BDT Director Doreen Bogdan-Martin participated in a panel on ''Sharing best practices on connectivity for all'', during the virtual G20 DEFT meeting on Connectivity and Social Inclusion. This multi-stakeholder event was held under the G20 Presidency of Italy, and aimed to create a fertile environment to discuss the potential of innovation, inclusion and growth unlocked by the diffusion of connectivity.
Drawing from lessons learnt during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms Bogdan-Martin made the case for universal affordable broadband connectivity to move to the very top of every country's agenda. She shared insights from ITU's Connect2Recover initiative, which is an umbrella initiative for a broad range of activities to bring affordable, accessible broadband connectivity to all.
In its first phase, Connect2Recover will help countries to assess resilience, reach and affordability of their digital infrastructures and develop effective strategies to rapidly address gaps. As implementation proceeds, Connect2Recover will translate into even more concrete projects.
For over a year already, ITU has been using the REG4COVID platform to address the impacts of the pandemic. During lockdowns, REG4COVID enabled the exchange of best practices to ensure that communities remained connected, especially as digital networks all over the world experienced massive demand spikes.
Connect2Recover advocates for a Whole-of-Government Approach to digital transformation, as has been adopted in ITU's Smart Village project in Niger. Another area of focus is school connectivity— ITU and UNICEF are working actively with 19 governments to connect all schools to the internet. In partnership with CISCO, ITU also develops digital literacy skills for local communities through Digital Transformation Centers.
Recognizing that the global community will face many new challenges in acerating digital connectivity in the wake of the pandemic, Ms Bogdan-Martin stated ''Innovative thinking, a willingness to experiment, an openness to learning, broad collaboration, and a strong vision are all essential.'' In this vein, she invited all participants of the multistakeholder meeting to take part in ITU's upcoming World Telecommunication Development Conference, to collaboratively deliver a ''digital development roadmap that will finally close the digital divide.''
