2021 Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

 

Thank you for the opportunity to join the opening of this year’s Science, Technology and Innovation Forum. The annual occurrence has become a hallmark of the United Nations and is indicative of efforts to remain focused on a better future for all.

 

I was pleased to convene last week’s Thematic Debate on Digital Cooperation and Connectivity, ahead of this year’s Forum. It is my hope that the debate, along with subsequent events, such as the General Assembly plenary on rapid technological changes, helped build momentum for the discussions here today and tomorrow.

Dear colleagues,

 

As I emphasized repeatedly and emphatically last week, the digital divide is rapidly becoming the new face of inequality; there is no path to sustainable development, without closing this gap.

 

Need I remind you that barely more than half of the population of the planet uses the internet. This number drops to only 19% in Least Developed Countries. And there are further divides within the divide. Today, women and girls are 25% less likely than men to know how to leverage digital technology for basic purposes; 4 times less likely to know how to programme computers; and 13 times less likely to file for an Information and Communication Technology patent.

 

The differences between the digital haves and the digital have-nots extend far beyond having an email account. The implications of this divide are evident in the quality of education and healthcare, and in the availability and the diversity of jobs and livelihoods. Expanding access to digital technologies is not only about leaving no one behind, it is about hitting the accelerator on sustainable development, driving a new surge in action and innovation across the entirety of the SDGs. Truly, few actions are as powerful as digitization in quickly and broadly scaling up progress. If we are looking for a quick win, this is it.

 

And now is the time to act. While it is estimated that over $400 billion is required to connect close to 3 billion people to broadband internet by 2030, and US$ 100 billion for Africa alone, we must remember that trillions of dollars are currently pouring into pandemic relief and recovery. Given the many and diverse benefits of digitization, the cost to benefit ratio makes clear the argument that a COVID recovery must be a digital recovery.

 

This is a benefit to us all. Economies will benefit from the emergence of new sectors and markets; better trained and equipped workforces will create new livelihoods; and the availability of data on everything from soil conditions to sea surge will help policymakers and practitioners design environmental conservation efforts.

 

As we roll out an unprecedented recovery for the global pandemic, we would be wise to bridge the digital divide and prioritize those who have been furthest behind, particularly LDCs/LLDC/SIDS and the most vulnerable groups, such as women and girls.

 

Dear colleagues, dear friends,

 

Many times in the course of human history a terrible or tragic event has had a ricochet effect, fueling new and transformational social, economic, or environmental efforts. We can have that now. The pandemic, for all its hardship, can also be a moment that we pivot as a people and build a more prosperous, more equitable, more inclusive, more connected world for all. That is precisely what this Forum is about.