Thank you Deputy Secretary General Barrett! I take this opportunity to congratulate you on your recent appointment! The World Meteorological Organisation is our key partner in many areas of work, spanning from the use of radio spectrum for meteorology, to early warnings. We are grateful for our partnership! And I look forward to working with you on EW4All!
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to welcome you on behalf of the International Telecommunication Union to the AI Summit for Good! Thank you for joining us at what has become the leading United Nations platform for global and inclusive dialogue on Artificial Intelligence!
I am delighted to address you on a topic that is very dear to me and holds significant future potential: namely, how AI can be used to enhance early warning systems.
Let me start by asking you – have you ever been in a hurricane, earthquake or tsunami situation? Have you ever lived through a disaster?
Thousands of people go through such situations on a daily basis. It is estimated that up to 50,000 people per year lose their lives as a result of disasters. Millions of others suffer colossal socio-economic consequences, including displacement and loss of livelihoods. This is particularly true in lower-income countries. Unfortunately, these emergency situations occur more and more often, due to climate change.
Saving lives through early warning systems using the power of digital is at the core of ITU’s work. ITU leads one of the main Pillars of the EW4All Initiative, launched by the UN Secretary General in 2022. Namely, Pillar 3 on Warning Dissemination and Communication.
Recently, we launched the AI for EW4All sub-group to explore opportunities and present examples of AI use cases in realizing the outcomes defined in the EW4All Action Plan. This effort also includes using AI to strengthen linkages between the Pillars and ensuring country ownership of AI solutions through capacity building.
We know that AI presents significant opportunities to transform disaster management practices and support the implementation of all pillars in the early warning system value chain. Its potential to accelerate processes and problem-solving, is immense – as recognized in the EW4all Plan of Action.
ITU has already adopted over 100 standards on AI and is working on additional ones. This is significant because it also impacts disaster risk reduction and mitigation. We also engage with all the regulators and industry members to ensure that through AI we save lives.
As you know, we support countries through the design of National Emergency Telecommunication Plans. We assure you, we will include the integration of AI in the process.
To harness the full potential of Artificial Intelligence, we work in partnership with other stakeholders from both the public and private sectors.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our partners WMO, UNDRR, and IFRC, as well as the UNDP, Microsoft, Google, GSMA, UNFCCC, the Group of Earth Observations (GEO), and the Focus Group on AI for Natural Disaster Management for their support and active participation.
We count on you and our many other partners, to leverage AI responsibly, ensuring a safer and more resilient future for all.
With that, I wish you all a successful workshop and look forward to your discussions and outcomes.
