51吃瓜

Excellencies,

Distinguished Colleagues,

I have the pleasure to welcome you all to this important side event, on boosting ‘SIDS resilience and prosperity through digital connectivity and transformation.

The SIDS are facing stark digital divide.  Only, 67 percent of the population of the SIDS are using the internet, compared with advanced economies where almost everyone is online.

There are also disparities within SIDS. For instance, in Papua New Guinea, only 3 per cent of the population are online, while in Singapore, almost the entire population enjoys digital connectivity.

It is imperative to bridge digital divides in SIDS for fostering economic development, promoting innovation, and enhancing their competitiveness.

The 4th International Conference on SIDS (SIDS4), which is going to be held in Antigua and Barbuda in just two months provides us a great opportunity to step up our efforts in this regard. 

The Partner2Connect initiative with its great track record and success story can play a game-changing role in this regard.

Beginning its journey in 2022, the P2C coalition has already made remarkable progress. Nearly 900 pledges have been made through this platform.  Among them, 132 pledges specifically target SIDS, amounting to around USD 24.9 billion.

These pledges span wide ranging areas including infrastructure, digital economy, skills, and digital inclusion.  Contributions have come from diverse stakeholders, including the private sector, development partners, international institutions, and most importantly, the SIDS themselves.

We must build on this momentum.

Just a few months ago, during one of the P2C meetings, I urged for more pledges, emphasizing the imperative of ensuring low-cost internet, investing in digital skills development, and removing key challenges that hinder universal access to internet in SIDS.

I also urged pledge makers to ensure that the process of accessing pledges is simple. Let us ensure that these commitments translate into tangible actions on the ground.

The SIDS4 conference is a once-in-a decade opportunity to do so.

The SIDS are eager to leverage this moment to foster new partnerships and collaborations, mobilizing political will and resources to bring about digital transformation in their countries.

The P2C initiative could play a crucial role in supporting this endeavour by fostering more pledges, collaboration, resource mobilization, and collective actions.

My Office will continue to collaborate with ITU and other partners to move forward this shared goal.

 I thank you all.