Overview

COVID-19 is accelerating the pace of digital transformation. In so doing, it is opening the opportunities for advancing social progress and fostering social inclusion, while simultaneously exacerbating the risk of increased inequalities and exclusion of those who are not digitally connected. Leaving no one behind also means leaving no one offline. Enabling affordable access to the Internet for everyone and investing in their digital skills is critical. Of the $428 billion estimated cost to get everyone online by 2030, around $40 billion should be addressed to developing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) skills and content. Governments should design targeted measures to address the barriers that vulnerable groups face in overcoming the digital divide. Governments, in cooperation with relevant stakeholders, need to develop a commonly agreed framework for closing the digital divide and support efforts towards the digital inclusion of disadvantaged and marginalized groups. The four key dimensions of such a framework are: access, affordability, skills, and awareness / relevance of online content. A holistic approach, drawing on multi-stakeholder partner-ships, is needed in the design of inclusive ICTs, Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policy, and regulatory environments that facilitate digital inclusion.