The world’s least developed countries are narrowing ‘digital divide,’ and with millions of people now taking advantage of smart phones and other digital devices, keeping up this momentum can put their societies on the fast track to sustainable development, the United Nations said on Wednesday.
In four days of intense debates and discussions on the future of the Internet, the Forum heard calls for concerted actions to ensure that the benefits of the Internet reach all members of society.
Finding new ways to empower women, youth and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) was a central sentiment shared by IGF attendees.
Noting that ICTs can deliver smart solutions to address climate change, hunger, poverty and more, the Secretary-General’s statement urged delegates to keep working to ensure universal access to a more open information society.
International organizations, governments, academics, and technology leaders will gather at the IGF to address the urgent need to intensify global efforts to bridge the digital divide.
With a focus on addressing the challenges of today’s digital age and how to leverage the Internet to ensure it provides equal access to opportunities, the busy week-long Forum will run from today until December 9.
To harness the potential of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) for improving people’s lives and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals, high-level representatives from governments, civil society and the private sector will gather at the UN headquarters in New York from 15 to 16 December to review progress on the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS).
The 2015 Internet Governance Forum (IGF) succeeded in giving some 4,000 online participants, from 116 developed and developing countries, the opportunity to engage directly with 2,400 on-site attendees in output-oriented debates that addressed the challenges, as well as opportunities for the future of the internet.
To cover the “breadth and depth” of the recently adopted [...]
Approximately 5,000 people, including high-level government officials, civil society leaders and internet policy experts, will gather both - in-person and online - at the 10th Annual meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in João Pessoa, Brazil (10 to 13 November) to discuss the crucial role the internet must play in the successful implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
