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Giga Connectivity Forum, Remarks
Geneva, Switzerland 09 July 2024

Excellencies
Esteemed guests
Colleagues from UNICEF and ITU
Ladies and gentlemen

It is a pleasure for me to join this forum in our quest to connect every school to the internet and every young person to ICT services, as part of our collective effort to bring the unconnected 2.6 billion people, online.

This remains a top priority of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, particularly in our implementation of Resolution 87 of the Kigali Action Plan as mandated by Member States at the WTDC-2022. The instructs of the Resolution to the BDT Director dovetail with the objectives of the Giga initiative. These include:

Added efforts to connect every school and every young person to ICT services.
Setting standards for school connectivity and providing targets aligned to the global targets of universal and meaningful connectivity by 2030.
Evaluating models for affordable and sustainable approaches and financing, with special attention to rural or remote areas.
Assisting Member States and Sector Members in developing policy, regulatory and financial frameworks that can help connect every school to the Internet.

No one institution can do this alone. It is therefore very gratifying to work with partners like UNICEF, UNESCO and others to facilitate access and use of digital technologies in schools. The collective effort is indispensable to implement Resolution 87, and to ensure sustainable education and other opportunities which the digital revolution offers.

As we work towards global school connectivity, we must look at infrastructure, digital skills, the right policy and regulatory environment, and digital inclusion and innovation. It is equally important to ensure that the connectivity is a safe and satisfying so that the users can have an enriching, and productive online experience.

Our compass is drawn from the five priorities outlined in the Kigali Action Plan. These include: Affordable connectivity, digital transformation, enabling environment and regulation, international cooperation and resource mobilization, and finally inclusive and secure telecommunications/ICTs for sustainable development.

We just returned from the 2024 Global Symposium for Regulators, a key platform for bringing together the views of regulators, policy makers and private sector to explore approaches that build the much-needed enabling environment and regulatory frameworks. These are key to injecting investments, encouraging innovation and breeding ground to help leverage transformative technologies.

In this context, Giga is poised to be the game changer in contributing to the global effort toward education for all and digital connectivity for all.

Our work in Giga goes from providing details on where the closest connectivity points are related to a concerned school, to advising on the best cost-effective technology to be used to connect such school. We are exploring better and more effective ways to ensure proper country engagements and impactful interventions at the local level, supporting member states with the relevant tools and services to facilitate the connectivity in schools.

ITU provides infrastructure mapping support to help countries assess the level of connectivity, make informed decisions for investments, and equip students with digital tools to expand their knowledge and learning.

We stand ready to continue the strategic engagement with Ministries of ICTs and ICT regulators so to ensure proper delivery on the ground, and resounding success of our vision – to connect every school and child to the internet.

The discussions here are therefore important to help reflect on the Giga vision, with key learning that can propel us into the future.

I wish you fruitful deliberations.

Thank you.

Committed to connecting the world

BDT Director's Corner: Speeches

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