ISLAMABAD:At the United Nations (UN), Pakistan has called for addressing the digital gap between under-connected and highly digitalized countries to help the developing countries to make rapid all-round progress. Taking part in a debate in the UN Committee on Information, Pakistani delegate Mariam Shaikh said most of the poor around the world lack reliable and affordable internet access, giving rise to the digital divide, which is emerging as a new form of inequality among states.

She voiced concern over the growing inequality in access to timely, multilingual communications, with a reported 2.9 billion people never having used the Internet, 96 per cent of whom reside in developing countries, according to a Radio Pakistan’s report. She suggested that a Global Digital Compact could potentially serve as a universal and consensus global framework on digital issues, especially in addressing the digital divide, enhancing connectivity, and supporting digital transformation.