By Asia Samachar | United States |
United Nations secretary-general António Guterres has appointed Amandeep Singh Gill as his envoy on technology, beating a crowded field to fill the position created recently to cement the U.N.’s role as a global platform for digital diplomacy.
Described as a ‘thought leader on digital technology’ in the note on his appointment, Amandeep will be tasked to coordinate the implementation of the Secretary-General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation, in close collaboration with member states, the technology industry, private companies, civil society, and other stakeholders.
Taking on the New York-based position at the under-secretary-general level, he will champion the organisation’s tech goals.
Prior to this, he was the chief executive officer of the International Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence Research Collaborative project, based at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva.
Amandeep, who had earlier served closed to a decade at India’s Ministry of External Affairs until 2018, describes himself as an ‘engineer, diplomat, and international learning specialist’.
“I am a negotiator at heart. I can quickly connect with people and understand complex motives and issues,” he says about himself at his LinkedIn page.
On his appointment, the UN statement said: “A thought leader on digital technology, he brings to the position a deep knowledge of digital technologies coupled with a solid understanding of how to leverage the digital transformation responsibly and inclusively for progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.”
Previously, he was the Executive Director and Co-Lead of the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation (2018-2019). In addition to delivering the report of the High-Level Panel, he helped secure high-impact international consensus recommendations on regulating artificial intelligence in lethal autonomous weapon systems in 2017 and 2018, the draft artificial intelligence ethics recommendation of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2020, and a new international platform on digital health and artificial intelligence.
Amardeep was India’s ambassador and permanent representative to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva (2016-2018). He joined his country’s diplomatic service in 1992 and served in various capacities in disarmament and strategic technologies and international security affairs, with postings in Tehran and Colombo. He was also a visiting scholar at Stanford University.
He holds a PhD in nuclear learning in multilateral forums from King’s College, London, a Bachelor of Technology in electronics and electrical communications from Panjab University, Chandigarh, and an Advanced Diploma in French history and language from Geneva University. He is fluent in English, French, Hindi and Punjabi.
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(Asia Samachar, x 2022)
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