Governments and companies from around the world made more than 360 pledges worth $18.55 billion to connect the digitally unconnected global population at an event held by UN agency the International Telecommunication Union in Rwanda.
The commitments will directly benefit billions of people, especially in developing countries where connectivity is lagging, the ITU said in a statement on Thursday.
The funding, services, technical support and other assistance will “improve people's access to — and readiness for — digital technologies. It will also foster digital ecosystems and incentivise investment in digital transformation”, it added.
ITU's Partner2Connect digital development event aimed to align global connectivity strategies with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
The event will prove to be a “tipping point" in supporting global connectivity, said the ITU’s secretary general Houlin Zhao.
“The pledges and commitments made in Kigali [Rwanda's capital] and in the months leading to this roundtable send a powerful message that together we can ramp up investments in ICT [Information and Communications Technology] development to leave no one offline," Mr Zhao said.
ITU, which is the UN’s specialised agency for ICT, has 193 member states and a membership of more than 900 companies, universities and international and regional organisations.
The coronavirus pandemic forced countries to impose widespread movement restrictions, prompting offices and schools to transition to remote working and online learning. This exposed the steep digital divide between countries, as those with poor connectivity lagged behind developed ones.
In developed countries, the internet penetration rate stands at 87 per cent, compared with 47 per cent in developing countries and 19 per cent in the least developed countries, according to a previous report by the ITU.
Nearly 2.9 billion people, or more than one-third of the world's population, have never connected to the internet, as per the agency's latest estimates.
The pledges announced at the roundtable were not only financial. They also included new commitments, policies and advocacy plans to bridge the digital divide, creating opportunities for new partnerships and alliances for global connectivity, the ITU said.
The pledges and commitments made in Kigali and in the months leading to this roundtable send a powerful message that together we can ramp up investments in ICT development
ITU’s secretary-general Houlin Zhao
During the event, the ITU's host country Switzerland pledged that Geneva would host the headquarters of Giga, a joint ITU-Unicef initiative to connect every school in the world to the internet by 2030.
“After months of collective work developing the Partner2Connect action framework and the pledging platform, together with ITU member states, civil society groups, philanthropic organisations, private and youth-led organisations, we are now setting a major milestone by gathering under one umbrella an unprecedented number of commitments to advance universal and meaningful connectivity," said Doreen Bogdan-Martin, director of the ITU's telecommunication development bureau.
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m
Winner: Ferdous, Szczepan Mazur (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-3 Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 2,400m
Winner: Basmah, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6pm: UAE Arabian Derby Prestige (PA) Dh150,000 2,200m
Winner: Ihtesham, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6.30pm: Emirates Championship Group 1 (PA) Dh1,000,000 2,200m
Winner: Somoud, Patrick Cosgrave, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
7pm: Abu Dhabi Championship Group 3 (TB) Dh380,000 2,200m
Winner: GM Hopkins, Patrick Cosgrave, Jaber Ramadhan
7.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Conditions (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: AF Al Bairaq, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
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Brahmastra%3A%20Part%20One%20-%20Shiva
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SQUADS
South Africa:
JP Duminy (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), AB de Villiers, Robbie Frylinck, Beuran Hendricks, David Miller, Mangaliso Mosehle (wkt), Dane Paterson, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Tabraiz Shamsi
Bangladesh
Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Imrul Kayes, Liton Das (wkt), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wkt), Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shafiul Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed
Fixtures
Oct 26: Bloemfontein
Oct 29: Potchefstroom
The specs
Engine: 2x201bhp AC Permanent-magnetic electric
Transmission: n/a
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 659Nm
Price estimate: Dh200,000
On sale: Q3 2022
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
