United Nations/New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday congratulated India for its leadership in the AI domain at his meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu, according to his spokesperson’s office.
Guterres congratulated them “on the organisation of the AI Impact Summit and expressed his deep appreciation for India’s cooperation with the United Nations” at the separate meetings he had with the leaders in the Indian capital, the UN readouts said.
PM Modi said on X that during his meeting with Guterres, they “exchanged perspectives on UN reforms, especially giving greater voice to the Global South”.
UN Under-Secretary-General Amandeep Singh Gill, who leads the organisation’s AI and digital initiatives, was with Guterres at both meetings.
Gill, a former Indian diplomat, is also Guterres’ special envoy for technology.
Guterres is in New Delhi for the India AI Impact Summit, where he strongly advocated for democratising AI and making it inclusive by ensuring the Global South gets resources for developing AI and a voice in determining its future.
“We talked about making AI all-inclusive and how the UN can play a constructive role in this regard,” PM Modi said in a post on X after the meeting with the UN chief.
The Prime Minister said he “reiterated India’s support towards any effort aimed at harnessing AI for a better planet”.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on X: “PM highlighted India’s efforts in creating a human-centric AI development keeping in mind the priorities of the Global South”.
President Murmu “thanked Secretary-General Guterres for his participation in the AI Impact Summit and welcomed his initiative to create a global scientific panel on AI to serve all of humanity”, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said on X.
“The President noted that at a time of global uncertainties, multilateralism is facing major challenges, including a widening trust deficit. She added that the existing outdated framework of the UN Security Council must be reformed to reflect contemporary geo-political realities, and the Global South must have a greater say in decision-making. She emphasised that urgent reform of the UN Security Council is the key to maintaining the relevance and effectiveness of the UN,” read a statement issued by the President’s Secretariat.
“The President noted that while the ‘UN-80’ initiative offers a good platform for reforms, it is important that developmental priorities of the Global South are protected in any restructuring exercise. The President extended her good wishes for the rest of Mr Guterres’ tenure as UN Secretary General, and reiterated India’s full support towards multilateralism,” it added.
–IANS
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