Islamabad:The United Nations has initiated a project aimed at bringing internet connectivity to every school worldwide, ensuring every young person has access to voice and choice in the digital revolution. This ambitious project comes at a time when one-third of the global population remains deprived of internet access. Efforts are underway in 34 countries to implement this initiative.
Through a collaboration between the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the “Giga Initiative” is now expanding its reach to 50 countries with the goal of connecting every school to the internet by 2030.
Speaking at the “Giga Forum,” held last week in Geneva, ITU Secretary-General Dorine Bogdan-Martin highlighted the UN’s commitment to ensuring that today, every individual, regardless of age, has a voice, choice, and opportunity in the burgeoning digital revolution.
Bogdan-Martin emphasized that schools without internet access have already been identified and solutions using satellite, open-source technology, and artificial intelligence have been implemented.
Financial resources amounting to $6 billion have been pooled over the past three years for the initiative. In addition to governmental support, collaboration with private sectors is crucial to establish the necessary infrastructure for connecting students to the internet.
ITU and UNICEF have established global communication centers and educational hubs in Geneva to assist both existing and new participant countries in achieving sustainable progress towards increasing internet access.
This initiative marks a significant step towards achieving global sustainable development goals related to increasing internet accessibility and ensuring equitable educational opportunities worldwide.
