On Tuesday 5 November 2024, Sharon Weinblum, Delegate General of Wallonia-Brussels in Geneva, was invited to share her thoughts on how new technologies are shaping cities’ infrastructure and governance and affecting people's lives and human rights .
Four other panellists also took part in the discussion:
- Jovan Kurbalija - Head of the Geneva Internet platform
- Woohyun Kang - Second Secretary, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations in Geneva
- Olivier Alais – Program Coordinator for Technology and Human Rights, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
- Tim Engelhardt - Human Rights Officer, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
This workshop was co-organised by Global Cities Hub, the Geneva Internet Platform and the Geneva Human Rights Platform (GHRP) as part of the GHRP's sixth annual conference.
Founded in 2019, the conference aims to include the international community in Geneva and beyond in discussions around pressing issues and challenges in the field of human rights. The 2024 edition highlighted the connectivity between the multiple policy areas addressed in Geneva and their effect on human rights.
Key points
A number of speakers at this workshop dedicated to AI, technology and governance in smart cities emphasised that protecting human rights in our increasingly connected world requires not only international regulations, but also national and local ones because together, these regulations complement and reinforce each other.
As Ms Weinblum pointed out, technology cannot be an end in itself. Smart cities are only smart if technologies serve the needs of citizens and foster social development. In Wallonia, the general interest of the population is inherently taken into account in the technological innovations of the cities, which adhere to European obligations and incorporate ethical principles in data usage, as can be seen in the city of Namur’s ethical data charter . Furthermore, a smart city requires a high level of citizen participation to ensure that their needs and concerns are met, as well as an open data policy.
These are practices that could inspire other towns and cities to use technology in a thoughtful and humane way, putting the needs and safety of their citizens first!
