{"id":52578,"date":"2018-10-08T11:01:30","date_gmt":"2018-10-08T15:01:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/?p=52578"},"modified":"2019-01-17T21:54:07","modified_gmt":"2019-01-18T02:54:07","slug":"world-economic-and-social-survey-2018-report-on-frontier-technologies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/blog\/2018\/10\/world-economic-and-social-survey-2018-report-on-frontier-technologies\/","title":{"rendered":"World Economic and Social Survey 2018 Report on Frontier Technologies"},"content":{"rendered":"

World Economic and Social Survey 2018 finds that leading edge technologies – from artificial intelligence to zero emission electric vehicles – can be a double-edged sword for developing countries.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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New York, 8 October 2018 \u2014 <\/strong>New frontier technologies \u2014 everything from renewable energy technologies to biodegradable plastics, artificial intelligence and electric vehicles \u2014 hold immense potential to improve people\u2019s lives and significantly accelerate efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and address climate change. But without appropriate policies, they can also drive greater inequality and increase social dislocations, according to a new report launched by the United Nations today.<\/p>\n

The World Economic and Social Survey 2018<\/em>, produced by the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ\u2019s Department of Economic and Social Affairs, found that renewable energy technologies and efficient energy storage systems are already enhancing environmental sustainability, allowing countries to \u201cleapfrog\u201d over existing technological solutions. New technologies have enhanced access to medicines and improved the wellbeing of the most vulnerable, as mobile technologies and innovations in digital finance have made financial services accessible to millions in developing countries.<\/p>\n

The Survey also found that while technological change has the potential to bring considerable benefits to people, the economy and the environment, when left unmanaged or mismanaged, new technologies will likely widen inequality within and between countries. Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics automation, among other technologies, can enhance economic efficiency but at the same time create winners and losers.<\/p>\n

Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres said that \u201cGood health and longevity, prosperity for all and environmental sustainability are within our reach if we harness the full power of these innovations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cClearly, we need policies that can ensure frontier technologies \u2014 which increasingly transcend sectoral, geographic and generational boundaries \u2014 are not only commercially viable but also equitable and ethical. This will require a rigorous, objective and transparent ongoing assessment, involving all stakeholders,\u201d Mr. Guterres added, pointing to the concerns found in the Survey.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is great urgency in accelerating our efforts to address climate change and to advance progress on the Sustainable Development Goals,\u201d said \u00a0Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Liu Zhenmin, stressing that \u201cNew technologies can offer impactful solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not a given that frontier technologies will make life better,\u201d he continued, adding that \u201cWhile they have the potential to deliver huge dividends, new technologies \u2013\u00a0 if mismanaged \u2013 can have serious adverse effects on societies.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Frontier technologies have huge potential to drive prosperity and protect planet, but only if properly managed.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Survey found that while a country, a particular sector or an occupation may benefit from a new technology, others may gain little or even lose altogether as technological divides between and within countries are still significant and particularly acute in the area of rapidly advancing frontier technologies. Many developing countries are yet to fully utilize the technological breakthroughs of the past. Increasingly, innovations in frontier technologies are concentrated in a few firms and countries. Those who fall behind technologically will find it increasingly difficult to achieve equitable and sustainable development.<\/p>\n

According to the Survey, countries can address many of the pitfalls presented by new technologies by adopting proactive and effective policies to minimize economic and social costs of adjustment. They need regulatory environment and institutional infrastructures to promote innovation, diffusion and use new technologies most needed for sustainable development.<\/p>\n

The Survey contends that international cooperation is an imperative to facilitate technology transfers and national innovation, promoting greater flexibility of the intellectual property rights regime and harmonizing technology standards. It also must address the issue of growing market concentration in order to ease access to many frontier technologies.<\/p>\n

According to the Survey, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ can provide an objective assessment of the impact that emerging technologies have on sustainable development outcomes, including their effects on employment, wages and income distribution. This would enable Member States to steer the pace and sequence of technological breakthroughs towards sustainable development.<\/p>\n

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About the report:<\/strong> The World Economic and Social Survey<\/em> is a flagship publication on long-term development issues and policies prepared by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Economic Analysis and Policy Division.<\/p>\n

For more information, please visit:<\/strong> bit.ly\/Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDESASurvey<\/p>\n

Media contacts:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Department of Public Information<\/p>\n

Dan Shepard, T: 212.963.9495 | E: shepard@un.org<\/p>\n<\/div>

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