Activities of Secretary-General in France, 10-12 February
On Monday, 10 February, the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, arrived in Paris where, on Tuesday, he would attend the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summit, co-hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India.
On Monday evening, the Secretary-General attending a working dinner hosted by President Macron.
On Tuesday morning, the Secretary-General delivered remarks at the AI Summit.
He told the leaders gathered there about the growing concentration of AI capabilities in the hands of a few companies. “While some companies and countries are racing ahead with record investments, most developing nations find themselves left out in the cold,” he said. “This growing concentration of AI capabilities risks deepening geopolitical divides.”
He underscored that the United Nations offers an inclusive, transparent and effective platform for AI solidarity. Through the Global Dialogue that Member States agreed to establish last year, the Secretary-General said that we can align governance efforts around the world and reinforce their interoperability, uphold human rights in AI applications and prevent misuse.
The UN, Mr. Guterres said, provides an inclusive forum for cooperation, complementing existing mechanisms such as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) AI Principles, the Group of 7 (G7) and the Global Partnership on AI — as well as regional efforts by the African Union, European Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Council of Europe. (See Press Release SG/SM/22548.)
Prior to attending the Summit, the Secretary-General attended a working breakfast hosted by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot. They discussed a wide-ranging set of issues, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the work of the UN peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon, the situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the war in Ukraine and, of course, the Artificial Intelligence Summit.
The Secretary-General also had a bilateral meeting with Alain Berset, the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe. They discussed the cooperation between their two organizations.
On Wednesday, prior to leaving Paris for Addis Ababa to attend the African Union summit, the Secretary-General visited the headquarters of Reporters Sans Frontières (Reporters without Borders) where he met with the Director General of the press freedom organization, Thibaut Bruttin.
In addressing the staff, the Secretary-General said that organizations like RSF are on the front line in the common fight for truth against fiction, for science against conspiracy, and to fight against impunity when journalists face violence and even death.
The Secretary-General said the struggle to defend freedom of the press and the journalists themselves is essential to preserve our democracies.
He departed then for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.