A UN commission on Monday urged world's policy makers and private sectors to make the use of broadband infrastructure a top priority to drive global development.
The Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development outlined many ways that broadband can improve global sustainable development, and in so doing, better the lives of millions around the globe.
Broadband can address basic needs, such as healthcare and food production, helping lift people out of poverty through e-commerce opportunities and job growth, monitoring climate change and planetary processes, and bridging the digital gender divide, the commission said in a statement.
Information and communication technologies, such as big data and artificial intelligence, as well as broadband-based technologies can be harnessed as a uniquely powerful tool to drive global development and accelerate the progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
These technologies play a critical role in eradicating poverty, promoting prosperity, and helping the world achieve its most pressing sustainable development goals, according to Houlin Zhao, secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
The commission, however, also highlighted the importance of safeguarding against the downsides and risks of such technologies.
Last week an ITU report on global cybersecurity warned that nearly half of all countries worldwide have had no clear strategy to safeguard their cybersecurity. It cited the ransomware attacks last month that crippled tens of thousands of computers around the world.
