ITU teams up with European Commission to promote and measure meaningful connectivity

A new ITU-EC project galvanizes efforts to meet key digital connectivity targets and advance global sustainable development

A new project from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the European Commission (EC) will promote Internet services and skills for everyone worldwide over the next three years.

The ITU-EC project, ‘Promoting and measuring universal and meaningful digital connectivity’, will leverage EUR 3 million (about USD 3.3 million) over three years to advance holistic policy approaches and provide recommendations on boosting good-quality Internet and mobile access. The project is part of the European Union’s Global Gateway initiative.

ITU – the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies – and the EC launched the project jointly at the Transform Africa Summit taking place in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, 26-28 April.

“This new partnership between ITU and the European Commission offers a unique opportunity for strengthening multilateral cooperation to expand meaningful connectivity and drive sustainable digital transformation,” said the ITU Secretary-General, Doreen Bogdan-Martin. “It puts digital at the centre of our common efforts to help the world get back on track to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”

Universal and meaningful connectivity represents the possibility for everyone to enjoy a safe, satisfying, enriching and productive online experience at an affordable cost.

According to ITU’s Facts and Figures 2022, 5.3 billion people around the world are online today. Yet many only enjoy basic connectivity, and the remaining 2.7 billion people, roughly one-third of the global population, are totally unconnected to the Internet.

Moreover, multiple digital divides persist across and within countries; there are fewer women online than men globally; and universal connectivity remains a distant prospect in the least developed countries (LDCs) and landlocked developing countries (LLDCs).

“The potential of the Internet for social and economic good remains largely untapped today: one-third of humanity remains offline, and many users only enjoy basic connectivity,” said Dr Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau. “This new ITU-EC project will mainstream universal and meaningful connectivity and encourage countries to adopt a holistic approach, which is a necessary condition for a prosperous and inclusive society.”

The new project – in line with ITU’s mission to connect the world and leave no one behind, as well as the objectives of the European Union’s Global Gateway – aims to make universal and meaningful connectivity (UMC) a top policy priority; generate more and better UMC data; and improve evidence-based policymaking, fund sourcing and project implementation.

The ITU-EC project will help to direct investment and assistance efforts on targets for universal and meaningful connectivity established by a multi-stakeholder working group, including some 40 representatives from a diverse set of stakeholders together with ITU and the Office of the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology.

A dedicated dashboard, to be released later this year, will help statisticians and policymakers share data and monitor progress on the universal meaningful connectivity indicators. This enhanced data will enable easier identification, sharing and promotion of recommendations and practical solutions to accelerate progress.

Additional notes:

• The recently launched Policy brief on the Affordability of ICT services 2022 presents key analysis of the ITU’s price data collection on information and communication technology (ICT) in 2022, focusing on recent high-level trends and shining a light on global affordability divides.

• The 18th World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Symposium (WTIS-23) will take place from 3-4 July 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland, with remote participation possible, with a focus on improving the measurement of multiple UMC enablers.

Learn more about ITU statistics.

Learn more about the UMC project.

About Global Gateway

The EU Global Gateway strategy provides the framework for the European Union’s external action. It is the EU’s positive offer to partner countries in support of their own strategic autonomy. This offer aims at narrowing the global investment gap with value-driven investments from public and private sectors, supporting global economic recovery and accompanying the twin green and digital transitions outside the EU.

Across the world, Global Gateway aims to mobilise up to 300 billion euros in investments between 2021 and 2027 with a mix of grants, concessional loans and guarantees to de-risk private sector investments.

About ITU

​The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs), driving innovation in ICTs together with 193 Member States and a membership of over 900 companies, universities, and international and regional organizations. Established over 150 years ago, ITU is the intergovernmental body responsible for coordinating the shared global use of the radio spectrum, promoting international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, improving communication infrastructure in the developing world, and establishing the worldwide standards that foster seamless interconnection of a vast range of communications systems. From broadband networks to cutting-edge wireless technologies, aeronautical and maritime navigation, radio astronomy, oceanographic and satellite-based earth monitoring as well as converging fixed-mobile phone, Internet and broadcasting technologies, ITU is committed to connecting the world.

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Photograph: Shingirai Vambe, Journalist and Editor, Post On Sunday