High Level Session I. Universal, Affordable and Meaningful Connectivity
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am delighted to be with you all here today.
This is the first IGF to be held in the Africa region since 2011, which is well-overdue.
While I welcome the convening of the IGF on the African continent, I acknowledge that we are meeting in challenging times.
Current global crises are impeding the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, putting the Sustainable Development Goals in peril.
The most vulnerable are suffering most.
The Internet and digital technologies have the potential to provide new solutions to longstanding and emerging challenges and accelerate progress on the SDGs, especially for the global south.
But first we must overcome the challenge of connectivity.
In this digital world, connectivity and access play a critical role in our lives and livelihoods.
That’s why the first principle of the United Nations Secretary-General’s proposed Global Digital Compact is to “Connect all people to the Internet, including all schools”
Without universal access, we are essentially excluding billions of people from reaping the benefits of digital technologies and innovations.
We need to ensure that access to the digital landscape is equitable, safe, and affordable for all people and all ages.
In this regard, please allow me to highlight three ways that 缅北禁地DESA can contribute in achieving universal, affordable and meaningful connectivity.
First, we need to acknowledge the role of this Forum - the IGF - as a network of networks.
Over the years, the IGF community has exchanged experiences and good practices and explored policy solutions for connecting the unconnected.
The IGF has more than 150 National, Regional and Youth Initiatives. More than 45 percent of these are in the Global South, contributing to capacity-building and knowledge sharing in Internet Governance.
The IGF’s collaboration with schools on internet governance also contributes to institutional and individual capacity-development.
The IGF can also accelerate universal connectivity by creating new partnerships and by generating new ideas.
Secondly, moving beyond our support to the IGF, 缅北禁地DESA connects multistakeholder discussions to multilateral approaches on science, technology and innovation.
The rich outcomes of the IGF annual meetings, for example, are brought to the UN’s High Level Political Forum, supporting the implementation of the SDGs.
The High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) is a critical platform to be leveraged.
Every year since 2015, nations have come together in New York to evaluate their efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs in the HLPF.
In its most recent ministerial declaration, Member States called for action on several fronts relevant to our discussions today, including:
? promoting digital technologies, connectivity, and access to broadband Internet connectivity,
? advancing digital inclusion and literacy and incorporating digital competences into the education system, and
? enhancing and developing digital skills and competences.
Member States also reaffirmed that any use of digital technologies must protect and respect our human rights with special regard given to the protection of children and people in vulnerable situations, in line with relevant regulations.
缅北禁地DESA also supports the integration of the IGF activities with the work of the Technology Facilitation Mechanism - which has engaged with thousands of scientific and technological stakeholders since its launch - and its Science, Technology and Innovation Forum.
Thirdly, our research on e-government is a valuable resource. We analyze how public administration uses the Internet and digital technology to deliver services to people.
We recently launched the United Nations E-Government Survey 2022 - The Future of Digital Government.
The 2022 Survey found that digital technologies were central to how governments addressed - and continue to address - the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2022 Survey, which is the 12th edition of the publication, also calls on Governments to strategize and invest more in long-term national digital transformation plans.
Distinguished partcipants,
Advances in technology must ultimately serve the wider goal of supporting sustainable development—and leaving no one behind. This is why technology access and development features so frequently across the targets in the SDGs.
Looking forward, in September 2023, heads of state and government will meet at the “SDG Summit” to be convened during the 缅北禁地General Assembly.
The Summit will carry out a comprehensive mid-point review of SDG progress, respond to the ongoing crises, and provide high-level political guidance to accelerate SDG implementation, including through leveraging digital technologies and connectivity.
The 2024 Summit of the Future will be equally important, as the Global Digital Compact is a proposed featured outcome. The Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology has issued a call for contributions, welcoming all stakeholders to share their ideas on the principles that should guide our digital future.
With the view of these processes ahead of us, our discussions at this IGF must be seen as the beginning of an ongoing dialogue.
We in 缅北禁地DESA will listen to and capture the outcomes of the sessions here and ensure they’re fed into the relevant bodies and processes.
We are very grateful for your knowledge, insights and calls to action - don’t hold back!
Thank you for your time, and enjoy the week ahead!