{"id":152749,"date":"2020-05-15T06:00:43","date_gmt":"2020-05-15T11:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ict-pulse.com\/?p=152749"},"modified":"2020-05-14T16:45:28","modified_gmt":"2020-05-14T21:45:28","slug":"attention-covid-19-focus-sdgs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2020\/05\/attention-covid-19-focus-sdgs\/","title":{"rendered":"With our attention on COVID-19, is it really necessary that we also focus on the SDGs?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many of us have forgotten about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and perhaps no longer believe they are relevant. However, they may be even more crucial, as we look towards the future in the face of COVID-19, and even beyond.<\/em><\/p>\n

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If you blink, you might miss it. This coming Sunday, 17 May, is World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD), which marks the founding date of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU)<\/a> in 1865. Every year since 1969, WTISD is an opportunity to not only appreciate the advancements in telecoms and ICT that have been made, but more importantly, to also highlight issues that deserve our attention. This year, the focus is on achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).<\/p>\n

The SDGs? For many of us, the SDGs have fallen off our radar, generally, and more so thanks to COVID-19, also known as the novel coronavirus, which was discovered nearly six months ago, and had become a global pandemic less than two months later. At the time of writing, there have been over 4.5\u00a0million confirmed infections and over 300,000 fatalities worldwide.<\/p>\n

In the absence of a vaccine or an effective treatment, and to reduce the rate of infection, countries have been enforcing self-isolation measures, such as the closure of schools, people working from home, curfews and countrywide lockdowns, to name a few. The result has been considerable reliance on telecoms and ICT, especially the Internet, to help us continue working (as appropriate), for children to continue their education, and for us to stay connected to our families and friends.<\/p>\n

Truth be told, and since January 2020, we have been inundated with news about COVID-19. It is all we have been giving our attention, and very few non-COVID-19-related news items makes the headlines these days. However, the ITU is highlighting the SDGs. Why?<\/p>\n

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A quick primer on the SDGs<\/h3>\n
A follow-on from the Millennium Development Goals of the 2000s, the SDGs are part of the *2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development<\/em>, which was adopted by United Nations General Assembly in 2015. The SDGs were conceptualised to be a \u201c**blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all<\/a><\/em>\u201d, and comprise 17 goals, which are listed in infographic below.<\/p>\n*
$\"\"$ <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
It is highlighted that there is no specific goal with respect to telecoms or ICT. Instead, it is expected that telecoms and ICT will be suitably leveraged to accelerate progress towards realisation of all of the goals, whilst bridging the digital divide, as appropriate.<\/p>\n
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COVID-19 and the digital divide<\/h3>\n
With our increasing reliance on telecoms and ICT to help us retain some sense of normalcy, and for many, to continue to earn an income, the digital divide has become even more glaring. Although across the Caribbean region we have a high mobile\/cellular subscription density, and a growing take-up of mobile broadband data services, Internet access is no longer \u2018a nice to have\u2019. It is has become essential during our current predicament, but large swathes of our population cannot afford 24\/7 access \u2013 either by mobile data or fixed-line broadband Internet service. Further, many cannot afford a smartphone, and neither do they possess a PC or laptop, which can support a broader range of digital and online activities than a smartphone.<\/p>\n
A key area where the deficiency is pronounced is in the education sector. Online classrooms and remote education have become the norm, but a large proportion of students either:<\/p>\n
\n
do not have a suitable device through which to access the online platform or to communicate electrically with their teachers<\/li>\n
cannot afford to have Internet access as home; or<\/li>\n
do not have Internet service in their communities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
To that end, some countries are trying to roll out initiatives that would provide computing devices, such as a laptop or tablet computer, to students and teachers. Additionally, and to varying degrees, discussions are being held with the major telecoms carriers to see whether a free or subsidized service can be made available for educational purposes.<\/p>\n
However, the absence of suitable access to telecoms and ICT, particularly among individuals at the base of the socio-economic pyramid, is also exacerbating progress of several SDGs, in addition to education (goal 4). Those at the base of the pyramid tend to vulnerable generally, and during this pandemic, they are already beginning to be challenged with respect to poverty (goal 1), hunger (goal 2); health and well-being (goal 3), and decent work and economic growth (goal 8).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
COVID-19, SDGs and ICT<\/h3>\n
Looking more broadly at all of the SDGs, and in the midst of this COVID-19 crisis, there are all still relevant, and perhaps even more so, as we \u2013 as individuals and as countries \u2013 are inherently being forced to transform our lives and processes from what they had been, and to re-examine our quality of life. For example, with the slowdown of air, sea and terrestrial travel, pollution had dropped, which if continued and accelerated, could reverse the effects of climate change. Additionally, and on a separate note, countries, particularly those in the Caribbean region, are now seeing first-hand the importance of electronic government, to facilitate more efficient (and remote) engagement between government and its citizens, and of electronic payments, to better support entrepreneurship and innovation \u2013 especially since economic decline is also being experienced.<\/p>\n
In the era of COVID-19, we cannot rely on labour or manpower to drive processes \u2013 due to social distancing requirements. Greater efficiency and more effective systems and processes that automate, or otherwise leverage technology, are going to become even more critical moving forward. To that end, relevant SDGs include: clean water and sanitation (goal 6); affordable and clean energy (goal 7); responsible consumption and production (goal 12); and even peace, justice and strong institutions (goal 16).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Some parting thoughts…<\/h3>\n
In summary, and as odd as it might initially seem, the SDGs and the new reality ushered in by COVID-19 appear to be along the same continuum. As a result, it would be prudent to continue to work towards achieving the SDGs, although we might have some immediate issues, precipitated by COVID-19, that require attention. In and of themselves, the SDGs are comprehensive, and so would facilitate a more cogent and holistic transformation of our societies, rather than the hodgepodge approach that has been currently occurring \u2013 thanks to the pandemic \u2013 where the emphasis has been on crisis management.<\/p>\n
At the time of writing, the future is still uncertain. An effective vaccine has not yet been confirmed, and neither is it available to the quantities needed to inoculate the global population. However, the SDGs have provided us with a roadmap for the future, which even under the current circumstances, is still worthy of realisation.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Image credit:\u00a0 FelixMittermeier (Pixabay<\/a>);\u00a0 Wikipedia<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n
—————<\/p>\n
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