Crisis Recovery

Use new data to fight climate change & other challenges: UN tech envoy

We need to rethink data collection | Global Stage | GZERO Media

Artificial intelligence has brought with it new methods of both collecting and analyzing data. The UN’s special envoy on technology, Amandeep Singh Gill, highlights the importance of developing robust data sets to address critical issues facing the world, such as global food insecurity.

“We need new data sets on how farmers are adapting to changes induced by the shift in our climate landscape. So, bring those data sets together, run analytics on them, and be (more) smart about climate change resilient agriculture.

As the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 deadline fast approaches, Gill also emphasizes the need for a global network of “digital champions” for the SDGs.

“I think that’s the key area: Data capacity and human capacity doing it together,”

The discussion was moderated by Nicholas Thompson of The Atlantic and was held by GZERO Media in collaboration with the United Nations, the Complex Risk Analytics Fund, and the Early Warnings for All initiative.

Watch the full Global Stage conversation: Can data and AI save lives and make the world safer?

More For You

Colombian left-wing presidential candidate Ivan Cepeda campaigns in the southern town of Pitalito, Colombia, on April 11, 2026.
Santiago Chimbaco/LongVisual via ZUMA Press Wire

On Sunday, Colombians will have their say on their first left-wing leader, as they head to the polls to vote in the first round of the presidential election.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a ceremony commemorating Israel’s Remembrance Day for fallen soldiers, or Yom HaZikaron, at the Military Cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, on April 21, 2026.
ILIA YEFIMOVICH/Pool via REUTERS

The United States and Iran seem to be moving closer to a deal to end the war, which could hurt Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reelection hopes.