Regional Dialogue Session 4: SDG Digital Investment

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Introduction & Background 

Digital transformation has become a high priority for countries. To meet these ambitions, and to support post COVID-19 socio-economic recovery, an integrated multi-sector approach is required. This approach includes technical assistance and investments in the agriculture, education and health sectors to generate employment, as well as the digitization of services (e-commerce and/or e-government), particularly in the outer islands. In addition, there is a need to facilitate an ecosystem that fosters entrepreneurship leveraging on digitally enabled solutions. 

The Smart Villages and Smart Islands programme adopts a whole-of-government approach that accelerates progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at community level. It is demand-driven, user-centric, flexible, and focused on sustainability, scalability, and multi-sector collaboration. It is designed to manifest digital transformation at the community level with an emphasis on vulnerable populations (women, youth, persons with disabilities, older persons) in order to leave no one behind. The programme leverages the four pillars of (i) improving broadband connectivity (ii) making broadband affordable (iii) enhancing digital skills and (iv) providing digital services, to impact people's lives based on their local priorities.

Transformation of villages and islands will bring about a positive change in local communities' quality of life by providing them with connectivity and new ICT-enabled services, while also promoting interoperability, cooperation, and holistic demand-driven response to SDG-related needs. It will enhance the ability to augment the COVID recovery efforts, address socioeconomic challenges and accelerate the achievement of the SDGs.

Objective​