Sixth Meeting: New York City, 23 September 2012
Highlights :
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How does your country rank?
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Speeches
- Press Releases:
The sixth meeting of the Commission comes at a particularly important time in
the UN calendar. Hosted at the start of the High-Level segment of the UN
General-Assembly, the Broadband Commission will target policy makers in
particular to boost the profile of broadband and ICT networks, services and
applications for sustaining the three pillars of sustainable development; the
economic, environmental and social.
As the UN system begins to prepare itself for 2015, and the due date for the
internationally agreed Millennium Development Goals, talk and planning is
already underway for a sustainable development agenda post-2015. In August 2012
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced a full Panel of Eminent Persons to
lead a strategy for the post 2015 development frameworks. The group will be
chaired by UK Prime Minister David Cameron, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
The Broadband Commission will present its
State of Broadband 2012 annual report to representatives of the Group of
Eminent Persons, as well as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; along with a clear
and vital message. With less than one third of all the world’s people connected
to the internet, it is critical that contingencies are made to bring the
isolated online so that they too can participate in the information and
knowledge society and 21st century digital economy. Without such plans one could
never hope to close or even manage the gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have
nots’, as developed countries continue on a path forged by technology and
innovation inconceivable to many in the developing world.
The Commission’s State of Broadband 2012 comes on the back of a successful year
for the group. Lobbying has intensified at events including the Rio+20
Conference on Sustainable Development and the meeting of the G20 states in
Mexico in July. The Rio+20 outcome document ‘The Future We Want’ will form the
initial basis for a post-2015 Sustainable Development roadmap, and despite being
criticized as ‘weak’, still makes strong reference to broadband and ICT for
development; a promising signal of things to come for the Broadband Commission
for Digital Development
Give a hoot!
Do you agree that ‘Broadband Inclusion 4 All’ should be a central feature of any
post-2015 international development strategies? Be sure to lend us your
keyboards on Monday 24 September 2012 and send a Tweet for those who cannot do
so themselves. Let the Commission know you agree with our mission and messages
and tweet “This 24 September I’m lending my voice to the unconnected. B more
with #Broadband. #SGSglobal”. We need your (moral) support to help connect the
unconnected.
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