Statement by H.E. Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Permanent Representative of Guyana, at Security Council Briefing on 'Maintenance of international peace and security: Anticipating the impact of scientific developments on international peace & security'
Thank you, Mr. President,
At the outset, I would like to thank Switzerland for organising today’s Open Debate and for their ongoing efforts to ensure that the Council keeps abreast of the discussions on this topic. As we grapple with a proliferation of conflicts across the globe, it is essential that the Council properly examine both the transformative potential of science and technology in fostering peace and security and their potential harmful use in exacerbating conflicts.
I would like to thank our briefers Dr. Geiss, Mr. Awad, Professor Bloch and Professor Courtine, for their informative remarks exploring current and future scientific developments and their implications for global peace and security, as well as how the Council can best make use of these new tools to fulfill its mandate.
The world is rapidly changing, with new technological and scientific advancements emerging almost daily. Whether we look to artificial intelligence, quantum computing, or medical and bio- technology, new tools are being developed and employed across every sector. We are at a critical juncture where we must urgently adapt both our mindsets and legal frameworks to ensure that the application of scientific tools is used to radically enhance our ability to address global challenges, and not to widen divisions and inequalities.
These new developments that facilitate the control of big data, propel cyber and information warfare, and exploit nanotechnology and -biotechnology have placed us in an era of unprecedented risks.
Our traditional understanding of what constitutes war, who are the combatants and civilians, and what constitutes dual use goods, must be reimagined and even redefined. The digital world has also created new challenges to sovereignty and territorial integrity as we traditionally know it within physical borders, and the ability to cripple an enemy without a single bullet or bomb is no longer science-fiction.
Mr. President,
The Security Council is mandated to address threats to international peace and security. This requires not only responding to crises when they occur but also critically, anticipating and preventing conflicts, including to ensure the protection of civilians.
The use of science and technological innovations can provide a unique set of horizon-scanning tools that can equip the Council in employing preventive diplomacy. Science, if effectively and ethically utilised, can be used to craft evidence-based policy solutions. This will require that governments play a more active role in the development phase, not taking a backseat to private sector innovation. It will also require international cooperation in the governance and responsible deployment of these new tools.
Mr. President,
Guyana has long advocated for increased emphasis on conflict prevention, including on the nexus between climate change, food insecurity and conflict. In this area, the use of science to predict the effects and prevent catastrophic consequences from these drivers of conflict, can be an apt illustration of how science and technology can positively impact peace and security. Such use of scientific tools to identify climate change risks to national, regional and international peace and security and the interplay between climate, food insecurity and conflict, will be critical in preventing conflicts that will arise over issues related to resource scarcity and mass displacement.
Mr. President and Colleagues,
As a small, developing country, Guyana’s underscores that even as we engage in discussions on the impact of scientific development on peace and security, there is a clear gap between the countries where these new technologies are developed and those where they are most likely to be deployed. Additionally, there is the issue of access to these technologies, whether to advance peace and development or harmful use.
The reality is that most armed conflicts occur in the developing world where these new technologies, for the most part, are not being developed. This Council, and the international community as a whole, must ensure that the developing world do not become the playground for the developers to test the lethal effect of their new tools, and instead to be an active participant in their utilization for national development and the promotion of peace and prosperity. Alongside innovation there must be an equal focus on capacity building and technology transfer to the developing world.
Mr. President,
These conversations are only the beginning of what must be a sustained effort by the Council to effectively consider the various emerging issues and their impacts on the maintenance of international peace and security. Guyana is prepared to be an active partner in any initiative that can enhance the ability of the Council to effectively execute its mandate in a manner that is objective, ethical, science and data-driven.
I thank you.
