Why we can’t meet the sustainable development goals without ending the digital divide

On January 1, 2016, the world’s nations put forward a to-do list of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to create a fairer, healthier, and more sustainable world by 2030. It was a moment of great optimism. As we cross the halfway mark to 2030, the flame of optimism has dimmed and the time we have to meet the goals is running out. To regain ground, there’s one SDG to which we must pay closer attention: SDG 9C, which commits to the provision of universal and affordable access to the internet in the least developed countries. Overall, figures from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) suggest that one in three people globally live without internet access. Without internet access, billions of people are without the critical public goods and services that enable our achievement of all SDGs. To remedy this, civil society organizations, corporations, and governments all have a role to play in closing the digital divide.