Page 8 - SAMENA Trends - March-April 2022

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ITU & SAMENA Council Collaboration

ITU Cooperation Enhancement Efforts Step Up while New UN Targets
Surface to Achieve Universal Meaningful Connectivity

An estimated 2.9 billion people – 37 per cent of the world's
population – have never used the Internet. An estimated 96
per cent of them live in developing countries – despite a
global surge in connectivity surge the past two years.

The Office of the United Nations Secretary-General's Envoy
on Technology and the International Telecommunication
Union (ITU), in view of this prevailing digital divide, has
recently announced a new set of 15 UN targets for universal
and meaningful digital connectivity to be achieved by 2030.

“These targets will help countries guide
their efforts towards effectively ensuring
we meet our goal of universal and
meaningful connectivity by the end of the
decade."

These new targets, developed as part of the work of the
UN Secretary-General's Roadmap for Digital Cooperation
Roundtable Group on Global Connectivity, co-chaired by
ITU and UNICEF, prioritize universality, technology and
affordability to ensure that everyone can fully benefit from
connectivity. The Roadmap had called for establishing a
connectivity baseline and targets to aid in advancing a
safer, more equitable digital world and a brighter and more
prosperous future for all.

“Universal connectivity alone is not enough to achieve the
Sustainable Development Goals and ensure that every
person has safe and affordable access to the Internet by
2030," said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao. “These
targets will help countries guide their efforts towards
effectively ensuring we meet our goal of universal and
meaningful connectivity by the end of the decade." 1
Houlin Zhao
Secretary-General The targets reflect the spirit and ambitions of the SDGs, the
UN Secretary-General's Roadmap for Digital Cooperation,
ITU and the ITU's Connect2030 Agenda, setting out specific
values to achieve each action area measured. They are also
meant as a contribution towards the forthcoming Global
Digital Compact, as proposed in the UN Secretary-General's
Our Common Agenda report.

The new targets also aim to help countries and stakeholders
in prioritizing interventions, monitor progress, evaluate
policy effectiveness, and galvanize efforts around achieving
1 https://www.itu.int/en/mediacentre/Pages/PR-2022-04-19-UN-targets-universal- universal and meaningful connectivity by 2030.
meaningful-connectivity.aspx

8 MARCH-APRIL 2022