Statement by Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mr. Dmitry Chernyshenko at the sixteenth meeting of the United Nations Internet Governance Forum
Greetings, dear participants of the UN Internet Governance Forum!
We all realize that despite the many negative consequences, the pandemic has become the engine of digital transformation around the world, changed the attitude towards technology and influenced the development of the digital economy. People around the world have become more likely to use digital services, more likely to resort to online services.
In Russia, the digital technology industry is actively developing. Digital transformation is our national development goal. And position in STEM education is among the strongest in the world. Our IT industry is represented by tens of thousands of companies and hundreds of thousands of specialists. Our export of software is constantly growing. This year, export of software and services has grown by almost 20%. A powerful incentive system for the IT sector has been built in Russia. Stage by stage, measures to support the development of IT industry are being implemented. As an example, competitive grant awards are organized for IT projects and companies implementing digital solutions. The total amount of grant support is about 4 (3.8) billion rubles (USD50 million) per year.
I believe that the further growth and development of IT solutions and the digital economy are impossible without cooperation on a global scale, without the synergy of solutions and, most importantly, the development of the international legal framework. As you are all well aware, the growth of investment is always directly related to clear and understandable "rules of the game". I would like to stress the need for speedy development of common approaches to the protection of personal data on a global scale in order to balance the rights and responsibilities of all parties in the digital environment.
Another of the most important areas of activity for us today is to work to remove the existing regulatory barriers that impede the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into the economy. The issue of ethical regulation in the field of AI is relevant all over the world. Russia’s top priority is human-centric AI, that must work for the benefit of society.
Russia recently developed and adopted the "Code of Ethics of Artificial Intelligence" signed by leading companies, universities and foundations. The Code formulates the basic principles of AI use - transparency, trustworthiness, responsibility, reliability, inclusiveness, impartiality, security and confidentiality.
I would also like to note the importance of harmonizing international legislation in the regulation of the global Internet and the activities of technology companies.
In this regard, we note with interest the recent initiative of the UN Secretary-General to develop a Global Digital Compact.
Russia is open to dialogue with all interested states, companies and expert communities.
We are very honored to have received UN confirmation that Russia will host the 20th UN Internet Governance Forum in 2025. The choice of Russia as a venue for the anniversary Forum is a great honor for us and evidence of recognition of the confident positions of our country in the development of the information society and digital technologies. We intend to ensure the broadest participation of all stakeholders in the work of the Forum. At the same time, we aim to ensure that the Forum results in practical solutions to ensure the openness and security of the Internet, taking into account the interests of all participants in the online space.
I wish all participants a constructive dialogue and fruitful discussion at the forum!
