Despite the great progress in deepening regional connectivity through information and communication technologies, Asia and the Pacific is still the most digitally divided region in the world, with less than eight per cent of the population connected to affordable and reliable high-speed Internet. As a result, millions of people are shut out from transformative digital opportunities in education, health and financial services. Women and girls, in particular, have lower levels of access to broadband Internet and other knowledge-enhancing technologies. The Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway initiative aims to increase the availability and affordability of broadband Internet for all people across Asia and the Pacific.
10 July 2020, Friday, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. EDT
Keynote by:
Mr. Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General (USG) for Economic and Social Affairs Joined by experts:
• Mr. Vincenzo Aquaro, Chief of Digital Government Branch, Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Worldwide, many countries continue to experience an extended period of COVID-19 risks. There are no off-the-shelf solutions for managing such a complex crisis, in which measures to prevent transmission will have colossal economic and social costs. Countries are forced to confront hard choices of balancing the needs to save lives and to save livelihoods. The threat imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic therefore needs a systematic approach, in which the restrictions, states of lockdown and exit strategies all balance public health, societal, and economic needs.
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) has published the outcome of the workshop "Recommendations for Implementation of Smart Sustainable City (SSC) ICT infrastructures in the APEC Region".
To view the report, please visit:
Photo credit: iStock/chombosan
As more of the world becomes digital, broadband access becomes more important than ever, including in rural and remote areas. National programmes to develop the information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and reduce the digital divide are recognized as essential to the achievement of national socioeconomic development plans.
Digital technologies including information and communication technologies (ICT) for development are cutting across many sectors. Progress on certain SDGs can be traced and correlated with ICT progress, especially in monitoring SDG 9: Infrastructure, Industrialization and Innovation, SDG 4: Quality Education and SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being, which suggests that these may be the areas with the greatest potential for leveraging ICT for sustainable development.
