WEBVTT

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I really do believe that digital inclusion

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is an absolute imperative today.

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A third of the world's
population, ~three billion,

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suffer from what I call
the digital divide.

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And while the pandemic
had a lot of challenges,

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there was a silver lining in the sense

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that more and more of our
daily activities did go online.

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And when I say daily activities,

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I don't just mean learning, working,

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I also mean things like banking,
healthcare, even identity.

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But for those who are not part
of this digital inclusion,

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they enter into what I call

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a worsening cycle of disenfranchisement.

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And it's really up to us to
bring everything together.

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I really do believe that to make progress

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and continued progress
on this important issue,

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we need all different
parties to come together.

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Multi-stakeholder engagement is critical

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given the size of the challenge we face.

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And when I say stakeholders,

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I mean all, government, public
companies, private companies

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and other societal organizations.

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To give you a sense of the
magnitude, we need $2 trillion

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over the next five years
to really raise access

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from 50% to 80% in terms
of digital inclusion.

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And it's not just funding.

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There are so many other issues
that need to be tackled,

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be it digital skills and literacy,

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ensuring that people
have the right devices,

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and really being part of
the ecosystem of services

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that can be delivered to all.

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I'm really excited that over the last year

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we've partnered with
WEF and UNDP to create

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what we call the Digital
Inclusion Navigator.

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It's part of the EDISON
Alliance for digital inclusion.

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And it's a live platform
that really brings together

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curated facts, as well as lessons learned,

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what people can apply in real time.