At the 80th anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Pakistan took a visible step forward in shaping the global debate on technology, youth, and sustainable development. Represented by Minister of State for Crypto and Blockchain, Bilal Bin Saqib, who spoke at two high-level side events: one on Social Business, Youth and Technology and another on AI Capacity Building, co-hosted by Saudi Arabia, Kenya, and ICAIRE with the support of the UN Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies. Across both engagements, Bilal Bin Saqib and Pakistan’s message was clear: for the developing world, technology is not an optional add-on but an essential tool for survival, resilience, and progress. In the social business forum, Pakistan underscored the reality that millions of young people are already using digital tools to receive remittances, fund micro-enterprises, and connect with the global economy. This adoption is not driven by speculation but by necessity, families seeking faster payments, entrepreneurs looking for capital, and communities searching for solutions. The challenge, as Pakistan framed it, is how to channel this grassroots energy into transparent, accountable, and socially productive systems that can scale. The second intervention on artificial intelligence reinforced the same theme but through a broader lens. Pakistani Crypto Minister stated that AI is not a luxury reserved for advanced economies, but a necessity for developing nations seeking to leapfrog structural barriers. His call was for global cooperation to ensure equitable access, ethical safeguards, and collaborative models that allow the Global South to build capacity rather than fall further behind. What made these interventions significant was not only the content but also the context. Pakistan was not speaking from the sidelines. At UNGA80, it was treated as an active participant in shaping the global conversation on the intersection of technology, development, and youth empowerment. The progress made in digital adoption, particularly in crypto and blockchain, was acknowledged in New York as a case study of how emerging economies can move quickly when driven by need. For Pakistan, this marks a subtle but important shift in perception. No longer simply a recipient of development agendas, the country is positioning itself as a contributor of ideas and models, demonstrating how digital assets, social business frameworks, and AI can converge to tackle challenges of poverty, inequality, and climate vulnerability. The UNGA80 discussions showed that Pakistan is increasingly being viewed not as a follower, but as a country ready to lead in the Global South’s engagement with emerging technologies. Bilal Bin Saqib also met with Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, the President of Microsoft, Brad Smith, and Kazakhstan’s Minister of Digital Development and Innovation, Zhaslan Madiyev, during his visit to New York.
