The United Nations has said it proposing a New Agenda for Peace which will look at peace as a whole, to identify the root causes of conflict and prevent the seeds of war from sprouting.
UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres who made this known in Paris on Thursday said international cooperation on peace and security is at a standstill and the world has entered a new era of geostrategic competition.
According to him, “The New Agenda for Peace will address all forms of threat, taking a holistic view of the peace continuum, from prevention, mediation, reconciliation, peace- keeping to peacebuilding.
“And sustainable development, with greater participation of women and young people in peace processes. We also need a new generation of peace enforcement and counter- terrorism operations, led by regional organizations
“In particular the African Union – but with a strong mandate from the UN Security Council under Chapter VII of the Charter, and with guaranteed, predictable funding. Also, to have accountability, notably in relation to human rights violations”, he added.
Gutterres called for an urgent need for a global ban on cyberattacks, on civilian infrastructure, and on autonomous lethal weapons. “This is for me a central question when one looks at the new weapons being developed.
“To eliminate human agency in the decision to kill is something that we can not accept in any circumstances, adding that misinformation and hatred, particularly against women spread online like wildfire which he said requires greater international cooperation: new technologies.
He said the business model of social networks promotes and monetizes anger and hate. “Some tech companies exploit our personal information and manipulate our behavior with total disregard for our privacy.
“Meanwhile, some governments use spyware and mass surveillance to control their people trampling their fundamental rights. These dangerous trends could be multiplied exponentially by Artificial Intelligence”, he stressed.
UN Chief voiced that humanity is entering a new technological era, adding that the world is far from prepared. “Artificial Intelligence is challenging our collective sense of reality. Even its creators have called for guardrails, before it’s too late.
“But we don’t have the beginnings of global digital governance. That is why I’m calling for a Global Digital Compact that brings governments, regional organizations, the private sector and civil society together”.
Gutterres said he will appoint a High-Level advisory group on Artificial Intelligence and he wil open to any initiative by Member States to create an international agency for Artificial Intelligence which could take inspiration from International Atomic Energy Agency.
“That would be an institution that could concentrate, on one hand, on knowledge, deep knowledge about Artificial Intelligence, developments and, at the same time, have the kind of monitoring mechanism that would be necessary to avoid the worst consequences of Artificial Intelligence”.
He said this is a time for transformation. “Transformation rooted in solidarity and respect for human rights and human dignity, thanking the organizer, Sciences Po, who he said have been preparing to take up these challenges.
“Some of you are already working – and may realize how difficult it can be to shake up the status quo. I urge you never to give up. Never abandon the ideals of mutual understanding, cooperation, and a sense of the common good.
“Allow me a personal observation, when deciding on your career, resist the siren calls of companies that are destroying our planet; that are stealing our privacy; and trading in lies and hatred. They will pay a lot but it’s not the right thing to do”, Guterres advised.