UNDP: Digital revolution can unlock prosperity with right policy mix

September 25, 2018

New York - Technology can be a key that unlocks long term prosperity, or a curse that deepens inequalities, depending on the policy responses we choose, said the head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Achim Steiner.

“There is no doubt that technology presents unprecedented opportunities to tackle some of the world’s most challenging development problems: artificial intelligence supporting better diagnostics in health care, satellite imagery helping to combat deforestation and drones being used to map areas at risk of disasters,” said Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator.  “But technological innovation will not automatically lead to prosperity and sustainability in every country and every society.  The digital revolution requires new and inclusive policy responses if it is to benefit everyone.”

He made his remarks on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly at UNDP’s event, Curse or Cure: Leaving No One Behind in an Age of Technological Revolution.

Access to basic technology is a challenge in many developing countries.  Over a billion people live without electricity and three billion lack access to clean and safe cooking technology.

“There is a real risk that technological transformation will deepen inequality within and between countries. According to some of the latest research, artificial intelligence and automation could put 400 million jobs, or 15% of the global workforce, at risk - with obvious negative impacts on poverty and inequality,” Steiner continued.

“To ensure that the benefits of technological innovation are shared by all, we need policy responses and business decisions that are guided by the commitment to end extreme poverty, curb inequalities, and fast-track progress for the people who have been left furthest behind,” he added.

Molly Kinder, Senior Advisor on Work, Workers and Technology at New America, suggested that “properly preparing for a future with greater automation will require a long-term vision, bold goals, and immediate action. Workers themselves should be at the centre of this planning and policymaking. Getting this wrong could deepen society’s divisions and exacerbate inequality, political polarization, instability, and even global insecurity. It will also negatively impact millions of workers — profoundly and personally”.

Royston Braganza, CEO of Grameen Capital India was excited about the rapid expansion of fintech. He emphasized that “the ubiquity of technology and experiments with blockchain give us hope, but also alert us to the potential risk of negatively impacting the most vulnerable. The need to measure impact, especially on women and other excluded populations, while ensuring privacy and data security is more important now than ever before.”

The event featured a conversation with: H.E. Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia; Clare Akamanzi, CEO of Rwanda Development Board; Mary Snapp, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Philanthropies; Sakiko Fukuda-Parr, Professor of International Affairs and Director of the Julien J. Studley Graduate Programs in International Affairs at The New School; Molly Kinder, Senior Advisor on Work, Workers and Technology at New America, as well as fellow and adjunct faculty at Georgetown University; Royston Braganza, CEO of Grameen Capital India.