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UN Broadband Commission puts digital cooperation into action

Staff Writer
By Staff Writer, ITWeb
Johannesburg, 06 Apr 2020
ITU secretary-general Houlin Zhao.
ITU secretary-general Houlin Zhao.

The United Nations (UN) Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development has adopted an Agenda for Action, a collaborative effort to boost Internet access and connectivity capacity amid the COVID-19 crisis.

The Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, the UN's high-level public-private partnership, seeks to promote the adoption of effective and inclusive broadband policies and practices in countries around the world.

The UN advisory body recognises that broadband networks and services have never been so vital to health and safety and keeping economies and societies working as they currently are during the coronavirus pandemic.

As a result, it has adopted three key broadband pillars as a collective response to COVID-19. The pillars are resilient connectivity, affordable access, and safe use of online services for informed and educated societies.

The commission views the pillars as immediate measures governments, industry, the international community and civil society can take to support digital networks, strengthen capacity at critical connectivity points like hospitals and transport hubs, and boost digital access and inclusivity.

ITU secretary-general (SG) and commission co-vice-chairman Houlin Zhao emphasised the vital importance of accelerating global efforts to connect the remaining half of the population still totally without Internet access.

"As the COVID-19 pandemic accelerates, making in-roads in the developing world and threatening all of humanity, we need to take immediate action to ensure no one is left behind. This unprecedented crisis shows that nobody is safe until we are all safe. And it shows, with no ambiguity, that we will not unleash the full potential of broadband until we are all connected."

The agenda also serves as a framework for the commission's 50-plus commissioners and their organisations to share their own initiatives, make new commitments, and foster collaboration and partnership.

Fabrizio Hochschild, UN under-SG and special advisor, implored commissioners and their organisations to enhance digital cooperation in response to COVID-19, and to do all in their power to combat misinformation and rising inequality, maximise access to relevant data for public good, and protect the millions of additional children joining the online community for the first time in order to connect to remote learning platforms.

Henrietta Fore, executive director of UNICEF, adds: “This pandemic is doing what any big shock will do, and increasing the distance between those who have and those who do not. In addition to the devastating immediate effects of COVID-19, the secondary impacts on education, jobs and finances will continue to impact children, and the world’s most vulnerable, disproportionately in the years to come.”

Patrick Nyirishema, director-general of Rwanda’s Utilities Regulatory Authority, delivered a message on behalf of Rwandan president Paul Kagame and commission co-chairman.

Nyirishema highlighted the commission was rising to the challenge and “walking the talk” in its efforts to recommend rapid and tangible actions governments, ICT regulators, private companies and the international community could take, individually and collectively, to optimise the power of digital resources to combat the global health crisis.

“This pandemic has underscored the vital importance of broadband infrastructure to governments and communities around the world.”

Dr Carlos Jarque stressed the need to harness technology for the common good. “No past epidemic has had access to the broadband services we have today. Broadband can save lives and mitigate the economic consequences of the pandemic.

“It is important to use networks to disseminate timely information to preserve good health, to support e-learning for the more than 1.5 billion students working from home, to train, by digital means, workers in confinement to increase overall productivity, and to promote e-commerce and digital services.”

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