Accessibility to ICTs: Achieving Equitable Communications for Everyone
15 per cent of the world’s population lives with a disability. This represents about 1 billion people globally. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), such as mobile phones, satellites or the Internet, are a unique infrastructure that expand access to key public services, promoting digital inclusion. Throughout the world, persons living with disabilities are already benefitting from the advantages of ICT-enabled applications.
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AI is expected to play a particularly important role in accelerating progress towards each one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Within its mandate, ITU provides a neutral platform for all stakeholders to build a common understanding of the capabilities of AI technologies, facilitating trusted, safe and inclusive development of AI technologies, and equitable access to their benefits.
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Affordable, Safe and Resilient Broadband Networks
While much progress has been made globally over the past ten years in expanding access to, and adoption of, broadband infrastructure and services, significant challenges remain in tackling digital inequalities, addressing the current widespread impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in accelerating efforts towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
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Greening the digital transition
ITU is at the forefront of enabling environmentally sustainable digital transformation, recognizing the pivotal role of digital technologies in climate action and sustainable development. Working with over 1000 public and private sector members ITU is committed to greening the digital transition while minimizing its environmental impact.
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ITU Cybersecurity Activities
A fundamental role of ITU, following the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and the 2010 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference, is to build confidence and security in the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). At WSIS, Heads of States and world leaders entrusted ITU to be the Facilitator of Action Line C5, "Building confidence and security in the use of ICTs
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Connect the World
Connect the World aims to mobilize human, financial and technical resources for the implementation of the connectivity targets of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and the Regional Initiatives adopted by Member States at the ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference. ITU and partners are organizing a series of regional Summits to mobilize resources and forge partnerships.
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Some 1.4 billion people remain without access to financial services. Digital financial inclusion is a critical enabler for poverty reduction and inclusive growth. ITU offers platforms to study cybersecurity challenges for digital finance, the quality of service provided by mobile networks for digital finance, and innovations and regulatory challenges brought about by fintech, digital currencies, blockchain, and artificial intelligence.
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Telecommunications Saves Lives
Disasters disrupt national economies, severely weaken the poor and vulnerable and are recognized as major impediments to sustainable development and reduction of poverty especially in poor countries. The impact is even worse for those living in remote and isolated areas with no access to basic information and communication facilities that are essential to providing vital alerting information.
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Entrepreneurship, Innovation and SME development
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have a key role in ensuring economic growth in a sustainable and inclusive manner. They are often the source of innovative ICT-enabled solutions that make a long-lasting impact in global, regional and national economies, and are an important source of new jobs especially for youth. SMEs make up more than 95% of all businesses worldwide, and represent a path out of poverty for many developing countries.”
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Internet Policy and Governance
ITU's Internet-related activities result from its role as mandated in various resolutions with regard to international public policy issues pertaining to the Internet and the management of critical Internet resources.
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Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls through ICTs
The information and communication technologies (ICTs) are tools through which gender equality and women's empowerment can be advanced, and are integral to the creation of societies in which both women and men can substantively contribute and participate.
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Youth, Innovation and Academia
ITU's Youth Programme aims to support children and young people from developing countries and those in transition to improve their access, use and knowledge of information and communication technologies (ICTs).
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