The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), an organization that advocates for the industry, has made a global appeal to increase pledges for the digitalization of the world from the current $30 billion to $100 billion by 2026.
The UN body with special responsibility for information and communication technologies calls for increased funding for widespread and meaningful connectivity as well as digital transformation in the world’s least developed (LDC) nations.
On World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, which commemorates the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention and the foundation of the ITU in 1865, the aim was revealed.
Doreen Bogdan-Martin, the Secretary-General of the ITU, said: “Tech is at the top of the global agenda, but the benefits of digital technology are still out of reach for too many people.”
“If we are serious about digitalising the world in a way that is meaningful and sustainable, we must take action to accelerate digital transformation for everyone.”
The Partner2Connect Digital Coalition and its online pledging platform will be utilized to empower the least developed countries using information and communication technology for the ITU’s anniversary in 2023.
The Partner2Connect campaign, which was started in February 2022 with the goal of raising direct cash or other donations for connectivity projects in the least developed nations, is included in the ITU’s appeal to the public and corporate sectors. Partner2Connect has discovered commitments worth $12 billion out of the $30 billion total that have already been made in order to get the LDCs online as soon as possible.
LDCs are nations with low income levels and significant structural barriers to sustainable development, according to the United Nations.
The UN’s call for resources emphasizes the need of the world’s digital revolution being environmentally benign as it works to achieve its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, declared that “the digital revolution is a defining force of our era.”
“As the Internet becomes ever more central to value creation and innovation, least developed countries risk falling further behind.”
“We must dramatically improve accessibility and inclusivity and eliminate the digital divide.”
In 2022, 2.7 billion people worldwide were offline, according to ITU data. The gap in digital connectivity between the least developed nations and the rest of the world is growing in important areas like accessibility, digital literacy, and affordability.
Only two of the world’s 46 least developed nations—which are home to over one-third of the world’s offline population—consider the Internet to be reasonably priced.
The UN SDG Summit will examine the 17 SDGs on September 17 in New York, as part of SDG Digital Day, which was announced by Secretary-General Bogdan-Martin at the ITU’s anniversary celebration in Geneva.
The UN system will be represented by ITU at the SDG Digital Day, which will feature high-impact, sustainable, digitally based solutions with the potential to revolutionize how quickly the SDGs are achieved.
