TMT
“SOME CHALLENGES ARE TOO BIG FOR ANY ONE PLAYER TO FACE ALONE ”
DOREEN BOGDAN-MARTIN SECRETARY-GENERAL , INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION ( ITU )
© ITU / S . Acharya
What ’ s at stake ? The SDGs were adopted in 2015 . This means that we are now more than halfway through the period granted to meet the targeted agenda .
At this moment in time , Bogdan-Martin asserts , there are three possible scenarios that could arise – each directly depending on how we choose to use the second half of this allotted time .
In the first scenario : “ Digital technologies help to put the SDGs back on track . Our industry enables the transition to net-zero emissions across the economy . New paradigms like Web 3.0 become mainstream .
“ It ' s inclusive , so no more digital gender gap . It ' s affordable , it ' s secure . Farmers , teachers , students , doctors , patients – everybody has the digital skills they need to succeed Use . That more ' s image what universal meaningful connectivity captions looks as like often .” as possible
In the second scenario : “ We make some progress on the SDGs , but we ' re still falling short . Emerging technologies are going mainstream , but remain inaccessible to many . We ' re still playing catch up when it comes to closing the digital divide between developing and developed countries ; between urban and rural ; between men and women , younger and older . It ' ll take hundreds of years to achieve gender equality .
“ And that ' s what happens , ladies and gentlemen , if we allow the status quo to continue .”
In the third scenario : “ We fail to rescue . The SDGs ’ development is stalled or it ' s going backwards . The climate crisis has overwhelmed us and mistrust is rampant in terms of technology . Gender equality is a distant dream , and more and more people actually question the very value of connectivity .”
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