Digital Public Infrastructure Can Help Solve Global Woes, Secretary-General Tells Ministerial Event

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the ministerial event on Digital Public Infrastructure for an Equitable Recovery, held today:

Excellencies and friends,

The international community is facing immense challenges.  We are striving to respond to and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, while dealing with mounting climate disruption, rising inequality and utterly unsustainable patterns of production and consumption.

Digital public infrastructure can help solve all these challenges.  Building safe and secure digital systems improves access to public services, helps scientists better understand and respond to the climate crisis, and can mitigate and prevent future pandemics.

Better digital public infrastructure also helps to close the digital divide.  Recent studies show that countries with low broadband connectivity can make significant development gains by connecting schools to the internet.

My Roadmap for Digital Cooperation highlights the importance of digital public goods and open-source technologies.  These tools can help Governments and businesses to turbo-charge sustainable development.

The United Nations is here to serve as a platform for building a more equitable, open and safe digital commons for all.  Thank you, and I wish you a successful meeting.