Annual Fall Meeting of the Broadband Commission
In this time of a global pandemic, the value of digital solutions has become even more evident, as online conferences, remote work and telemedicine are being used to keep society going. At the same time, we are also being reminded of the huge divides that exist across countries in terms of the readiness to participate in the digital economy.
This is a special year. It is 15 years since the conclusion of the World Summit on the Information Society. This summit raised awareness of the benefits that ICTs can bring to humanity and the manner in which they can transform people’s lives. That Summit also led to the establishment of the United Nations Group on the Information Society (UNGIS), which comprises 30 international organizations.
In June, I launched the UNGIS Dialogue on the Role of Digitalization in the Decade of Action. Since then, 20 Heads of Agencies have contributed to the Dialogue expressing our shared view that digital technologies have been critical during the COVID-19 crisis and are essential if we want to make rapid progress in delivering the 2030 Agenda. This dialogue shows how digitalization connects a myriad of global concerns such as those related to poverty and hunger, the future of work, global health, gender equality, access to education and climate change, and economic development to name a few.
Today’s rapid pace of digital transformation makes closing the global digital divides even more urgent. First and foremost, this means providing universal access to affordable and reliable broadband internet. This is a conditio sine qua non, requiring the strongest commitment in terms of investment and government support.
But it also is about the readiness to make full use of the digital tools that are available to us. To make this a reality, the "One-UN" approach and extensive partnerships are vital in harnessing the potential of digitalization in an inclusive, resilient and sustainable way. Without such concerted action, digitalization may instead further entrench existing inequalities.
New technologies have been at the basis of all historic moments of social and economic disruption, yet the current wave of technological changes under the “digital revolution” is unprecedented in terms of speed, scope and scale. The need to respond to COVID-19 presents us with a unique opportunity to unite to speed up the development of a global digital society. This is why we need to work towards finding suitable policy responses, more international collaboration, more policy dialogue and smarter partnerships in order to leverage digital technologies for the achievement of the sustainable development goals. This Commission is a good example of such partnerships. Thank you.