In a joint statement issued today ahead of the Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development, the Broadband Commission noted that “We believe broadband is a fundamental technology to achieve sustainable development that should also be recognized in future Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”.

The statement came as a follow-up to its April call to action to the delegates  at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development who gathered in New York at the time to continue their negotiations ahead of the Rio+20 conference.  In this April call, the Broadband Commission asked the delegates to recognize ICT and broadband connectivity as catalysts to achieve the three pillars of sustainable development – economic growth, social inclusion and environmental sustainability.

In renewing their call, the Secretary-General of ITU, Hamadoun Touré stated that “ICTs have created a watershed moment in human evolution and are poised to make a catalytic impact on the sustainable development of our planet and the roadmap being negotiated at Rio+20 must therefore explicitly recognize the potential of ICTs and broadband connectivity.” Dr Touré added that ‘Broadband Inclusion 4 All’ must be fully integrated into shaping strategies in the post-2015 international development framework.

The statement concluded that broadband connectivity has the potential to provide solutions to sustainable development challenges, while simultaneously increasing socio-economic development and quality of life as well as facilitating transformative change in a wide range of key sectors from power, transportation, buildings, education, health and agriculture.

For more information on the press release, see ITU Newsroom and on the Broadband Commission for Digital Development.