The newly launched Partner2Connect (P2C) coalition has secured over 400 connectivity pledges, representing an estimated combined financial value of $25.05-billion, with more pledges still coming in, to advance universal meaningful connectivity globally.

The inaugural P2C Digital Development Roundtable, which took place during the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) in Rwanda in June, rallied unprecedented support from governments and companies to expand Internet access everywhere as a key aspect of sustainable development.

The P2C Digital coalition is a game-changing opportunity to take a holistic approach, catalyse new partnerships and mobilise the resources needed to connect those who are still offline, says ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau director Doreen Bogdan-Martin.

“After months of collective work developing the P2C Action Framework and the pledging platform, together with ITU member States, civil society groups, philanthropic organisations, private and youth-led organisations, we are now setting a major milestone by gathering under one umbrella an unprecedented number of commitments to advance universal and meaningful connectivity.”

The coalition is also expected to open new avenues for stakeholders who understand that collaboration is the only way through which a challenge of this scale and magnitude – meaningfully connecting those 2.9-billion people who are still offline – can be tackled.

The drive for universal and meaningful connectivity represented in the P2C pledges will directly benefit billions of people around the world, particularly in developing countries. where connectivity is lagging.

The pledges announced at the roundtable included ground-breaking commitments, policies and advocacy plans to bridge the digital divide.

The funding, services, technical support and other assistance detailed in the pledges will improve people’s access to, and readiness for, digital technologies, as well as foster digital ecosystems and incentivise investment in digital transformation.