King Felipe VI has thanked the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) for choosing Spain to hold its Ministerial Conference on the Digital Economy for the first time in Europe, with a speech in which he called for "urgent attention" to the risks and opportunities posed by the increasing digitalization of all areas of daily life.
At a gala dinner organized at the Pérez Galdós Theater in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria with representatives from fifty countries around the world, the king momentarily deviated from his speech to wink at some islands that receive millions of tourists from all over Europe in these months, as a leading destination in winter: "You are in the Canary Islands. It's a good place good place to be at this time of year," he joked. "Great choice".
Flanked at this dinner by the First Vice President of the Government, Nadia Calviño; the Secretary General of the OECD, Mathias Cormann; and the President of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres; the king stressed the importance of the motto chosen by this Conference: "Building a reliable, sustainable and inclusive digital future".
Digitalization, the massive exchange of data and artificial intelligence, he added, "drive the global economy, permeate all sectors and affect all areas of life", in a process that involves "great opportunities for innovation, well-being and prosperity", but also the risk of leading to misuse and damage, which poses a "challenge for governments".
"This context," the monarch emphasized, "demands urgent attention, leadership and measures by legislators around the world", because "the search for a better society is today, and will be in the immediate future, closely and inevitably linked to the success of the digital transformation".
A process "aligned with human rights"
For this reason, he expressed his confidence that the debates that will be held these days in Maspalomas, in the south of Gran Canaria, "can find a balance between extending the benefits of digitalization to all, while protecting citizens, society and the economy from the risks it may generate".
"That includes discussing rights in the digital age, connectivity and other digital divides, the issue of disinformation on the internet and how to ensure that digital transformation supports the challenges of a green transition," he added.
For the king, that Spain hosts the first Ministerial Conference of the OECD in Europe is a "recognition" of its important role in the digital transformation and its commitment as a country to face it as one of its "main objectives".
Finally, he encouraged working to ensure that this process has the person at the center and is aligned with respect for rights.
