The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the European
Commission (EC) have launched a new project that will promote Internet services and skills for everyone
worldwide over the next three years.
The ITU-EC
project dubbed ‘Promoting and measuring universal and meaningful digital
connectivity’, will leverage EUR 3 million (about USD 3.3 million)
over three years to advance holistic policy approaches and provide
recommendations on boosting good-quality Internet and mobile access. The
project is part of the European Union’s Global Gateway initiative.
ITU – the
United Nations specialized agency for information and communication
technologies – and the EC launched the project jointly at the ongoing Transform Africa
Summit taking place in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
“This new partnership between ITU and the European
Commission offers a unique opportunity for strengthening multilateral
cooperation to expand meaningful connectivity and drive sustainable digital
transformation,”
said the ITU Secretary-General, Doreen Bogdan-Martin. “It puts digital at the centre of our common efforts to help the world
get back on track to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”
Universal
and meaningful connectivity represents the possibility for everyone to enjoy a
safe, satisfying, enriching, and productive online experience at an affordable
cost.
According to
ITU’s Facts and Figures 2022,
5.3 billion people around the world are online today. Yet many only enjoy basic
connectivity, and the remaining 2.7 billion people, roughly one-third of the
global population, are totally unconnected to the Internet.
Moreover,
multiple digital divides persist across and within countries; there are fewer
women online than men globally; and universal connectivity remains a distant
prospect in the least developed countries (LDCs) and landlocked developing
countries (LLDCs).
“The potential of the Internet for social and economic good
remains largely untapped today: one-third of humanity remains offline, and many
users only enjoy basic connectivity,” said Dr. Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director of ITU’s
Telecommunication Development Bureau. “This
new ITU-EC project will mainstream universal and meaningful connectivity and
encourage countries to adopt a holistic approach, which is a necessary condition
for a prosperous and inclusive society.”
The new
project – in line with ITU’s mission to connect the world and leave no one
behind, as well as the objectives of the European Union’s Global Gateway – aims
to make universal and meaningful connectivity (UMC) a top policy priority;
generate more and better UMC data; and improve evidence-based policymaking,
fund sourcing, and project implementation.
The ITU-EC
project will help to direct investment and assistance efforts on targets for universal and meaningful connectivity established by a
multi-stakeholder working group, including some 40 representatives from a
diverse set of stakeholders together with ITU and the Office of the UN
Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology.
A dedicated
dashboard, to be released later this year, will help statisticians and
policymakers share data and monitor progress on the universal meaningful
connectivity indicators. This enhanced data will enable easier identification,
sharing, and promotion of recommendations and practical solutions to accelerate
progress.
