{
  "id": 9368390,
  "title": "UN agencies look to hedge US tech dependence",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/un-agencies-look-to-hedge-us-tech-dependence",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-23T16:02:22.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Semafor",
    "slug": "semafor",
    "url": "https://www.semafor.com/article/09/23/2026/un-agencies-look-to-hedge-us-tech-dependence"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "United Nations agencies are prioritizing the diversification of technology and computing sources, moving away from relying exclusively on American providers, following last year's US sanctions on the International Criminal Court and Anthropic's Mythos model cutoff. Khuloud Odeh, the chief information officer of the International Telecommunication Union, revealed that such incidents served as a \"wake-up call.\" Some UN groups are exploring shared computing and data infrastructure to gain more control over sensitive data and reduce dependence on US cloud and AI companies, Odeh told Semafor. The CIO also pondered exit strategies for tech agreements that could be jeopardized. Odeh, who heads the tech and AI strategy at the UN agency setting international tech standards, noted that the Trump administration's willingness to restrict access to chips and AI models as part of foreign policy could disrupt UN agencies' operations or those of non-US companies. Global discussions around tech sovereignty, or having control and choice over data and tech systems, are on the rise, but the UN finds itself in a vulnerable position due to Washington's withdrawal from global bodies and its stance against certain groups. Odeh emphasized that the UN is not advocating for a complete shift away from all US technology but rather creating backup plans, increasing options, and categorizing systems based on sensitivity. This consideration is a priority for CIOs within UN agencies, each with their own tech budgets and vendor relationships. During a meeting of UN technology chiefs in Valencia in May, officials addressed risks like sanctions-driven service suspensions and extraterritorial data access to the UN's cloud arrangements, according to a report. Much attention, especially during this week's UN General Assembly session, is focused on how the international community, including the UN, could establish global rules for AI. The UN and its numerous agencies, funds, and programs—employing over 120,000 people collectively—are not typically associated with major AI enterprise users. The UN registry lists over 1,000 AI use cases, from projects aimed at reducing hunger to connecting more schools to the internet. Odeh mentioned that the conversation is shifting from proof of concept to determining where to allocate resources, stating, \"It's no longer about a concept proof; now it needs to be about a proof of value.\" Some of the UN's data, particularly sensitive information like refugee records and health information, underscores the importance of where it is stored and processed.",
  "summary": "Some UN groups are exploring shared computing and data infrastructure, which could give them more control over their sensitive data.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}