Remarks by the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General at the opening of the ECOSOC Special Conference
Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to thank Ambassador Narváez, President of the Economic and Social Council, for inviting me to this important event.
Our world is grappling with complex challenges, from conflict and climate change to chronic poverty and rising inequality.
We all know that the 2030 Agenda for a more just, resilient and sustainable future is woefully off track.
Today’s topic on how to leverage artificial intelligence for the SDGs could not be more timely. When applied safely, it can accelerate progress towards the SDGs, strengthen decision-making and drive innovation. It can and must be done.
This is not a dream of the future, but a reality of today.
AI is already being used to optimize energy use, improve medical diagnostics, monitor biodiversity, expand educational opportunities, and more.
Many of you are realizing the benefits of AI in all areas of your country.
However, these technologies also come with significant risks. They can destroy jobs, exploit gaps in global governance, and exacerbate prejudice, discrimination, and misinformation. And they can do it on a monumental scale.
Your Honor,
Our mission is to harness this powerful technology to accelerate sustainable development while reducing harm.
This means accountability for those who create AI systems and those who use them. The power, speed, and impact of AI is truly global, and accountability must be part of the package.
This requires ensuring that AI is effectively managed, fair, accessible, and ethical.
First, regarding capital nature. Equitable access to AI tools, applications, and infrastructure, including quality data and computational resources, is essential.
Equity also requires capacity building and technology transfer. We cannot allow all the benefits and opportunities of AI to be concentrated in the hands of those who are already far ahead.
We cannot allow the digital divide to widen.
Second, it is essential that AI is accessible.
This means that skills are developed through education and lifelong learning so that particularly vulnerable groups are not further marginalized.
It means that individuals and societies use this technology to improve employability and seize new job opportunities created by AI, rather than passively allowing jobs to be replaced by AI. .
And that means adopting a collaborative approach that aligns responsible development with solutions that respect cultural diversity while promoting locally generated data. “Data Commons” is one example.
To get there, governments need to invest in digital infrastructure, support new business opportunities and make the data they have economically viable for their countries. This should be done in conjunction with training for government employees and retraining programs for the broader workforce.
Third, it is essential that AI be ethical and transparent. We cannot simply adopt current AI models and datasets with built-in bias and discrimination and expect them to save the SDGs.
We need comprehensiveness in the data supporting these models and diversity in the people building them.
Fourth, we need effective governance. This requires a shared sense of responsibility.
I welcome the urgency and ambition of the Zero Draft Global Digital Compact. The deal needs more ambition, not more, and requires member states to move beyond narrow national interests and adopt a global perspective.
I am encouraged by the potential of the High-Level AI Advisory Council and the Global Digital Compact, and by the AI safety efforts being deployed by our institutions at the local, national, and community levels.
The Global Digital Compact must accelerate the application of ethical and diverse AI tools to solve the challenges facing the SDGs.
I urge Member States to be ambitious in these negotiations. and fully and actively participating in the global dialogue on AI governance, advancing shared understanding.
Developing responsible, ethical, and inclusive AI governance will require a coordinated and collaborative approach by governments, businesses, civil society, and international organizations.
We must ensure that standards are common, regulations are harmonized and human rights are at the center.
As we look to the Future Summit here in New York in September, we must recognize that an open, safe and secure digital future can only be achieved through international cooperation.
What we are seeing with AI is just the beginning of further technological advances.
Advances in quantum computing, biotechnology, synthetic biology, and advanced robotics will continue to profoundly transform our society.
A global discussion is needed about how best to leverage these technologies to promote sustainable development for all.
Get the SDGs on track and close the digital divide by safely harnessing technology opportunities to those who need them most.
I urge Member States to make the most of this opportunity and make that vision a reality in people's lives.
Together, let's build a world where AI and other technologies serve all of humanity and leave no one behind.
thank you.
