Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to an inclusive, United Nations led approach to artificial intelligence governance while speaking at the AI for Good and for All event in Geneva, hosted by the Group of Friends of Global Governance. The minister told delegates that artificial intelligence must work for everyone rather than serving only a select few, framing the message as central to how developing nations should be positioned within global discussions on regulating the technology.
Speaking at the event, the minister emphasised that the future of artificial intelligence must be built on both human rights and the right to development, arguing that developing countries deserve an equal voice in shaping global policy on the technology rather than being left to adopt frameworks designed elsewhere. She highlighted Pakistan’s role in advancing the AI Capacity Building Fellowship Programme, an initiative aimed at expanding technical expertise and policy capacity among officials and professionals from developing nations, and called for the Global Fund for AI to be made fully operational as a mechanism to help bridge the widening gap between countries with advanced AI capabilities and those still building their foundational digital infrastructure.
The minister pointed to Pakistan’s demographic profile as a key reason for its focus on inclusive AI development, noting that the country has one of the youngest populations in the world alongside a people centric National AI Policy designed to guide how artificial intelligence is adopted across public services and industry. She said Pakistan remains committed to building an AI ecosystem that is inclusive, innovative, and accessible to citizens across all segments of society, positioning the country’s approach as one centred on practical accessibility rather than purely technical advancement.
The appearance formed part of a broader series of engagements for the minister during Geneva Digital Week, during which she also held separate meetings with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Alswaha, among other global officials, to discuss cooperation on digital governance and connectivity. The Group of Friends of Global Governance, which convened the AI for Good and for All session, has positioned the event as a platform for building consensus among United Nations member states on how artificial intelligence should be regulated in a manner that accounts for the needs of both developed and developing economies. The minister’s remarks reflect Pakistan’s continued push to position itself as an active voice in international conversations on AI governance, building on the country’s participation in earlier global forums including the World AI Conference in Shanghai, the LEAP conference in Riyadh, and previous editions of the AI for Good Summit in Geneva.
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