Dear all,
This month, we will share some insights about the newly released brief by the UN Secretary-General on the Global Digital Compact, outlining areas in which multi-stakeholder digital cooperation is needed, to achieve a truly sustainable digital future.
Our digital world is one of divides. According to the Secretary General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation report, in 2002, when governments first recognized the challenge of the digital divide, 1 billion people had access to the Internet. Today, 5.3 billion are digitally connected, yet the divide persists across regions, gender, income, language, and age groups. Some 89 percent of people in Europe are online, but only 21 percent of women in low-income countries use the Internet. While digitally deliverable services now account for almost two-thirds of global services trade, access is unaffordable in some parts of the world. Urgent action is needed, while divides continue to grow.
We will then share some of the main outcomes of a busy month on Digital UNCTAD, which started with the Science Technology and Innovation (STI) Forum in New York, then continued with the UN Trade Forum, and ended with the Intergovernmental Group of Experts (IGE) on E-Commerce and the Digital Economy. In addition, don’t miss the opportunity to contribute with a thematic session to the UNCTAD eWeek 2023 edition, running from 4 to 8 December 2023. You will have a chance to share your views on how to shape the future of the digital economy.
Also, have a read at our digest for the newly released WEF Future of Jobs Report. The report explores how jobs and skills will evolve over the next five years, with an industry view on the adoption of technology and increased digital access for job creation. To go deeper into the subject we have also compiled the most recent releases on this very crucial topic, from the UN Secretary-General and the ILO, in particular.
And last but not least, the WSIS Forum 2023 concluded its hybrid and virtual weeks of debates and discussions and emphasized the need for increased collaboration and partnership.
Enjoy the reading!