ITU Partner2Connect programme commits $50.96bn to bridge global digital divide

Joy Agwunobi   

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU), a specialised agency of the United Nations that focuses on digital technologies, has announced a $4.8 billion  in investment commitments to advance global connectivity. This brings the total pledges aimed at closing the digital divide through the ITU’s Partner2Connect Digital Coalition (P2C) to $50.96 billion, which is more than half of the coalition’s $100 billion target by 2026.

The announcement was made  during the plenary session of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS +20) forum in Geneva, Switzerland. The event also saw the introduction of new commitments that harness Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve digital access, adoption, and inclusion.

The latest round of investments in global connectivity, announced by the ITU, include some of the leading industry players and governments. Among the notable contributions are: AT&T, an American telecom company, has pledged $3 billion to connect 25 million people in hard-to-reach areas of the United States by 2030. This brings their total commitment to narrowing the digital divide to $5 billion since 2021.

Additionally, the Government of Canada has invested CAD 2 billion ($1.46 billion) in the AI Compute Access Fund to support AI businesses and researchers in Canada by providing computing infrastructure. Additionally, Canada has committed CAD 400 million ($ 292 million) to promote the adoption of AI across the country’s economy, helping small and medium-sized enterprises integrate AI into their businesses, upskilling workers, and establishing the Canadian AI Safe Institute to mitigate the risks of advanced AI systems.

Microsoft also  made a new pledge to prioritise projects and partnerships that rapidly accelerate the inclusion and representation of people with disabilities in technology, including AI, systems, designs, and features.

According to Doreen Bogdan-Martin, the ITU secretary-general, closing the digital divide requires a collaborative effort. She expressed her excitement at the new commitments, which have united the Partner2Connect Digital Coalition (P2C) and the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) to break through the halfway point in their goal of extending the benefits of digital connectivity to everyone, everywhere.

“Because of the leadership, vision and ambition of P2C’s pledgers, millions of people will be given the opportunity to have more accessible, more affordable digital technologies for socio-economic growth, improved health, and everything that makes connectivity meaningful. It’s extremely exciting to see new pledges begin to leverage the power of artificial intelligence to transform the inclusive digital societies we all aspire to build,” she added. 

The ongoing WSIS+20 Forum High-Level, holding between May 27th to 31st, brings together stakeholders to reflect on the progress and challenges of the forum for the  past two decades. The event will serve as a platform for over 160 nations  as well as various stakeholders from the private sector, civil society, academia,  the technical community, the UN System, and intergovernmental organisations to discuss crucial issues shaping the world such as artificial intelligence, space for sustainable development and other rapidly evolving topics.

The outcome of the WSIS+20 Forum is expected to contribute to the UN General Assembly’s review of WSIS+20 in September 2025. The development aims to determine how the WSIS processes can support the implementation of the Global Digital Compact, which is expected to be agreed upon during the Summit of the Future later this year.