United Nations Prioritizes Blockchain At New ‘High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation’
The United Nations is an international organization with 193 member states, which was created in 1945 after World War II had ended and the world was longing for peace.
Their aim is to work together towards issues confronting humanity in the 21st century - like peace, security, climate change, human rights, governance and more.
The UN has been supportive of Blockchain Technology projects before - last year, they started a project to use the Ethereum Blockchain to distribute aid in Pakistan with the "World Food Programme".
Now, the UN has created the new "High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation" - which exclusively notes Blockchain Technology.
The High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation was convened by the UN Secretary-General to advance proposals to strengthen cooperation in the digital space among Governments, the private sector, civil society, international organizations, technical and academic communities and other relevant stakeholders.
The Panel is expected to raise awareness about the transformative impact of digital technologies across society and the economy, and contribute to the broader public debate on how to ensure a safe and inclusive digital future for all, taking into account relevant human rights norms.
Watch the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres talk about the panel and its purpose below:
"The scale, spread and speed of change brought about by digital technology is unprecedented, and the current means and levels of international cooperation are unequal to the challenge."
About the panel
Why is the panel named "Digital Cooperation" ?
The panel should discuss digital issues in a cooperative framework, and aims to break silos by encouraging thinking and action across domains, building trust in various stakeholders.
What is the expected outcome of the panel ?
The panel will create a report, providing high-level independend contributions to the broader public debate on digital cooperation frameworks, and will also support the UN member states in their consultation.
This report will raise awareness about the transformative impact of digital technology across society and economy, as well as identify new gaps in policy- , research- and information, and improve interdisciplinary action on digital technologies. Lastly, they will present proposals to strengthen cooperations in the digital space in an effective and inclusive manner.
The consultation process which will lead to the report will contribute to the lively discussion among various stakeholder groups on how they can maximize the potential of the digital revolution.
What makes this panel and its purpose so unique?
The speed of innovation in digital technologies has been so rapid that we can't keep up with it, resulting in humanitarian problems and fundamental questions for society.
This panel was created to increase the focus on these topics through commissions, conferences and other forums, signalizing that the time has now come for our digital policy ecosystem to evolve.
Whenever possible, the panel will also cooperate with other initiatives that aim for similar goals.
Panel Members
The Panel is expected to raise awareness about the transformative impact of digital technologies across society and the economy, and contribute to the broader public debate on how to ensure a safe and inclusive digital future for all, taking into account relevant human rights norms.
The members of the "High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation" will work towards solving problems in the digital era under the aspect of human rights.
They are representatives from different countries who have had an impact or are experts on the digital revolution.
Notable members include:
Melinda Gates, Philanthropist, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group, the largest online retailer in Asia
Cathy Mulligan, who represents Blockchain in the group of panel members.
Dr. Cathy Mulligan is a Visiting Research Fellow at Imperial College Centre for Cryptocurrency Research and Engineering, a Senior Research Associate at University College London in Blockchain and a Fellow and Expert Member of the World Economic Forum’s Blockchain Council.
Cathy has been researching Blockchain since 2010, and has been focused on applying digital technologies to achieve sustainability outcomes.
She has alsoadvised several governments regarding their blockchain strategies, co-authored the UK Government Office for Science Report “Beyond Blockchain” and wrote several author books and papers on this topic.
This is the full list of panel members:
- Mohammed Al Gergawi (UAE), Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future, UAE
- Yuichiro Anzai (Japan), Senior Advisor and Director of Center for Science Information Analysis, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
- Nikolai Astrup (Norway), Minister of International Development, Norway
- Vinton Cerf (USA), Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist, Google
- Fadi Chehadé (USA), Partner at ABRY Partners
- Isabel Guerrero Pulgar (Chile), Director, IMAGO Global Grassroots and Lecturer, Harvard Kennedy School
- Marina Kaljurand (Estonia), Chair of the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace
- Bogolo Kenewendo (Botswana), Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Botswana
- Akaliza Keza Ntwari (Rwanda), ICT advocate and entrepreneur
- Marina Kolesnik (Russian Federation), senior executive, entrepreneur and WEF Young Global Leader
- Doris Leuthard (Switzerland), Head of the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications, Switzerland
- Cathy Mulligan (United Kingdom), Co-Director of Imperial College Centre for Cryptocurrency
- Edson Prestes (Brazil), Professor, Institute of Informatics, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul
- Kira Radinsky (Israel), Director of Data Science, eBay
- Nanjira Sambuli (Kenya), Digital Equality Advocacy Manager, World Wide Web Foundation
- Sophie Soowon Eom (Republic of Korea), Founder of Adriel AI and Solidware
- Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah (Australia), Secretary General, CIVICUS
- Jean Tirole (France), Chairman of the Toulouse School of Economics and the Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse
This panel and its mission marks another important step in the mass adoption of Blockchain Technology.
What do you think is next in terms of crypto-adoption?
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I do not know if I should welcome the actions of the UN panel. Too many seemingly good deeds / regulations have turned out to be negative on these levels.
For me it is more suspicious than joy. I don't trust them.
Excellent news that the UN is supporting the blockchain technology, considering the number of detractors that have come from other sectors. Good support!
Yes it's great exposure for blockchain, for sure! 🙌
Hopefully they will use this technology for good purposes and not for evil ones.
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