Good morning, this is Kasmira. From monitoring the rebuilding of refugee camps to working with healthcare providers, robots and their creators were out in force in Geneva last week to show how they can provide humans with a helping hand – or bionic leg.

And a new UN report offers a hopeful glimpse into ending AIDS – starting with political will and countries willing to invest in HIV prevention and treatment programmes.

Lastly, our newsletter will be taking a very short break on Monday but we'll be back in your inbox on Tuesday morning.

Kasmira Jefford

14.07.2023

On our radar

Grace, the nursing robot at the AI for Good Global Summit (Credit: UNOG/Elma Okic)

🦿Humans aren’t delivering on the SDGs. Can robots do better? In the bustling corridors of international Geneva, where discussions about regulating autonomous weapons systems, or "killer robots," have echoed for nearly a decade, a glimmer of good news emerged last week when the city welcomed an assembly of over 50 robots aimed at highlighting the positive uses of artificial intelligence (AI).

The robotic delegation and their creators occupied two floors of the Geneva convention centre during the AI for Good summit, the biggest United Nations event on AI, and had a dedicated stage to where they showcased their potential to boost the UN's languishing sustainable development goals.

“The progress towards achieving the SDG’ has been frustratingly sluggish, with a mere 12 percent currently on track,” Doreen Bogdan-Martin, secretary general of the International Telecommunications Unions (ITU), the organisation behind the event, said during her opening remarks.

“However, the AI for Good event shines a much-needed spotlight on these innovative robots, instilling hope for a significant boost in achieving those targets."

Read the full story on Geneva Solutions.

Here's what else is happening

🛑 AIDS can be ended by 2030, UN says. A report by UNAID said AIDs can be stopped by the end of the decade if countries demonstrate the political will to invest in prevention and treatment and adopt non-discriminatory laws.
Reuters (EN)
🏭 The emissions market failure that still threatens the planet. Slow and iterative litigation through the WTO looks the most promising route to a global carbon pricing regime.
Financial Times (paywall) (EN)
🌾 How the wheat trade is flourishing despite sanctions. Russia and Iran are intensifying ties with each other. This includes the trade in wheat, with transactions going mainly through Switzerland. While it is permitted for humanitarian reasons, it’s a sensitive issue.
Swissinfo (EN)
📜 100 years ago, the Treaty of Lausanne established a new Turkey. Behind the scenes with historian Antoine Fleury, professor emeritus at the University of Geneva.
Le Temps (EN)

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