BDT Director Doreen Bogdan-Martin participated in a panel during the High-Level Thematic Debate on Digital Cooperation and Connectivity, organized by the Office of the President of the General Assembly, H.E. Volkan Bozkir.
Noting the need to reduce multidimensional digital divides and avoid further entrenching inequalities, especially as the COVID pandemic has spurred digitization, the panel considered ''COVID-19 Recoveries to Accelerate the Decade of Action.''
Other distinguished panelists included: Mr Joshua Setipa, Managing Director of the United Nations Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries; Mr John Frank, Microsoft Vice President, United Nations Affairs; Ms Eleanor Sarpong, Deputy Director and Policy Lead, Alliance for Affordable Internet; and Mr Rodney Taylor, Secretary General, Caribbean Telecommunications Union. The panel was moderated by Ms Anriette Esterhuysen, Chair of the Multi-stakeholder Advisory Group, Internet Governance Forum.
Ms Bogdan-Martin stated, ''Digital confers resilience. Digital supports economic performance, and preserves social cohesion. And digital drives growth.'' She described that in the short-term, there is a need to establish a baseline for universal digital connectivity, and work towards agreed metrics. Enabling regulatory environments that promote investment and collaborative models of work are also important.
In the medium-term, innovative financing mechanisms – including through hybrid public-private financing – will be necessary to stimulate rapid, large-scale connectivity investment, explained Ms Bogdan-Martin. ITU's upcoming World Telecommunication Development Conference will bring together 193 governments and 800 private sector members to consider this.
She stated that in the long-term, ''the rapid wheel of technology development means that 'levelling up' is a continuous effort.'' Connecting everyone to the digital economy and society will be important to enable continued growth and development.
Ms Bogdan-Martin supported the UN Secretary-General's call for a 'new social contract' based on solidarity and investments in education, jobs, and health systems, and extended that vision to include investment in digital infrastructure. ''We need a 'Digital New Deal' for the planet, and the SG's Roadmap on Digital Cooperation shows us a clear way forward,'' she said.
