[Video Message]
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I¡¯m pleased to address you today at 2024 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit, focused on some of the most critical issues of our shared future. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming lives at an unimaginable pace. The theme of this conference makes clear: we can only harness the incredible potential of AI if we do so through a people-centred approach and foster dialogue to understand global needs and perspectives.
At the United Nations, 2024 is a pivotal year for digital action. This September, UN Member States passed the Global Digital Compact. World leaders recognized that digital technologies ¡°hold out the promise of accelerating the achievement of the SDGs¡±. They underscored the need to close digital divides, expand the benefits of the digital economy, and enhance international governance of AI for the benefit of humanity.
Building on this momentum, the UN Internet Governance Forum (IGF) will convene from the 15th to 19th of December in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, gathering thousands of participants under the overarching theme, ¡°Building Our Multistakeholder Digital Future¡±.
Key digital constituencies and stakeholders are engaged at the IGF, including governments, international legislators, businesses, civil society and technical experts, with special emphasis on the voices of young people and from the Global South.
Their discussions will tackle crucial issues, including the urgency of balancing the innovations and risks of digital technologies, enhancing the digital contribution to peace and development, safeguarding rights online and improving our global digital cooperation.
I hope that many of you present here at Wuzhen will join us at the IGF in Riyadh. Outputs from your Summit will certainly be valuable inputs to the IGF.
Moreover, the the Global Digital Compact and Internet Governance Forum 2024 are directing us towards another critically important milestone: 20 years review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20). Established to promote inclusive and development-oriented information societies, WSIS has guided global cooperation on digital issues since 2005. The twenty-year review will be an opportunity to reflect on achievements and challenges, reinforcing the role of information and communication technologies in achieving SDGs.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The road to a people-centred digital future calls for a shared vision and collective action. I trust that the 2024 Wuzhen Summit will inspire innovative ways to a prosperous digital future without leaving anyone behind.
I thank you all and wish you a successful summit.