Csaba Kőrösi, President of the 77th session of the General Assembly
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Meeting organized by Global Digital Compact co-facilitators
24 April 2023
(As Delivered)
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let me thank the PRs of Sweden and Rwanda for their commitment and efforts as co-facilitators of the GDC.
I am also grateful to the SG’s Envoy on Technology for his support in conducting this process in the most inclusive manner possible.
As the last two thematic deep dives have shown us, bringing scientists, practitioners, private sector and civil society representatives into our discussions is really useful.
Colleagues,
The speed of digital development is still doubling every two years and shows no sign of slowing down.
It applies to the amount of data we produce and process and the machine capacity one dollar can generate. Taking into consideration the revolution of the AI that is just happening as we speek, this speed is about to increase.
What does it mean in terms of our development?
Some good news and risks. Good news that we will be capable of addressing complex issues in much shorter time and with much better relevance, accuracy.
Risks, that
- some trends and impacts of this development will be more and more difficult to be controlled,
- rules of data management develop slower than technology,
- inequalities among users of new and older data processing will grow further – both within and among countries.
What we need is not a slowdown of development but a speedier understanding of the consequences and up-to-date regulation.
We should not be frightened. The only future we can have will be sustainable. And the way to achieve it will be nature based, digital and socially minded.
Data protection is one of the flagship issues of this century.
If the GDC is to be a comprehensive framework for cooperation in the digital realm, it must guarantee that data is not exploited, manipulated, or used to cause harm.
Individuals must have ownership over their information.
This point especially applies to women.
When it comes to access to digital technology, women face inequalities and discrepancies, and these are supercharged once online.
So, today I wish to sharpen this lens on the GDC process, as was recommended of my Advisory Board on Gender Equality.
Let me state plainly: women in many parts of the world, still don’t have equal chances to benefit from the digital revolution.
1.1 billion women in middle- and low-income countries lack access to mobile internet.
Men are 21 per cent more likely to reach the internet than women.
A likelihood that hikes to 52 per cent in Least Developed Countries.
Moreover, women account for less than 35 per cent of people working in the ICT sector.
When women actually make it online, they are 27 times more likely than men to face sexual harassment, defamation, and hate speech.
We need only to look at the recent threats against female journalists, rights defenders – even artists – to understand the very real, very material consequences of personal data leaks.
What is driving these dangerous trends? Certainly, not the digitalization itself. It is human behaviour that uses new avenues. Social norms that can be – and must be – changed.
I invite you to study and harness The Agreed Conclusions that came out of CSW offer a blueprint for action for your deliberations on the Digital Compact.
The forthcoming negotiations on the GDC position the UN as a relevant player in the digital transformation.
If we want to serve sustainable and just development, we need to make certain everyone is included.
For the Compact to be successful, it must empower the half of humanity that is today either often excluded, or frequently subject to systematic abuse.
Indeed, let us ensure that all of us and all our data are safe online.
Let us ensure that the big data and the development generated by it serves everyone.
Good luck to you in this work: it will be well worth the efforts.
Thank you very much.
You can count on me. I will stand by you and support your work.
Thank you very much.
