Technology Enables ‘Transition from Isolation to Global Integration,’ Says Delegate, as Summit Dialogue Charts Paths to Equitable Digital Future
‘Digital Giants’ Urged to Help Close Connectivity Gap
The commitments of the recently inked Global Digital Compact must be carried out through collaborative actions fulfilling the promise of a digital world for all — eliminating digital divides and providing a prosperous, safe and inclusive future — speakers emphasized during an interactive dialogue at the Summit of the Future today.
In the session, titled “Towards a Common Digital Future: Strengthening Inclusive Innovation and Cooperation to Bridge the Digital Divides”, the President of Estonia said in introductory remarks that his country is “a great reminder of how digital technologies can transform a society”, leading to a flourishing economy, improved public governance and better services. Collaboration and co-creation are “the fastest way to ensure that no one is left behind, especially in developing countries”. This is particularly true regarding artificial intelligence (AI), which holds immense potential to accelerate progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. But, he added, “the journey towards a common digital future is something we must take together”.
Likewise, the President of Maldives, also in opening remarks, underscored that the “future is intelligence-driven”, yet one third of the global population, mostly in developing countries, remains disconnected from the Internet. He emphasized that this digital divide is a profound barrier to development.
The creation of a more digital world is a central theme in the Pact for the Future, an intergovernmentally negotiated, action-oriented outcome adopted at the Summit of the Future yesterday. The Pact includes a Global Digital Compact, which is the first comprehensive global framework for digital cooperation and AI governance, with a commitment that technology is used for the benefit of all. This is in a world where forecasts suggest monthly global data traffic will grow by more than 400 per cent by 2026, yet currently 2.6 billion people remain offline and only 21 per cent of women in low-income countries use the Internet.
What speakers say:
- Examples of success are already apparent
- Collaboration is essential
- Technology, including AI, must be harnessed for good
The Secretary-General of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Doreen Bogdan-Martin, said it is ready to support the implementation of the Global Digital Compact with “bold, collective actions”, as it has shown in its initiatives, including Giga, to connect every school to the Internet by 2030 and its collaboration on standards to stop the spread of AI-driven misinformation and deepfakes. “We’re in a race against time,” she said. “Let’s align digital inclusion with the pace of digital transformation. Let’s balance regulation with innovation. And let’s give everyone a seat and a voice at the table.”
Corporate Vice-President and Chief Data Scientist of the AI for Good Lab of Microsoft, Juan M. Lavista Ferres, noted that his organization’s open-source maps of agricultural lands improve food security. By combining satellite data, AI and human expertise, he said, Microsoft also supported real-time relief efforts. By 2025, the company will bring high-speed Internet to 250 million people, including 100 million in Africa, and will equip 25 million people with AI skills, including 5 million women in the Global South, he reported.
The Compact’s commitment to empower young people and micro- and small businesses in the digital economy was welcomed by Linda Bonyo, Founder of the Lawyers Hub. To end the digital divide the data gap must be made more representative and closed. Common data standards and data exchanges can increase the sharing of data, she said.
In the succeeding interventions, many delegates offered examples of the possibilities for an inclusive digital future. Bhutan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade recalled that, in 1999, the landlocked State took its “first steps into the digital world”, being one of the last countries to introduce the Internet. Technology accelerated Bhutan’s transition “from isolation to global integration and unlocking new opportunities for growth”. By 2023, it became the first nation to establish a legal framework for self-sovereign identity, and this year it adopted a national digital strategy.
While Africa is vulnerable to climate change, it can be a model for using the digital sector to overcome environmental challenges, for example in the management of natural resources, prediction of natural disasters and monitoring of lands and food security, the Prime Minister of Sao Tome and Principe said. His country has created the Conservation Trust Fund to consolidate nature and the environment as economic assets, he said.
Brazil is committed to “a triple transition” — digital, social and green — its representative said, emphasizing that these pillars must compose a strategy to tackle systemic inequalities both within and between countries. His country’s United Registry for social policies and digital ID — a part of its digital public infrastructure — played a crucial role during the natural disaster in Rio Grande do Sul State, he said.
For its part, the Dominican Republic digitalized public services, enabling its citizens to do paperwork online, said its Minister for Economy, Planning and Development. In addition, business adopted digital solutions, while e-commerce and remote work generated new opportunities. Similarly, “all front offices and long queues are history” in Albania, said its Prime Minister, highlighting that 95 per cent of services in his country are now online.
Delegates also advocated for collaboration to achieve a universal digital future. The Prime Minister of Norway emphasized that digital public goods are essential in tackling shared challenges such as climate change and health crises. He welcomed their inclusion in the Compact. “Multistakeholder collaboration and partnerships have to be there for us to succeed,” with the Digital Public Goods Alliance a great example. He is grateful that a COVID-19 tracking tool developed in Sri Lanka proved useful for Norwegian municipalities.
It is necessary to work comprehensively to bridge the digital divide rather than extend it, said the Minister for Communication and Information Technology for Saudi Arabia. His country aims to be a pioneer in multilateral international cooperation to bridge social and economic gaps. It has harnessed AI and the digital health model to serve more than 30 million pilgrims from 100 countries coming to Saudi Arabia.
The Minister for Digital Transition, Post and Electronic Communications for Burkina Faso said funding is essential to bridge the digital divide. She appealed to the “digital giants” saying “you have the influence and the resources to contribute to reducing the digital divide”, inviting them to invest in the developing countries’ infrastructure and technological access. “This will not be charity,” she said, “this will be an investment” reaching 2.6 billion consumers “who are not connected today”.
Several speakers highlighted the need to harness technology for good, as it could also be used for malicious purposes. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence of Ireland, calling for a human rights approach, said the development and use of emerging technology, including AI, must comply with international law. The test of the Pact is in its implementation, he underscored.
The representative of the Council of Europe said that its new international treaty — the Framework Convention on AI — provides binding rules for AI systems and promotes ethical and human-based AI. He urged more States to sign and ratify this Convention.
“No discussion on this topic can ignore the damage that misinformation, disinformation, hate speech and other information threats are doing to our world,” said Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, underscoring that the UN Global Principles for Information Integrity, launched in June, as offering a holistic framework for an inclusive and secure digital space. Stakeholders including media, governments, big tech, public relations companies and AI firms “bear an outsized responsibility”, she emphasized.