Digitalisation for People, Planet and Prosperity
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) and digital technologies have a catalytic power to drive economic and social progress across areas as diverse as education, healthcare, governance, agriculture, finance, and environmental sustainability. Needling business innovation together with enabling policy and regulatory measures are a prerequisite to reap the full potential of digitalisation and ensure an equitable and sustainable future for everyone, everywhere.
While the global community is falling short of our shared and universal commitment to deliver on 17 ambitious goals for people, planet and prosperity by 2030, growing digital adoption presents as an ally in transforming quality of life globally, providing access to information, revolutionising various sectors of industry and unlocking new avenues for sustainable development.
ICC firmly believes in this unique potential of ICTs and digital technologies to foster sustainable development. As the world’s largest business organization, ICC draws on the experience and evidence of businesses of all sizes and sectors to assess how digitalisation efforts driven by the private sector contribute to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.
Based on business case studies, this paper explores how investment, innovation, and capacity-building projects by private companies to deliver digital infrastructure, services and skills enable:
- Digitalisation for people by expanding meaningful connectivity, providing access to essential applications, content in local languages and services from health and education to social services and financial inclusion, and equipping populations with skills, with special focus on gender inclusion to use the Internet safely and productively.
- Digitalisation for the planet by driving green transition through innovative digital services, aiming to reduce carbon emissions and preserve biodiversity and climate.
- Digitalisation for prosperity by bridging digital divides to enable inclusive growth, incentivise job creation and entrepreneurship and fuelling innovation.
The paper identifies barriers that might stand in the way of achieving these objectives and offers concrete recommendations on how to address them, as well as a comprehensive model for holistic policymaking.
In order to drive sustainable development through the catalytic power of ICTs and digital technologies, ICC encourages policymakers to:
- Mainstream digitalisation as part of the broader development agenda
- Facilitate investment across the entire digital value chain
- Improve broadband and telecommunication infrastructure and effectively manage spectrum
- Enable, and foster trust in, the cross-border flow of data and digital technologies
- Ground policies in evidence and data
- Embrace multistakeholder policymaking
- Promote international cooperation
Only by combining the dynamism of industry innovation with enabling policy and regulatory measures can we unleash the boundless potential of ICTs and digital technologies, and realise the full array of the SDGs, leaving no one behind.
Digitalisation for people
- Retail 4.0:
Revolutionizing Retail Through
Online and Offline Partnership - Conecta Empleo:
orientation and training for the
labor market digital transition - Orange Digital Centers,
boosting digital skills, supporting
youth employability
and entrepreneurship
FTCCI and Amazon have partnered to digitize and empower 10 million micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and create 2 million jobs by 2025 in India. Currently, they have already digitised 4 million MSMEs and created 1.5 million jobs. The platform has also grown from having 100 sellers in 2013 to 11 lakhs currently, with 50% of sellers coming from tier-2 and 3 cities.
Regional Focus : Asia
Case study lead & partners : Federation of Telangana Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FTCC) ⎪Amazon
Digitalisation for planet
- Mapping the world’s
utility-scale solar and wind
energy installations - Biodiversity and Ecosystem
based Climate Change
Adaptation in Gujarat, India - AT&T and Soiltech:
Helping increase crop yield,
reduce waste and
lower emissions
Developed by Microsoft, Planet Labs, and The Nature Conservancy, the Global Renewables Watch utilises AI and satellite imagery to map and measure utility-scale solar and wind installations worldwide, enabling users to evaluate clean energy transition progress, track trends, and understand land use patterns. As of June 2023, the mapping is complete for the United States, Germany, India, Kenya, Brazil, and Egypt.
Regional Focus : Africa;Asia;Europe;Latin America and the Caribbean;Middle East and North Africa;Northern America;Oceania;
Case study lead & partners : Microsoft ⎪Planet Labs PBC and the Nature Conservancy
Digitalisation for prosperity
- Implementation of Data
Science Course
in Brazilian high schools - Digital Village project
empowers Mexican rural
residents to become
online entrepreneurs - Closing the cybersecurity
skills gap, with a focus
on women
By partnering with State Departments of Education in Brazil, the “Data Science in Schools” program ran by Vivo Telefônica Foundation, aims to equip high school students with the tools and knowledge needed to succeed in a data-centric world. The program not only focuses on technical skills but also emphasizes the importance of ethical considerations and responsible data usage. As of 2023, the project is in its second year of implementation, engaging three state education departments and operating in over 24 schools with an enrollment of 700 students in the course.
Regional Focus : Latin America and the Caribbean;
Case study lead & partners : Vivo Telefônica Foundation ⎪Mato Grosso State Education Department, Santa Catarina State Education Department, Espírito Santo State Education Department
Contact
Timea Suto ⎪Global Digital Policy Lead
tel: 33 (0) 1 49 53 28 07