Digital Technologies for the SDGs

As one of the four pillars of the Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway, the connectivity objective forms an integral part of the Regional Cooperation Framework. The term connectivity is in reference to physical network design, the development of regional and intergovernmental negotiations as well as the improvement of regulations concerning open access.

The emphasis on connectivity has been driven by the need to enhance the regional broadband fiber-optic connectivity in the Asia-Pacific region as well as to better balance the undersea and terrestrial networks. Additionally, the connectivity pillar also advocates for the incorporation of regional connectivity opportunities such as the development of terrestrial fiber-optic cables into trans-border infrastructure development. It also fosters the collaboration and joint development of cross-regional studies and initiatives that are in relation the AP-IS Master Plan & Regional Cooperation Framework Document.

SDG 1.4:  By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership  and control over land and  other forms of property inheritance, natural resources appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance

SDG 1.4.1: Proportion of population living in households with access to basic services

SDG 5.b: Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular, information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women

SDG 5.b.1: Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex

SDG 9.b: Support domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries, including by ensuring a conducive policy environment for, inter alia, industrial diversification and value addition to commodities

SDG 9.b.1: Proportion of medium and high-tech industry value added in total value added

SDG 9.c: Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in least developed countries by 2020

SDG 9.c.1: Proportion of population covered by a mobile network, by technology

SDG 17.6:  Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism

SDG 17.6.1: Number of countries reporting progress in multistakeholder development effectiveness monitoring frameworks that support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 17.8: Fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries by 2017 and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology

SDG 17.8.1: Proportion of individuals using the Internet
 

SDG icons are listed in the order starting with direct and indirect relevance to the theme, from left to right

Progress to Date

Following the intergovernmental negotiations and the physical network designs in the Asia Pacific region, the notion of connectivity is reflecting   the state of integration of co-deployment with existing transport infrastructure networks, as well as existing regional agreements of the Asian Highway Network and the Trans-Asian Railway Network. The integration mentioned above signifies the intent of member states to promote regional and sub-regional ICT connectivity.

Following the intergovernmental negotiations built on consensus during the 5th Working Group on the Trans-Asian Railway Network, all member states should further explore the notion of public-private partnerships. The high dependency of the region on submarine cables (instead of terrestrial cables) is also creating issues within connectivity pillar.  Therefore there is a need to  advocate further the sub-regional terrestrial connectivity.

• Infrastructure Corridor Development Series:

  • Part I: In-Depth Analysis of Three Promising Infrastructure Corridors
  • Part II: Toolkit for Determining the Most Promising Scenario for Infrastructure Corridor Development
  • Part III: Calculation Results for Determining the Most Promising Scenario for Infrastructure Corridor Development
     
• The Infrastructure Co-deployment Partnership Portal: https://co-deployment.online/
   
  •  Portal Flyer
     
• The Infrastructure Corridors Simulator (Flyer)
   

E-Resilience is defined as the ability of a system, community or society exposed to hazards to resist, absorb, accommodate, adapt to, transform and recover from the effects of a hazard in a timely and efficient manner, including through the preservation and restoration of its essential basic structures and functions through risk management.

E-Resilience is one of the 4 pillars of the Asia Pacific Information Superhighway, an initiative aims to enhance the resilience of existing/planned Information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure through methods such as enhanced network diversity, while recognizing the importance of resilient infrastructure to sustainable development and the critical role played by ICT in disaster risk reduction and management. The surge in interest in e-resilience is closely linked with the fact that the Asia-Pacific region is the most disaster-prone region in the world. Dealing with the aftermath of any type of a disaster has many aspects. Each group of actors from government entities to the private sector, to community groups and the general public have roles to play. The lack of organized support services and access to infrastructure makes response and recovery a daunting task.

Information and communications technology (ICT) has been widely recognized as an indispensable development enabler that contributes to and accelerates achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In particular, SDG9 that encompasses building resilient infrastructure is highly relevant in the context of ICT for sustainable development. Considering the significant progress in the field of ICT and its heightened potential to strengthen the adaptive capacity of critical infrastructure and systems, e-resilience has gained traction in Asia and the Pacific.

The following list of global SDGs and related targets that can be monitored to track the progress on e-resilience:

SDG 9.a:  Facilitate sustainable and resilient infrastructure development in developing countries through enhanced financial, technological support to African countries, landlocked developing countries & small island developing States

SDG 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including     regional and trans-border       infrastructure, to support economic development & human well-being with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all.

SDG 13.1: strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate related hazards and natural disasters in all countries

SDG 13.1.3: Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies

SDG 13.b: Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing States, including focusing on women, youth and local and marginalized communities

SDG 13.b.1: Number of least developed countries and small island developing States that are receiving specialized support, and amount of support, including finance, technology and capacity-building, for mechanisms for raising capacities for effective climate change-related planning and management, including focusing on women, youth and local and marginalized communities

SDG 17.6.2: Fixed Internet broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, by Speed

SDG 17.8.1: Proportion of the individuals using the Internet
 

SDG icons are listed in the order starting with direct and indirect relevance to the theme, from left to right

Useful references:

Flyer: E-Resilience Monitoring Toolkit

https://data.unescap.org/

https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2019/The-Sustainable-Development-Goals-Report-2019.pdf

https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/news/sustainable/sdg-progress-reports-2019.html

https://www.unescap.org/commission/75/document/E75_INF5E.pdf

https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/monitoring-and-progress-hlpf/

http://drrgateway.net/e-resilience/about

https://www.unescap.org/our-work/ict-disaster-risk-reduction/e-resilience/about

https://www.unisdr.org/files/46052_disasterriskreductioninthe2030agend.pdf

https://lirneasia.net/2018/09/unescap-apis-emcomm

https://www.unescap.org/resources/cyber-resilience-asia-pacific-review-national-cybersecurity-strategies

Civil Society Organizations' Cyber Resilience - leaving no civil society organization behind in cyber resilience

A recent ESCAP study reports that the establishment of Internet exchange point (IXPs) can have positive impacts on affordability, latency and traffic capacity. An IXPs is a physical location where different Internet provider networks connect to exchange traffic with each other using a copper or fibre-optic cable through one or more ethernet switches or server.

The key role of an IXPs is to coordinate and link all Internet traffics locally within a country (or a group of countries), thereby reducing transit costs of traffics exchanged internationally, reduce Internet traffic tromboning effect, and improving the quality of domestic users’ access through more direct connections to local contents.

As a result, IXPs significantly improves the efficiency of Internet traffic resulting in cost savings. This is made possible by eliminating the routing of Internet traffics through expensive long-distance traffic routes outside the country. Also, consolidating of national traffic from different networks significantly improves national Internet traffic network management. It also eliminates the need for multiple physical links between local network operators and international operators. In addition, download speeds for websites improve significantly thereby encouraging the development of new local content and services as well as opportunities for productive use of Internet for other purposes such as e-commerce and e-government services.

The following list of global SDGs and related targets that can be monitored to track the progress on traffic and network management:

SDG 9.b: Support domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries, including by ensuring a conducive policy environment for, inter alia, industrial diversification and value addition to commodities

SDG 9.b.1: Proportion of medium and high-tech industry value added in total value added

SDG 9.5: Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending

SDG 9.5.1: Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP

SDG 16.10: Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreement

SDG 16.10.2: Number of countries that adopt and implement constitutional, statutory and/or policy guarantees for public access to information

SDG 17.6: Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism

SDG 17.6.2: Fixed Internet broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, by speed

SDG 17.8: Fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries by 2017 and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular, information and communications technology

SDG 17.8.1: Proportion of individuals using the Internet
 

SDG icons are listed in the order starting with direct and indirect relevance to the theme, from left to right

Useful resources of ESCAP (2018-2019): 

• Conclusions and recommendations of ‘Strengthening efficient Internet traffic management through a subregional Internet Exchange Point in Pacific Island Countries.’ 
• Estimating the effects of Internet Exchange Points on Fixed-broadband speed and latency
• Pacific-IX Desktop Feasibility Study

Broadband as a form of Internet access provides high call-up speeds, and is offered via digital subscriber line, fibre optic cable and satellite. Unless stated otherwise, broadband connectivity refers to both fixed-broadband and mobile-broadband connections with high-speed access to the public Internet (a TCP/IP connection), at downstream speeds equal to, or greater than, 256 kbit/s (as defined by ITU in “Definitions of World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators” (March, 2010). Broadband connectivity has enabled technological innovations and smart applications that can help address policy challenges in a wide range of development sectors.

The following list of global SDGs and related targets that can be monitored to track the progress on broadband for all:

SDG 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and trans-border infrastructure, to support economic development & human well-being with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all.

SDG 9.C: Significantly increase access to information & communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in least developed countries by 2020

SDG 9.c.1: Proportion of population covered by a mobile network, by technology

SDG 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth & adults who have relevant skills, including technical & vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.

SDG 4.4.1: Proportion of youth & adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills, by type of skill

SDG 17.8.1: Proportion of individuals using the Internet          

SDG icons are listed in the order starting with direct and indirect relevance to the theme, from left to right

Progress to Date

The impacts of the digital divide are extensive and include the perpetuation of poverty, gender inequality and marginalization. In contrast, basic digital access enhances opportunities for social development and the generation of knowledge economies. Thus, bridging the digital divide will play a critical role not only in members states’ socioeconomic development but also their progress towards achieving the SDGs. 

In terms of fixed broadband access, 17 ESCAP member states have less than 2 per cent of their populations covered; most of those countries’ growth is either flat or negative.² As for mobile, 14 member states have less than a third of their populations covered by mobile broadband.³ This is the current reality of the “digital divide” and highlights the necessity of promoting Broadband for All.  These issues must be addressed if the digitalization gains of this coming decade are to be shared by all.