On November 29, the 17th UN Internet Governance Forum (IGF) officially opened in the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa. Its topic this year is "Resilient Internet for a Shared Sustainable and Common Future." Antonio M.A. Pedro, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), noted in his speech the exceptional importance of holding the Forum in Africa. He stressed that the inhabitants of the African continent are among those most in need of achieving global digitalization. Today, only one in three Africans use the Internet. At the same time, about 70% of the population technically have access to mobile Internet. But only about 20% use it.
The main reason for this gap, Mr. Pedro called the economic problem: mobile Internet services are often too expensive for residents of African countries. Another problem is low digital literacy. At the same time, the events of recent years - in particular, the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic - have given a powerful impetus to the development of online commerce, distance education, etc. And people who do not have access to the network risk being thrown even further back in terms of the development of human civilization.
This idea was supported by UN Secretary General António Guterres. His video message to the Forum participants was presented in Addis Ababa by Li Junhua, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs. In his speech, António Guterres pointed out the need to prevent the vicious circle of the digital divide: situations where people who do not have access to the global network or are not well-versed in modern technologies are constantly finding themselves in an increasingly vulnerable position because of this.
The UN Secretary General said that today about 3 billion inhabitants of our planet are still deprived of access to the Internet. Among other dangers, he named threats to the security and privacy of Internet users and the desire of some governments to use new technologies in order to control the behavior of their citizens.
António Guterres focused on the importance of freedom of speech and self-expression in the global network. He stated that the goal of technological progress is the digital future, however, digitalization should first of all serve a person and respect his rights and interests.
Ethiopian Prime Minister, Nobel Peace Prize winner Abiy Ahmed Ali made a closing speech. He thanked all participants of the Forum, wished them fruitful work and declared the XVII UN Forum on Internet Governance open.
