{"id":1286,"date":"2025-12-27T12:42:39","date_gmt":"2025-12-27T12:42:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/?p=1286"},"modified":"2025-12-30T12:47:30","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T12:47:30","slug":"at-un-nations-pledge-a-people-first-digital-future-and-stronger-ai-safeguards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/?p=1286","title":{"rendered":"At UN, Nations Pledge a People-First Digital Future and Stronger AI Safeguards"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>UN Member States have pledged to <strong>close widening digital divides<\/strong> and introduce <strong>stronger safeguards around artificial intelligence (AI)<\/strong>, as the UN General Assembly concluded a major global review of digital governance and technology cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The high-level meeting marked the close of the <strong>WSIS+20 review<\/strong>, assessing two decades of progress since the launch of the <strong>World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)<\/strong>\u2014a UN-led process created in the early 2000s when internet access was still limited to a small share of the world\u2019s population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, delegates said the challenge is no longer simply <strong>connecting people<\/strong>, but ensuring that rapidly evolving digital technologies\u2014especially AI\u2014are governed in ways that <strong>protect human rights, build trust, and promote inclusion<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why WSIS Still Matters<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>WSIS was launched in <strong>2003<\/strong> to guide international cooperation on information and communication technologies (ICTs), using a <strong>multi-stakeholder approach<\/strong> that brings together governments, the private sector, civil society, academia, and technical experts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That model remains central today as digital technologies shape nearly every aspect of life\u2014from economies and education to healthcare and public services\u2014while <strong>millions remain digitally excluded<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Digital Divides Are Growing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Addressing the General Assembly, its President <strong>Annalena Baerbock<\/strong> warned that although internet access is now essential, progress remains uneven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Globally, around <strong>two-thirds of people<\/strong> are online, but access is far lower in many developing countries. <strong>Women and girls<\/strong> continue to be disproportionately excluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cTwo decades later, our shared vision of a people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented information society remains unfinished,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>She stressed that access alone is insufficient, highlighting the urgent need for <strong>responsible governance of AI and emerging technologies<\/strong>, particularly as innovation continues to outpace regulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>New Commitments for a Human-Centred Digital Era<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The meeting concluded with the adoption of an <strong>outcome document<\/strong> reaffirming a commitment to a <strong>people-centred digital future<\/strong> rooted in <strong>human rights and the UN Charter<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Key priorities include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Accelerating efforts to <strong>close digital divides<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Investing in <strong>digital infrastructure and skills<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Creating <strong>stable and predictable digital policy environments<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Strengthening <strong>data governance and AI safeguards<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The document builds on commitments under the <strong>Global Digital Compact<\/strong> and calls for enhanced <strong>international cooperation on AI capacity-building<\/strong>, particularly for developing countries. This includes training programmes, access to technical resources, and support for small and medium-sized enterprises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Member States also agreed to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Establish an <strong>Independent International Scientific Panel on AI<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Launch a <strong>Global Dialogue on AI Governance<\/strong> in <strong>2026<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>UN Member States have pledged to close widening digital divides and introduce stronger safeguards around artificial intelligence (AI), as the UN General Assembly concluded a major global review of digital governance and technology cooperation. The high-level meeting marked the close of the WSIS+20 review, assessing two decades of progress since the launch of the World [&hellip;]\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1287,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[68],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-topics"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>At UN, Nations Pledge a People-First Digital Future and Stronger AI Safeguards - Brussels for Human Rights and development<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/?p=1286\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"At UN, Nations Pledge a People-First Digital Future and Stronger AI Safeguards - Brussels for Human Rights and development\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"UN Member States have pledged to close widening digital divides and introduce stronger safeguards around artificial intelligence (AI), as the UN General Assembly concluded a major global review of digital governance and technology cooperation. 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