Infrastructure underpins core economic activity and is an essential foundation for achieving inclusive and sustainable economic and social growth as it enhances access to services, education and work opportunities. Yet the world in which we live is fundamentally unequal. It is designed, built and maintained without considering the needs of all members of our society, including the most vulnerable. Gender-blind infrastructure often empowers men but impedes women and girls’ ability to contribute equally in society.

The Internet plays a central role in developing and augmenting the capacities of the youth. However, use of the Internet also entails new risks regarding their safety and protection both in the physical and virtual worlds. Therefore, it is important to understand how to implement appropriate measures and enhance their effectiveness rather than quick-fix interventions to limit children’s online access which can cause a loss of benefits the Internet can deliver. However, there has been only limited research on child online safety measures in Asia and the Pacific.

As of September 2017, there were 1.25 billion websites in cyberspace and Asia and the Pacific now accounts for 50.1 percent of all Internet users in the world. Thanks to the concerted efforts by governments and other stakeholders in extending broadband connectivity, an increasing number of people have joined the cyberspace across the Asia-Pacific region.

In support of the Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway (AP-IS) initiative, Internet Society (ISOC) has been mapping out the Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) in Member States of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission of Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). The interactive map shows a heat map of IXPs along with the percentage of coverage. It also tallies the number of major cities in each Member State, and shows the number of covered versus uncovered cities.

The side event will showcase the work of UN agencies (ESCAP, APT, ITU, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNV) and its partners (member States, research organizations, academia, private sector) in fostering partnerships with government and stakeholders at country level in using ICT tools for e-resilience and societal transformation in sectors which cover the work programmes of the UN agencies (e.g. early warning and disaster risk reduction, information superhighway, telecommunication, capacity building, education, volunteers, water and sanitation, etc.).