Speech by Malcolm Johnson, ITU Deputy Secretary-General

Carnegie Colloquium on Digital Governance and Security - The Future of the Internet: Governance and Conflict - Keynote Speech

2 December 2016, Pittsburgh, USA

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a pleasure to be here with you today in this renowned university. I would like to congratulate Carnegie Mellon University and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace for organising this colloquium bring together technology and policy issues which are inextricable as technology decisions have policy implications and policy decisions have technology implications. I thank the organisers for inviting me to speak about the work of ITU. Surprisingly, given that ITU is the specialised agency of the UN dealing with telecommunications and information and communication technologies (ICTs), and how much importance people and business place on ICTs, it is not a particularly well known organisation. I believe this is because it carries out its role quietly and efficiently. If satellites started bumping into each other and jamming each other, if several phones around the world all had the same number, if cell phones started interfering with TVs or car electronics, or did not work when you visited another country, it would be a much better known organisation!

ITU is a unique international organization in many ways, and not only because it does its work efficiently! For a start, it is much older than the UN – about 80 years older, in fact it is the oldest international organization founded in 1865. The reason it was created was to deal with the problem of international connection and interoperability of the telegraph service in Europe. At that time telegraph messages were often written out by the operator at the border, passed across to the operator on the other side of the border, who then tapped it out again and sent it on its way!

Solving the problems associated with international connectivity and interoperability are much more complex today, but addressing this issue remains the core function of ITU. Clearly, the organization has had to reform itself many times over its history, but some things have remained the same. One aspect is the important role of the private sector in ITU. Unlike most UN agencies ITU has a large private sector membership – over 700 companies. It is experts from these companies that produce much of the output of the ITU, in particular the technical standards. Until recent years these companies were predominantly telecommunication network operators and vendors, but more recently the membership has become much more diverse, as a consequence of the ICTs entering many different sectors. Most of the major IT and Internet companies are now members of ITU, as well as organisations such as the Internet Society, IETF and most of the Regional Internet Registries.

Another feature that is embedded in the culture of ITU, and quite different to most UN organisations, is that decisions and conclusions are almost always based on consensus. I believe this derives from ITU's maintenance of the international treaty on the use of the radio frequency spectrum and satellite orbits – the Radio Regulations. Radio frequencies do not respect borders, so international agreement on the use of spectrum is essential if the spectrum is to be used efficiently. If neighbouring countries start using spectrum for different purposes with no coordination, they will both suffer. Lack of agreement would ensure mutual degradation to their services. This puts a lot of pressure on countries to reach mutually satisfactory agreements and to reach consensus through compromising on what might have been their initial positions.

During ITU's 151-year history we have moved from the telegraph to the telephone, from radio to television, to satellites, from fixed to mobile, analogue to digital, and from Internet to Internet of Things (IOT) and artificial intelligence. ITU has played its part in helping to bring the benefits of these technologies to everyone.

A world where everyone is connected to the Internet will be a better place. A better place to be informed, to be educated, to receive healthcare, to be productive and enjoy a better standard of living.

However, to benefit from the many innovative products and services on the Internet, or more generally ICTs, requires high-speed broadband connectivity. This is why ITU is continually emphasizing the importance of broadband, it is no longer a luxury but an essential utility.

Last year the United Nations adopted ambitious goals for sustainable development in the world to be achieved by the year 2030. These 17 Sustainable Development Goals address a wide range of challenges including ending poverty and hunger, providing quality education for all, and bringing clean water and sanitation to everyone.

If we look at the 169 targets set to achieve the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) it is clear that they can only be met by widespread high-speed access to ICTs.

For example, halving the number of deaths and injuries on the road will only be achieved by using smart transport management techniques, including collision avoidance radar and autonomous vehicles. Doubling the rate of energy efficiency will only be achieved through the use of smart meters, and innovative energy saving solutions. Substantially increasing water-use efficiency will rely on ICTs to control irrigation and identify and remedy water leaks. Combating climate change can only be achieved by reducing greenhouse gas emissions through clean technologies.

As the lead UN agency for ICTs, we believe ITU has a major role to play in achieving these goals. Most people now connect to the Internet through their smart phones. There is an increasing demand from more users wanting faster connection to download more and more data. This places great demand on the radio frequency spectrum. It has to be agreed internationally, otherwise these phones would not work when moving from one country to another, and the cost of phones would be much higher if they did not comply with global standards and benefit from the resulting economies of scale. It is only through the international treaty on the use of the radio frequency spectrum, that ITU has been maintaining for the last 110 years, that this can be achieved. All these devices need to be able to interoperate and this can only be achieved by compliance with international standards, something ITU has been doing for even longer. The networks carrying all this data and communications traffic rely on ITU's international standards. The development of Internet of Things and 5G will place far great demands on these networks. 

Bringing the benefits of this technology to all the world's citizens is a major goal of the ITU. Encouraging countries to adopt the policies and regulations that will provide the incentives to investment in the provision of broadband services, that stimulate innovation and help develop the necessary skills is the third pillar of ITU's work.

The good news is that the world is off to a good start in its commitment to broadband. Mobile broadband is the fastest growing technology in human history and is the catalyst that will ultimately lead to hundreds of millions more being connected to a world of digital opportunities. The total number of smart phones with broadband connection has already reached 2.2 billion.

The bad news is that in 2016, ITU data reveals that the divide between industrialized and least developed countries in access and use of the Internet and digital technologies has grown. The divide between men's and women's access and use of digital technology has also grown. Over half of the world's population—3.9 billion people —remain offline, and in the 48 Least Developed Countries six out of every seven people are offline. With technological advances happening almost every week, developing countries need to run faster and faster just to keep up.

As industrialized countries have hurtled towards universal and affordable access to ICTs and the Internet, the opportunity to create a more equitable global society, where crucial services such as education, health and finance are accessible to all, no matter where they live or how much they earn, has been missed.

The UN's report on SDG progress, released last July, includes some startling statistics:

• 60 million children of primary school age are not attending school today;
• there are 38 million deaths annually from non-communicable diseases – 6 million children under the age of 5 die every year, mostly from easily-preventable causes;
• 30% of urban populations globally live in slum-like conditions; and
• 950 million people globally have no means of sanitation whatever.

So, there are many challenges. We need to do more to get the world connected, and to bring the benefits of broadband to people wherever they live, and whatever their means. We need to make sure that hospitals are connected to outlying clinics, and that clinics are connected to patients. We need to make sure that universities are connected to schools, and that schools are connected to students of all ages. And we need to make sure that governments are connected to the people they serve.

The international community needs to work together to integrate the UN sustainable development goals into national development strategies. It will be essential for governments to recognise the power of ICTs and broadband to drive progress.

ICT skills will be the engine for economic growth and development. Game-changing innovation and ingenuity is coming from emerging economies and these skills must be fostered and supported.

Connecting the unconnected will create high-impact entrepreneurship and socio-economic growth. Delivering affordable access to broadband networks will ensure the necessary scaling up of mobile learning, health and financial services – just some of the key areas where ICTs create a more sustainable world. The World Bank estimates that a 10% increase in broadband penetration can yield up to a 1.38% increase in average GDP growth in developing regions.

But access to broadband networks will serve no purpose if people do not feel secure and confident in its use. Without a trusted cyberspace, it is unlikely that the SDGs will be achieved.

Security of communications has long been part of ITU's work and this was recognised by the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in 2005 when ITU was entrusted as the sole facilitator for Action Line C5 'Building confidence and security in the use of ICTs'.

There are many organisations and stakeholders addressing this issue and ITU has been working hard to bring them together to forge meaningful partnerships to help countries define their national cybersecurity strategy, set up their computer incident response teams, deploy international security standards in their infrastructure, protect children online, and build the necessary human capacity and skills.

ITU has partnered with 15 other entities [1] to develop a guide that will provide a clear understanding of the purpose and content of a national cybersecurity strategy and advise on how to develop it. This will outline the existing relevant models and resources as well as offer an overview of the assistance available from various organizations. It will also provide a tool that will allow for the evaluation of a strategy. It will be published in the first half of next year.

To fully realize the benefits of the information society and to harness the power and potential of ICTs, partnerships such as this will be essential.

To achieve global connectivity for all people and communities, governments, industry, academia governmental and non-governmental organisations, and civil society all need to come together in ever more innovative public-private partnerships. Cooperation, coordination and collaboration are key. We need to work together, bringing our respective competencies and skills, pooling resources and avoiding duplication so as to work cohesively toward the attainment of the 2030 sustainable development agenda.

ITU's success is driven by the diversity of its membership which consists of all these players I have mentioned, including more recently academia.

Academia has participated in ITU for many years, usually through their national government delegations, but as from 2011 ITU has offered a new category of membership for academia and at a substantially reduced membership fee. ITU now has around 140 academic institutions from around the world as members, many of which are actively contributing to its work especially in the area of technical standards development. The representatives of academia members can make proposals in their own name, take leadership positions and drive work in their area of interest. If they have developed their own innovative technology it can be included in ITU standards even it is patented – provided they commit to licencing it on RAND terms.

ITU's standards work covers a wide range of subjects, and I am sure there is something to interest everyone. Since 2008 ITU standards have been made available for downloading free of charge. I encourage you to look at the ITU website to discover the extent of our work.

A particularly interesting area of work is ICTs, the environment and climate change. ITU participated in the recent climate change conference in Marrakesh as we have done for some years now to help draw attention of the importance of ICTs in mitigating and adapting to climate change. A recent report by Accenture for GeSI in partnership with ITU has predicted a 20% decrease in greenhouse gas emission by 2030 through the use of ICTs. I am pleased to say the message is finally getting across with four days of events on the subject of ICTs.

Another interesting area is smart sustainable cities. ITU has partnered with several other UN agencies to develop the technical standards for smart cities to address the challenges for the rapidly growing urban areas. It is estimated that by 2050 70% of the world's population will live in urban areas creating huge challenges for municipalities. A set of KPIs is currently being piloted by several cities around the world intended to measure their effectiveness in the use of smart technologies.

ITU also offers academia the possibility of authoring articles for publication in the ITU magazine, and we hope to soon launch a new technical journal with the help of our academia members.

We also offer the possibility for researchers to work in ITU as interns for periods of 1 to 6 months.

Carnegie Mellon University has a well-deserved global reputation of shaping some of the best technology and policy minds in the world and training global leaders, and was perhaps one of the first universities to recognize the close relationship between technology and public policy. It would be an honour to have CMU partner ITU in the effort to bring the benefits of this technology to all the worlds citizens.

The ambitious goals set by the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda demonstrate how much more needs to be done. We can only succeed if we all work together!

Thank you for your attention and I would be pleased to answer any questions you might have.

[1] CCI, CTO, ENISA, GCSP,  GCSCC University of Oxford, Intellium, Microsoft , NATO CCDCOE, OECD, OAS, Potomac Institute, RAN D Europe, UNCTAD and World Bank