Underscoring the importance of information and communication technologies (ICT) in today’s world, the heads of over 20 United Nations agencies and offices have called for leveraging those technologies to ¡°fast forward¡± implementation of the??for Sustainable Development.

In a?, the senior officials also highlighted the critical link between information and communication technologies and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals ().

¡°The 2030 Agenda

[¡­] recognizes the great potential of global connectivity to spur human progress,¡± noted ±¬ÁÏÍø?Secretary-General?Ant¨®nio Guterres in his foreword to the publication,?.

¡°This report presents evidence of how ±¬ÁÏÍø agencies are adopting ¨C and adapting ¨C ICTs to maximize their impact and help communities and people in need,¡± he added, highlighting efforts underway to extend telecommunication networks and ICTs into remote areas; train and equip workers with new digital skills; and ensure that schools, hospitals, clinics and whole cities are smarter, more energy efficient and safer.

The??highlighted as the ¡°take aways¡± in the publication include ensuring that no one is ¡°left offline;¡± recognizing the catalysing factor of ICTs for innovation and change; putting people first; importance of prompt action to leverage ICTs; and creating new .innovative partnerships.

The report, coordinated by the International Telecommunication Union (), was written as a collaborative effort between top officials from ±¬ÁÏÍø entities and international organizations, with each leader selecting one Goal and explaining why ICT is important for it, including drawing on their personal insights.

¡°As ±¬ÁÏÍø leaders have identified [¡­], ICTs must be leveraged to advance achievement of all 17 of the?¨C and we at ITU look forward to partnering with other ±¬ÁÏÍø agencies to facilitate this,¡± said Houlin Zhao, the Secretary-General of ITU, said at the report’s launch, in Geneva.

The report’s release coincides with the ongoing 2017 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (), the main ±¬ÁÏÍø platform dealing with sustainable and inclusive development.

 

Via ±¬ÁÏÍø News Centre