Connectivity – Situation Assessment ​“What we do know, What we need to know"

During the COVID-19 global pandemic, digital technologies and connectivity have become a critical enabler facilitating continuity of our regular livesand connecting people more than ever before. As more cities and countries ask citizens to stay at home, more people are turning to their computers and smartphones as a lifeline and tools to substitute their in-person activities online. However, as 46% of the global population/3.6. billion people are still without access, the lack of connectivity (digital divide) also becomes a more obvious and immediate matter, which translates directly into missed socio-economic opportunities, such as teleworking, distance learning, e-commerce, and even telemedicine; and will eventually worsen and widen the inequality gap in our society. In addition,countries vary widely in terms of their digital capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to outbreaks.“Bridging the digitaldivide”, together with capacity building, data protection and human rights, digital public good, as well as digital trust and safety, has been key part of the follow-up discussions to the Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation. Building on these discussions, the Office of the Special Adviser, UN Under Secretary-General Fabrizio Hochschild, in partnership with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), is now organizing a series of Webinars on Digital Cooperation in response to COVID-19. Under the overall theme of “Digital Cooperation during COVID19 and beyond”, This Webinar series will start with adiscussion on assessing the current situation of connectivity and network resilience in different regions,and so to understand what we need to do or can do as emergency responses or actions to secure and network; to reduce the digital gap; and so to enhance stable and affordable access for people who remain unconnected