António Guterres has acknowledged that digital technology is transforming societies and economies and a rapid pace. In order to ensure that all nations can access the appropriate skills and resources, and to enable an holistic approach to the way that the technology is implemented, Guterres has established a new forum: the High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation.
The panel will be co-chaired by Melinda Gates and China-based Alibaba founder Jack Ma. According to Guterres: “This is the first such panel of its kind – and will be comprised of women and men at the frontiers of technology, public policy, science, and academia.” The panel will be composed of twenty people.
The reason for forming the panel is because the pace of digital change is, while rapid, uneven. António Guterres sees the United Nations as the body that can assist with developing international cooperation to enable change to happen in a more even, structured and, for low income countries in particular, fairer way.
The remit of the panel is to identify policy, research and information gaps, and make proposals to strengthen international cooperation in the digital space. In relation to this, Melinda Gates said: “Technology is neither good nor bad. It’s just a tool – a very powerful tool – and what matters is how the world uses it.”
She adds: “If all people, especially the poorest and most vulnerable, have equal access to digital technology, they will use it to improve life for themselves and their families and raise their voices in conversations about what the future holds. Enabling this widescale empowerment is what this panel is about.”
