Eidos Global had the privilege of participating in the 2024 Summit of the Future at the United Nations. Alongside leading companies, government officials, and international organizations, we engaged in crucial discussions about how new technologies can become powerful tools for human development, while avoiding the creation of new social divides. Join us as we reflect on the most exciting moments from the Action Days.
Day 1: Youth-Centered Action
On September 20, the Action Days kicked off with a focus on youth, equity, and diversity. After an opening led by Antonio Guterres (UN Secretary-General) and Felipe Paullier (Special Advisor to the Secretary-General on Youth Affairs), we participated in events addressing the challenges and opportunities facing global youth, with a strong emphasis on diversity and access to technology.
YouthLead: Gender Equality for Adolescent Girls and Young Women at the Heart of Multilateralism
This event featured prominent women such as Nadine Gasman (President of the National Women's Institute of Mexico), María José Carranza (human rights advocate for people with disabilities), and Nila Ibrahimi (educational activist and President of HerStory). The panelists shared innovative approaches to promoting public policies that support workforce inclusion and raise awareness of the needs of different groups, especially young women.
YouthLead: A Digital Future for All
This second event highlighted the importance of youth participation in digital development and their crucial role in building an inclusive technological future. Speakers such as Melissa Muñoz (Director of Innovation at OGTIC in the Dominican Republic), Doreen Bogdan-Martin (Secretary-General of ITU), and Edward Kwakwa (WIPO) underscored the need for youth representation in digital policy-making and intellectual property rights education.
Interactive Debate at ECOSOC
The day concluded with a fruitful debate at the ECOSOC Chamber. Felipe Paullier and Amira Mohammed (UN Deputy Secretary-General) led the interactive session with rapporteurs from each thematic section. This closing session emphasized the critical role of youth in building an inclusive future.
Day 2: Building the Digital Future
On the second day, we gathered in the ECOSOC Chamber for the SDG Digital: A Digital Future for All event. The discussions revolved around technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), as a driver of inclusion, and the challenges we face in ensuring it becomes a tool for collective development.
A Digital Future for All: Inclusive, Universal, and Meaningful
The morning session at SDG Digital 2024 highlighted how data can become a powerful tool for generating positive social impact. However, it also addressed the challenges humanity faces, such as the importance of closing the digital divide to prevent it from becoming an "AI gap". This concept reflects concerns that inequalities in access to digital technology could expand into a wider gap in the adoption and use of AI. Global leaders from key companies in the digital economy shared their perspectives during this session:
Juan Lavista Ferres (Director of Microsoft AI for Good Lab) highlighted how AI can be leveraged to address social and environmental challenges.
Karan Bhatia (Head of Government Affairs & Public Policy at Google) shared insights on inclusivity and how the company addresses these challenges.
David Zapolsky, Sr VP Amazon exposed the company's projects to expand connectivity.
Matts Granryd, Director General GSMA emphasized the importance of access to mobile devices and connectivity to reduce inequality.
Lori Freeman, GM at Salesforce for Non-Profits and Tunde Wackman, Development Director of World Central Kitchen spoke about how data can accelerate responses in critical situations.
Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President Microsoft, stressed the importance of inclusion in AI and digital skills development.
A Digital Future for All: Foundations for a Digital Future
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, opened the afternoon sessions. Discussions were centered on public-private collaboration and . Other key participants in the panel discussions included Carme Artigas (former Secretary of State for Digitalization and AI of Spain), James Manyika (Senior VP at Google-Alphabet), and Jian Wang (Founder and CTO of Alibaba Cloud).
The event concluded with two moving speeches.
Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, delivered a heartfelt call to urgently change our attitudes and values in the face of global challenges, stressing that we are still failing to guarantee basic rights. Meanwhile, Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, advocated for inclusive multilateralism and youth participation as the key to securing a more just and sustainable future.
Conclusions
These Action Days at the United Nations General Assembly have shown that the world is truly at a turning point. The concerns are real, but so are the solutions. It is inspiring to witness an event that brings together leaders from both the public and private sectors, united in their commitment to empowering humanity and closing social divides.
However, we cannot simply be moved by words; we must mobilize and take concrete action. Multisectoral collaboration is essential, as is proposing solutions that genuinely address people’s needs. If we can empower as many people as possible and prevent the widening of existing divides, humanity as a whole will benefit. In the next 10 years, we could either find ourselves in a chaotic and irreversible situation, or look back and be proud of the progress made and the work achieved. But this, today, depends on us: on acting now.
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