Page 9 - UN Executive Briefing on Unlocking the potential of virtual worlds and the metaverse for the Sustainable Development Goals

UN Executive Briefing on Unlocking the potential of virtual worlds and
the metaverse for the Sustainable Development Goals

Overview

From artificial intelligence (AI) to flexible batteries, designer phages to the metaverse and
virtual worlds; it is by no means an overstatement that humanity's greatest chance of achieving
the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), may lie in the enabling power of information and
communication technologies and emerging technologies.

With their potential to change the way we live, work and interact, this executive briefing's focus
is on unlocking the power of the metaverse and virtual worlds (and its enabling technologies)
to advance the ambitious targets outlined by the SDGs.
Metaverse can be defined as an integrative ecosystem of virtual worlds offering immersive
experiences to users that modify pre-existing value and create new value from economic,
environmental, social and cultural perspectives. (NOTE – A metaverse can be virtual, augmented,
representative of, or associated with the physical world.) [b-ITU]

The computer-simulated representations collectively known as virtual worlds have a long
history, dating as far back as Sir Charles Wheatstone's concept of the “binocular vision” in
1838. They have since evolved through gaming and the Internet to emerge as a novel form
of simulated environment “where many agents can virtually interact with each other, act and
react to things, phenomena and the environment; agents can be zero or many human(s), each
represented by many entities called a virtual self (an avatar), or many software agents; all action/
reaction/interaction must happen in a real-time shared spatiotemporal non-pausable virtual
environment; the environment may consist of many data spaces, but the collection of data
spaces should constitute a shared data space, one persistent shard.” [b-Kim]

As we explore the intersection of these digital spaces with the SDGs, it is crucial to understand
how they can contribute to achieving the goals and the possible implications related to their
use. At a high level, the immense potential of virtual worlds, especially as they relate to the
SDGs, includes:

• Social and Cultural Inclusion: More than 2 billion people worldwide lack access to
financial institutions such as bank accounts. The metaverse has the potential to enable
inclusion through digital financial services (among others), which can help lift people
out of poverty through financial inclusion, thereby contributing to achieving Goal 1: No
Poverty [b-ITU2].
• Environmental Protection: Virtual worlds can raise awareness of environmental concerns.
Simulations in virtual spaces, for example, can demonstrate the impact of climate change
and encourage sustainable behaviours. Enabling technologies can also play a role in
efficient resource utilisation. For example, their use in digital agriculture, water resource
management and clean energy integration can help reduce environmental impact,
thereby contributing to achieving Goal 13: Climate Action.
• Economic Development: Virtual worlds and their enabling technologies have the potential
to significantly contribute to economic growth and job creation by (among others): 1)
Streamlining access to markets by allowing businesses to reach global audiences without
physical constraints; 2) Enhancing education and skills development by providing realistic
simulations and immersive trainings; and 3) Providing immersive online platforms for
real-time collaboration and creativity. Together, these can contribute to Goal 4: Quality
Education, Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, and Goal 9: Industry, Innovation
and Infrastructure.

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