Events

Coalitions for leveraging AI for humanitarian preparedness and response

Originally published

Summit of the Future Action Days Official Side Event

20 September 2024
10:00 am – 11:15 am ET
UN Headquarters, New York

Opening remarks by Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the ITU and Ambassador Elina Kalkku, Permanent Representative of Finland to the United Nations

This session, organized by UN Global Pulse, the Secretary-General’s Innovation Lab, the International Telecommunications Union, and the Government of Finland brought together leaders from across the public, private and social sectors to discuss the role of AI in disaster anticipation and response.

The event showcased the progress, key learnings, and engagement opportunities with two of the UN System’s flagship multi-partner initiatives that leverage AI to enhance the efficiency of humanitarian and climate adaptation operations: Data Insights for Social and Humanitarian Action (DISHA) and Early Warnings for All AI.

The program featured demonstrations of practical AI solutions developed over the past year, including tools for assessing infrastructure damage using high-resolution satellite imagery, dynamically mapping population mobility patterns, and enhancing the assessment of sub-national connectivity levels during and after disasters.

Event Program

  • Opening remarks by Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General, ITU
  • Opening remarks by H.E. Ambassador Elina Kalkku, Permanent Representative of Finland to the United Nations
  • Data Insights for Social and Humanitarian Action (DISHA): High-level overview and panel discussion featuring:
    • Nikhil Seth, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General,UN Assistant Secretary-General, Executive Director, United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
    • Rania Dagash-Kamara, Assistant Executive Director for Partnerships and Innovation, World Food Programme (WFP)
    • Ankit Bisht, Partner, McKinsey & Company
    • Melike Yetken Krilla, Head of International Organizations, Google
    • Katya Klinova, Head of AI and Data Insights for Social and Humanitarian Action, UN Global Pulse (Moderator)
  • Early Warnings for All: High-level overview and panel discussion featuring:
    • Xaviera Steel, Product Manager, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation
    • Andrew Zolli, Chief Impact Officer, Planet
    • Kevin White, Senior Director Data Science, AI for Good Lab, Microsoft 
    • Vanessa Gray, Climate Change and Emergency Telecommunications, Telecommunication Development Sector, ITU (Moderator)