At Davos, UN Broadband Commission advocates for financing inclusive meaningful connectivity for sustainable impact

The ITU UNESCO Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development examined new financing models that would help accelerate ‘meaningful universal connectivity’ on the sidelines of the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Today, an estimated 3.6 billion people remain offline. The majority of the unconnected live in the least developed countries, where an average of just two out of every ten people are online.

The Commissioners agreed that targeted efforts are needed to lower the cost of broadband, as well as innovative policies to finance the rollout of broadband infrastructure to unconnected populations. Collaboration among diverse stakeholders will be key to making universal and meaningful connectivity a reality for all.

“Expanding avenues for investment in information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure has always been one of my priorities,” said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao. “As we enter a new decade, the last decade to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, we need new incentives and financing solutions to create environments that are conducive to investment in ICT.”

​ ‘Meaningful universal connectivity’ encompasses broadband that is available, accessible, relevant and affordable, but also that is safe, trusted, user-empowering and leads to positive impact. It also advocates the need to go beyond ‘business as usual’ policy prescriptions and projects, and towards more collaborative models based on resource sharing and holistic approaches.

Commissioners and participants also examined ways to address the digital investment gap, policies and incentives for investors and other digital industry stakeholders, and what innovative financing models can be scaled up to expand infrastructure.

Among the models highlighted is the ITU UNICEF School Connectivity project, also known as the ‘GIGA’ initiative. It aims at bringing connectivity to every school in every village around the world to empower young people with the digital skills they need to flourish in the digital economy.

The Broadband Commission launched the ‘Broadband Transforming Lives’ campaign at the Davos meeting to mark its 10th Anniversary this year. The campaign aims to showcase the power of broadband on all aspects of people’s lives.

This is the sixth time that the Broadband Commission has held a session bringing together a myriad of stakeholders attending the World Economic Forum.

Original source: ITU
Published on 21 January 2019