UN Secretary-General Calls for Global Fund to Close AI Capacity Gaps in Developing Countries

Summary

A new report by the United Nations Secretary-General to the General Assembly says financing for artificial intelligence capacity-building remains fragmented and leaves major geographical gaps. It calls for a universal minimum level of AI capacity while narrowing disparities in compute, energy, connectivity, high-quality data, digital public infrastructure and skills. The report also identifies shortages in governance and legal frameworks, as well as institutional capacity to assess, procure, deploy and govern AI and participate in international AI governance. World Bank figures cited in the report show that high-income countries held 77% of global co-location data-centre capacity in June 2025, compared with less than 0.1% in low-income countries. Although about half of UN Member States had national AI strategies in 2025, fewer than 20% of least developed countries did, and the report says existing UN efforts are insufficient at the required scale. It recommends that the General Assembly advance work on a Global Fund for AI Capacity-Building, establish regular reporting with measurable indicators, and encourage more countries to join the UN-supported Global Network for Exchange and Cooperation on AI Capacity-Building. The proposed fund is not yet a settled design: an indicative starting point is $3 billion over two to four years, with a needs-based structure that would complement existing mechanisms and could operate inside or outside the UN system. The report builds on a 2025 Secretary-General report and says the financing challenge persists in 2026.