On 14 July 2026, I spoke on behalf of ITU during Panel 8, “The Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Artificial Intelligence,” at the 19th session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP), in the Assembly Hall of the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The panel brought together Indigenous representatives from the Arctic, North America, and Eastern Europe/Russian Federation/Central Asia, alongside representatives of Australia and the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions. The full session is archived on UN Web TV.
Policy
There are 12 posts filed in Policy (this is page 1 of 2).
The politics of knowledge in the AI age: moderating a panel at WSIS Forum 2026
World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2026
6 to 10 July 2026 in Geneva, Switzerland
©ITU/Pierre Albouy
The politics of knowledge in the AI age: moderating a panel at WSIS Forum 2026
On 9 July 2026, I had the pleasure of moderating a session at WSIS Forum 2026, in Room E at Palexpo, titled “The Politics of Knowledge in the AI Age: Empowering Human Agency through Standards, Human Rights, and the Role of Corporations,” co-organized by ITU, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and the Harvard Kennedy School Carr-Ryan Center. The session was public and recorded; the full webcast is available here.
Governance by Procurement: How AI Rights Became a Bilateral Negotiation
(Originally published on the Harvard Kennedy School website)
On February 26, 2026, the CEO of one of the world’s most powerful AI companies published an open letter refusing a government ultimatum. The Department of War had threatened to designate Anthropic a “supply chain risk”, a label reserved for U.S. adversaries, never before applied to an American company, and to invoke the Defense Production Act to compel the removal of two safeguards: prohibitions on mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. Dario Amodei refused. Within 24 hours, the Pentagon followed through, blacklisting Anthropic as a national security risk and ordering all military contractors to immediately cease commercial activity with the company. Anthropic said it would fight the designation in court.
Exploring the State Duty to Protect Human Rights in AI Governance
Panel Discussion: Exploring the State Duty to Protect Human Rights in AI Governance
On November 28, 2024, I had the privilege of speaking at the expert consultation on the application of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) to technology companies, particularly regarding artificial intelligence (AI). Held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, this event brought together stakeholders to discuss the pressing challenges and opportunities in aligning technological innovation with human rights principles.
Advancing Human Rights through the Global Digital Compact
UK mission in Geneva
On November 26, 2024, I had the privilege of speaking at the “Implementing Human Rights Objectives through the Global Digital Compact: A Multistakeholder Approach” workshop in Geneva. This gathering brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, including member states, private sector leaders, civil society, and UN entities, to discuss the practical implementation of human rights commitments within the Global Digital Compact (GDC).
Internet and Africa: What Cyberspace for Tomorrow?
A pupil using a Kio tablet during a class session in Kawangware, Nairobi on October 2015
(Originally published in ID4D)
African countries have never been faced with such decisive choices in the construction of a cyberspace that respects freedoms and meets the needs of their citizens. One of the continent’s main challenges for the future.
The first Internet connections in Africa arrived back in the late 1990s through geostationary satellites. Projects for satellite constellations were also set up during the same decade. At a later stage, submarine cables were installed around the continent, as well as terrestrial backbones. The first cables connecting Europe, Africa and Asia were put in service in 2002. Most recently, projects for drones and balloons have been tested and a number of submarine cables have been laid.
La défense des libertés et des droits humains sur Internet
Manifestation pour la défense des libertés sur Internet
(Publié à l’origine dans Mediapart)
La défense des libertés et des droits humains sur Internet fait partie des grands défis du cyberespace et décline chaque année. En une décennie, nous sommes passés d’un Internet ouvert et libre à un Internet de plateformes où les géants du numérique défendent les intérêts des actionnaires, les gouvernements autoritaires piétinent les droits humains et des entreprises privées espionnent des politiciens, des activistes et des journalistes.
The Importance Of Balanced Partnerships To Defend Human Rights And Democracies In Cyberspace
Human Rights And Democracies In Cyberspace
(Originally published in the Counterpart International Blog)
In its early days, the Internet was often described as a Utopian technology in service of promoting and protecting of human rights. It represented a world of freedom that would liberate all knowledge, empower people, and weaken the state by making it more transparent and accountable, leading to the realization of democratization and human rights. Today, digital technologies are omnipresent in our lives. Smartphones, tablets, laptops, drones, self-operating vehicles, and robots can take on tasks ranging from driving support, household help, and companionship of sorts, to policing and warfare.
The Social Security Data Governance Challenge in Mexico
The Mexican Flag
(Originally published in the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs)
Mexico has a long history with social security; the country’s first social security law was enacted in 1943. Today, the social security system is fragmented into several institutions that coexist with each other, but do not operate in an integrated manner. A huge gap exists between lawyers, policymakers, and implementers who should be working together closely to design practical, efficient, and actionable policies.
The eGovernment Web Development Strategy for Liberia
The e-Liberia office at the Ministry of Post and Telecommunication (MoPT)
I spent 6 weeks in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, in November and December 2015 to design the eGovernment Web Development Strategy for the Ministry of Post and Telecommunication (MoPT). Liberia Faced 14 years of civil war until 2003 then they faced an Ebola epidemic in 2014 and 2015. Peace Nobel Prize President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf worked hard to put Liberia on the good tracks with the support of the international community and she is still in the office until 2017. There is not metropolitan fiber yet in Liberia or national fiber connecting key cities, but the ACE submarine cable is reaching Monrovia and should help to bridge the digital divide in this country.
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