Halfway and Hopeful: Digital Inclusion and the 2030 Development Goals
Key Takeaways:
“If we agree on a new social contract, there’s room for NGOs, the private sector, and all of us in our personal and professional roles to create equitable conditions. The Internet is a public good, it benefits communities, and challenges norms, said @f_galtieri.”
“We’re at a crossroads – we can allow technology to widen existing disparities, or we can decide to” close the gaps, especially for 1.8 billion young people, said Brighton Kamoa of @SDSNYouth.
Mariama Kabia pushed us to consider how to design solutions in the ways people experience Technology. Successfully improving Human Rights and achieving the SDGs demands it of us.
On the Gender Digital Divide: UN Women Report said that the #GenderGap grew during COVID. It will now take 135 years to close it if we do nothing. We’ve lost $1 trillion in GDP growth for lack of investing in #Women and #Girls said @HazamiBarmada.
Event Description
Halfway to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, the UNDP’s 2022 Annual Report frames the global climate as “hard to hope.” For people experiencing poverty, gender discrimination, and disability, widening gaps threaten their ability to make real progress. Digital inclusion strategies have the opportunity to unlock the potential of 2.7 billion people affected by the digital divide and make real change for these populations. By pursuing digital equity, the world has the opportunity to provide access, power, and systemic change for and with the people that could most benefit.
On 21 June 2023, the Digital Equity Accelerator hosted a conversation exploring:
- Why digitalization is a necessary public good and can accelerate progress for key populations such as women and girls, migrants, and youth
- What progress has been made – and what must be done – to increase the momentum of digital inclusion around the world
- How targeted, intersectional approaches can accelerate progress on multiple goals simultaneously
Speakers
- Hazami Barmada, Project Lead, Digital Equity Accelerator
- Dr. Francesco Galtieri, Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Guinea
- Mariama Kabia, Social Impact, HP
- Brighton Kaoma, Global Director, Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), Youth initiative
The Digital Equity Accelerator, an initiative of the Aspen Institute in collaboration with HP Inc., fuels social innovation by investing in local NGOs working to address social and economic injustices that are exacerbated by unequal technology access and use around the world.
