Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development - Fall Meeting, Yale Club, New York, 22 September 2019. © ITU/ D. Prospero
UNESCO and the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development
UNESCO and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) co-founded the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development as a public/private partnership aligning industry CEOs with civil and intergovernmental society leaders to help achieve the 2030 Agenda through mobile and broadband technologies for universal access to information. Since its establishment in 2010, the Broadband Commission has been chaired biannually by H.E. President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and the Mexican self-made entrepreneur and philanthropist Carlos Slim.
The Broadband Commission is recognized inter alia for its output of quality research and policy recommendations, as well as its annual flagship State of Broadband reports.
Publications
Balancing Act: Countering Digital Disinformation While Respecting Freedom of Expression
September 22, 2020
The need for action against disinformation has been recognised at the ITU/UNESCO Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development. The Commission created a Working Group on Freedom of Expression and Addressing Disinformation, that in turn commissioned this comprehensive global study in 2019. The research underpinning this study was conducted between September 2019.
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The Digital Transformation of Education: Connecting Schools, Empowering Learners
September 18, 2020
Education, the Internet and broadband connectivity have a tremendous potential to solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges including the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Nevertheless, today 3.6 billion people still have no access to the Internet and about 258 million children are out of school.
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The State of Broadband 2020: Tackling Digital Inequalities
September 28, 2020
This year’s State of Broadband Report reflects the realities of 2020 as the world has confronted a global pandemic that has disrupted Global and local economies, healthcare systems, education and most pertinently brought to the forefront the crucial role that broadband plays in connecting the world and keeping societies strong.
Broadband Commission Manifesto: Global Goal of Universal Connectivity
September 22, 2020
The Broadband Commission Manifesto calls on the global community to recognize digital connectivity as the foundational element of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Manifesto affirms the commitment of the Broadband Commission to mobilize efforts to achieve the ‘Global Goal of Universal Connectivity’ in support of the UN Secretary-General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation and other connectivity initiatives.
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COVID-19 Crisis: Agenda for Action
April 3, 2020
Commissioners and their organizations are urgently collaborating to compile and disseminate a repository of tangible actions based on the three pillars of resilient connectivity, affordable access, and safe use of online services for informed and educated societies, to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and ease the immediate adverse.
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Connecting Africa Through Broadband: A strategy for doubling connectivity by 2021 and reaching universal access by 2030
October 17, 2019
Digital technologies and the digital economy will have a transformative impact on development. Today’s economy is being driven by digital transformation across all sectors and digital technology is increasingly at the center of people’s daily lives. Indeed, several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) require information and communication technologies (ICTs) as an enabler, notably to achieve universal identification, more efficient delivery of government services, financial inclusion, and job creation. Furthermore, digital transformation will impact key sectors of the economy, such as health, agriculture, education and trade, among others, and will support the needs of people, governments, and the private sector resulting in an essential tool for people’s access to rights and services as well as better governance.
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Child Online Safety: Minimizing the Risk of Violence, Abuse and Exploitation Online
October 1, 2019
Affordable, reliable connectivity is now coming to more countries than ever. It has the potential to transform children’s lives, giving them access to previously unimagined educational, cultural, and economic opportunities. But too often, children cannot realize these opportunities, because the Internet is also a place, in which the vulnerable are exposed to the risk of serious harm.
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The State of Broadband 2019: Broadband as a Foundation for Sustainable Development
September 22, 2019
Traditional approaches to driving internet network roll-out and uptake are failing to reach the remaining half of the global population still lacking online access. To counter slowing global growth, The State of Broadband 2019: Broadband as Foundation for Sustainable Development advocates for new collaborative strategies to drive the concept of ‘meaningful universal.
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Bridging the Gender Gap in Internet and Broadband Access and Use: Progress Report 2018
September 21, 2018
In March 2017, the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development’s Working Group on the Digital Gender Divide, co-chaired by the GSMA and UNESCO, launched a report that outlines a set of recommendations for action that stakeholders can take to address the gender gap in Internet access and use.
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The State of Broadband 2018: Broadband Catalyzing Sustainable Development
September 11, 2018
The State of Broadband 2018: Broadband for Catalyzing Sustainable Development report was released on 11 September 2018 during the ITU Telecom event in Durban, South Africa. The State of Broadband annual report is a unique global snapshot of broadband network access and affordability, with country-by-country data measuring broadband access against new advocacy targets set by the Commission in 2018.
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Bridging the Gender Gap in Internet and Broadband Access and Use: Progress Report 2017
September 21, 2017
In March 2017, the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development’s Working Group on the Digital Gender Divide, co-chaired by the GSMA and UNESCO, launched a report that outlines a set of recommendations for action that stakeholders can take to address the gender gap in Internet access and use.
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Digital Skills for Life and Work
September 17, 2017
Digital technologies now underpin effective participation in key areas of life and work. In addition to technology access, the skills and competencies needed to make use of digital technology and benefit from its growing power and functionality have never been more essential.
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The State of Broadband 2017: Broadband Catalyzing Sustainable Development
The Broadband Commission's annual The State of Broadband report was released on 14 September 2017 at the United Nations Office in Geneva.
>> Read the report (English)
>> Read the highlight document on the key findings (English)
The State of Broadband 2016: Broadband Catalyzing Sustainable Development
The Broadband Commission's annual The State of Broadband report was released on 15 September 2016 at the United Nations Office in Geneva.
>> Read the report (English)
>> Read the highlight document on the key findings (English | عربي | 中文 | Español | Français | Русский)
Combatting Online Violence Against Women and Girls: A Worldwide Wake-Up Call
The report by the Working Group on Broadband and Gender was released on 24 September 2015 at United Nations Headquarters in New York.
>> Read the report (English)
>> Read the highlight document (English | عربي | 中文 | Español | Français | Русский)
The State of Broadband 2015: broadband as a foundation for sustainable development
The Broadband Commission’s annual The State of Broadband report was released on 21 September 2015 at the United Nations Office in Geneva.
>> Read the report (English)
>> Read the highlight document on the key findings (English | عربي | 中文 | Español | Français | Русский)
The State of Broadband 2014: broadband for all
The Broadband Commission’s annual The State of Broadband report was released on 21 September 2014 at the 10th Meeting of the Commission in New York.
The State of Broadband 2013: Universalizing Broadband
Released in New York at the 8th meeting of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development, the report reveals that mobile broadband subscriptions, which allow users to access the web via smartphones, tablets and WiFi-connected laptops, are growing at a rate of 30% per year. By the end of 2013 there will be more than three times as many mobile broadband connections as there are conventional fixed broadband subscriptions.
The State of Broadband 2012: Achieving Digital Inclusion for All
Launched at the sixth meeting of the Commission in New York City in September 2012, The Report evaluates the roll-out of broadband around the world and tracks progress towards achieving the four advocacy targets set by the Commission in 2011 for boosting broadband affordability and uptake. It provides country rankings across up to 177 economies on economic impact, penetration, national broadband policy, and connecting people and dwellings.