World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) focuses this year on “Empowering the least developed countries through information and communication technologies.” Taking place on 17 May 2023, on the Day ITU calls on the public and private sectors to make pledges for universal connectivity and digital transformation in these countries through its Partner2Connect Digital Coalition.

Mid-way through the Decade of Action on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), those countries face daunting challenges.

The Fifth Conference on the Least Developed Countries(LDC5) in Doha, Qatar, has set out an ambitious new United Nations programme of action to deliver on sustainable development for all by 2030.

LDCs are the world’s greatest untapped resource, whose needs must be addressed to achieve the SDGs. About one third of the 2.7 billion people who remain unconnected to the Internet are in the 46 LDCs.

Investment in these young, vibrant countries can drive sustainable growth for generations.

Together, let’s make 2023 a year of progress for digital transformation in the least developed countries.

WTISD has been celebrated annually every 17 May since 1969. It marks the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention and founding of ITU in 1865.