NEW YORK: Kuwait on Friday renewed its commitment to boosting the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs), hoping these technologies would help build a better future for all. This came in a speech delivered by Diplomatic Attache at Kuwait’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, Ali Al-Khrabit, before the UN General Assembly’s Second Committee session on information and telecommunications technologies.

The Kuwaiti diplomat noted that ICTs play a major role in implementing sustainable development goals by providing the necessary tools and technologies to enhance economic growth and improve education, health, and environmental protection. He pointed out that Kuwait seeks to meet the needs and fill the gaps in information and communications technologies. Al-Khrabit stated that Kuwait established the Government Communication Center in 2019 to upgrade the government communication tools and achieve integration and coordination between government agencies to keep pace with the process of development and renaissance that Kuwait is witnessing.

He highlighted the effective role of the center in responding quickly to developments and managing crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which demonstrated the urgent need to develop information and communications technology and to accelerate the transition to a digital society. “We are still far from achieving comprehensive development, especially in ICTs,” he said, noting that half of the world’s population has no access to ICTs, especially in the least developed countries, which must be integrated into the digital world to meet the goals of sustainable development.

He emphasized the close link between ICT and energy. “My country seizes this opportunity to renew its commitment to developing energy requirements and supplies in the next two decades,” he said. The Kuwaiti diplomat added that Kuwait joined the International Telecommunication Union in 1959 and is a member of the ITU Board for the period 2023–2026, which shows the country’s interest in creating a digital world by developing the ICT sector, building advanced digital infrastructure, and establishing a digital society. - KUNA