The information and communication technology (ICT) sector can help countries achieve the objectives of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, according to a new analysis prepared for the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) by Accenture.
The GeSI report, “#SystemTransformation: How digital solutions will drive progress towards the sustainable development goals,” finds that every country has achievement gaps in more than half of the 17 SDGs, and many fall short on all.
While the greatest strides are needed in the least developed countries and developing regions, the report also noted that action is equally needed in developed regions to decouple their economic growth from degrading the environment.
Luis Neves, chairman, GeSI. “By making the SDGs GeSI’s central framework for action, the report defined an implementation roadmap that we will continue to refine to guide priorities up to 2030.
“GeSI is committed to leading the discussion about how the world should use digital solutions to address the challenge of meeting the SDGs,” he said.
The report envisions that digital solutions will substantially contribute to the three dimensions of development covered by the SDGs.
In the area of improving people’s lives, an estimated 1.6 billion people could benefit from more accessible, affordable and better quality medical services through e-healthcare while connected road vehicle solutions could save up to 720,000 lives annually and prevent up to 30 million traffic injuries.
In pursuing equitable growth, digital solutions like the Internet of Things and robotics can help bring almost $1 trillion in economic benefits to industries from smart manufacturing and smart logistics.
Meanwhile, in terms of protecting the environment, digital solutions could enable greenhouse gas emissions reduction and drive market transformation for renewables, cutting carbon emissions by around 20 per cent in 2030.
The report also noted that by 2030, ICT sector companies could realize $2.1 trillion in additional annual revenue from services that directly contribute to SDG achievement.
This includes $400 billion per year from connecting an additional 2.5 billion people to communication services by 2030. Additionally, $1.7 trillion can be realized from digital solutions contributing towards SDG achievement, including e-Commerce ($580 billion), e-Work ($537 billion), smart buildings ($200 billion), e-Government ($86 billion), and online learning ($75 billion).
“Through strategic deployment of digital solutions, the ICT sector can act as the catalyst for helping the world’s nations solve critical social, economic and environmental challenges,” said Peter Lacy, managing director, Accenture Strategy.
Houlin Zhao, Secretary-General of ITU, the UN’s specialized agency for ICT, emphasized, however that despite the promise and potential of technology, the world cannot lose sight of the fact that more than four billion people have yet to be brought online.
“Connecting the unconnected and bridging the digital divide must be addressed as an urgent policy priority requiring more innovative public-private partnerships and finance and investment models,” he said.
Thus, report calls on policymakers, multilateral and donor organizations, NGOs and the private sector to take steps to address hurdles such as political and regulatory constraints, particularly related to market entry and data security; supply-side constraints, resulting from inadequate capital for infrastructure projects or for testing innovative digital solutions; and demand-side barriers, such as low affordability and a lack of digital skills needed to use the new technological solutions.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Eden Estopace
Quelle/Source: Enterprise Innovation, 20.06.2016
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