Global Community Must Tackle Potential Misuse, Abuse of Emerging Technologies, Deputy Secretary-General Stresses in Remarks at Digital Dilemmas Exhibition
Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks at the opening ceremony of the “Digital Dilemmas” exhibition, in New York today:
Alain Berset, President of the Swiss Confederation,
Filipe Nyusi, President of Mozambique,
Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC),
I want to thank President Berset, the Swiss Confederation and ICRC for inviting me to take part in the opening of this incredibly powerful exhibit on the challenges of digitization for humanitarian action and civilians in conflict zones.
This exhibit is a significant contribution to our thinking on the protection of civilians, as the Security Council debates the Secretary-General’s annual report on this important issue.
I thank the Swiss presidency of the Council for bringing the use of digital technology in humanitarian work to the forefront of our discussions.
Digital technology presents great opportunities to improve the protection of civilians and humanitarian action more generally.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive analytics can help us predict, prepare for and respond to humanitarian crises.
In Mozambique, the World Food Programme’s Digital Engine for Emergency Photo-analysis helped to speed up the cyclone response in 2019. In India and Bangladesh, Google is using AI, machine learning, satellite imagery and spatial mapping to improve early warning systems for floods.
Mobile applications, chatbots and social media are making it so much easier to assess needs and disseminate critical information to people and communities affected by crises. Photos and video captured by drones are supporting search and rescue operations. And drones are also used to communicate public messages; to restore Internet connectivity; and to deliver essential aid.
Digital cash transfers are getting humanitarian aid safely and effectively to people in hard-to-reach places. And biometrics and digital IDs can be a lifeline for people without documents — from helping them to access humanitarian aid, to reunifying family members separated in the chaos of a crisis.
But as this exhibition shows, we need to tackle the potential misuse and abuse of emerging technologies.
New types of weapons, including autonomous weapons systems, challenge our fundamental ethical and legal principles, including international humanitarian law. Cybertechnology has been used to launch attacks on hospitals and other essential infrastructure. Digital technology can be used to spread disinformation and misinformation on a mass scale in crises, sowing confusion, increasing instability, and undermining trust in humanitarian aid.
And the collection and generation of massive amounts of data raises serious concerns about privacy, ownership and responsibility. If such data falls into the wrong hands, it can be misused for discrimination, abusive surveillance and targeting of civilians.
Technology itself can be an instrument of discrimination. The digital divide means that women and girls are at a disadvantage, if access to aid and information depends on digital connectivity. This is why the United Nations is calling for joint international action on the regulation and safe use of technology, to maximize the opportunities and minimize the challenges. Humanity — people, their hopes and aspirations — must be at the centre of those discussions.
When it comes to new weapons and military AI, we need new norms and standards that put people firmly in control at all times. Human rights must be at the centre of all policy discussions about data, AI and social media. And we need concerted efforts to bridge the digital divide, so that women and vulnerable people and communities have access to digital tools and solutions.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Summit in September will play a crucial role in mobilizing greater action to ensure all countries can leverage the potential of technology for the SDGs, while mitigating its risks. This will also help to build momentum around the Global Digital Compact proposed for adoption at the Summit of the Future in 2024.
Together, let’s work for an open, free and secure digital future for all, with peace, human rights and the protection of civilians at its heart.