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Add to Preferred SourcesUnless countries work together to address gaps in digital access, as well as related social and political divisions, this generation will be remembered as the one that “ruined the early promise of the Internet”, the UN Secretary-General has warned.
António Guterres was speaking at the Internet Governance Forum taking place in Berlin this week.
“Connecting all the world’s people by 2030 must be our shared priority, not only for sustainable development but for gender equality”, he said, highlighting the role of the Internet in achieving a more equitable future.
With this year marking the 30th anniversary of the Berlin Wall being torn down, the UN chief expressed frustration that “not only are we still building physical walls to separate people, but that there is also a tendency to create some virtual walls in the Internet, also to separate people.”
The only solution, he said, is a future with “one world, one net, one vision.”
However, the Secretary-General said the goal of an accessible, free, secure and open Internet is at risk of fracturing along what he sees as three intersecting lines: the digital divide, a social divide, and a political divide.
Globally, some 3.6 billion people do not have affordable Internet access, he reported. Most alarming, this digital divide mainly affects people in the world’s least developed nations, where the Internet could have the most transformative impact.
Meanwhile, the gender gap in connectivity continues to widen, he added.
“Worldwide, some 327 million fewer women than men have a smartphone and can access the mobile Internet. Women are also drastically under-represented in information and communications technology jobs, top management and academic careers in the technological sector. And 90 percent of start-ups seeking venture capital have been founded by men.”
Furthermore, given the polarizing nature of much content online, Mr. Guterres said the digital divide can “aggravate” social divisions.
The Secretary-General highlighted the UN as the “appropriate platform” to address these global challenges.
He urged participants at the Forum to share policy expertise and to agree on some basic common principles, among other recommendations.
He also encouraged them to explore the possibility of establishing a Global Commitment on Digital Trust and Security, as recommended by his High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation, launched last year, to agree on global norms for cyberspace.
Original source: UN News
Published on 26 November 2019