General Comments by India on consideration of the Resolution on ‘New and emerging digital technologies and human rights’ at the 53rd Session of Human Rights Council (19 June - 14 July 2023) delivered by Ms. Seema Pujani, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of India, Geneva, 14 July 2023 General Comments by India on consideration of the Resolution on ‘New and emerging digital technolo..
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General Comments by India on consideration of the Resolution on ‘New and emerging digital technologies and human rights’ at the 53rd Session of Human Rights Council (19 June - 14 July 2023) delivered by Ms. Seema Pujani, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of India, Geneva, 14 July 2023

General Comments by India on consideration of the Resolution on ‘New and emerging digital technologies and human rights’ at the 53 rd Session of Human Rights Council (19 June - 14 July 2023) delivered by Ms. Seema Pujani, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of India, Geneva, 14 July 2023

Thank you, Mr. President.

   At the outset, we thank the core group for their leadership and efforts in presenting this resolution. We appreciate their constructive approach and engagement to address concerns and achieve consensus.

2. Digital technologies have transcended all conventional geographical boundaries and brought us closer together. We recognise their potential for the promotion and protection of human rights and for achieving inclusive and sustainable development, especially in agriculture, healthcare, education, financial services and e-governance. Artificial intelligence (AI) offers us powerful tools that can benefit humankind immensely when used responsibly.

3. India has used digital technologies imaginatively to bring about digital transformation and to empower our citizens. To ensure that AI is used in ethical and responsible ways, the Government of India outlined a National Strategy for AI in June 2018, with a view to leveraging ‘AI for Good’. In 2021, we released ‘Principles for Responsible AI’, which are aimed to establish broad ethical principles for design, development and deployment of AI in India based on equality, inclusivity and non-discrimination. Earlier this month, the Government released a standard for fairness assessment and rating of AI systems.

4. We appreciate that the text before us recognizes to ensure equitable access to benefits of new and emerging digital technologies, we need to bridge digital divides. However, we are concerned that it still lacks balance. While there are several references to the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and to the responsibilities of business enterprises in that context, there is no mention of the Working Group on Business and Human Rights or the acknowledgment of its work. We also believe that to encourage responsible deployment and use of AI, developing ‘Standards for AI’ is essential. A specialized agency such as the ITU is well placed to take the lead on this front. The resolution does not take note of the work being done in this regard.

5. OP3 employs non-consensual language. Given the wide ranging issues that the OHCHR has been mandated to deal with for the promotion and protection of human rights, we believe that the large scale expansion of capacities envisaged in OP6 may curtail its functions.Therefore, we are disappointed that our request to take an incremental approach to the resolution’s outcomes could not be fully accommodated.

6. For the reasons mentioned before, we are constrained to dissociate from OP3. However, in line with the importance we attach to the subject of this resolution, we will join consensus.

I thank you.