 Why digital why now that's what we're all here to answer today, and my name is Doreen Bogdan Martin I'm the head of the ITU and if you've ever wondered what the ITU is for Think about us the next time you stream a video you look up and address on your device Or you do any of the things that are now part of your digital lives We're the UN agency behind the many complex systems technologies that power today's digital transformation Excellencies ladies and gentlemen dear colleagues and friends My name is Achim Steiner and I head the United Nations development program We are privileged to be working in 170 countries and UNDP is UN's lead development agency working to end poverty Inequality and climate change and to advance the Sustainable Development Goals Thank you for joining us for this event during the 78th United Nations General Assembly This year our global community is marking the midway point towards the 2030 agenda Much progress has been made towards the Sustainable Development Goals since 2015 and Important transformations are gathering pace Yet, we all know it is estimated that 15% of the STG targets are currently on track amidst an era of increasing uncertainty Emerging from COVID-19 we now confront an accelerating climate crisis violent conflicts at the highest level since World War two Including in Ukraine and the cost of living in finance debt crisis and have tipped millions more people into poverty Sharpening inequalities worldwide an era often referred to now as poly crisis However, the future is not predestined. We have choices We must confront and imagine the possible futures ahead So we can see where we might be able to steer change in the right direction towards the future. We want Just as we have shaped the world to what it is. We can make a new world in In particular the fourth industrial revolution and digital technologies hold almost limitless potential to drive game-changing progress Improving people's daily lives driving down poverty advancing gender equality and driving progress across the STG's Digital is opening brand new ways of working and thinking and new opportunities that we could not have imagined just a few years ago Digital technology, I believe is possibly the single greatest variable that is reshaping Development as we know it today Indeed countries all over the world over 40 right now have already invited you in DP often together with ITU to accompany them in Their digital transformation journeys to accelerate progress across all 17 STG's Doreen This new world that Akeem described as a world filled with new possibilities It's a world where a startup in Bangalore is using AI to decarbonize Decarbonize India's agriculture sector. It's a world where a young woman launched an online platform with around a thousand dollars And she's transforming the shopping experience in Rwanda Where 40% of the SDGs rely on earth observation and global navigation satellite systems But ladies and gentlemen, it's also a world that's filled with challenges a world where emerging Technologies like artificial intelligence raises ethical safety and accountability concerns Where too many people lack digital skills in sub-Saharan Africa alone over 200 million jobs are going to require such skills by 2030 It's a world where services They cost still too much too much They're too high for the poorest 40% of the population in many parts of the globe Where women account for a Disproportionate and a growing share of the global offline population Outnumbering male users by almost 20% and it all comes down to a single number 2.6 billion 2.6 billion people That's the number of people around the world that are still Unconnected worldwide and that's why Akeem and I are sharing the stage today because we believe We believe ladies and gentlemen in the transformative impact of digital and a shared digital future for all One that puts the SDGs back on track and the future Starts right here today during this SDG action weekend. We're going to show you not tell you What digital can do for people for our planet for prosperity and for peace These digital solutions are real The famous fintech platform and PESA is reaching millions of customers in Africa at a time when more than 350 million adults remain unbanked on the continent Giga the joint initiative between ITU and UNICEF to connect every school in the world has mapped Some 2 million schools in almost a hundred and forty countries helping to connect 5,700 schools and more than 2 million Students in 20 countries and let me also mention Something close to my heart very dear to me and that is partner to connect and each one of you We'll have an opportunity to make a commitment a commitment that helps us get closer to our new target a hundred billion US dollars in pledges towards meaningful connectivity and global digital transformation by 2026 all of these solutions are at the heart of SDG digital acceleration agenda the agenda that we will be launching today and Akeem and I wanted it to be our common Contribution to the SDG summit As Doreen has mentioned this new report provides countries with a range of real-world examples that can accelerate progress on Yes, literally 70 percent of the hundred and sixty nine SDG targets Please allow me to highlight just a few Consider the UN biodiversity lab that provides decision-makers with spatial data to put nature at the heart of sustainable development of war Consider the smart health facilities something that we support in UNDP They are using smart technology to advance more reliable tracking and delivery of critical medical supplies in new green medical storage solutions It has been implemented in countries such as Guinea-Bissau India Indonesia South to me in principle South Sudan and Uganda and the list could go on They have resulted in reliable tracking and delivery of over 2 billion routine Immunization and COVID-19 vaccines to date while also dramatically reducing emissions Indeed digital public infrastructure or DPI Will be crucial to allow governments to extend such services to citizens This represents the digital roads and bridges of our time that countries can then extend vital services to communities Everything from e-health and online education to digital cash transfers in The afternoon we will also have a session on the ITU UNDP joint high-impact initiative on digital public infrastructure Which will bring together leaders across member states international financial institutions the private sector and civil society To create a more inclusive society with safe accessible green Financed and future ready DPI before concluding this event. It's doable Ladies and gentlemen digital is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to put the SDGs back on track That's why we're here today. That's what we're starting We want this to generate for to resonate for generations and generations to come We firmly believe it's the greatest test. It's the greatest opportunity of our time And at the same time we must ensure that data and digital technology are used safely and responsibly To benefit everyone everywhere while safeguarding our national environment It is imperative that we support people-centered Rights-based and inclusive approaches to ensure that no one is left behind That will require new forms of cooperation so that everyone Everyone can build their own digital futures To help turn those hopes and aspirations into a reality We will hear from global leaders late in the afternoon who will detail a range of new commitments to help build our digital public infrastructure across the world 17 goals 17 digital solutions 2.6 billion reasons to connect the world