Information and Communications Technologies for Sustainable Development

A/RES/76/189View PDF

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 17Information and communications technologies for sustainable development, published in 2021.

What other versions does this mandate have?

9 versions · 2018–2025

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/80/118

2025A/RES/80/118Information and communications technologies for sustainable developmentLatestCompare with previous version
2024A/RES/79/194Information and communications technologies for sustainable developmentCompare with previous version
2023A/RES/78/132Information and communications technologies for sustainable developmentCompare with previous version
2022A/RES/77/150Information and communications technologies for sustainable developmentCompare with previous version
2022A/RES/76/189Information and communications technologies for sustainable developmentCompare with previous version

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

What subjects does this mandate have?

6 topics

Communication Technology Developing Countries Digital Divide Information Technology Sustainable Development Technology Transfer

What does this mandate say?

47 operative paragraphs

Recognizes that information and communications technologies have the potential to provide new solutions to development challenges, particularly in the context of globalization, and can foster sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth and sustainable development, competitiveness, access to information and knowledge, trade and development, poverty eradication and social inclusion that will help to expedite the integration of all countries, especially developing countries, in particular the least developed countries, into the global economy;

Welcomes the remarkable evolution and diffusion of information and communications technologies, underpinned by the contributions of both the public and private sectors, which have seen penetration into almost all corners of the globe, created new opportunities for social interactions, enabled new business models and contributed to economic growth and development in all other sectors, while noting the unique and emerging challenges related to their evolution and diffusion;

Recognizes the potential of information and communications technologies to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other internationally agreed development goals, noting that they can accelerate progress across all 17 Sustainable Development Goals, accordingly urges all Governments, the private sector, civil society, international organizations, the technical and academic communities and all other relevant stakeholders to integrate information and communications technologies into their approaches to implementing the Goals, and requests United Nations system entities facilitating the World Summit on the Information Society action lines to review their reporting and workplans to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda;

Reaffirms its commitment to bridging digital and knowledge divides, recognizes that its approach must be multidimensional and include an evolving understanding of what constitutes access, emphasizing the quality of that access, and acknowledges that speed, stability, affordability, language, local content and accessibility for persons with disabilities are now core elements of quality and that high-speed broadband is already an essential enabler of sustainable development;

Stresses the important role played by the private sector, civil society and technical communities in information and communications technologies;

Encourages strengthened and continuing cooperation between and among stakeholders from both developed and developing countries, within their respective roles and responsibilities, to ensure the effective implementation of the outcomes of the Geneva and Tunis phases of the World Summit on the Information Society, through, inter alia, the promotion of national, regional and international multi-stakeholder partnerships, including public-private partnerships, and the promotion of national and regional multi-stakeholder thematic platforms in a joint effort and dialogue with developing countries, including the least developed countries, development partners and actors in the information and communications technologies sector;

Welcomes the operationalization of the Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries, and invites Member States, as well as international organizations, foundations and the private sector, to provide voluntary financial contributions and technical assistance to ensure its full and effective implementation;

Notes the progress that has been made by United Nations system entities in cooperation with national Governments, regional commissions and other stakeholders, including non-governmental organizations and the private sector, in the implementation of the action lines contained in the outcome documents of the World Summit on the Information Society, and encourages the use of those action lines for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda;

Also notes that the digital economy is an important and growing part of the global economy and that connectivity is correlated with increases in gross domestic product, and recognizes the critical importance of expanding the participation of all countries, in particular developing countries, in the digital economy;

Encourages countries to take advantage of capacity-building mechanisms and opportunities from the entire United Nations system in this regard;

Urges a continued focus on maximizing development gains from e-commerce, through initiatives such as eTrade for All, launched by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, which provides a new approach to trade development through electronic exchanges by allowing developing countries to more easily navigate the supply of technical assistance for building capacity in e-commerce readiness and by enabling donors to have a clear picture of the programmes that they could fund;

Recognizes in this regard that the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development has initiated and implemented rapid e-trade readiness assessments of the least developed countries in cooperation with other donors and organizations in order to raise awareness of the opportunities and challenges related to leveraging e-commerce in the least developed countries;

Welcomes the holding of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on E-commerce and the Digital Economy, from 27 to 29 April 2022, and the second meeting of the Working Group on Measuring E-commerce and the Digital Economy, in May 2021, and takes note of the publication by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development of the new Manual for the Production of Statistics on the Digital Economy;

Looks forward to the holding of E-commerce Week, from 25 to 29 April 2022, in Geneva, under the theme “Data and digitalization for development”,

Welcomes the work of the Information for All Programme of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, which aims to assist Member States in formulating policies to bridge digital divides and ensure equitable knowledge societies, and also welcomes the holding of Global Media and Information Literacy Week from 24 to 31 October 2021;

Recognizes that, despite recent progress and significant gains, there is still uneven growth in access to and the use of information and communications technologies, and expresses concern over the substantial continued digital and broadband divides between and within developed and developing countries, including the fact that while 87 per cent of people use the Internet in developed countries, only 44 per cent of the population of developing countries is online, and that the cost of access is higher in developing countries in relation to average household income, resulting in a lack of affordable access to information and communications technologies;

Also recognizes the importance of broadband access to all developing countries, and calls upon all stakeholders, including the international community, to support further actions, including investment, to improve broadband access and connectivity in these countries;

Further recognizes the importance of broadband connectivity to users in rural and remote areas, and in this regard notes that small and non-profit community operators, as appropriate and among others, can provide these services through, inter alia, appropriate regulatory measures that allow them to gain access to basic infrastructure;

Encourages research and development, and the development of viable strategies that could result in further competitiveness, investment and rapid reductions in the cost of information and communications technologies, and urges all relevant stakeholders to address the growing digital divides between and within countries through, inter alia, strengthened enabling policy environments at all levels, legal and regulatory frameworks conducive to increased investment and innovation, public-private partnerships, universal access strategies and international cooperation to improve affordability, education, capacity-building, multilingualism, cultural preservation, investment and technology transfer on mutually agreed terms;

Recognizes that a gender digital divide persists and that, worldwide, 55 per cent of men use the Internet compared with 48 per cent of women, notes that in the least developed countries only 15 per cent of women use the Internet, compared with 29 per cent of men, and calls upon all stakeholders to ensure the full participation of women in the information society and women’s access to information and communications technologies for development, including new technologies, in this respect reiterates its request for relevant United Nations system entities, including the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), to support the implementation and monitoring of the action lines contained in the outcome documents of the World Summit on the Information Society by enhancing the emphasis on gender equality and women’s empowerment, and reaffirms the commitment to ensuring women’s full participation in decision-making processes related to information and communications technologies;

Notes the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society at the regional level, facilitated by the regional commissions, as observed in the report of the Secretary-General on the progress made in the implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the World Summit at the regional and international levels;

Encourages the United Nations funds and programmes and the specialized agencies, within their respective mandates and strategic plans, to contribute to the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society, and emphasizes the importance of allocating adequate resources in this regard;

Acknowledges the extension of the mandate of the Internet Governance Forum through 2025, as set out in the outcome document of the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the overall review of the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society;

Recognizes the importance of the Internet Governance Forum and its mandate as a forum for multi-stakeholder dialogue on various matters, as reflected in paragraph 72 of the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society, including discussion of public policy issues related to key elements of Internet governance, and requests the Secretary-General to continue to submit, as part of his annual reporting on the progress made in the implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society at the regional and international levels, information on the progress made in the implementation of the recommendations contained in the report of the Working Group on Improvements to the Internet Governance Forum, in particular those on enhancing the participation of developing countries;

Stresses the need for the enhanced participation of Governments and stakeholders from all developing countries, in particular the least developed countries, in all meetings of the Internet Governance Forum, and in this regard invites Member States, as well as other relevant stakeholders, to support the participation of Governments and all other stakeholders from developing countries in the Forum itself, as well as in the preparatory meetings;

Notes the work of the Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation, established by the Chair of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development as requested by the General Assembly in its resolution 70/125, to develop recommendations on how to further implement enhanced cooperation as envisioned in the Tunis Agenda, and also notes that the Working Group ensured the full involvement of Governments and other relevant stakeholders, in particular from developing countries, taking into account all their diverse views and expertise;

Also notes that the Working Group held five meetings between September 2016 and January 2018 at which it discussed inputs from Member States and other stakeholders, as stipulated by the General Assembly in its resolution 70/125;

Recalls the report of the Chair of the Working Group, which includes references to the full texts of all proposals and contributions, and expresses its gratitude to the Chair and all participants who submitted inputs and contributed to the work of the Working Group;

Welcomes the good progress made by the Working Group in many areas and the fact that consensus seemed to emerge on some issues, while significant divergence of views in a number of other issues persisted, and in that regard regrets that the Working Group could not find agreement on recommendations on how to further implement enhanced cooperation as envisioned in the Tunis Agenda;

Recognizes the importance of enhanced cooperation in the future, to enable Governments, on an equal footing, to carry out their roles and responsibilities in international public policy issues pertaining to the Internet, and notes the need for continued dialogue and work on the implementation of enhanced cooperation as envisioned in the Tunis Agenda;

Encourages the use of and engagement with forums and expertise available within relevant United Nations bodies, such as the Commission on Science and Technology for Development, by all relevant stakeholders to promote global digital cooperation;

Recognizes that a lack of access to affordable and reliable technologies and services remains a critical challenge in many developing countries, in particular African countries, the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, small island developing States, middle-income countries, countries in situations of conflict, post-conflict countries and countries affected by natural disasters, and that all efforts should be deployed to reduce the price of information and communications technologies and broadband access, bearing in mind that deliberate interventions, including through research and development and technology transfer on mutually agreed terms, may be necessary to spur the development of lower-cost connectivity options;

Also recognizes that information and communications technologies present new opportunities and challenges and that there is a pressing need to address the major impediments that developing countries face in engaging with and accessing new technologies, such as an appropriate enabling environment, sufficient resources, infrastructure, education, capacity, investment and connectivity, as well as issues related to technology ownership, setting standards and technology flows, and in this regard urges all stakeholders to consider ensuring appropriate financing of digital development and adequate means of implementation, including strengthened capacity-building of developing countries, particularly the least developed countries, towards a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy;

Further recognizes the need to harness the potential of information and communications technologies as critical enablers of sustainable development and to overcome digital divides, and stresses that capacity-building for the productive use of such technologies should be given due consideration in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development;

Notes that, while a solid foundation for capacity-building in information and communications technologies has been laid in many areas with regard to building the information society, there is still a need for continuing efforts to address the ongoing challenges, especially for developing countries and the least developed countries, and draws attention to the positive impact of broadened capacity development that involves institutions, organizations and entities dealing with information and communications technologies and Internet governance issues;

Recognizes the importance of assisting developing countries, in particular the least developed countries, to address the challenges and opportunities in relation to the use of the Internet and e-commerce to develop their international trade capacities, among other things;

Also recognizes the importance of the free flow of information and knowledge, as the amount of information distributed worldwide grows and the role of communication becomes all the more important, and acknowledges that the mainstreaming of information and communications technologies in school curricula, open access to data, the fostering of competition, the creation of transparent, predictable, independent and non-discriminatory regulatory and legal systems, proportionate taxation and licensing fees, access to finance, the facilitation of public-private partnerships, multi-stakeholder cooperation, national and regional broadband strategies, efficient allocation of the radio frequency spectrum, infrastructure-sharing models, community-based approaches and public access facilities have in many countries facilitated significant gains in connectivity and sustainable development;

Calls upon all stakeholders to keep the goal of bridging digital divides, in their different forms, an area of priority concern, to put into effect sound strategies that contribute to the development of e-government and to continue to focus on pro-poor information and communications technology policies and applications, including access to broadband at the grass-roots level, with a view to narrowing the digital divides among and within countries and, in turn, building information and knowledge societies;

Notes the commitments made in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, and recognizes that official development assistance and other concessional financial flows for information and communications technologies can make significant contributions to development outcomes, in particular where they can reduce the risk of public and private investment, and increase the use of information and communications technologies to strengthen good governance and tax collection;

Invites all relevant stakeholders to support more comprehensively those countries that are trailing in the digital economy in order to reduce the digital divides, strengthen the international enabling environment for value creation and build capacities in both the private and public sectors;

Recognizes the critical importance of private sector investment in information and communications technology infrastructure, content and services, encourages Governments to create legal and regulatory frameworks conducive to increased investment and innovation, and also recognizes the importance of public-private partnerships, universal access strategies and other approaches to that end;

Welcomes the holding of the sixth annual Economic and Social Council forum on financing for development follow-up, takes note of its intergovernmentally agreed conclusions and recommendations, looks forward to further advancement in the follow-up process, and welcomes the work of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Financing for Development, the progress made in operationalizing the three components of the Technology Facilitation Mechanism and the holding of the sixth annual multi-stakeholder forum on science, technology and innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals;

Reaffirms the commitment at the very heart of the 2030 Agenda to leave no one behind and commit to taking more tangible steps to support people in vulnerable situations and the most vulnerable countries and to reach the furthest behind first;

Recognizes the important role of information and communications technologies for attaining the Sustainable Development Goals and for a sustainable, inclusive and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and calls upon all stakeholders in the information and communications technologies sector, including Governments and the United Nations system, to fully consider the health and socioeconomic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic as they strengthen their efforts to bridge the digital divides within and between developed and developing countries, with particular attention to the poorest and most vulnerable, as well as women and girls, and to ensuring affordable and reliable connectivity, the promotion of digital access and digital inclusion, and the expansion of accessible and inclusive distance-learning solutions and digital health services;

Takes note of the recommendations of the Secretary-General, in his report entitled “Our Common Agenda”, to improve digital cooperation, with a view to bridging digital divides and accelerating the positive contribution that digital technologies can play in society, including towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its seventy-seventh session, through the Commission on Science and Technology for Development and the Economic and Social Council, an action-oriented report on the status of the implementation of and follow-up to the present resolution, taking into account the 2030 Agenda, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the review process of the World Summit on the Information Society, the summary by the Co-Chairs of the multi-stakeholder forum on science, technology and innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals and other relevant processes, as part of his annual report on the progress made in the implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society at the regional and international levels;

Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its seventy-seventh session the item entitled “Information and communications technologies for sustainable development”, unless otherwise agreed.

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