BDT Director Doreen Bogdan-Martin participated in Techonomy Media's Digitally United conference. In a Fireside Chat with David Kirkpatrick, Founder and CEO of Techonomy Media, Ms Bogdan-Martin discussed ''why and how we must connect the world.''
She described how digital technologies can serve as a very powerful accelerant of social and economic transformation. They can help overcome long-standing development barriers, democratizing access to information and to basic services like health care, education, citizens' services, banking, and more.
When asked on the role of internet connectivity in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Ms Bogdan-Martin underscored that ''The application of digital networks and services will be absolutely vital to making up the ground we have lost during the pandemic, and to generating the momentum we need to drive progress in the few years remaining until our 2030 target.''
While 3.7 billion people around the world remain completely unconnected, hundreds of millions more people who are connected cannot leverage the transformational power of connectivity because services or devices are too expensive, too slow, or simply too inaccessible.
Ms Bogdan-Martin highlighted the role of effective regulation and cross-sectoral collaboration to connect the unconnected, including by involving more women and youth to solve connectivity challenges.
Watch the full discussion here.
