EU Statement – United Nations General Assembly: Impact of Rapid Technological Change on the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals

Madame President,

Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mexico and of Estonia,

Excellencies,

Dear colleagues,

I have the honor to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The Candidate Countries:  former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania, the country of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, and Georgia, align themselves with this statement.

People in our societies feel that the world is changing at a rapid pace. Many millions of people have embraced this change as a great opportunity to improve their lives. They have been able to harness the opportunities that new technologies can bring to all dimensions of sustainable development.

Others are at risk of being left behind, in particular the half of the global population that is still not connected to the Internet. There are concerns about the impact of new technology on employment, privacy or security, for example. We also face a gender digital divide.

All of us – governments as well as other stakeholders including the private sector, civil society and the technical community – have responsibilities to ensure that people across the globe are able to benefit from the opportunities of new technologies and that people’s concerns are addressed. The task ahead of us is to work collaboratively together to harness the positive, transformative power of new technologies for the good of all and manage the risks and challenges. 

We therefore welcome that the Secretary General has put this issue at the top of his agenda by establishing a High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation. We also welcome the Secretary General’s Strategy on New Technologies that will guide the work of the UN agencies. At the same time we recall key documents in this area, such as the WSIS+10 outcome document.

Furthermore we commend Mexico and Japan for their leadership as co-chairs of the Third Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation and we express our appreciation for the important work of the 10-Member Group to support the Technology Facilitation Mechanism – a group that also includes representatives from Europe.

[I. GOALS]

In our joint journey towards this new future it might be helpful to agree together on where we actually want to arrive at. The vision of the European Union and its Member States is

1. a future where new technology leads to sustainable development, economic growth, job creation for all, the protection of our climate and the environment, women and girls’ empowerment, better education, advancements in agriculture and the reduction of inequality between and within countries.  
2. a future where new technologies contribute to good governance, strong democratic institutions, social well-being and integrity of societies as well as human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law instead of autocracy and discrimination.
3. a future where the integrity and dignity of each individual is respected, including each individual's right to freedom of expression and protection from arbitrary interference in his or her privacy.

[II. GUIDING PRINCIPLES]

So, how do we get there?

1. We need to maintain a transparent global dialogue that includes all relevant stakeholders from governments, the private sector, civil society, the technical community and academia. This year's STI Forum was a good example for how much energy and valuable ideas is set free when all these actors come together. We are also looking forward to the recommendations of the High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation on how to improve this global dialogue.
2. We need more cooperation and collaboration between stakeholders. For this we need the United Nations system to open up more to other stakeholders, supported by strong multilateral cooperation. We need the UN as a forum where we exchange good practices and learn from each other's experiences, not as a global regulator .

The Secretary General’s Strategy recognizes that we “must become more open to new ideas and new voices, which challenge our institutional reflexes for business as usual and allow the UN to credibly engage with partners.” This is essential if the UN is to become an obvious partner for industry and civil society stakeholders.

1. We need to find ways to better utilize science, technology and innovation and existing mechanisms, such as the Internet Governance Forum for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Without science, technology and innovation we will not be able to reach the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. We heard this today from UNCTAD that does great work together with other UN entities to foster the agenda.

[III. ACTIVITIES]

The European Union and its Member States already put measures in place to turn this vision into reality:

1. With the EU Digital Single Market we tear down regulatory walls and move from 28 national markets to a single one. This can contribute €415 billion per year to our economy and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs.
2. With our new General Data Protection Regulation we established one clear set of data protection rules for all companies operating in the EU. This means people have more control over their personal data and businesses benefit from a level playing field.
3. On Artificial Intelligence European Leaders have decided to coordinate a joint strategy that will also built on the work of the new EU Global Tech Panel and various activities in EU Member States.
4. In addition, we are also stepping up our cooperation with partners in developing countries. In 2017 we adopted a new policy on Digital4Development and significantly increased the number of projects – investing in capacity building, digital skills and digital health. In December we, together with UNCTAD, support our African partners in organizing the first Africa eCommerce week in Nairobi.

Excellencies, let me conclude by expressing our commitment to engage constructively in this global dialogue on new technologies and rapid technological change and let me express our commitment to make sure that all voices are heard and no one is left behind.