Broadband Delivers on Poverty Reduction, Health, Transport, Education, Gender

Equality, Secretary-General Says in Message to Digital Development Commission

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s video message for the meeting of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development, in New York, 23 September:

It is a pleasure to greet all the participants in this meeting.  The Broadband Commission carries out essential work.  Information and communication technologies are playing a critical role in our efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

Broadband is a transformative technology.  Broadband has the potential to spark advances across all three pillars of sustainable development — economic prosperity, social inclusion and environmental sustainability.  Therefore, it will have a special role in the post-2015 development agenda.

Broadband can deliver results for poverty reduction, health, transport, education and gender equality.  Modern communications can inform and educate people, and enable them to express their human rights.  Above all, they can empower people to lead better, richer, more fulfilling lives.  The work and policy recommendations of your Commission are also helping the United Nations to build a modern, more efficient and effective instrument of service for humankind.

The United Nations system and I personally look forward to continuing to working with you to harness the full power of broadband for development.  Thank you for your advocacy and engagement.  Please accept my best wishes for a successful meeting.  Thank you.

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For information media • not an official record