Demanding Accountability for War Crimes

Finally, Smith said it was of critical importance to ensure that there is accountability for the war crimes that are being committed, violating the Geneva Convention.

In the meantime, he said Microsoft is bringing technology to help be part of the rescue.

“We’re serving the United Nations by putting AI to work using real-time satellite imagery. We’ve developed an AI algorithm that can identify hospitals each day that are being attacked, damaged or destroyed. That could identify schools that are being targeted — and increasingly and most recently — water power. Because if you want to decimate a civilian population, tragically, people need water more quickly even than they need food.

“It’s just a reminder of how important it is to use all the tools that we have to try to protect people. And it’s important to ensure that we create the foundation to do what was done after World War Two. Like Nuremberg, a place we all know because that is where there was accountability for the war crimes that have been committed.

“That’s why we’re providing the technology platform free of charge for the prosecutor for the UN, International Criminal Court. It’s why we’re doing the same thing to support the Ukrainian government. It’s why we’re doing the same thing to support Amal Clooney and her legal team who are working with and for the UN and Ukraine. To make sure that there is an opportunity for history to remember what has happened here and for people to be accountable for what was done.”