Connect2Recover Initiative
Connect2Recover is a global initiative that aims to reinforce the digital infrastructure and digital ecosystems of beneficiary countries.
The COVID-19 pandemic and devastating natural hazards have caused unprecedented disruptions in countries around the world, and highlighted the urgency for universal and meaningful digital connectivity.
Information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure has proven vital in helping countries and consumers adapt as well as respond to the pandemic: ICTs have enabled millions of people to continue working and learning remotely, and to access the latest health information, updates, and directives from local and national authorities.
It is for this very reason that the ITU launched the Connect2Recover Initiative in September 2020, with the support of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Connect2Recover aims to reinforce and strengthen the digital infrastructure and digital ecosystems of beneficiary countries as they adjust in the wake of the pandemic and to help these countries continue to remain resilient in times of natural hazards.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented demand for communications networks due to global lockdowns and the rise of teleworking, distance learning, remote entertainment, and telemedicine. At the same time, there was increased reliance on digital tools. In order to meet the evolving consumer needs, new technologies are scaling rapidly. However, the pandemic has also widened differences in telecommunications / ICT investments and infrastructure development between countries. While telecommunications investments have increased in developed countries, capital investment and expenditures have fallen, and the deployment of infrastructure has lagged in developing countries. With the pace of digitaliation after the COVID-19 pandemic, those without affordable connectivity risk being left behind further.
An estimated 5.4 billion people were using the Internet in 2023, according to the latest estimates in the Measuring digital development – Facts and Figures 2023. That means that roughly 67 percent of the world’s population is now online. However, 2.6 billion people remain offline. In addition, in the Least Developed Countries, only 36 percent of the people use the Internet, according to Measuring digital development – Facts and Figures: Focus on Least Developed Countries. Affordability is a significant enabler of connectivity and Internet has become more affordable in all regions and for all income groups. However, in low-income countries, the typical price of an entry-level mobile broadband subscription is equivalent to 9 percent of average income, a share twenty times higher than in high-income countries.
There is now greater urgency for universal and meaningful connectivity, as more and more services are delivered online, the most vulnerable in society will have increasingly limited access to education, medicine, government services, e-commerce and communication tools.