With the adoption this week of the 17 SDGs, the Commission begins a new phase, with 22 new members from diverse sectors such as the global technology industry, public ministries, leaders in education and health care, and two additional United Nations agencies joining the current members from the ITU, UNDP, UNESCO, UN-ORHLLS, WIPO and the UN Foundation.

The Commission, established in 2010, is a high-level body dedicated to promoting broadband as a driver of development worldwide. The Commission's Chairpersons are Mr. Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda, and Mr. Carlos Slim Helú (Mexico). Mr. Houlin Zhao, Secretary-General of the ITU, and Ms. Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, are its Vice-Chairpersons.

“The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will stimulate action over the next 15 years in areas of critical importance to humanity and the planet,” said Houlin Zhao, Secretary-General of the ITU. “The three pillars of sustainable development—economic development, social inclusion, and environmental protection—need ICTs as key catalysts, and for this reason, the Commission believes that ICTs, and broadband in particular, will be absolutely essential to achieving the SDGs.”

In its annual State of Broadband report, published earlier this week, the Commission reveals that household internet access in developed countries is almost saturated, with over 81.3% of households connected. However, while the proportion of households with internet access in developing countries has increased from 31.5% to over 34.1%, it remains far from the Commission's target of 40% by 2015. There are also significant differences in household connectivity figures: in the UN's 48 Least Developed Countries, less than 7% of households have internet access, and in sub-Saharan Africa, barely 1 in 9 households is connected.

“The success of the new Agenda will depend on all the accelerators of integration and all the multipliers of poverty eradication and sustainability, and our message is that broadband and new technologies have the transformative power to create inclusive knowledge societies,” said Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO. “It is not simply about advocating for networks and services; it is about forging new pathways to create and share knowledge, increase freedom of expression, expand learning opportunities, especially for girls and women, and develop relevant, local, and multilingual content. This message has never been more important.”

Speaking today at the opening of the Commission meeting, President Paul Kagame stressed the importance of placing technology at the heart of development. President Kagame stated: “There are still four billion people without internet access. It is urgent to reverse this trend. Less than seven percent of households in the least developed countries are connected. This is a problem, of course, but it also means there is significant room for growth. In Africa, we are determined to seize this opportunity. An example of this is the Smart Africa Initiative, which encourages nations to invest more in infrastructure, innovation, and entrepreneurship.”

President Kagame invited the Commissioners to attend the Transforming Africa Summit taking place in Kigali from October 19-21, adding that the Summit would be the moment to lay the groundwork for further implementing smart and sustainable ways of harnessing ICTs for Africa's development.

This 12th meeting of the Commission was also attended by several special guests, including His Excellency Mr. Luis Guillermo Solís, President of Costa Rica, Baroness Beeban Kidron, distinguished film director and activist, and Klaus Schwab, Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum.

“The 17 proposed SDGs constitute a clear and robust framework for human development,” stated Mr. Carlos M. Jarque, a member of the Broadband Commission, who also represented Co-Chair Carlos Slim at the meeting. “Broadband is a powerful means of accelerating progress toward achieving them. We must pursue innovative cross-sector strategies that can harness the power of high-speed networks to improve education, healthcare, and the delivery of basic services to everyone, especially the poorest, who need them most.”