Foreword

The year 2023 marked a very important milestone for ITU, the United Nations and the world: the midpoint in the race to deliver the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In New York on 17 September, the eve of the SDG Summit, digital technologies came front and centre, demonstrating how game-changing digital solutions can accelerate progress in each of the 17 SDGs, and can impact progress on 70 per cent of the 169 SDG targets. Still, the opportunities that digital technologies and connectivity can bring to sustainable development remain elusive for a third of humanity. Approximately 2.6 billion people are still offline and though connectivity is progressing globally, the pace of that progress is uneven, leaving many people in low-income countries behind.

Two years ago, Partner2Connect was created as a global multistakeholder platform to address this challenge with an aim of mobilizing resources, partnerships, and commitments to foster meaningful connectivity and digital transformation. Since its launch, P2C has continued to grow, and as of today⁴ it has gathered a total of 845 pledges valued at USD 36.78 billion from 408 entities representing 138 countries around the globe. This corresponds to an increase of 53% in the number of pledges submitted when compared with last year’s Annual Report figures, and an increase of nearly 55% in the number of entities that have joined the Coalition. This year P2C mobilized an additional USD 7 billion worth of global connectivity projects and launched targeted pledging campaigns to address the connectivity needs of LDCs’ citizens and displaced people, and pave the way for sustainable digital transformation. For these achievements, P2C was selected at SDG Digital as an example of a game-changing solution for SDG 17, with the strongest potential to strengthen partnerships for the goals through data access, knowledge exchange and remote collaboration. These achievements and recognition give the Coalition the impetus needed to expand and reach its goal of mobilizing USD 100 billion in P2C pledges by 2026⁵.

This publication summarizes the key milestones of the Coalition in 2023 and details the nature of the pledges submitted across its focus areas and pillars. The Annual Report goes beyond pledge mobilization and analyses the impact that the implementation of P2C pledges is having on the ground via the P2C pledgers’ self-reporting process and the matchmaking opportunities created at the different Regional Development Forums.

The results presented in this publication are aggregated and preliminary, as not all entities who have pledged have submitted a progress report. Of the 845 pledges submitted by 408 entities to date, 275 pledges have been reported on by 143 entities. This means 33% of the total pledges have been reported on so far by 35% of all pledgers. Though there are small proportional reductions when compared to last year’s reporting rates⁶, the overall picture for implementation is still positive: 73% of all reported pledges are in progress and 12% are already completed. Data also indicate that approximately USD 4.8 billion has already been spent towards the implementation of those 275 pledges that were reported on.

Though progress in implementation is happening, reporting rates need to increase in order to provide a better understanding of the impact on the ground, and to leverage the opportunities for partnership and collaboration. Many challenges remain to meaningfully connect every person in the world, and so I look forward to the future with optimism and confidence in the role that P2C can play. Bringing 2.6 billion people online is not an easy task and not an effort of a single entity. It is a duty for us all and a legacy we can leave to future generations. I thank all the pledgers of the Coalition and in particular the 143 entities that submitted their progress reports. A special message of gratitude also goes to the P2C champions who have kept this Coalition alive thanks to their contributions, leadership and strategic vision.

Doreen Bogdan-Martin,
Secretary-General, ITU