI can empower truth, or it can entrench lies. AI can empower law, or it can empower crime. Only by cooperation together can we set artificial intelligence on the right millennia-defining course…. [W]ithout a concerted effort, we risk a world of ever deeper inequality, where the benefits of this technology fail to reach those who need it the most…. This is why our approach to foreign policy is one of progressive realism, patiently advancing progress through pragmatism and persistence. I see this in the United Nations as it approaches the technological frontier. I salute the Secretary-General for championing the Global Digital Compact, which embodies both progress and realism. This is why I commend the new Independent International Scientific Panel on AI, which will provide evidence-based assessments to all. And I welcome the new Global Dialogue on AI Governance. It is in this spirit of progressive realism that the UK champions AI as a bridge builder across the Atlantic, across the Commonwealth, and across continents.”
Impacts of digital technologies on peace and security
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of UKRAINE:
“It used to be that only the strongest countries could use drones, because they were expensive and complex. Now even simple drones can fly thousands of kilometers… [W]hat happens when all the types of drones become available even to small terrorist groups or cartels? The world moves too slowly to protect itself. And weapons move fast. Now, companies are already working on drones that can shoot down other drones. It’s only a matter of time, not much, before drones are fighting drones, attacking critical infrastructure and targeting people, all by themselves, fully autonomous, and no human involved – except the few who control AI systems…. We are now living through the most destructive arms race in human history, because this time, it includes artificial intelligence. And if there are no real security guarantees… will there be any place left on Earth that’s still safe for people?”
Emomali Rahmon, President of TAJIKISTAN:
“The rapid adoption of digital technologies and the effective use of artificial intelligence can
noticeably contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. I would like to express my profound gratitude to all Member States for their unwavering support of Tajikistan’s proposal to adopt a special Resolution entitled ‘The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Creating New Opportunities for Sustainable Development in Central Asia’…. It is worth noting that, along with the improvement of digital technologies, the number of new security threats, particularly cybercrime, is also growing. We therefore emphasize that cybersecurity must be an important component of collective security. It is evident that, along with cybercrime, terrorism, extremism, illegal weapons’ smuggling trafficking, drug trafficking, and other forms of transnational organized crime continue to pose a serious threat to global security. Tajikistan supports the further expansion of international cooperation on global security within the framework of the Dushanbe Counter-Terrorism Process. We are willing to establish constructive interaction within this process with international organizations and the UN Member States to even more enhance efforts to counter the aforementioned threats and security risks.”
Luca Beccari, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Political Affairs, International Economic Cooperation and Digital Transition of SAN MARINO:
“[T]he establishment of an Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and of the Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance are fundamental to promote scientific understanding of AI, and to ensure inclusive multi-stakeholder discussion on AI at the UN…. We are worried about the risks related to new technologies in the military domain. The rapid advances in artificial intelligence have led to concerning levels of autonomy in conflicts. Artificial Intelligence has been used in conflicts to select targets and make decisions over life or death. San Marino believes that meaningful human control must be retained over such decisions, guided by international law and ethical principles.”
Arnoldo Ricardo André Tinoco Minister for Foreign Affairs and Worship of COSTA RICA:
“Time is also running out to bridge the digital divide and confront the technological revolution driven by artificial intelligence that is advancing in high speed. Artificial intelligence can strengthen our national economies and our collective efforts to achieve development. It can optimize resources, accelerate medical research, to democratize access to knowledge. But it can also divide us between those who have access and those who do not. Artificial intelligence also poses risks to international peace and security. It can become a vector of mass disinformation and enable cyber-attacks that paralyze critical infrastructure. Artificial intelligence also challenges our ability to maintain meaningful human control over life-or-death decisions. As military automation advances without adequate regulatory frameworks, establishing such frameworks is urgent and time is running out. One application of AI that deserves special attention is autonomous weapons systems. Costa Rica urges the conclusion before 2026 of a legally binding instrument that establishes prohibitions and regulations for autumn for autonomous weapon systems capable of identifying, selecting, and attacking targets without meaningful human control. No algorithm should ever make life or death decisions.”
Safe, human rights-centered use of digital technologies
Amon Murwira, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Trade of ZIMBABWE:
“The role of ICT and AI in transforming lives and accelerating development is indisputable. It is, however, equally observed that criminals are using ICT for harmful behaviour, with serious destabilizing consequences to society. Zimbabwe remains supportive of the establishment of frameworks and strategies to combat the use of technology for criminal purposes. The Global Dialogue on AI Governance should assist all countries.”
Bruno Eduardo Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister for Foreign Affairs of CUBA:
“We suffer the consequences of a powerful cultural domination in which digital technology impacts our lives in an increasingly accelerated and comprehensive way. A few transnational corporations impose their operating systems and control the contents that we see, read and listen to and shape our behavior. We suffer a dictatorship of algorithms. We need to establish common standards in the UN as soon as possible to unleash the transformative potential of new technologies, particularly AI, for the benefit of all, while mitigating risks.”
Kashim Shetima, Vice-President of NIGERIA:
“[Another] dedicated initiative [is] bringing together researchers, private sector, governments and communities, to close the digital divide. As we stand on the threshold of new and dramatic technological change, we are still absorbing the impact of the revolution in information and communication of the past 20 years. We understand better than we did, the opportunities technology offers as well as the safeguards we need to enable growth and mitigate the potential for corrosion. Some worry about fake news. We have plenty of that, with the potential of devastating real-world consequences in countries rich and poor. I am more worried about an emerging generation that grows ever more cynical, because it believes nothing and trusts less. As technology shakes up public administration, law, finance, conflict and so much of the human condition, I am calling for a new dialogue, to ensure we promote the best of the opportunities that are arising – and promote the level of access that allows emerging economies more quickly, to close a wealth and knowledge gap that is in no one’s interest.”
António Costa, President of the EUROPEAN COUNCIL:
“The European Union defends freedom, democracy and human rights. Values that today are being threatened by disinformation and the misuse of digital technologies. We need global standards, transparency, and mechanisms for accountability that are as dynamic as the technologies we are dealing with. In order to ensure that digital technologies empower citizens – not autocrats, or new tech oligarchs. The European Union stands for a human-centred approach to artificial intelligence. We are at the forefront of the first comprehensive regulatory framework for responsible artificial intelligence. And we call for an equivalent level of ambition at the international level by drawing on our fundamental values: dignity, democracy, and the rule of law.”
John Dramani Mahama, President of GHANA:
“In many ways, the United Nations is the proverbial town square of our modern global village. And it has never been more critical for us to protect this one space that brings and holds the world’s nations together as a community. The Internet, social media platforms, and Artificial Intelligence offer us the illusion of connectivity, when in fact they reinforce isolation by using algorithms that ensure we do not receive new ideas and perspectives, but rather more of the same. We are served alternative facts and manipulated images, making it easier to disseminate disinformation and sow seeds of division.”
Xavier Espot Zamora, Head of Government of ANDORRA:
“In the digital age, children face new risks, new threats — often invisible. For this reason, Andorra has created the Centre for Digital Wellbeing and Digital Skills and Competencies, and has approved the Digital Wellbeing Plan for Children and Youth, which includes specific actions to protect minors in the digital environment…. Above all, they seek to understand — from an adult perspective — the key factors shaping the lives of today’s children and adolescents, in order to educate them on the responsible use of new technologies…. We advocate for a safe, inclusive digital environment that places children’s rights at the centre. We work with the ITU and other agencies to ensure regulatory and technical frameworks that make the internet a tool for development and child protection.”
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of BRAZIL: “Digital platforms offer possibilities for bringing us closer together in ways we had never imagined. But they have been used to sow intolerance, misogyny, xenophobia, and misinformation. The internet cannot be a ‘lawless land’. It is the responsibility of public authorities to protect the most vulnerable. Regulation does not mean restricting freedom of expression. It means ensuring that what is already illegal in the real world is treated as such in the virtual environment. Attacks on regulation serve to conceal hidden interests and provide shelter for crimes, such as fraud, human trafficking, pedophilia, and attacks on democracy…. With pride, I enacted last week one of the most advanced laws in the world for the protection of children and adolescents in the digital sphere. We also submitted bills to the National Congress to foster competition in digital markets and to encourage the installation of sustainable data centers. To mitigate the risks of artificial intelligence, we are committed to building multilateral governance in line with the Global Digital Compact approved in this plenary session last year.”