UN Broadband Commission
The Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development
The ITU and UNESCO set up the Broadband Commission for Digital Development in response to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s call to step-up UN efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The Commission was established in May 2010 with the aim of boosting the importance of broadband on the international policy agenda, and expanding broadband access in every country as key to accelerating progress towards national and international development targets. It defines practical ways in which countries — at all stages of development — can achieve this, in cooperation with the private sector. Following adoption of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in September 2015, the Commission was re-launched as the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development to showcase and document the power of ICT and broadband-based technologies for sustainable development.
ITSO has been involved in the work of the Broadband Commission since 2010. Upon invitation, in July 2017 the new Director General of ITSO became a new commissioner and has been contributing to the work of the Broadband Commission.
Website: www.broadbandcommission.org
WEF-Internet4All
The World Economic Forum Internet for All Initiative
Internet for All is one of the projects of the Future of the Digital Economy and Society Initiative of the World Economic Forum. The initiative seeks to optimize the effectiveness of multi-stakeholder cooperation as it pertains to the future of Internet through dialogue and collective action. The Internet for All project will catalyze new public-private collaboration models to accelerate meaningful connectivity to the nearly 4 billion people that remain unconnected.
ITSO is a member of the World Economic Forum Internet for All Steering Committee. The Internet for All Steering Committee establishes and facilitates collaborative projects at the global, regional, and national level to bridge the digital divide. The Steering Committee is composed of stakeholders from the public and private sectors, non-profits, academia, international organizations, donors and civil society that aim to create partnerships to accelerate innovations, coordinate investments, foster enabling regulatory environments and align different programs.
Website: www.weforum.org
ITU M-powering
M-Powering Development Initiative
The ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) launched the m-Powering Development Initiative, in Dubai on the occasion of the ITU Telecom World 2012. The objective of the initiative is to harness the capabilities of mobile devices to empower users and power development and economic activity.
Spearheaded by the ITU BDT, the Advisory Board seeks to leverage the ubiquity of mobile technologies beyond basic communications by facilitating the delivery of business, education, health, banking and other services leading to socio-economic development in urban, semi-urban, and remote rural areas. In doing so, the Board contributes to the successful implementation of the United Nations adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. The Director General of ITSO was invited in July 2017 to become a member of the Advisory Board of the m-Powering Development Initiative.
Website: www.itu.int