Minister Suvi Lindén will be attending the first conference of the UN Broadband Commission for Digital Development on Sunday, 11 July. Numerous high-level actors will be convening in Geneva to discuss the role of broadband and ICT in developing countries. The Commission's task is to find ways which can be used to ensure that the citizens of developing countries would have access to functional broadband connections.
Finland was the first country in the world to declare Internet access a universal service, which should be available to each and every citizen.
- This has attracted an enormous amount of interest all over the world. Making broadband available even in developing countries supports economic and social development, states Minister Lindén.
The Broadband Commission's objective is to issue recommendations to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals by using the possibilities of information society and information technology. The UN Millennium Development Goals aim to solve major development problems by 2015.
- In addition to achieving the Millennium Development Goals, broadband coverage is also vital to the business sector. ICT is a key generator of growth and productivity, stresses Lindén.
The Commission chairs are President of Rwanda Paul Kagame and Carlos Slim Helú, Honorary Lifetime Chairman of telecommunications giant Grupo Carson. The Commission will submit its findings to the UN General Assembly in New York in September. The other members of the Broadband Commission: http://www.itu.int/bbcommission/commissioners.html
Minister Lindén was invited to join the UN Broadband Commission in May.
Further information:
Special Adviser to the Minister of Communications Anna Anttinen tel. +358 (0)9 160 28324,
[email protected]
