The Geneva Cities Hub has joined the ITU Partner2Connect Digital Coalition (P2C) and will promote the objectives supported by the P2C within its network of representatives of Local and Regional Governments (LRGs) on all continents to harness the enormous potential of digitalization to improve people’s lives and fast forward progress on the SDGs.
The GCH has made a pledge to raise awareness among LRGs about the activities of the Coalition and the important role they can play to scale-out efforts to increase meaningful connectivity in cities. GCH has committed to engaging relevant stakeholders to mobilize in favor of meaningful connectivity, including unlocking additional resources for local and subnational projects to connect the hardest to reach communities. GCH will continue to strengthen its cooperation with ITU.
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) form the backbone of today’s digital economy and have enormous potential to fast forward progress on the SDGs and improve people’s lives in fundamental ways. The Partner2Connect Digital Coalition is a multistakeholder alliance launched by ITU in close cooperation with the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology and with the UN Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Islands Developing States (UNOHRLLS).
The Partner2Connect Digital Coalition is aligned with the UN Secretary-General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation, with the WSIS action lines and the SDGs to foster meaningful connectivity and digital transformation globally. It serves as a leadership level platform to engage all stakeholders to mobilize and announce new resources, partnerships, and commitments to achieve universal and meaningful connectivity. LRGs are key stakeholders in this respect and therefore should be given access to the process.
The Coalition is based on the principles of inclusion, partnershipandSDG-focused digital development. It recognizes that progress can only be achieved through a multistakeholder based approach that involves the direct leadership of governments, policy makers and the regulatory community. The Partner2Connect Digital Coalition supports the implementation of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation and the UN Secretary General’s report: “Our Common Agenda”, in close collaboration with the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology.
