Workshop on "Prepare Cambodia for Artificial Intelligence"

Good afternoon.

• Excellency Hem Vandy, Minister of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation, and chairman of the National Council of Science, Technology and Innovation
• Excellency Chhem Kieth Rethy, Senior Minister and Chairman of the Economic, Social and Cultural Council of Cambodia
• Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, dear participants,

It's a pleasure to be here, and I'm really grateful to be able to share with you a few messages from the United Nations family that we prepared for this afternoon.

This important event is a building block and foundation stone on Cambodia's AI journey, specifically in pursuit of developing Cambodia's first national AI strategy. Allow me to go off script for a moment: two days ago we celebrated International Women's Day. So Happy belated International Women's Day.

I'm saying this because as I look at this audience, the balance needs to be shifted slightly in pursuit of a 50/50, because no nation, AI or not, can afford to leave 50% of its population unequal to the other 50%. I'm mentioning this because at the end of the day, we need to remember that AI is just a technology that will either enhance humanity or not, and as such, it's very important that we look at implications of AI like any other technology from its human dimensions.

At the recent AI Action Summit held in Paris just last month, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres delivered an address emphasizing the need for responsible and inclusive AI development. His key messages underscore the importance of global cooperation, ethical development, and addressing inequality. Looking at what is happening around the world on so many issues in so many places, I think this message rings truer than perhaps ever before.

The Summit in Paris concluded with 58 countries - a bit over a quarter of UN member states - signing the statement on inclusive and sustainable artificial intelligence for people and the planet. This statement outlines principles such as accessibility, ethical development, and international cooperation. I am glad to report that Cambodia was one of the signatories to this Summit outcome.

As already mentioned, artificial intelligence is not just about technology; it is really about people. If used effectively and responsibly, it can accelerate Cambodia's development across multiple sectors, just as in many other countries. AI aligns fundamentally with key global United Nations frameworks that were agreed upon last September. One such framework is the Pact of the Future, which was adopted in September 2023 by world leaders committing nations to inclusive, sustainable, and technology-driven progress.

Unlike the agreement found at the Paris AI Summit last month, this Pact of the Future was adopted by all 193 United Nations member states. Within that member-endorsed agenda, the global digital compact was also agreed upon. This compact is the first international agreement to promote particular AI governance, digital rights, and the responsible use of technology.

Again, artificial intelligence is a tool, and we have identified six critical areas of intervention that allow nations such as Cambodia and everybody else to achieve and accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. These universal development goals were adopted by all member states in 2015. Just two weeks ago, at the latest Annual Sustainable Development Forum, UN ESCAP gave us the latest statistics on how Asia and the Pacific region are progressing towards these global, universal goals that every country, including Cambodia, has agreed upon. This includes all 17 goals, plus, in the case of Cambodia, the 18th goal on demining. While it was agreed in 2015 that these SDGs should be achieved by 2030, currently, we are on track to achieve them in our regioin only by 2062, 32 years late. It is important to consider the human impact of being so late in our shared ambition. AI has the potential to power and accelerate SDG progress by being deployed in areas such as the food system, energy transition, digital connectivity, transforming education, jobs, social protection, and climate action. It truly matters how we use AI to support the development of humanity, particularly when looking at Cambodia's development trajectory today.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

Cambodia's AI readiness and opportunities, I think, are in a good place. We cannot take anything for granted. However, Cambodia's young and tech-savvy population presents a major opportunity if we also continue enhancing education, if we focus on the STEM areas, if we embrace gender equality, and particularly if we also attract women into these professions and jobs and enhance their skills.

AI can boost economic diversification by strengthening digital finance, manufacturing, tourism, and agriculture; it cuts across all sectors. AI can enhance the service delivery of public administration, streamline decision-making, and strengthen accountability, e-governance, and transparency. But in order to do so, AI must, as already mentioned, be ethical, inclusive, and rights-based to ensure that nobody is left behind.

From the United Nations family, I'm very pleased to firmly endorse and confirm our support—not just today, to MISTI and all your team, Excellency Minister, but actually to the government at large. Our cooperation framework is fully aligned with the Pentagon Strategy and the fundamental pillar on digitalization, and we have a variety of initiatives that can support the government. For example, in addition to the event here today, this also includes the work that UNESCO is currently doing with MISTI, as well as the Ministry of Post Telecommunications on the readiness assessment of the ethics for AI. Another team of UN ESCAP is currently working with MPTC on a synergetic initiative to the work we're doing here today, and UNDP and ITU and other UN agencies are working in their various sectors and supporting the government on all things digital, including artificial intelligence. We are very pleased to have this very close partnership with you.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

To conclude, let me emphasize that in the context of LDC graduation – and we all know that Cambodia is on the path to graduate from LDC status by the end of this decade – Cambodia's vision of becoming a high-income country by 2050 presents a unique opportunity to position AI to support innovators, promote technology transfer, and invest in both technology and AI. For that, we would like to encourage all stakeholders – government, businesses, researchers, and, first and foremost, youth – to actively shape the national AI strategy to ensure its practical inclusion and alignment with Cambodia's development goals.
Coordination and collaboration will be key. No single entity can shape an AI-powered future alone, and Cambodia, of course, cannot divorce itself from the global developments in AI as well. So we need to embrace this by looking closely at the international landscape to ensure we make the right decisions for the country. I'd like to reaffirm our unwavering support to Cambodia in harnessing AI towards this journey to 2050 towards our income status and sustaining inclusive development. Let us work together to ensure that AI contributes to a future that truly leaves no one behind.

I thank you very much. Sum Orkun.