HRC57 - NB8 statement - New technologies, AI, and the digital divide

Human Rights Council ‒ 57th session
High-Level informal Presidential Discussion on New Technologies, Artificial Intelligence, and the Digital Divide
Statement by Estonia on behalf of the Nordic Baltic countries
3 September 2024

Mr. President,

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Nordic Baltic states.

We thank you for organizing today’s event and the participants for their contributions.

New technologies are an integral part of numerous reports presented to or mandated by the Council and will be part of all our discussions soon.

New technologies, including AI, hold great potential for the protection and promotion of human rights and for strengthening democracy. However, they also present risks inter alia for the right to privacy, non-discrimination and disinformation.

New technologies and AI need to be addressed in a multi-stakeholder manner, in compliance with the international human rights law and fundamental principles of fairness, non-discrimination, transparency and legitimacy.

Mr. President,

As members of the Freedom Online Coalition, we cannot stress enough the role of free, open, secure and interoperable internet. We also strongly support initiatives promoting digital literacy, bridging the digital divide, including the gender digital divide, and ensuring human rights online as well as offline.

We believe the Council has a role in addressing the impact of new technologies. This must be done while taking into account the existing mechanisms and processes across sectors and while keeping in mind the efficiency needs of the Council’s work.

We would be interested to hear about how to make best use of the already existing initiatives in this field, including by the Council itself.

I thank you.