World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2016: ICT Entrepreneurship for Social Impact

Secretary-General Houlin Zhao,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen:

I am very pleased to be with you today to mark World Telecommunication and Information Society Day and it is my privilege to deliver the Secretary-General’s message on this important occasion. And I quote:

“The international community is now mobilized around the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which recognizes the great potential of information and communication technology (ICT) to accelerate human progress, bridge the digital divide and advance knowledge. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals specifically call for employing ICTs to realize the overall vision of a life of dignity for all people.

These technologies provide smart solutions to address climate change, hunger, poverty and other global challenges. They are key instruments for providing mobile health care and access to education, empowering women, improving efficiencies in industrial and agricultural production, and safeguarding the environment.

Start-ups and technology hubs in the ICT sector are the drivers of innovative and practical solutions that can contribute to inclusive growth. Small to medium-sized enterprises make up more than 90 per cent of all businesses worldwide, and represent a path out of poverty for many developing countries.

Young people are especially fluent in the use of ICTs. Leaders should invest in young innovators, who are part of the largest generation of youth in history. As entrepreneurs, they can pioneer transformative technology, create jobs and benefit whole economies.

I call upon governments, businesses and civil society leaders to develop new technologies that have a lasting social impact. ICTs can create more inclusive societies for persons with disabilities. They can help children to learn and the elderly to stay active. And ICTs can connect people around the world in common cause.

On this World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, let us resolve to harness the power of technology to create a better future for all.”

That was the Secretary-General’s message. Allow me now to add a few personal reflections on the great potential that ICTs have to shape the impact of the important work done here in International Geneva.

The topic of this year’s World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, to use ICT entrepreneurship for social impact, captures the spirit of what is needed for the international community to achieve the milestone goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We need to find new ways of working and new innovative solutions. And here in Geneva, we are starting to see a shift in mindsets in that direction.

With unparalleled expertise on ICTs and other areas at the intersection of science, technology and governance, International Geneva has established itself as a key hub for innovative development. Technological progress has brought about transformations and challenges for multilateralism that many of us have not fully grasped yet. If we encourage entrepreneurship particularly among the younger generations, who have grown up with the technologies and often have fascinating and innovative ideas of how they can be used, we can turn the tide. With the new governance frameworks, we have a powerful opportunity, not only to catch up, but to shape the future of development by maximizing the social impact of ICTs. And the ITU as well as many of the other organizations represented here today are playing a key role in helping us to get there.

To achieve these goals, we need to make sure that ICTs are incorporated across the works of the different entities in Geneva and beyond. We need to be open to new ideas that will enable us to harness the power of connectivity. With around 7 billion mobile phones globally, there is a direct line from the conference halls in Geneva to all corners of the world. If we build on these new realities, we can create the kind of inclusive development models that will be necessary to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and all other agendas that we have set for ourselves.

Thank you very much.