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IGF opening highlights digital inclusion gap: 2.6 billion still offline, goal of universal connectivity by 2030
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Summary
ITU, UNESCO and other speakers at IGF 2025 stressed that meaningful and affordable internet access remains out of reach for billions; speakers urged capacity building, funding and technical standards to close the divide.
Speakers representing the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), UNESCO, national leaders and technical bodies used the Internet Governance Forum opening to underscore the persistent digital divide and to press for concrete steps toward universal connectivity.
Doreen Bogdan‑Martin, Secretary‑General of the ITU (speaking by video from Geneva), said two‑thirds of the world was connected but "2,600,000,000 people are still completely offline," and called for urgent action to expand "affordable, meaningful Internet access" and to make connectivity "safe, affordable, and empowering." The UN Secretary‑General referenced a related objective: bridging the digital divide to achieve universal connectivity by 2030.
Speakers from ICANN described the technical and coordination role of internet infrastructure, including unique identifiers and root zone functions, and urged continued investment in coordination and capacity building to extend reach and resilience. The president of Mauritius noted digital transformation plans for his country and framed connectivity as central to development; he also said a recent agreement had expanded Mauritius’s economic zone to over 4,000,000 square kilometers and cited a per‑capita income figure of about US$13,000 while describing his country’s digital strategy.
UNESCO emphasized capacity building for public sector digital skills and noted 40 countries are using UNESCO’s Internet universality indicators for national digital assessment. The European Commission representative described EU international digital partnerships and investment programs aimed at trusted connectivity and digital public infrastructure.
Speakers repeatedly linked inclusive technical standards, financing and local capacity building to closing the access gap. While the opening set priorities and framed the problem, it did not announce new global funding commitments; delegates signaled the IGF should feed into WSIS+20 and the policy work of UN agencies and regional partners.
