United Nations pledges to get everyone online… by 2030

The United Nations has pledged to provide universal internet access by 2030. Currently 3.2 billion people are online, but that represents just 43 per cent of the world's population. In response, the UN last week launched a new "sustainable development" agenda with a goal of 2030. It is due to be signed by all member states …

[Charles Manning]

Well if it does happen.....

it won't be due to the UN doing anything.

UN might have had a program for reducing poverty, but the drop in poverty did not come from the UN - it came from the globalisation of capitalism.

UN is a club for governments. Governments rarely achieve anything themselves. It is the private sector that achieves things, but the governments that take the credit.

[mathew42]

Re: Well if it does happen.....

Much as I'm not keen on the thought, the best that UN could do is remove barriers preventing Facebook, Google, etc. from working on and deploying their solutions. That probably means encouraging governments to deregulate or do nothing.

[Anonymous Coward]

Do Nothing................

The UN are pretty damn good at that!

[sjsmoto]

You have reached the United Nations. Your internet service is important to us. To reach a help desk representative, press 1 for English, 2 for Spanish, 3 for French... (two hours later...) or 7299 for Esperanto.

[Charles Manning]

Not quite right

. To reach a help desk representative, press 1 for French, 2 for Spanish, 3 for French... (two hours later...) or if you're a white English speaking person then please just feel guilty and hang up.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Not quite right

Except that should all be in French, not English.

[Yamas]

Re: Not quite right

Merci de contacter le support en ligne des Nations Unies, pressez 1 pour continuer en francais,

pwess twoo fore englishe, etc..

[Danvighar]

Well...

At least they were something approaching honest: "strive to provide" makes no promises at all.

[Anonymous Coward]

This sounds to be a continuation of the UN Agenda 21 initiative on sustainable development and that is nearly all bad for everyone.

[W Donelson]

Let them eat Data.

10 billion people by then?

[Tromos]

Fibre to the dune?

Might have a problem getting nomadic tribes all connected up.

[CrazyCanuck]

The elite plan to chip us all and we are suppose to use these chips with cryptocurrency. This is already happening with a hacker who inserted a chip into his hand. It is rumoured that the bankers can take money from us without our permission and we will become slaves.

[drdony]

Internet Safety Online

I am all for connecting the world as long as we also communicate the risks and dangers associated with Internet Connectivity to our Children, Families, Other Users and to Online BusinessesConnecting-the-world

Internet Crime:Security Threats, Scams, Fraud

Keeping Your Children Safe Online

Bullying Cyberbullying

Trolling, Flaming

Pornography, Child Porn

Net Addiction

Social media scams, fraud and malware

Most Alliances and Organizations pushing this connectivity agenda fail to consider this basic necessity or give it any priority; ITU, Facebook, Internet.org,, Google Alliance, Outernet, and most recently Microsoft