Facebook founder launches connectivity campaign to bring the internet to the some 4 billion people who now do not have access
Chinese President Xi Jinping, left,
talks with Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg, right, during a
gathering of CEOs and other executives at Microsoft's main campus in
Redmond, Washington Photo: AP/Ted S. Warren, Pool
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg
and a host of celebrities kicked off a campaign on Saturday to make
internet access universal, saying this was critical to fulfilling the
United Nations' newly adopted agenda to combat global ills.
Calling for efforts to ensure internet access for everyone globally by
2020, Mr Zuckerberg said internet connections are a dynamic tool for
sharing knowledge, creating opportunities, lifting communities out of
poverty and promoting peace.
"A
'like' or a post won't stop a tank or a bullet, but when people are
connected, we have a chance to build a common global community with a
shared understanding," Mr Zuckerberg told at a private lunch with
business leaders at the United Nations.
"That's a powerful force."
The 193 UN member nations on Friday formally adopted a sweeping set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs,
that aim to end poverty and combat inequality and climate change over
the next 15 years and call for shared peace and prosperity.
The objectives, described as "a to-do list for people and planet" by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, are intended as a roadmap to be implemented by government and the private sector.
The connectivity campaign calls on governments, businesses and innovators to bring the internet to the some 4 billion people who now do not have access, organisers said.
Signing on to the connectivity campaign were U2 star Bono, co-founder of One, a group that fights extreme poverty; actress Charlize Theron, founder of Africa Outreach Project; philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates; British entrepreneur Richard Branson; Huffington Post editor Arianna Huffington; Colombian singer Shakira, actor and activist George Takei and Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales.
The objectives, described as "a to-do list for people and planet" by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, are intended as a roadmap to be implemented by government and the private sector.
The connectivity campaign calls on governments, businesses and innovators to bring the internet to the some 4 billion people who now do not have access, organisers said.
Signing on to the connectivity campaign were U2 star Bono, co-founder of One, a group that fights extreme poverty; actress Charlize Theron, founder of Africa Outreach Project; philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates; British entrepreneur Richard Branson; Huffington Post editor Arianna Huffington; Colombian singer Shakira, actor and activist George Takei and Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales.
