Archived Newsroom • Press Release |
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UN Broadband Commission uses power of social networks to urge the world to
‘B more with #Broadband’
On September 24 tweet your support for digital
inclusion for all
New York, 23 September, 2012 – To coincide with the launch
of the
State of Broadband 2012 report, the
Broadband Commission
for Digital Development is tomorrow conducting an online experiment: How
many people can be mobilized to lend their support for the Commission’s key
message of broadband inclusion for all?
With just under one third of the world’s population online, a sustained and
concerted global effort is needed to extend the benefits of broadband to
underserved and marginalized communities everywhere. The Commission, which is
co-Chaired by President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Carlos Slim of Mexico, and
co-Vice Chaired by ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun I. Touré and UNESCO
Director-General Irina Bokova, has been advocating strongly to push broadband to
the top of the political agenda since it was established in mid-2010.
In addition to a set of
four key advocacy targets for broadband inclusion and a
Challenge to global leaders announced in 2011, the Commission, which held
its sixth meeting in New York today, has just released a new series of
Country Case Studies showcasing national broadband strategies along with
specific applications of broadband that are being used to accelerate progress
towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Harnessing the power of social networks, today’s ‘B more with #broadband’
campaign coincides with the start of the High-Level Segment of the United
Nations General Assembly, which will look at formulation of post-2015, post-MDG
international development frameworks. The Broadband Commission believes that
information and communication technologies – and specifically broadband – must
serve as a lynchpin of these strategies.
Tomorrow, 24 September, the Commission urges everyone who cares about digital
inclusion to tweet this message
This 24 September, I’m lending my voice to those offline. B more with
#Broadband. #SGSglobal.
http://thndr.it/NcVyK2
to show their support for public and private sector actions that will help
bring more people online around the world.
There is now a good
body of evidence pointing to the economic benefits of broadband. One recent
OECD study, for example, indicates that a 10 per cent increase in broadband
penetration raises per-capita GDP growth by 0.9-1.5 percentage points. Another
study focusing on low and middle income economies indicates that every 10 per
cent increase in access to broadband in developing countries results in a
commensurate 1.38 per cent increase in GDP.
Lend your voice to the campaign, and find out more at:
www.broadbandcommission.org/BMoreCampaign.aspx.
Download the full version of the new State of Broadband report at:
www.broadbandcommission.org/Documents/bb-annualreport2012.pdf
View a short motion graphic on the report:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt8x10e3V-A
Download a short ‘highlights’ document at:
www.broadbandcommission.org/Documents/bb-annualreport2012-flyer.pdf
Photos from the September 23 meeting of the Commission can be downloaded at:
www.flickr.com/photos/itupictures/sets/72157631556083581/
For more information on the Broadband Commission, visit:
www.broadbandcommission.org
Follow the Broadband Commission on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/broadbandcommission
Follow the Broadband Commission on Twitter:
www.itu.int/twitter
For more information, please contact:
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In New York: |
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Gary Fowlie
Head, ITU Liaison Office
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Paul Conneally
Head, Communications &
Partnership Promotion
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In Geneva:
Sarah Parkes
Chief, Media Relations
and Public Information
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