Small island developing states (SIDS) and ICTs: Mid-term review of the Samoa Pathway
The Information Telecommunication Union released a report on Small island developing states (SIDS) and ICTs: Mid-term review of the Samoa Pathway which reviews the improvement in access to affordable and modern digital technologies among Small Island Developing States (SIDS), since the 2014 Samoa conference. The Samoa Pathway document underlined the importance of information and communication technology (ICTs) in accelerating sustainable development in SIDs. According to the ITU review report, SIDs have improved in several areas including universality and affordability of information and communication technology (ICT) network, mobile broadband, and Internet penetration. The report highlights that disruptive and transformative technologies and services, such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, drones and mobile money, are being used to enhance sustainable development in SIDS. Their impacts have nevertheless been limited because of mostly their limited application and barriers such as lack of technical, financial, and human resources. In all SIDS, there is significant scope for making greater use of digital technologies for sustainable development in order to accelerate the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs). To this aim, the report has a section on sustainable development impacts particularly on agriculture and fishing; climate, disaster, environment; education; financial inclusion; health; and public services as well as economic impact. It provides examples on how cross-cutting digital technology is being used by SIDS in areas relevant to many of the 17 SDGs.
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The GIP Digital Watch Observatory team, consisting of over 30 digital policy experts from around the world, excels in the fields of research and analysis on digital policy issues. The team is backed by the creative prowess of Creative Lab Diplo and the technical expertise of the Diplo tech team.
