ASTANA – Kazakhstan reaffirmed its commitment to inclusive and interoperable AI governance at the first UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva, where Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev presented the country’s vision for an AI-native future and called for stronger regional cooperation through the Asia-Pacific Digital Solutions Center in Almaty.
Zhaslan Madiyev addresses the first UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva. Photo credit: Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development.
The dialogue, held on July 6-7, is taking place alongside the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and ahead of the AI for Good Global Summit.
Opening the summit, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the current generation may be the last able to define the terms of coexistence between humanity and machines, and called for urgent global action to address the accelerating risks posed by artificial intelligence, Kazinform reported.
Addressing the summit, Madiyev reaffirmed Kazakhstan’s support for the United Nations and its ongoing reform agenda.
He said Kazakhstan highly values its partnership with the UN system, including Geneva-based agencies, in advancing regional digital initiatives. He noted that the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) had adopted a resolution by consensus establishing the Asia-Pacific Digital Solutions Center for Sustainable Development in Almaty and invited interested member states to send national experts to work at the center.
“We believe the center will become a practical platform for testing and scaling new digital solutions across the region. Together with the UN Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty, these platforms will strengthen regional cooperation and support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” Madiyev said.
He said the dialogue has direct practical significance for Kazakhstan, which aims to become a fully digital nation within the next three years under the Digital Kazakhstan-2029 strategy. He said the strategy envisions the country’s transition from advanced e-government to an AI-native nation and reiterated Kazakhstan’s readiness to cooperate internationally by sharing its experience, launching joint pilot projects and developing interoperable approaches to AI governance.
On the sidelines of the dialogue, Madiyev also met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
