ITU AND THE RACE TO FUND SDGS IN 2030

  The ITU is targeting funds to connect the rest of the unconnected world, argues Sonny Aragba-Akpore

  The International Telecommunications Union’ s (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference (PP) due for Doha, Qatar in 2026 holds very significant milestones for the global digital telecommunications body.

For one thing, it’s going to be the first of such conferences to be hosted by the Doreen Bogdan-Martins led Executive Council of the ITU.

2026 is also the year the ITU earmarked for the collation of the funds to connect the rest of the unconnected world under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

Only last month, at the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS), Geneva, Switzerland, donor countries raised funds that have increased the available moneys for the SDGs to over $50billion accounting for more than 50% of the anticipated $100billion for the projects.

ITU, the UN Agency for Digital Technologies, announced on May 27, 2024 a donation of a $4.8 billion in investment commitments toward global connectivity.

The announcement brings the total pledges aimed at closing the digital divide through ITU’s Partner2Connect Digital Coalition (P2C) to $50.96 billion, over half the $100 billion goal set for 2026.

  The pledges to Partner2Connect, ITU’s platform to advance universal meaningful connectivity, were announced during the opening day of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)+20 Forum High-Level Event in Geneva, Switzerland.

The new commitments announced at the WSIS Forum event were pledges that leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance digital access, adoption and inclusion.

A visibly excited, ITU Secretary General, Bogdan-Martins told the gathering in Geneva that

“Closing the digital divide requires a team effort, and today we scored a huge win for global connectivity,” she said adding, “I am thrilled to see these amazing new commitments and that we have united P2C and WSIS to break through the halfway point in our goal to help bring the benefits of digital connectivity to everyone, everywhere.”

 UN documents say “the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to transform our world. These are calls to action to end poverty and inequality, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy health, justice and prosperity.”

   SDGs were born at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2012. The objective was to produce a set of universal goals that meet the urgent environmental, political and economic challenges facing our world. As part of the declarations, SDG agenda took root in 2015 and will run till 2030.

 SDG Digital highlights that the funding gap of over $3.7 trillion for the SDGs should focus international efforts on enablers—such as infrastructure and connectivity—as well as the pooling of resources through collaboration including the private sector and the utilization of diverse financing methods. 

There are hopes on the horizon as SDG Digital received new commitments to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.

As part of the strategy to sustain the drive for funds to bridge the digital divide, ITU’s PP 26  in Doha is expected to bring the fund raising push up to date.

In 2023, the number of people not connected to the Internet decreased to an estimated 2.6 billion or 33 per cent from the estimated 2.7 billion people offline in 2022. Only 67 per cent of the world’s population, or 5.4 billion people, were online in 2023, the ITU said.

“This improvement in connectivity is another step in the right direction, and one more step towards leaving no one behind in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” said Bogdan-Martin, in a statement.

“We won’t rest until we live in a world where meaningful connectivity is a lived reality for everyone, everywhere,” Bogdan-Martin added.

  According to early estimates, growth in Internet connectivity remains the strongest in low-income countries where data indicate that Internet users increased by about 17 per cent over the past year. However, less than one-third of individuals are connected to the Internet in these countries.

UN assessments on the progress so far explained that half of the 169 SDG targets is either weak or insufficient at the 2030 Agenda’s halfway point. 30 % of the SDG targets have either stalled or gone in reverse. 

“With digital transformation demanding joint efforts between the private sector, financial institutions, civil society, the UN, governments and young people, SDG Digital brings together experts, policy-makers and business leaders to explore the achievements, gaps and solutions on how digital technologies can support the 2030 Agenda.”

Last week , Qatar, the host country of the next International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-26), announced the nomination of Mr.Ahmad Abdulla AlMuslemani, an engineer and President of the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA), as Chairman-designate for the local organizing committee (LOC).

  The ITU Plenipotentiary Conference is the highest decision-making body of ITU. The PP-26 will take place in Doha from November 9 to 27, 2026.

“ITU’s next Plenipotentiary Conference in Qatar will set the stage for a digital future where human-centered technology drives progress and inclusion for everyone,” Bogdan-Martin. said adding, “Under Eng. Ahmad Abdulla AlMuslemani’s leadership, I’m confident that PP-26 will make great strides in advancing ITU’s mission to connect the world meaningfully and sustainably.”

  Delegates representing ITU’s 193 Member States meet every four years at the Plenipotentiary Conference to set out the organization’s strategic and financial plans. They also elect ITU’s senior management team, the Member States of the ITU Council, and the members of the Radio Regulations Board.

The decision to host PP-26 in Doha was adopted by consensus by ITU Member States in October 2022 at ITU’s Plenipotentiary Conference 2022, in Bucharest, Romania.

In its bid to host PP-26, the country noted its strong infrastructure for information and communication technologies as well as its status as a world leader in organizing and hosting major events, including high-level global and regional conferences across a variety of sectors.

As CRA President, AlMuslemani leverages over 18 years of rich experience in the information and communication technologies sector to strategically shape regulatory policies and digital infrastructure development. His leadership plays a crucial role in aligning Qatar’s digital transformation initiatives with the National Development Strategy and Digital Agenda 2030.

Aragba-Akpore is a member of THISDAY Editorial Board