Asia-Pacific info highway to bliss

The countries of Asia and the Pacific are already well recognized for their success in structuring cross-border global value chains which, backed by infrastructure corridors, have helped boost trade within and beyond the region. There is great potential, however, to further deepen connectivity and maximize socio-economic gains, by more effectively integrating information and communication technologies (ICT) across all core infrastructure sectors.

The urgency for this in Asia and the Pacific is apparent from the growing digital divide: in the developing economies of Asia and the Pacific, less than 15 percent of the people have access to high-speed Internet. The situation is worse in many of the least developed countries - landlocked developing and Pacific island countries - where less than 1 percent of the people have access to broadband. Accessibility of women and girls, regardless of location, level of income and age, is lower still.

Recognizing the significance of ICT in promoting efficiency, productivity and opportunity, the newly proposed UN Sustainable Development Goals target universal and affordable Internet access for all least developed countries by 2020.