Broadband Commission for Digital Development

The Broadband Commission for Digital Development was established in May 2010 as a joint initiative by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Its stated purpose is to promote the deployment of high-speed, high-capacity broadband connections to the Internet as an essential part of modern infrastructure, with considerable economic and social benefits in countries at every stage of development. In particular, the Broadband Commission states that broadband networks are uniquely powerful tools for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which were announced by the United Nations in 2000 and have a target date of 2015. The Broadband Commission believes that progress towards the MDGs can be significantly accelerated by using broadband networks to improve the delivery of services across a huge range of social and business sectors.

The Commission comprises a high-level community, including CEO and industry leaders, senior policy-makers and government representatives, international agencies, academia and organizations concerned with development. The Commission employs a range of different perspectives in a multi-stakeholder approach to promoting the roll-out of broadband, as well as providing a fresh approach to UN and business engagement. In addition to its chairs and vice-chairs, the Broadband Commission has 51 Commissioners from around the world including well-known figures such as Jeff Sachs, Muhammad Yunus, Hans Vestberg, Mo Ibrahim and Martin Sorrell.

The work of the Commission is made possible through the support of donors including Grupo Carso, Digicel Group, Bharti Enterprises, Intel, Ooredoo, Ericsson, Cisco and the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.

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