This was stated by Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Peacebuilding, speaking at a meeting of the UN Security Council.
Digital technology has brought about profound changes in our lives. They provide unlimited opportunities to promote sustainable development and education. They also opened new horizons for our work in the field of peace and security. “We use these technologies for conflict prevention, peacebuilding and peacebuilding work,” said Rosemary DiCarlo.
Advantages of the latest technology
It is confident that new technologies are being put to good use to support political processes, in particular to help ensure that they are inclusive of all segments of the population.
“During the various peace talks, we have used AI-based chats to connect with thousands of people to learn their views and priorities,” the Deputy Secretary-General emphasized. She noted how new digital technologies are being used to improve the security of peacekeepers and civilian personnel.
Harmful use of new technologies
Speaking about problem areas, she referred to the practice of “malicious use” of digital technologies for political and military purposes.
“According to some estimates, the number of state and non-state sponsored cases of malicious use of digital technologies for political or military purposes has almost quadrupled since 2015,” the UN representative said. It expressed concern about cyber attacks on critical infrastructure, including medical and humanitarian facilities.
The UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs said the practice of using lethal autonomous weapons raises serious questions.
“As the Secretary-General has made clear, mechanisms capable of killing people without human intervention are politically unacceptable, morally repugnant and must be prohibited by international law,” Rosemary DiCarlo said.
“The benefits of digital technologies in maintaining international peace and security are manifold. However, technological progress is fraught with new serious risks, which could lead to a deterioration of conflict dynamics,” emphasized the Deputy Minister.