Use communication technologies to bridge divide among people: UN

GENEVA, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- A senior UN official on Monday stressed the world should shape our common digital future in a way that bridges divides and brings societies together.

Liu Zhenmin, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, on Monday addressed the opening ceremony of the 12th Internet Governance Forum here, saying that it is of key importance that "we make sure that the information and communication technologies do not create more divides among people and regions."

Liu said that the internet and digital technologies have become more and more part of our lives and societies, and the world should work together to harness the technology to maximize the benefits to society while minimizing the negative impacts.

"The world has undoubtedly changed, the internet has changed too," he said, "We were talking about the information 12 years ago, and now we talk about digital -- the internet of things and artificial intelligence."

The UN official reminded that Geneva was the birthplace for the Internet Governance Forum and it is still the place where foundations of this forum were set.

"While we try to prepare ourselves for the future, we should always be aware of the past to understand why we are where we are," he noted.

Liu also expressed his hope that Geneva, as the home to many international organizations, would contribute more to further integrate the experience and expertise of these organizations into a global internet process.

The 2017 Internet Governance Forum is scheduled to take place here from Dec. 18 to 21, focusing on such topics as artificial intelligence, big data, fake news, internet of things and virtual reality. Enditem