 Expanding access to digital technologies and services has been ITU's core mandate since its establishment. COVID-19 has demonstrated the critical nature of connectivity and the need for increased resilience of digital infrastructure to ensure that societies remain connected and functional even in the face of emergencies. As the global community is moving to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, ITU is working to ensure universal and affordable access to digital networks, services and applications in line with its Connect 2030 agenda. According to ITU's economic experts round table, countries with high quality digital infrastructure have been better prepared to mitigate the negative economic impact of COVID-19. But the digital divide has hampered socioeconomic progress, especially in underserved regions, such as sub-Saharan Africa, where 62% of people are not connected to the internet. Even in advanced economies, not everyone is connected. 14% of people in Western Europe do not have access or use the internet. Financial pressures caused by COVID-19 will make it even harder to connect everyone. In support to COVID-19, ITU's initiatives aim at supporting countries to leverage the potential of digital solutions to address the current global emergency and to plan and implement recovery. These initiatives aim to create a shared knowledge base on the regulatory, policy, financial interventions and the technology required to expand connectivity. ITU's Global Network Resiliency Platform, REG for COVID, helps policymakers, regulators and industry players worldwide to ensure that networks are kept resilient and telecom services are available to all to the maximum extent possible as they cope with the impact of COVID-19. Led by ITU and UNICEF, the GIGO initiative aims at catalyzing the funding required to bring connectivity to schools and communities. The smart villages platform, together with operators and small and medium-sized enterprises, provides interactive voice services on COVID-19 to everyone in Niger in five local languages. Launched in partnership with Cisco, ITU's Digital Transformation Centre's initiative focuses on providing digital skills to citizens, and in response to COVID-19, the centres have been offering a free of charge program on remote teaching. The Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, co-convened by ITU and UNESCO, put forward an agenda for action to extend internet access and boost capacity to fight COVID-19. ITU's new initiative, Connect to Recover, aims at reinforcing the digital infrastructure of beneficiary countries and supporting their COVID-19 recovery efforts and preparedness for the new normal, as well as potential future pandemics. ITU is launching the Connect to Recover initiative with the support of the governments of Japan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As highlighted in the United Nations Secretary General's roadmap for digital cooperation, COVID-19 has underscored the urgent need for digital cooperation and to provide affordable access to digital networks to every adult by 2030. In response to the UN Secretary General's call to build back better, ITU is calling on the international community to connect to recover and to build back better with Broadband.