Experts at UNDP event call for inclusive technologies to benefit all

SHENZHEN, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Experts at a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) event in Shenzhen, in south China's Guangdong Province, have called for the development of inclusive digital technologies to benefit everyone.

"Technology should serve development, rather than the other way around," said Philip Schellekens, chief economist of UNDP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, at the 2026 Asia-Pacific Digital & Intelligent Economy Sustainable Development Innovation Week event.

Inclusiveness must be embedded in technology systems from the early stages of design, to ensure the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) reach all people, Schellekens said.

Co-hosted by UNDP and the World Innovative Cities Cooperation Organization, the event opened on Thursday and closed Friday. Nearly 200 guests from nearly 30 countries and regions had gathered to explore new opportunities arising from Asia-Pacific cooperation, with a focus on key topics that include the digital and intelligent economy, small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) transformation, as well as AI governance.

Stefan Liller, resident representative of UNDP in China, noted that building a new digital technology-driven economic model represents a crucial step forward toward sustainable development.

Liller said that, without inclusiveness as a concept embedded in technology design, digital technologies risk widening development gaps, leaving marginalized groups further behind amid rapid technological shifts.

Pak Sudrajat, president of the Association of Indonesia-China Economic, Social and Cultural Cooperation, echoed similar views, calling on Asia-Pacific economies to uphold the principle of technology for the common good.

By establishing regional cooperation mechanisms, building digital security alliances and boosting broader digital literacy, economies can jointly foster a safe, inclusive and low-carbon Asia-Pacific digital and intelligent development ecosystem, Sudrajat said.

Zheng Yongnian, board chairman of the Guangzhou Institute of the Greater Bay Area (GIG), called for deeper global exchanges and cooperation in AI and sci-tech innovation.

Regular cross-border collaboration in science and innovation would help promote a more balanced global economy and inject new digital momentum into Asia-Pacific prosperity, global peace and stability, Zheng said. ■