Sustainability Forum 2022: Connectivity+ Innovate for Impact

A recording of these remarks can be found on YouTube and Tencent Video

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Greetings,

I wish to thank Huawei for the invitation to speak at the Sustainability Forum 2022 and to congratulate Huawei and Chairman of the Board Liang Hua for joining ITU’s Partner 2 Connect Pledge, and for their commitment to bridging the digital divide, particularly in remote communities.

Digital technologies are transforming our societies, and are advancing more rapidly than any set of innovations in our history, while reaching around 50 per cent of the developing world’s population in only the past two decades.

Digital innovation can help accelerate sustainable development and build a better future. We have already seen how, during the height of the pandemic, e-commerce applications helped enterprises to stay in business; e-learning allowed children to continue studying, and telehealth platforms supported contactless medical consultations. 

We have also seen the opportunities the digital economy presents – a shift to a greener economy could create 24 million new jobs globally by 2030 if the right policies are put in place.

However, technology is not a silver bullet. Growing opportunities and the incredible potential created by digital dividends are accompanied by digital divides. For those with limited or no access to these technologies, there exists an increasing possibility of being left behind in the development process.

Before coming to China, I served as the UN Resident Coordinator in Kenya. In a world of remarkable innovation, where most of us can meet with our families and friends with just a video call, 70 per cent of Kenyans still struggle to access even the most basic elements of internet connectivity or lived with none at all in 2020.

While infrastructure and smart devices from Huawei currently serve more than 3 billion people around the world, 2.7 billion people – or one-third of the world’s population – remain unconnected to the internet in 2022.

This is a sobering reality, and it is imperative that we expand our horizons to ensure that all people around the world have access to digital technologies.

Today, as we reach the milestone of 8 billion people worldwide, we should consider whether every member of our human family has a decent chance to share in the benefits of the digital age.

As Mr. António Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General said at the G20 Summit, “We must close the digital divide by promoting digital literacy, and giving access to the digital world to women and girls, migrants, rural and indigenous people.”

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The digital divide penalizes vulnerable groups, while the financing gap to achieve the SDGs grows ever wider.

Living in an age of digital interconnectivity, every person should have safe and affordable access to such services in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Now more than ever, our dynamic world urgently needs improved digital cooperation to capitalize on the transformational potential of technology to create new jobs, boost financial inclusion, close the gender gap, spur a green recovery and redesign our world to be more prosperous and inclusive.

Now is the time to act.

Our cooperation must be grounded in common human values – such as inclusiveness, respect, human rights, transparency, and sustainability. In this time of rapid change and uncertainty, these shared values must be the path we choose.

We must bring far more diverse voices to the table, particularly from developing countries and traditionally marginalized groups, such as women, youth, indigenous people, rural populations and older people.

No country, institution or company has the resources to achieve the SDGs alone. Practical digital cooperation requires multilateralism that should be complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships – cooperation that not only involve governments, but a diverse spectrum of relevant stakeholders, such as civil society, academia, and the private sector, including the technology industry. Together, we can take action and innovate to realize the 2030 Agenda and its central promise, to leave no one behind.

We can see how these partnerships can spur action from such a partnership forged during my time in Kenya. There, the Government and the UN System convened an SDG Partnership Platform with companies, including Huawei, to translate the ambition of the SDGs into action on the ground, notably achieving a downward trend of maternal and child mortality in some of Kenya’s most remote regions. Similar Public-Private Partnerships hold promise in accelerating global progress on the SDGs.

We hold a vision to help enable a world in which digital technologies are an empowering force for people and planet. Here, the UN in China is eager to serve as a link to leverage China's relevant development experience, notably in digital technology, for the benefit of other developing countries. We stand ready to offer our support and technical expertise.

I look forward to productive discussions. Thank you.