Watch the video: https://s3.amazonaws.com/downloads2.unmultimedia.org/public/video/evergreen/MSG+SG+/SG+22+Oct+21/2674473_MSG+SG+LISBON+WEB+SUMMIT+22+OCT+21.mp4
This year’s Web Summit takes place at a pivotal time.
The COVID-19 pandemic has put the spotlight on the power and promise of digital technology.
Yet, it has also exposed deep divides.
Half of humanity – in particular women and girls in developing countries and vulnerable populations – don’t have access to the Internet.
And those online face threats that have been amplified by the pandemic.
The spread of harassment, misinformation and disinformation is becoming epidemic. Cybercrimes are on the rise.
One of the greatest perils is the growing reach of digital platforms and the use and abuse of data.
A vast library of information is being assembled about each of us. Yet we don’t have the keys to that library.
We don’t know how this data has been collected, by whom or for what purposes.
But we do know that it is being mined to influence opinions, manipulate behavior and violate human rights.
This erodes trust, threatens the social contract, and undermines democracy.
But it does not have to be this way.
We can move beyond the current fragmented landscape of digital governance to harness data for the global good.
We must build consensus to ensure that human rights offline are the same as human rights online.
The United Nations offers a natural platform to advance this agenda.
Last year, I presented a Roadmap for Digital Cooperation to build a more open, free, diverse and safe digital future for all.
A future that will empower individuals and accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
A future where the Internet is a basic human right and everyone is connected by 2030.
That Roadmap now has a destination: a Global Digital Compact among governments, the private sector and civil society, at the Summit of the Future in 2023.
More than ever, technology brings people together.
Let us unlock its promise to shape a safer, more sustainable and inclusive world.
I count on all of you to help advance this mission.
Thank you.