Least Developed Countries (LDCs)

ICTs to address the development challenges of LDC

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Declaration recognizes that “the spread of information and communication technology and global interconnectedness has great potential to accelerate human progress, to bridge the digital divide and to develop knowledge societies, as does scientific and technological innovation across areas as diverse as medicine and energy”.  SDG 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation, Target 9.c calls to “significantly increase access to ICT and strive to provide universal and affordable access to Internet in LDCs by 2020“. Yet, three years past this deadline, almost one fifth of the population cannot even access the Internet.

Since the Fourth United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries in 2011, progress has been made in terms of connectivity in the LDCs. The share of the population in LDCs using the Internet increased almost ten-fold to reach 36 per cent in 2022. Accessing the Internet has become cheaper and easier and mobile broadband has gone from being non-existent to being ubiquitous. But progress has been from a very low base and so much remains to be done. Among the few who can access, many do not, because of multiple barriers, ranging from awareness to skills and costs.

ITU has mainstreamed the needs of LDCs in all its activities, programmes and projects​​​​ to achieve its commitments under the Istanbul Programme of Action 2011-2020 and more recently, under the Doha Programme of Action 2022-2031. ITU’s participation in the Fifth United Nations Conference on LDCs (LDC5) which adopted the Doha Programme of Action is reflected here.

ITU is committed to enhancing its support to LDCs and the impact of its work on social and economic development across the board through ensuring meaningful connectivity and sustainable digital transformation aligned with the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action for LDCs. As part of ITU’s mandate, the ITU Development Bureau (BDT) provides technical assistance and customized support to LDCs upon request. In addition, BDT is developing research and analysis on the development of telecommunications/ICTs and digital technologies in LDCs and their contribution to economic and social development and the achievement of SDGs. Through its core work and through building strong and sustainable development partnerships, ITU also supports LDCs in their graduation process.

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