Blog Post by Kayla Aranda, Junior Associate

In 2015, the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which outlined actionable steps and end goals for all Member States, both developed and developing, to strive for and achieve by 2030.[1] In this Agenda, seventeen sustainable development goals (“SDG”) address key issues ranging from the climate crisis to socioeconomic and political inequalities.[2] Every year since its inception, the United Nations Secretary General has carefully monitored the progress and actions implemented by Member States in achieving these goals.[3]

Now, with a little less than five years to reach the goals outlined in the Agenda, the UN Secretary General warns in the SDG Progress Report, published July 14 of this year, that if the UN and its Member States wish to achieve this goal, they will “need to shift into overdrive,” declaring that this report shows “a call for ambitious action in…digital connectivity.”[4] A key obstacle in monitoring and ultimately achieving these goals is the digital divide prevalent in low-income and rural communities. Per data collected by the International Telecommunications Union, a specialized agency of the United Nations, about 2.6 billion people globally still lack access to the internet as of 2024.[5] This creates, not only serious implications on the UN’s ability to track the progress of Member States in implementing these goals, but also seriously inhibits their ability to actually achieve them. Today, internet access and digital tools are essential for progress in healthcare and education, as well as access to banking and financial services.[6] These are reflected as goals three, four and eight respectively in the 2030 Agenda.[7]

Without proper access to these digital tools, Member States will continue to fall short of their goals, and ultimately fail to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. This sentiment is illustrated in the 2025 SDG Report, which attributed the shortcomings of Member States to the ongoing digital divide. When speaking to Goal 4, targeting quality education initiatives, the UN acknowledged that “[i]nformation and communication technology (ICT) skills are essential for economic and social well-being.”[8] In a report offered by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the organization suggests that “school connectivity can serve to close not only the educational divide, but also the digital divide.”[9] Further, it is suggested in this report, that “in the least developed countries, a 10% increase in school connectivity can improve children’s effective years of schooling by 0.6% and increase GDP per capita by 1.1%.”[10] On Goal 8, targeting decent work and economic growth initiatives, the 2025 SDG Report explained that Governments need to support “digital economy initiatives [and ensure] equitable access to finance and economic opportunities” if they are to achieve this goal by 2030.[11] 

Speaking more broadly regarding the partnerships among Member States, organizations, and the communities impacted, the UN’s 2025 SDG Progress Report states, “internet use remains tightly linked to the level of development” of countries.[12] Explaining further that “high-quality, timely and disaggregated data are vital for SDG progress,” while also noting that “among LDCs and LLDCs, Internet use stands at just 35 and 39 percent” as compared to the nearly universal use achieved in Australia, New Zealand, Europe and North America.[13] This goes to show that by taking steps to close the digital divide, Member States can work towards progress in achieving a wide array of sustainable development goals. In order to narrow this divide, the UN suggests that Member States and their communities pursue a “renewed international cooperation…target[ing] digital infrastructure support,” which can be achieved through grant money from governments and philanthropic efforts, as well as corporate ESG efforts.[14] Further, the World Economic Forum suggests that governments “fully deploy[ ] Universal Service and Access Funds” to fund the expansion of telecommunications services to rural and low income populations.[15] However, this is not an overnight fix, it will require a continued commitment to closing the digital divide, only then will the UN and its Member States achieve their sustainable development goals.

 

[1] See G.A. Res. 70/1, Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Sep. 25, 2015) (addressing the key issues inhibiting Member States ability to achieve sustainable development goals and outlining ways to achieve these goals moving forward).

[2] See G.A. Res. 70/1, supra note 1 (explaining the topics and issues addressed in the Agenda).

[3] The 17 Goals, Uɴɪᴛᴇᴅ Nᴀᴛɪᴏɴs, https://sdgs.un.org/goals.

[4] U.N. Dep’t. of Econ. & Soc. Affairs, The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025, 2, 51 (July 14, 2025).

[5] Individuals using the Internet, ITU, https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx.

[6] Robert F. Smith, Digital and wealth gaps have no place in the Intelligent Age. Here’s how everyone can benefit from AI, Wᴏʀʟᴅ Eᴄᴏɴ. F. (Jan. 20, 2025), https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/01/digital-divide-intelligent-age-how-everyone-can-benefit-ai/.

[7] See G.A. Res. 70/1, supra note 1 (outlining the 17 sustainable development goals).

[8] U.N. Dep’t. of Econ. & Soc. Affairs, supra note 4, at 16.

[9] The Economist Intelligence Unit, Connecting learners: Narrowing the educational divide, Tʜᴇ Eᴄᴏɴᴏᴍɪsᴛ, https://connectinglearners.economist.com/connecting-learners/.

[10] Heather Johnson, About 2.5 billion people lack internet access: How connectivity can unlock their potential, Wᴏʀʟᴅ Eᴄᴏɴ. F. (Sep. 25, 2024), https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/09/2-5-billion-people-lack-internet-access-how-connectivity-can-unlock-their-potential/.

[11] U.N. Dep’t. of Econ. & Soc. Affairs, supra note 4, at 24.

[12] Id. at 43.

[13] Id.

[14] U.N. Dep’t. of Econ. & Soc. Affairs, supra note 4, at 42; Christopher Worman, Why we can’t meet the SDGs without ending the digital divide, Wᴏʀʟᴅ Eᴄᴏɴ. F. (Mar. 22, 2023), https://www.weforum.org/stories/2023/03/digital-divide-sdgs-progress/.

[15] Worman, supra note 14; Universal Service and Access Funds (USAFs), UNESCO, https://www.unesco.org/en/dtc-finance-toolkit-factsheets/universal-service-and-access-funds-usafs#:~:text=They%20have%20been%20implemented%20worldwide,financing%20institutions%20and%20government%20budgets.