High Commissioner addresses the 2023 Social Forum

Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
Colleagues,

I am pleased to address the Social Forum, an important space for dialogue on societal change and social justice.

Science and technology have propelled advances in our lives that seemed unimaginable, even just a decade ago.

Advances which carry extraordinary potential for human rights.

To revolutionize global public health. To increase access to information and knowledge. To turbocharge technological innovation to fight climate change.

The COVID-19 pandemic showed the potential - and indeed the necessity - of technology.

Millions of children could attend school online. A significant portion of the global workforce was able to work from home.

And it showcased the remarkable speed at which science can respond to acute global crises, with the development of vaccines and treatments at unprecedented pace saving millions of lives.

But while COVID-19 showed the enormous potential of science, technology and innovation, it also exposed major fault lines.

The right of all people to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications is enshrined in international law.

And yet vaccines and treatments were largely made available in rich nations – at the expense of poorer ones – driven by a wide refusal to waive intellectual property rights.

Many children in developing countries were denied education for months, even years, because they lacked internet connectivity. Today, almost half of the world’s population remains offline, with women most left behind.

These vast digital divides perpetuate inequality and injustice.

Even though we know that technology is no longer a “nice-to-have,” but can be fundamental for our very survival.

Colleagues,

The benefits of science and technology must be treated for what they are: global public goods.

So, how do we return to the fundamental principle of international law that the benefits of scientific progress - especially as they apply to life-saving innovations - must be shared?

While the use of patents can arguably help promote scientific and technological advancement and innovation for the benefit of everyone, today, patents still remain in the hands of the few, in just a few countries.

This can curtail creativity, stifle scientific advancement and, ultimately, deepen inequality.

We need a dramatic overhaul of the current model of patents and trade secrets towards models which promote equitable technology transfer within and between countries, while continuing to incentivize both public and private investment in research and innovation.

We need to enable all nations to increase their capacity to independently develop and utilise science, technology and innovation.

We must foster greater global technological equality and make stronger efforts to close digital divides between nations and peoples, including the glaring gaps between genders.

And as we acknowledge the game-changing opportunities of digital technology, including artificial intelligence, we must remain mindful of the enormous human rights implications they may bring, such as violations of the right to life, to privacy, and to non-discrimination.

Colleagues,

My Office is supporting several initiatives to promote science, technology and innovation as defining elements of the human rights ecosystem, and in turn ensuring that developments in technology are informed by and safeguard human rights.

Not least, a global demand for reliable data on human rights has driven growth in our own data science and statistical work. We are able to measure the prevalence of discrimination in many countries and process open-source information on attacks against human rights defenders, to name just two examples.

The Global Digital Compact – a blueprint for safe and secure digital technology being developed as part of the Summit of the Future in 2024 – is a key chance for us all to ensure our digital future is  healthy, and is centred around human rights.

Colleagues,

This year’s Social Forum is a very good opportunity for sharing knowledge, experience and best practices on science and technology. I look forward to the ideas you - including, and perhaps especially, young people - will bring to the table.

Because shared challenges require shared responses.

No one is excluded from the threats that climate change brings.

Pandemics affect us all.

And science and technology are the keys to enable us to withstand the shocks that these challenges will continue to pose.

I hope we can work towards the collective goal of science, technology and innovation which serve humanity, and which advance the common good.

Thank you.