{"id":21916,"date":"2025-07-14T11:52:02","date_gmt":"2025-07-14T10:52:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/?p=21916"},"modified":"2025-07-14T11:52:02","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T10:52:02","slug":"un-broadband-commission-marks-15-years-of-promoting-global-connectivity-and-digital-inclusion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/?p=21916","title":{"rendered":"UN Broadband Commission marks 15 years of promoting global connectivity and digital inclusion"},"content":{"rendered":"

Commission reviews progress on bringing benefits of broadband to all<\/strong><\/p>\n

The UN Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development met in Geneva, Switzerland, to commemorate 15 years of advancing universal broadband access and digital inclusion.
\nThe meeting took place as digital technology communities get set to join together for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)+20 High-Level Event 2025 and the AI for Good Global Summit 2025, both taking place in Geneva.
\nFounded in 2010 by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), H.E. President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, and Carlos Slim Hel\u00fa, the public-private collaboration has elevated universal broadband connectivity to the forefront of global policy discussions.
\nWith 2.6 billion people around the world still offline, the Broadband Commission’s work serves as a policy and programmatic guide for national and international action in broadband development and for achieving universal connectivity.
\n\u00abFifteen years ago, we began with the simple conviction that broadband must reach everyone, everywhere, because it is an essential driver of sustainable development,\u00bb said President Kagame, Co-Chair of the Commission. \u201cToday, broadband powers economies, expands access to knowledge in rural as well as urban areas, and brings communities closer, across continents.\u00bb
\n\u00abThe Broadband Commission\u00b4s work over 15 years has helped change global connectivity and digital development,\u00bb said Carlos M. Jarque, representing Slim, Co-Chair of the Commission. \u00abSince 2010, the number of Internet users has grown by the billions. To expand on this progress, we need to encourage forward-looking regulatory frameworks, strong investment, digital transformation in businesses and public institutions, and digital skills of the population.\u00bb
\nCommissioners, including global leaders, CEOs and heads of international organizations, have championed broadband as a cornerstone of economic growth and sustainable development.
\nOnce seen as technical infrastructure, broadband is now central to national competitiveness and essential services that benefit economies, governments, and societies.
\n\u00abSince our first gathering in 2010, this Commission has put broadband at the front and centre of every global development conversation, and consistently championed connectivity by setting ambitious targets for access, use, affordability, skills and policy,\u00bb said ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Co-Vice Chair of the Commission. \u201cThis work has been transformative for expanding digital connectivity, and is a valuable precedent for future collaborative, multistakeholder work to connect the unconnected.\u00bb<\/p>\n

Supporting broadband connectivity since 2010<\/strong>
\nTo date, the Commission’s key outcomes include:
\n\u2022 15 annual State of Broadband reports, offering a comprehensive overview of progress and challenges in broadband connectivity, and proposing solutions to close connectivity gaps.
\n\u2022 35-plus Working Groups conducting research on health, education, gender equality, and other issues, producing actionable recommendations to drive universal connectivity.
\n\u2022 Catalyzing major global initiatives: EQUALS, the Global Partnership for Gender Equality in the Digital Age; Giga, the ITU-UNICEF initiative aiming to connect every school to the Internet by 2030; and the Child Online Safety Universal Declaration.
\n\u2022 Advocating globally by engaging nearly 200 high-level leaders and informing key UN processes and international development agendas.
\n\u2022 Issuing over 100 knowledge products and more than 70 concrete recommendations to guide policies on affordability, infrastructure, skills, and investment.<\/p>\n

Guiding policymakers as technology evolves<\/strong>
\nDuring the meeting, the Broadband Commission reviewed the results of the Data Governance Toolkit: Navigating Data in the Digital Age.
\nThe toolkit provides practical guidance for policymakers reviewing data regulation, cross-border flows, and responsible data use in the era of AI and emerging technologies.
\nThe report of the Commission’s Working Group on Data Governance will be formally issued on Tuesday, July 8 at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)+20 High-Level Event 2025.
\n\u201cIn this landmark year for the Broadband Commission, it is heartening that 95 per cent of humanity is within reach of broadband, however, the real challenge is ensuring that everyone can afford access, express themselves, and use information in a meaningful way,\u00bb said Tawfik Jelassi, UNESCO Assistant Director-General. \u201cUNESCO, together with its partners, is working to address the barriers \u2013 including those related to skills development and local language content \u2013 to ensure that the promise of connectivity for sustainable development becomes a reality for all.\u00bb<\/p>\n

Above, image credited to ITU<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Commission reviews progress on bringing benefits of broadband to all The UN Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development met in Geneva, Switzerland, to commemorate 15 years of advancing universal broadband access and digital inclusion. The meeting took place as digital technology communities get set to join together for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)+20 … <\/p>\n

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