14 March 2016: Members of the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development agreed on the need to develop a set of targets to measure access to broadband connectivity at country and community levels, and the use of selected broadband-enabled public services. Commissioners plan to develop concrete, measurable connectivity targets on these elements, for agreement at its meeting in September 2016, in New York, US.

Over 60 government and UN agency leaders and experts from civil society and the private sector attended the Commission’s Spring Meeting, which took place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), on 12-13 March 2016. The meeting convened alongside an International Telecommunications Union (ITU)-UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Policy Forum during UNESCO Mobile Learning Week.

Connectivity targets will help governments harness broadband networks and services and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), participants said, noting that broadband networks, services and applications can deliver “dramatic results” in education, health and socio-economic growth. Commissioners noted the importance of the choice of statistical indicators to accurately gauge broadband access, as well as the choice of data sources and methodologies for generating accurate, reliable measurement. Commissioners supported the development of “National Digital Scorecards” to measure national progress on broadband targets.

Agreement on connectivity targets in September will serve as “the next stepping stone to the Commission’s vision of ‘broadband for all,’” said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao. He underscored the importance of broadband in accelerating progress on the SDGs, particularly in delivering education, healthcare and social services for disadvantaged communities.

According to the Commission’s 2015 ‘State of Broadband’ report, 57% of the world’s population remains offline and unable to take advantage of the economic and social benefits of the internet. UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, who serves as Commission co-Vice Chair with Zhao, urged ensuring access and connectivity for all societies, observing there are over four billion people without internet access around the world.

The Broadband Commission was established in 2010 to promote broadband as an accelerator of global development.

UNESCO’s Mobile Learning Week took place from 7-11 March 2016, on the theme of Innovating for Quality, and examined how collaboration and policies can promote the use of mobile technology and innovation to improve accessibility, equity and quality of education. [ITU Press Release] [Broadband Commission] [Publication: State of Broadband 2015]