The information and communication technologies (ICT) sector can play a vital role in helping achieve the objectives of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, according to new analysis prepared for the Global e-Sustainability Initiative
The information and communication technologies (ICT) sector can play a vital role in helping achieve the objectives of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, according to new analysis prepared for the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) by Accenture.
This would involve deploying innovative digital solutions to improve the quality of people’s lives, achieve equitable growth and protect the environment.
The GeSI report, #SystemTransformation: How digital solutions will drive progress towards the sustainable development goals, published in collaboration with Accenture Strategy, demonstrates the impact that digital technologies can have on shaping a more sustainable future, and highlights the opportunity for companies in the ICT sector to drive growth and competitiveness by investing in these initiatives.
The report also identifies roadblocks to realising the full potential of these digital solutions, including policy, regulatory and supply-side constraints, as well as barriers on the demand-side.
The report 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 demonstrates that action is equally needed in developed regions to decouple their economic growth from degrading the environment.
“GeSI is committed to leading the discussion about how the world should use digital solutions to address the challenge of meeting the SDGs,” said Luis Neves, chairman, GeSI. “By making the SDGs GeSI’s central framework for action, we have defined an implementation roadmap that we will continue to refine to guide our priorities up to 2030, and we commit to supporting our member organizations to make this exciting vision a reality.”
Widespread deployment of digital solutions will substantially contribute to all three dimensions of development covered by the SDGs. For example:
· Improving people’s lives: 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 (SDG#3)
· Boosting equitable growth: Digital solutions like the Internet of Things and robotics can help bring almost USD 1 trillion in economic benefits to industries from smart manufacturing and smart logistics (SDG#9)
· 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 (SDG#13)
“At Microsoft, our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more,” said Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft Corp. “Through initiatives like GeSI, we believe digital technology can be applied to help solve society’s most pressing challenges spanning education, health care, environmental sustainability and urban planning.”
Timotheus Höttges, Chief Executive Officer, Deutsche Telekom AG, said, “It is time to understand that