Page 66 - Contributed Paper Session (CPS) - Volume 5

CPS904 Saeed Fayyaz et al.
environmental sustainability. The SDGs include several bold objectives to be
achieved by the year 2030, including universal coverage in health, education,
poverty eradication and modern energy services. Also, The Internet and
mobile phones have spread around the world to such an extent that, according
to the World Bank, more households in developing countries own a mobile
phone than have access to electricity or clean water. Nearly 70% of the poorest
fifth of the population in developing countries own a mobile phone. Global
society is more connected than ever before, but the question that has not been
asked is how ICT infrastructure can help countries bring an end to extreme
poverty, inequality, and climate change by 2030?
Achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will
require a step change in information and communication technology (ICT)
infrastructure, access and affordability. To facilitate achievement of SDGs the
cross-cutting Information Communication Technology (ICT) plays an
extremely vital catalytic role. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
recognizes the great potential of global connectivity to spur human progress.

2. Review on ICT statistics
The demand for information and communication technology (ICT)
statistics has risen sharply as countries recognize the benefits and potential of
ICT as a tool for social and economic development. To reap the benefits of the
rapidly changing information society, governments need to monitor and
benchmark progress based on measurable indicators with a view to designing
and reviewing national policies and strategies. ICT should be tracked
holistically in different goals of SDGs so as to provide better achieving to the
goals and as a result core list of ICT statistics should be updated dynamically.
[1]
The country-by-country study - thought to be the first of its kind - was
carried out by ICT leader Huawei in collaboration with the think tank
Sustainability and leading European business network CSR Europe. In recently
study on EU countries, the EU ICT-Sustainable Development Goals Benchmark,
ranks EU countries on development of their ICT sector and achievements on
six of the 17 SDGs. The report said that those EU countries with advanced ICT
sectors and information societies perform better on sustainable development
- with high-speed broadband at the core of progress. It concludes that the ICT
sector “can offer solutions to advance most, if not every single one of the
goals.” European Commissioner responsible for jobs, growth, investment and
competitiveness Jyrki Katainen, said the ICT sector can play a “significant role”
in achieving the SDGs and that the report’s findings offered “clear evidence
that the digital revolution can help communities in Europe become more
sustainable and environmentally friendly.” [2]

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