Digital Cooperation Day, 80th UN General Assembly: AI as a gamechanger for an inclusive digital economy

Dear Gerd Müller, Director General of UNIDO;

Your Excellency, William Kabogo Gitau, Cabinet Secretary of the Ministry of Information, Communications and Digital Economy of Kenya: 

Your Excellency, Sami Muqeem, Vice President, Saudi Data & AI Authority;

Your Excellency, Oleksandr Tsybort, Deputy Minister for Digital Development, Digital Transformations and Digitalization, Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine;

Dear Ms. Anna Marks, Global Chair of Deloitte;

Dear Mr. Andre Bechtold, President of SAP Industries and Experiences;
Excellencies, distinguished delegates, colleagues,

It is an honour to address this session of the Digital Cooperation Day as we reflect on how artificial intelligence can be a true game-changer for building a more inclusive digital economy. The strong presence of business leaders here shows the central role of the private sector in this transformation.

We meet one year after the adoption of the Global Digital Compact—a milestone in shaping an inclusive, equitable and sustainable digital future. Two of its objectives are especially relevant today: strengthening international AI governance, and expanding digital inclusion so that all can benefit.

I am delighted that today we celebrate the winners of the Global Call for Solutions for an Inclusive Digital Economy—a joint initiative of UNIDO, UNCTAD, ODET, UN DCO and partners. This initiative shows how innovation can bring the Compact’s vision to life.

But we must recognize: much remains to be done.

As Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan said this morning, we stand at the edge of two worlds.

• In one world, the digital economy expands at breathtaking speed: platforms connect billions, AI markets grow rapidly, and technological innovation accelerates.
• In the other, internet access remains limited, e-commerce is out of reach for many, and digital divides persist—and risk deepening.

UNCTAD’s Technology and Innovation Report 2025 highlights three lessons that are central to our dialogue:

First, AI adoption is highly uneven across businesses. In 2024, over 70% of large firms in advanced economies used AI, mainly for marketing and IT. But small and medium-sized enterprises lag behind. In developing countries, the picture is even less clear, given the absence of reliable data.

Second, AI development is expanding but highly concentrated. English-language AI programmes have nearly tripled since 2017, and the share of computer science students specializing in AI has doubled since 2015. Yet patents, research outputs, and R&D spending remain concentrated in just a handful of countries and corporations.

Third, critical policy gaps persist. Two-thirds of developed countries have adopted national AI strategies. Among least developed countries, only six have done so. Without deliberate action, many risk being left behind—dependent on foreign technologies and with limited ability to shape AI for their own development priorities.

In light of these challenges, UNCTAD emphasizes three priority areas for action:

1. Strengthen infrastructure—to ensure equitable access to electricity, connectivity, and computing power.
2. Promote open and accountable data ecosystems—that are interoperable and inclusive.
3. Build AI literacy at scale—through partnerships between academia, governments, and the private sector.

None of this can be achieved in isolation. Progress demands multilateral cooperation that puts people at the centre: shared infrastructure, open innovation, South–South collaboration, and global accountability frameworks.

UNCTAD is actively advancing this agenda.

• As co-lead of Objective 2 of the Global Digital Compact with UNIDO, we are working to foster a truly inclusive digital economy.
• As Chair of the UN Group on the Information Society, we are strengthening system-wide coordination.
• Through eTrade for All, we partner with 35 organisations to build the capacities developing countries need for e-commerce, digital trade, and innovation.
• And through our research, we provide evidence-based policy guidance to support decision-makers.

Distinguished delegates,

Gatherings like this—bringing together governments, international organisations, and industry leaders—reflect our shared commitment to shaping AI not as a technology of exclusion, but as a public good and a powerful enabler of opportunity.

This will also be the message we carry forward to UNCTAD’s 16th Ministerial Conference next month in Geneva.

Thank you.