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UN Tripartite Jointly Launches Digital Infrastructure Catalysis Initiative

(New York, September , 2025) During the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the World Bank officially launched the "Digital Infrastructure Investment Catalyser Initiative" to address the challenge of the global digital divide through collective action and remove bottlenecks in digital development for underdeveloped regions.

However, the global imbalance in digital development remains prominent: 2.6 billion people are still "offline", and the Internet penetration rate in low-income countries is only 27%, less than one-third of that in high-income countries (93%). The funding gap has become an even more critical bottleneck — the Sub-Saharan Africa region needs 14 billion US dollars annually to bridge connectivity gaps, yet the actual funds received account for only 5% of the demand. This directly prevents local schools from accessing online education and hospitals from obtaining telemedicine support, severely hindering the digitalization of public services.

The initiative outlines three core objectives: aggregating global capital through innovative financing models to fill the funding gap, promoting cross-border data sharing and mutual recognition of technical standards to reduce access costs, and conducting inclusive digital skills training to enhance usability. Ultimately, it aims to achieve "universal and meaningful Internet access for all" by 2030, ensuring that all key public service facilities such as schools and hospitals are covered by digital networks.

In terms of implementation, the three initiating institutions will perform their respective roles: UNCTAD is responsible for providing investment intelligence and policy framework design; ITU offers technical standards and on-the-ground implementation experience; and the World Bank leads the development of financing schemes and project execution. Meanwhile, the initiative will adopt an open platform model to engage governments, private sectors, and civil society organizations worldwide, forming a multi-stakeholder collaborative force to make digital connectivity a true "accelerator" for global sustainable development.

A UN official noted that the long-term vision of the initiative is to position digital connectivity as a core driver of inclusive development, facilitate the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), effectively ensure that "no one is left behind in the digital transformation", and ultimately enable all countries and groups around the world to equitably share the dividends of digitalization.