1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,000 Digitalization is the future of our world. 2 00:00:03,100 --> 00:00:05,100 What are the most strategic opportunities 3 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:07,980 for investing into digital transformation 4 00:00:08,080 --> 00:00:13,419 that will transform our future and reach the goal of 2030? 5 00:00:13,519 --> 00:00:14,580 Your Excellency. 6 00:00:14,679 --> 00:00:16,379 Yes, thank you. 7 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:18,719 We just heard a wonderful example, actually, 8 00:00:18,820 --> 00:00:21,120 from Prime Minister Brnovic. 9 00:00:21,219 --> 00:00:24,920 It takes about 10 years to gather 10 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:29,820 the wealth of technology from global tech sphere 11 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:32,400 if you have political will. 12 00:00:32,500 --> 00:00:35,100 Estonia started more than 20 years ago 13 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:39,840 to gather existing technology to use it to provide public 14 00:00:39,939 --> 00:00:42,740 services to our citizens online. 15 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:47,400 And many have heard about what does it mean, a digital society. 16 00:00:47,500 --> 00:00:51,439 But digital society means that the government takes 17 00:00:51,539 --> 00:00:55,699 the leadership and gives the tools to their citizens. 18 00:00:55,799 --> 00:00:59,539 Technology does not resolve your problems at its own. 19 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:02,979 You have to design and you have to persevere 20 00:01:03,079 --> 00:01:05,579 with a digitization program. 21 00:01:05,679 --> 00:01:07,459 It doesn't need to be expensive. 22 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:09,780 It doesn't need to be very fancy. 23 00:01:09,879 --> 00:01:14,259 I used a Stone and Digital ID system from Antarctica 24 00:01:14,359 --> 00:01:16,420 on a phone line, signing documents. 25 00:01:16,519 --> 00:01:19,359 And the phone line was so slow that you could barely 26 00:01:19,459 --> 00:01:21,140 talk over that line. 27 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:26,780 So most people globally nowadays have access or can find access 28 00:01:26,879 --> 00:01:29,099 to at least 3G connection. 29 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:30,640 This is a must. 30 00:01:30,739 --> 00:01:33,739 Most governments know that, in fact, they 31 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:37,219 have to give their citizens digital IDs, which 32 00:01:37,319 --> 00:01:39,719 is very similar process to giving out passports. 33 00:01:39,819 --> 00:01:41,719 In fact, it is the same process. 34 00:01:41,819 --> 00:01:45,319 Just happens for the future use online. 35 00:01:45,420 --> 00:01:48,359 Each and every government who is willing to do so 36 00:01:48,420 --> 00:01:52,280 can find help from UNDP, where, for example, UNDP, Estonian 37 00:01:52,379 --> 00:01:56,760 e-Governance Academy together operate for more than 15 years 38 00:01:56,859 --> 00:01:59,400 now already consultancy programs. 39 00:01:59,500 --> 00:02:00,819 And there are examples. 40 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:03,200 We've just heard about the example of Serbia. 41 00:02:03,299 --> 00:02:05,359 In developed nations, of course, there is Finland, 42 00:02:05,460 --> 00:02:07,599 there's Portugal, there's Estonia, there's Denmark. 43 00:02:07,700 --> 00:02:10,240 I mean, we all have pretty good digital backbones 44 00:02:10,340 --> 00:02:12,199 in our society. 45 00:02:12,300 --> 00:02:15,639 There's also Kenya, for example, an African country. 46 00:02:15,719 --> 00:02:19,699 So this can be done, but nothing moves unless you decide 47 00:02:19,799 --> 00:02:20,859 you will do. 48 00:02:20,959 --> 00:02:24,139 And my suggestion, where to start, start with digital ID. 49 00:02:24,239 --> 00:02:27,500 You have a passport for acting and transacting 50 00:02:27,599 --> 00:02:29,699 on street space, in analog space. 51 00:02:29,799 --> 00:02:31,779 You need exactly the same online. 52 00:02:31,879 --> 00:02:34,599 This is the beginning of it all. 53 00:02:34,699 --> 00:02:36,039 It cannot be handled otherwise. 54 00:02:36,139 --> 00:02:37,279 Thank you. 55 00:02:37,379 --> 00:02:39,579 Thank you, Your Excellency. 56 00:02:39,679 --> 00:02:41,119 Your Excellency Mr. Lee, would you 57 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:46,140 like to share with us the strategic opportunities 58 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:49,640 you see for digital transformation? 59 00:02:49,740 --> 00:02:51,740 Well, yes, absolutely. 60 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:56,640 To UN, and I guess to all the countries, 61 00:02:56,740 --> 00:03:01,319 digitalization or digital is a non-irreversible 62 00:03:01,420 --> 00:03:03,659 historical trend. 63 00:03:03,759 --> 00:03:08,560 The digitalization plays a significant role 64 00:03:08,599 --> 00:03:15,340 to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs, all 17 SDGs. 65 00:03:15,439 --> 00:03:17,199 So we recognize that. 66 00:03:17,300 --> 00:03:21,340 But however, we also need to recognize that. 67 00:03:21,439 --> 00:03:23,280 We talked about digital. 68 00:03:23,379 --> 00:03:28,879 Then the actual fact is the digital divide 69 00:03:28,980 --> 00:03:33,520 is huge within the country and between countries, 70 00:03:33,620 --> 00:03:37,060 particularly between the north, global north 71 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:39,500 and global south. 72 00:03:39,599 --> 00:03:46,460 Having said that, now if we are serious to accelerate 73 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:52,300 the digitalization to support, to assist, 74 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:55,780 the implementation or tenement of the SDGs, 75 00:03:55,879 --> 00:04:00,120 then just now we need, we heard loudly and clearly, 76 00:04:00,219 --> 00:04:04,259 we need roadmap and a clear-cut determination. 77 00:04:04,319 --> 00:04:06,859 But from UN's perspective, we also 78 00:04:06,959 --> 00:04:14,199 want to see the strong capacity building from the global north 79 00:04:14,299 --> 00:04:17,959 and also a global south. 80 00:04:18,060 --> 00:04:22,379 According to our estimates, according to our data, 81 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:28,120 currently, there are more than 2.7 billion people still 82 00:04:28,219 --> 00:04:31,680 don't have any access or connection 83 00:04:31,740 --> 00:04:35,100 to the digital or to the internet. 84 00:04:35,199 --> 00:04:42,120 So what would we do to lose the huge portion of the population? 85 00:04:42,220 --> 00:04:45,319 And third thing, whether or not we 86 00:04:45,420 --> 00:04:49,420 are genuinely in our partnership to accelerate 87 00:04:49,519 --> 00:04:53,019 this digitalization process between the global north 88 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:55,560 and between the global south. 89 00:04:55,660 --> 00:04:56,899 Don't forget one thing. 90 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:00,500 When we launched the SDG or 2030 agenda, 91 00:05:00,519 --> 00:05:02,120 we had the fundamental principle 92 00:05:02,220 --> 00:05:06,800 and the fundamental objective, that is to leave no one behind. 93 00:05:06,899 --> 00:05:10,560 So with regard to the digitalization process, 94 00:05:10,660 --> 00:05:13,660 we need to bear in mind to leave no country 95 00:05:13,759 --> 00:05:15,699 behind the digitalization. 96 00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:16,600 Thank you. 97 00:05:16,699 --> 00:05:17,800 Thank you, Your Excellency. 98 00:05:17,899 --> 00:05:21,480 And I think it builds properly on the point made 99 00:05:21,579 --> 00:05:26,079 by Her Excellency Kirstie, as in digital IDs 100 00:05:26,180 --> 00:05:29,319 is the basic minimum for digital transformation for nations. 101 00:05:29,399 --> 00:05:32,099 And given the SDG goals of leaving no one behind, 102 00:05:32,199 --> 00:05:35,639 I think it becomes a clear priority for all countries 103 00:05:35,740 --> 00:05:40,439 to start that journey as soon as possible. 104 00:05:40,540 --> 00:05:43,920 John, would love to hear from you, 105 00:05:44,019 --> 00:05:46,560 your view on the opportunities, given 106 00:05:46,659 --> 00:05:48,759 you come from a different background 107 00:05:48,860 --> 00:05:50,959 than the other panelists. 108 00:05:51,060 --> 00:05:52,420 Absolutely. 109 00:05:52,519 --> 00:05:53,620 Thank you, Your Excellency. 110 00:05:53,719 --> 00:05:56,659 It's great to be on another panel with you. 111 00:05:56,740 --> 00:05:59,540 In terms of digitization, the pandemic, 112 00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:01,540 I'm going to just talk about workplaces really quickly, 113 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:05,840 because the pandemic created a tremendous culture shock 114 00:06:05,939 --> 00:06:08,980 in workplaces everywhere, because we all 115 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:11,280 started working from home. 116 00:06:11,380 --> 00:06:14,080 And what we've seen in our data so far 117 00:06:14,180 --> 00:06:19,060 is that working from home has created a paradox in our lives. 118 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:20,300 And the paradox is this. 119 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:22,720 What we see is that the ability to work from home 120 00:06:22,760 --> 00:06:27,200 did indeed improve our well-being in a number of ways. 121 00:06:27,300 --> 00:06:29,600 One is that it caused us to work out more. 122 00:06:29,700 --> 00:06:32,340 We spent more time with family and friends. 123 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:36,300 And we spent more time just doing hobbies that we enjoy. 124 00:06:36,400 --> 00:06:37,600 And the reason for that is we all 125 00:06:37,700 --> 00:06:40,280 got to avoid the one thing that we hate most about work, 126 00:06:40,380 --> 00:06:41,840 the commute. 127 00:06:41,940 --> 00:06:44,340 And so it's interesting, because it goes, well, gee, 128 00:06:44,440 --> 00:06:46,480 it almost feels like working from home 129 00:06:46,580 --> 00:06:48,220 made everything perfect for us. 130 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:49,280 But did it? 131 00:06:49,380 --> 00:06:51,780 Because the one place where it hasn't tremendously helped 132 00:06:51,839 --> 00:06:55,319 is the workplace, because our well-being at work 133 00:06:55,419 --> 00:06:57,079 may be in decline. 134 00:06:57,179 --> 00:06:58,379 Why? 135 00:06:58,479 --> 00:07:00,019 The reason for it is that as soon 136 00:07:00,119 --> 00:07:03,019 as we move into more of a digital environment 137 00:07:03,119 --> 00:07:08,199 when working from home, we start to communicate asynchronously. 138 00:07:08,299 --> 00:07:11,639 And the challenge is that we do far better communicating 139 00:07:11,739 --> 00:07:13,500 with each other when we're in person 140 00:07:13,599 --> 00:07:18,199 than we do over email, text, and Teams. 141 00:07:18,299 --> 00:07:19,979 For whatever reason, despite the fact 142 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:22,439 that we have an incredible ability to communicate 143 00:07:22,540 --> 00:07:26,580 with each other, we've gotten sloppier about it. 144 00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:28,720 I talked to the father of the internet, Vince Cerf. 145 00:07:28,819 --> 00:07:30,879 In fact, in his Clifton StrengthsFinder themes, 146 00:07:30,980 --> 00:07:32,379 he has communication number three. 147 00:07:32,480 --> 00:07:34,020 And I said, what do we do about this? 148 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:35,560 I'll never forget what he said back to me. 149 00:07:35,660 --> 00:07:38,060 He said, 200 years ago, when we had 150 00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:40,819 to communicate to the other side of the planet, 151 00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:44,360 you had one shot, one shot. 152 00:07:44,460 --> 00:07:46,740 You had a letter that went on a ship. 153 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:49,040 And so the care that you took in every piece 154 00:07:49,100 --> 00:07:51,860 of communication that you made was incredible. 155 00:07:51,960 --> 00:07:54,000 Now, when you send a text, you don't even 156 00:07:54,100 --> 00:07:55,700 care if there are typos. 157 00:07:55,800 --> 00:07:58,040 You send it so fast that Siri may 158 00:07:58,140 --> 00:08:00,980 have corrected something for you that you didn't mean to send. 159 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:04,340 And the misery that you send on the other side of that text 160 00:08:04,439 --> 00:08:06,180 could also be tremendous. 161 00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:08,280 And so this is why, if we are going 162 00:08:08,379 --> 00:08:12,520 to spend between 110,000 hours on the high end, 163 00:08:12,620 --> 00:08:15,600 I redid it on the lower bound, it's 83,000 hours, 164 00:08:15,660 --> 00:08:19,820 of our lives working, we can't be miserable working, 165 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:22,700 because it impacts the overall rest of our lives. 166 00:08:22,800 --> 00:08:24,360 So I think this is one of the things that we 167 00:08:24,460 --> 00:08:26,600 need to be careful about, especially those who are 168 00:08:26,700 --> 00:08:27,800 leaders. 169 00:08:27,900 --> 00:08:29,900 They need to have ever more care in every piece 170 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:32,639 of communication that they have, because when 171 00:08:32,740 --> 00:08:34,639 we are communicating asynchronously 172 00:08:34,740 --> 00:08:36,779 and we're doing so poorly, it's really 173 00:08:36,879 --> 00:08:40,019 hurting people's well-being, especially at work. 174 00:08:40,120 --> 00:08:41,620 Thank you so much, John. 175 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:44,620 I go back to Her Excellency Kirstie. 176 00:08:44,940 --> 00:08:47,340 The question for you is, the integration 177 00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:49,279 of digital economies and societies 178 00:08:49,379 --> 00:08:51,720 has the potential to accelerate progress 179 00:08:51,820 --> 00:08:54,279 towards achieving the Sustainable Development 180 00:08:54,379 --> 00:08:55,779 Goals by 2030. 181 00:08:55,879 --> 00:08:59,960 What lessons can we learn from the Republic of Estonia? 182 00:09:00,060 --> 00:09:07,200 Well, our answer always is, the change starts from legal space. 183 00:09:07,299 --> 00:09:11,740 And since we adapted 20 years ago already 184 00:09:11,820 --> 00:09:16,220 to incorporate the ability to work from distance, 185 00:09:16,320 --> 00:09:20,600 to talk to our government from distance into our legal space, 186 00:09:20,700 --> 00:09:23,799 we have been gradually training ourselves now also 187 00:09:23,899 --> 00:09:26,000 to think already about, for example, 188 00:09:26,100 --> 00:09:29,180 independent entities walking on the streets, 189 00:09:29,279 --> 00:09:31,580 like delivery robots, for example. 190 00:09:31,680 --> 00:09:34,840 And we are ready to constantly look forward, 191 00:09:34,940 --> 00:09:38,180 fast forward in what is coming on the technological scene 192 00:09:38,219 --> 00:09:42,259 and thinking how it fits into our legal space. 193 00:09:42,359 --> 00:09:44,099 Very simple example to you. 194 00:09:44,199 --> 00:09:46,959 For example, we now have delivery robots. 195 00:09:47,059 --> 00:09:50,739 And they have to let cars pass and people pass. 196 00:09:50,839 --> 00:09:54,739 Also cars, even if they want to cross pedestrian crossing. 197 00:09:54,839 --> 00:09:56,979 Now, you have to tell people that this 198 00:09:57,079 --> 00:09:59,879 is how delivery robots work. 199 00:09:59,979 --> 00:10:02,179 Now, imagine somebody else comes forward 200 00:10:02,279 --> 00:10:04,379 with a product which uses different standard. 201 00:10:04,479 --> 00:10:07,819 It will walk in front of the cars acting like a pedestrian. 202 00:10:07,820 --> 00:10:09,100 You cannot afford that. 203 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:12,260 You have to have kind of standardized routines 204 00:10:12,360 --> 00:10:13,600 for these technologies. 205 00:10:13,700 --> 00:10:15,440 And this cannot come from elsewhere 206 00:10:15,540 --> 00:10:19,300 than legislation and international standardization. 207 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:23,040 I gave you a very simple example about a delivery robot. 208 00:10:23,140 --> 00:10:26,680 But now imagine AI entities delivering services 209 00:10:26,780 --> 00:10:30,020 for retired people, keeping their company, 210 00:10:30,120 --> 00:10:33,580 I mean doing what is viable service for them. 211 00:10:33,680 --> 00:10:35,760 And imagine they have different standards. 212 00:10:35,799 --> 00:10:38,759 We have been complaining of a digital divide which 213 00:10:38,860 --> 00:10:40,840 affects elder generations. 214 00:10:40,939 --> 00:10:43,500 I mean, we have to start quickly to close 215 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:46,240 this digital divide between generations 216 00:10:46,340 --> 00:10:53,120 unless we want to leave our elderly in the hands of AI 217 00:10:53,220 --> 00:10:55,980 entities which they will not understand 218 00:10:56,080 --> 00:10:57,860 and who will not understand them. 219 00:10:57,960 --> 00:11:01,919 And I think we are already about 15, 20 years behind globally 220 00:11:02,019 --> 00:11:05,220 to start this kind of standardization process. 221 00:11:05,279 --> 00:11:09,560 And what Estonia has learned is that without legally setting 222 00:11:09,660 --> 00:11:13,660 the permissive space for incorporating technologies 223 00:11:13,759 --> 00:11:15,960 and communicating very clearly which 224 00:11:16,060 --> 00:11:20,040 are the standards to which technologies have to apply, 225 00:11:20,139 --> 00:11:23,600 you cannot really globally fast forward. 226 00:11:23,700 --> 00:11:27,500 Our example that we create these kind of legal sandboxes 227 00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:31,279 has resulted in 10 unicorns per 1.3 million, 228 00:11:31,379 --> 00:11:33,740 which is the Estonian population only. 229 00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:37,299 So you see, there is also huge economic wealth 230 00:11:37,399 --> 00:11:42,180 to be found in addition to being able to provide better 231 00:11:42,279 --> 00:11:44,139 service for your own people. 232 00:11:44,240 --> 00:11:48,720 And what is so clear and important 233 00:11:48,820 --> 00:11:50,860 is that public sector, the government, 234 00:11:50,960 --> 00:11:52,159 has to take the lead. 235 00:11:52,259 --> 00:11:54,879 Because there are many nations among developed nations 236 00:11:54,980 --> 00:11:57,360 where private sector use is far fancier, 237 00:11:57,460 --> 00:12:00,419 robotization and technologies than compared 238 00:12:00,519 --> 00:12:02,060 to Estonian private sector. 239 00:12:02,119 --> 00:12:04,819 But the digital transformation of a society 240 00:12:04,919 --> 00:12:07,919 starts only from the government because the government is 241 00:12:08,019 --> 00:12:10,659 the only one who can provide inclusivity 242 00:12:10,759 --> 00:12:15,339 and make sure that everybody uses the same standards online 243 00:12:15,439 --> 00:12:18,459 for the government service provision, which then also 244 00:12:18,559 --> 00:12:21,079 invites the private sector to use the same standards. 245 00:12:21,179 --> 00:12:24,599 Because people don't want to have a plethora of systems. 246 00:12:24,699 --> 00:12:27,539 The single system, again back to the identity, 247 00:12:27,639 --> 00:12:29,319 this is the single system which allows 248 00:12:29,480 --> 00:12:32,540 you to access all services available in your country. 249 00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:36,580 And we should actually have a global interlinked system 250 00:12:36,680 --> 00:12:38,720 of digital identities. 251 00:12:38,820 --> 00:12:43,420 So simplified infrastructure to enable scale, I believe, 252 00:12:43,520 --> 00:12:46,420 was one of the key successes of Estonia. 253 00:12:46,520 --> 00:12:47,720 Absolutely. 254 00:12:47,820 --> 00:12:49,900 And I mean, if you want to work in Estonia, 255 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:51,660 you don't have to be a Estonian citizen. 256 00:12:51,760 --> 00:12:53,760 You can become a Estonian resident. 257 00:12:53,860 --> 00:12:56,500 And you can work from Vanuatu, from Tunisia, 258 00:12:56,580 --> 00:12:59,320 from wherever in our job market. 259 00:12:59,419 --> 00:13:01,919 My main worry is that somebody will discover 260 00:13:02,019 --> 00:13:05,100 that this kind of, I mean, free, globally free services market 261 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:06,799 exists and will regulate it. 262 00:13:06,899 --> 00:13:09,659 And I'm not against regulation because I would very much want 263 00:13:09,759 --> 00:13:12,899 to share the social gains provided by Vanuatu or Fiji 264 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:15,340 people working in Estonia with their governments. 265 00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:18,039 But the system, the gateway, the mechanism today 266 00:13:18,139 --> 00:13:19,240 simply doesn't exist. 267 00:13:19,340 --> 00:13:20,440 It should exist. 268 00:13:20,539 --> 00:13:23,740 Then it would allow actually us to allocate jobs 269 00:13:23,899 --> 00:13:27,720 and allocate work globally far better than we are able to do 270 00:13:27,820 --> 00:13:29,019 now because you don't. 271 00:13:29,120 --> 00:13:30,560 I mean, geography and work have nothing 272 00:13:30,659 --> 00:13:32,159 to do with each other nowadays. 273 00:13:32,259 --> 00:13:33,460 Absolutely. 274 00:13:33,560 --> 00:13:34,600 Thank you so much. 275 00:13:34,700 --> 00:13:37,159 Mr. Lee, how will the United Nations, 276 00:13:37,259 --> 00:13:42,100 such as through the proposed global digital compact proposed 277 00:13:42,200 --> 00:13:44,480 by the Secretary General, contribute 278 00:13:44,580 --> 00:13:46,899 to the efforts of effectively bringing together 279 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:52,879 the whole UN development system, government, donors, IFIs, 280 00:13:52,919 --> 00:13:56,120 and the private sector, as well as the civil society 281 00:13:56,220 --> 00:13:59,659 and other partners to deliver fast and transformative 282 00:13:59,759 --> 00:14:00,919 results for the SDGs? 283 00:14:05,600 --> 00:14:07,960 Yes. 284 00:14:08,059 --> 00:14:10,899 With regard to the efforts from UN, 285 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:13,980 let me give you a three specific examples 286 00:14:14,080 --> 00:14:17,700 how UN has done or is going to do with regard 287 00:14:17,799 --> 00:14:22,820 to acceleration of SDG and the loss of digitalization. 288 00:14:22,919 --> 00:14:30,179 Two decades ago, UN or UNESA launched e-government survey. 289 00:14:30,279 --> 00:14:36,360 We developed a kind of set of the criteria with indicators 290 00:14:36,460 --> 00:14:40,700 to measure how each and every government would 291 00:14:40,799 --> 00:14:45,639 do the digital service to the general public. 292 00:14:45,740 --> 00:14:49,480 And based on this vehicle, now we 293 00:14:49,500 --> 00:14:53,940 have accumulated the strong endorsement from the member 294 00:14:54,039 --> 00:14:58,279 states to accelerate or to push the digitalization 295 00:14:58,379 --> 00:14:59,779 in their own countries. 296 00:14:59,879 --> 00:15:02,420 So we have the political determination. 297 00:15:02,519 --> 00:15:04,259 We have the roadmap there. 298 00:15:04,360 --> 00:15:08,120 And the second specific example I would share with you, 299 00:15:08,220 --> 00:15:12,899 just the year before last year, UN Secretary 300 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:16,259 launched the Joint SDG Fund, which 301 00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:21,519 is aimed to incubate the priority areas for the member 302 00:15:21,620 --> 00:15:25,960 states to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 303 00:15:26,059 --> 00:15:27,159 agenda. 304 00:15:27,259 --> 00:15:35,100 Within this fund, our aim is to mobilize additional resources 305 00:15:35,200 --> 00:15:40,779 from donor communities, from the emerging market economies, 306 00:15:40,879 --> 00:15:45,539 and also from private sectors to facilitate or assist 307 00:15:45,639 --> 00:15:49,439 the global north in their efforts 308 00:15:49,539 --> 00:15:53,000 to pursue the digitalization and to pursue their attainment 309 00:15:53,099 --> 00:15:57,679 for the all 17 goals under the 2030 agenda. 310 00:15:57,779 --> 00:15:59,740 And then just now you mentioned that. 311 00:15:59,839 --> 00:16:03,179 The third specific example that I would like to share with you, 312 00:16:03,279 --> 00:16:06,719 it's the proposal by the secretary general 313 00:16:06,819 --> 00:16:12,559 in his outcome and agenda that is focused, consulted, 314 00:16:12,619 --> 00:16:16,819 and negotiated to have a new global digital compact. 315 00:16:16,919 --> 00:16:22,099 Under this scheme, we actually have several basic targets. 316 00:16:22,199 --> 00:16:25,859 First one is to connect all people to the internet, 317 00:16:25,959 --> 00:16:28,339 including all schools. 318 00:16:28,439 --> 00:16:32,339 Second, under this compact, we will 319 00:16:32,439 --> 00:16:39,079 do our best to avoid digital fragmentation. 320 00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:43,300 Third thing that we would like to do is to, under the scheme, 321 00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:49,680 we would create a criteria to protect the data, data 322 00:16:49,780 --> 00:16:52,320 for individual citizens, the private data. 323 00:16:52,420 --> 00:16:55,180 And the fourth thing that we would like to see 324 00:16:55,280 --> 00:16:58,920 under the scheme is to introduce accountability scheme 325 00:16:59,020 --> 00:17:04,819 for those misleading contents. 326 00:17:04,920 --> 00:17:08,000 So it's an accountability system. 327 00:17:08,079 --> 00:17:10,420 And the next thing that we'd like to do 328 00:17:10,519 --> 00:17:16,160 is to promote the human rights online, 329 00:17:16,259 --> 00:17:19,759 or to apply the human rights online. 330 00:17:19,859 --> 00:17:25,599 Then last but not least, we want to promote 331 00:17:25,700 --> 00:17:30,539 the regulation of AI industry under this new scheme 332 00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:32,480 of global digital compact. 333 00:17:32,579 --> 00:17:35,839 So we really hope that by this year, 334 00:17:35,899 --> 00:17:39,319 by this coming September, when leaders gathered in New York 335 00:17:39,419 --> 00:17:42,319 to do the midterm review for SDGs, 336 00:17:42,419 --> 00:17:46,039 then they would remobilize the political commitment 337 00:17:46,139 --> 00:17:49,439 to remobilize the additional or needed resources 338 00:17:49,539 --> 00:17:53,139 to accelerate it, and also to relaunch 339 00:17:53,240 --> 00:17:55,679 a new type of partnership between the Global North 340 00:17:55,779 --> 00:17:57,519 and Global South. 341 00:17:57,619 --> 00:18:01,579 And then by next year, when we see the leaders gathered 342 00:18:01,679 --> 00:18:04,879 in New York for the summit of the future, 343 00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:07,440 including this global digital compact 344 00:18:07,540 --> 00:18:12,440 will be adopted by all member states 345 00:18:12,540 --> 00:18:17,240 to showcase that we have the new roadmap forward. 346 00:18:17,340 --> 00:18:18,080 Thank you. 347 00:18:18,180 --> 00:18:19,120 These are great initiatives, 348 00:18:19,220 --> 00:18:22,880 and we hope to see progress towards these initiatives, 349 00:18:22,980 --> 00:18:27,220 and also to accelerate the SDGs for 2030. 350 00:18:27,320 --> 00:18:33,360 I go back to Mr. John, in your latest book, Blind Spot. 351 00:18:33,439 --> 00:18:36,979 The global rise of unhappiness and how leaders missed it. 352 00:18:37,079 --> 00:18:39,919 You wrote that unhappiness has been increasing globally 353 00:18:40,019 --> 00:18:41,219 for the last decade. 354 00:18:41,319 --> 00:18:43,619 How can a digital divide contribute 355 00:18:43,719 --> 00:18:45,559 to the unhappiness factor? 356 00:18:45,659 --> 00:18:48,059 More importantly, how can digitization 357 00:18:48,159 --> 00:18:51,099 be used to counterfeit unhappiness 358 00:18:51,199 --> 00:18:53,699 and ensure we achieve the SDGs? 359 00:18:53,799 --> 00:18:55,699 Yeah, thank you for mentioning that. 360 00:18:55,799 --> 00:19:00,339 The global rise of unhappiness is a word 361 00:19:00,419 --> 00:19:04,159 that we use to categorize the rise of anger, 362 00:19:04,259 --> 00:19:08,259 the rise of sadness, pain, worry, and stress. 363 00:19:08,359 --> 00:19:10,159 We ask people all over the world, 364 00:19:10,259 --> 00:19:12,000 tell us whether or not you feel a lot of that 365 00:19:12,099 --> 00:19:13,459 in any given day. 366 00:19:13,559 --> 00:19:15,379 And those particular measures we see 367 00:19:15,480 --> 00:19:18,679 have been rising dramatically over the past 10 years. 368 00:19:18,779 --> 00:19:19,980 That's a big concern. 369 00:19:20,079 --> 00:19:22,439 You know, it's amazing, too, because look at the media 370 00:19:22,539 --> 00:19:27,779 and how much the media covers a potential recession this year. 371 00:19:27,859 --> 00:19:30,899 Yet when we have massively increasing anger, stress, 372 00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:34,899 sadness, pain, and worry, have you seen it in the news? 373 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:37,200 And if you have, was it attributed to COVID? 374 00:19:37,299 --> 00:19:42,039 Because it was rising far before the pandemic started. 375 00:19:42,139 --> 00:19:43,839 Now, the causes are some things that 376 00:19:43,940 --> 00:19:45,839 are intimately familiar with us. 377 00:19:45,940 --> 00:19:50,920 One, I think this is a massive accomplishment of the SDGs, 378 00:19:51,019 --> 00:19:54,220 especially FAO, and Gallup's honored to work with FAO 379 00:19:54,319 --> 00:19:55,319 on this. 380 00:19:55,420 --> 00:19:57,319 But although the world was winning the war against hunger 381 00:19:57,359 --> 00:20:00,899 for 40 years, we started to lose just 10 years ago. 382 00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:02,659 And one of the reasons that it's been hiding 383 00:20:02,759 --> 00:20:04,859 in the blind spot of humanity is because most of us 384 00:20:04,960 --> 00:20:08,500 live in countries where obesity is the primary challenge, 385 00:20:08,599 --> 00:20:10,599 not necessarily debilitating hunger. 386 00:20:10,700 --> 00:20:12,740 And debilitating hunger is on the rise. 387 00:20:12,839 --> 00:20:16,139 The second one, and this is where 388 00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:19,579 in the Human Development Report for 2021, 389 00:20:19,679 --> 00:20:25,079 22 that came out in September, we talk about loneliness, 390 00:20:25,240 --> 00:20:28,279 the global rise of sadness. 391 00:20:28,379 --> 00:20:30,619 And the Human Development Report talks 392 00:20:30,720 --> 00:20:32,819 about technology and digitization 393 00:20:32,919 --> 00:20:34,720 as being a double-edged sword. 394 00:20:34,819 --> 00:20:36,559 One thing is it does connect us more. 395 00:20:36,659 --> 00:20:39,220 Right now, if you need access to health care, 396 00:20:39,319 --> 00:20:42,059 you can do so with a doctor almost anywhere 397 00:20:42,159 --> 00:20:44,559 right on your screen. 398 00:20:44,659 --> 00:20:47,059 But again, interestingly enough, although it's easier for us 399 00:20:47,159 --> 00:20:50,399 to connect with each other, loneliness is skyrocketing. 400 00:20:50,500 --> 00:20:53,439 If you look in the United States compared to 1990, 401 00:20:53,600 --> 00:20:56,440 the percentage of men who say that they have no friends 402 00:20:56,539 --> 00:20:59,500 went from 0% to 15% today. 403 00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:01,080 Think about that. 404 00:21:01,180 --> 00:21:04,680 I mean, it is a human need for us to connect with people. 405 00:21:04,779 --> 00:21:07,940 Gallup quantified this before the pandemic, 406 00:21:08,039 --> 00:21:11,380 and we found that if you ask people over the past two weeks, 407 00:21:11,480 --> 00:21:13,519 how much time have you spent, or how many people have you 408 00:21:13,620 --> 00:21:15,160 spent quality time with? 409 00:21:15,259 --> 00:21:18,059 We had people that said 100 people. 410 00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:19,799 We had some people that said 50. 411 00:21:19,900 --> 00:21:22,320 But we also had some people that said none. 412 00:21:22,379 --> 00:21:25,539 330 million adults don't have anyone 413 00:21:25,639 --> 00:21:27,939 that they spend quality time with over a two-week period 414 00:21:28,039 --> 00:21:29,079 of time. 415 00:21:29,179 --> 00:21:32,980 Think about how emotionally crushing that could be. 416 00:21:33,079 --> 00:21:34,619 And the last one is the workplace. 417 00:21:34,720 --> 00:21:36,419 And I've addressed this now, but we 418 00:21:36,519 --> 00:21:39,720 find that of those that have full-time employment, 419 00:21:39,819 --> 00:21:43,099 get ready for this statistic, 80% have either quietly 420 00:21:43,200 --> 00:21:45,000 or loudly quit. 421 00:21:45,099 --> 00:21:46,200 80%. 422 00:21:46,299 --> 00:21:49,899 So to those that have said that quiet quitting is something 423 00:21:49,980 --> 00:21:52,580 that died back in 2021, you're wrong. 424 00:21:52,680 --> 00:21:55,100 In fact, it wasn't even something that was new. 425 00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:57,360 This concept of being emotionally detached 426 00:21:57,460 --> 00:22:01,000 because you feel burned out is something that has existed 427 00:22:01,100 --> 00:22:03,860 since time immemorial. 428 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:08,600 So this is another thing that I think and I hope 429 00:22:08,700 --> 00:22:10,140 that digitization can help us. 430 00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:14,140 But unfortunately, the more that we move to email and Zoom, 431 00:22:14,240 --> 00:22:18,580 it really puts a lens on bad managers and bad leaders 432 00:22:18,680 --> 00:22:19,580 and makes it worse. 433 00:22:19,659 --> 00:22:22,559 Because change hasn't been great 434 00:22:22,659 --> 00:22:25,139 for a lot of those leaders. 435 00:22:25,240 --> 00:22:28,079 John, well, on that point, I would like to still ask you 436 00:22:28,179 --> 00:22:31,379 about what forecast can be done to ensure a digitized world 437 00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:33,779 will deliver SDGs by 2030? 438 00:22:33,879 --> 00:22:39,819 Well, the biggest one is the very fact 439 00:22:39,919 --> 00:22:42,720 that we don't have this big data revolution that took 440 00:22:42,819 --> 00:22:44,859 place in rich countries. 441 00:22:44,960 --> 00:22:48,159 Didn't happen in lower income countries, period. 442 00:22:48,240 --> 00:22:52,680 In 2019, the Sustainable Development Report clearly 443 00:22:52,779 --> 00:22:57,560 articulated that there are still far too many indicators 444 00:22:57,660 --> 00:23:01,060 under the SDGs that just don't have quality data. 445 00:23:01,160 --> 00:23:02,160 Imagine that. 446 00:23:02,259 --> 00:23:03,920 There are a billion, maybe two, that 447 00:23:04,019 --> 00:23:07,360 are totally invisible to the international development 448 00:23:07,460 --> 00:23:10,040 community precisely because we don't have any metrics 449 00:23:10,140 --> 00:23:11,560 on how their lives are going. 450 00:23:11,660 --> 00:23:13,840 So take this indicator, for example. 451 00:23:13,940 --> 00:23:16,240 What percent of women around the world 452 00:23:16,319 --> 00:23:18,859 have had a mammogram in the past year? 453 00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:22,460 We don't know because we don't have harmonized data 454 00:23:22,559 --> 00:23:23,700 on that particular topic. 455 00:23:23,799 --> 00:23:24,559 Here's another one. 456 00:23:24,660 --> 00:23:26,160 Loneliness. 457 00:23:26,259 --> 00:23:28,440 Pull loneliness data on a country like Tanzania. 458 00:23:28,539 --> 00:23:29,839 It doesn't exist. 459 00:23:29,940 --> 00:23:31,980 We're not tracking it on an annual basis. 460 00:23:32,079 --> 00:23:34,640 So if we're going to make sure that those individuals aren't 461 00:23:34,740 --> 00:23:39,279 invisible, we have to collect better information on them 462 00:23:39,380 --> 00:23:41,079 than ever before. 463 00:23:41,180 --> 00:23:43,319 Thank you. 464 00:23:43,420 --> 00:23:45,079 Your Excellency, Mr. Lee, I wanted 465 00:23:45,139 --> 00:23:48,299 to ask you as well, building on Joan's point, 466 00:23:48,399 --> 00:23:50,399 how does investing in digitization 467 00:23:50,500 --> 00:23:53,240 have a tangible difference to people's lives? 468 00:23:53,339 --> 00:24:00,679 What action is required by 2023 to reach the goals of 2030? 469 00:24:00,779 --> 00:24:05,220 I fully share Joan's remarks that first, 470 00:24:05,319 --> 00:24:07,379 the same thing from a UN perspective, 471 00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:12,119 we need to address the disparities 472 00:24:12,220 --> 00:24:13,799 between the countries. 473 00:24:14,119 --> 00:24:16,319 And it also within the country. 474 00:24:16,419 --> 00:24:22,059 And second, we need to enhance the capacity of the government 475 00:24:22,159 --> 00:24:24,099 and public institution. 476 00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:30,639 Third, we need to do more outreach to all stakeholders 477 00:24:30,740 --> 00:24:35,700 to mobilize the participation from the private sector, 478 00:24:35,799 --> 00:24:40,019 from civil society, from the grassroots organizations, 479 00:24:40,119 --> 00:24:42,139 and also from the vulnerable groups, 480 00:24:42,200 --> 00:24:46,200 particularly women and girls, and also 481 00:24:46,300 --> 00:24:48,400 the persons with disabilities. 482 00:24:48,500 --> 00:24:52,100 Because we need to have their voice heard clearly 483 00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:55,740 and loudly when we introduce and improve 484 00:24:55,840 --> 00:24:57,640 the digital services from the government, 485 00:24:57,740 --> 00:25:00,420 from the public institutions. 486 00:25:00,520 --> 00:25:06,280 And last but not least, also we need to ask ourselves, 487 00:25:06,359 --> 00:25:15,039 what is the meaning of genuine partnerships in this effort? 488 00:25:15,139 --> 00:25:20,279 And now we are in conflict with a poverty crisis. 489 00:25:20,379 --> 00:25:25,019 We see the deficit of distrust between the government 490 00:25:25,119 --> 00:25:27,779 and the people, between the private sector 491 00:25:27,879 --> 00:25:30,019 and the government and the people. 492 00:25:30,119 --> 00:25:35,399 So how we can narrow all those gaps 493 00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:39,960 and how we can bridge the gap, bridge between the government 494 00:25:40,060 --> 00:25:43,259 and private sector, and also between the government 495 00:25:43,360 --> 00:25:46,620 and our people. 496 00:25:46,720 --> 00:25:50,400 Let me quote what the secretary general said. 497 00:25:50,500 --> 00:25:56,740 The government action is critical, but not enough. 498 00:25:56,840 --> 00:26:02,880 We need everyone across the private sector, civil society, 499 00:26:02,960 --> 00:26:08,260 and beyond to work together for the common goals. 500 00:26:08,360 --> 00:26:10,440 This is our common agenda. 501 00:26:10,540 --> 00:26:13,200 This is our common future. 502 00:26:13,300 --> 00:26:14,400 Thank you so much. 503 00:26:14,500 --> 00:26:17,540 And I think we can build on the experience in Estonia 504 00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:22,780 to reduce that digital divide gap, Your Excellency. 505 00:26:22,880 --> 00:26:25,280 What steps did Estonia take to build 506 00:26:25,380 --> 00:26:28,580 the digital literacy and skills, and how can these 507 00:26:28,680 --> 00:26:31,220 be integrated into formal education systems 508 00:26:31,259 --> 00:26:32,819 moving forward? 509 00:26:32,920 --> 00:26:36,100 Yes, we did have a program which was designed 510 00:26:36,200 --> 00:26:38,299 to provide skills for young people, 511 00:26:38,400 --> 00:26:41,059 and for retired people, and elderly people. 512 00:26:41,160 --> 00:26:44,539 It was easier in this sense that you said that 2.3 billion 513 00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:47,900 of people don't still have access at any kind of internet. 514 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:50,640 Well, when Estonia started, 0% of people in Estonia 515 00:26:50,740 --> 00:26:52,640 obviously had home internet access. 516 00:26:52,740 --> 00:26:55,120 We're talking of the time more than 20 years ago. 517 00:26:55,220 --> 00:26:58,620 So Wi-Fi was available only in village libraries 518 00:26:58,720 --> 00:27:00,160 and schools, et cetera. 519 00:27:00,200 --> 00:27:02,759 And we organized together with private companies, 520 00:27:02,860 --> 00:27:05,940 huge training programs for people who, for example, 521 00:27:06,040 --> 00:27:08,840 came into the village office, wanted to, let's say, 522 00:27:08,940 --> 00:27:11,240 apply for a social support scheme. 523 00:27:11,340 --> 00:27:14,940 And they were trained there and then to do it far quicker 524 00:27:15,040 --> 00:27:19,040 and by themselves online with the help of their digital ID, 525 00:27:19,140 --> 00:27:21,680 which actually they didn't have to apply for. 526 00:27:21,779 --> 00:27:23,980 It is part of our ID card. 527 00:27:24,080 --> 00:27:24,720 It is there. 528 00:27:24,820 --> 00:27:25,620 The chip is there. 529 00:27:25,720 --> 00:27:26,519 You don't have to ask for it. 530 00:27:26,620 --> 00:27:27,860 It's just there. 531 00:27:27,960 --> 00:27:29,620 And we trained people to use it. 532 00:27:29,679 --> 00:27:32,719 And now 20 years later, when COVID hit us, 533 00:27:32,819 --> 00:27:36,119 we realized that the spillover effect for the society 534 00:27:36,219 --> 00:27:39,319 to make it inclusive on digital platform has been huge. 535 00:27:39,419 --> 00:27:42,459 Because, of course, our elderly who were not 536 00:27:42,559 --> 00:27:45,599 able to communicate face to face, I mean, 537 00:27:45,699 --> 00:27:48,239 because they are used for 20 years of digital services, 538 00:27:48,339 --> 00:27:51,279 they were able to communicate by iPad, by Zoom, I mean, 539 00:27:51,379 --> 00:27:54,299 all these tools far more easier than was noticed 540 00:27:54,399 --> 00:27:56,139 in other countries. 541 00:27:56,239 --> 00:27:58,519 And about formal education, once you've 542 00:27:58,519 --> 00:28:02,180 passed this phase that digital skills in society 543 00:28:02,279 --> 00:28:04,559 become quite normal, which is what you are talking 544 00:28:04,660 --> 00:28:07,059 about this part of the world, you actually 545 00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:08,859 face the opposite problem. 546 00:28:08,960 --> 00:28:11,619 Children and youth learn tech skills 547 00:28:11,720 --> 00:28:14,559 like we learned social skills. 548 00:28:14,660 --> 00:28:16,859 But they don't learn social skills anymore. 549 00:28:16,960 --> 00:28:18,599 So what you now need to do is you 550 00:28:18,700 --> 00:28:21,259 have to turn your education system around. 551 00:28:21,359 --> 00:28:24,680 Instead of focusing of giving people tech skills, 552 00:28:24,779 --> 00:28:27,079 they are valueless anyway, because when they grew up, 553 00:28:27,180 --> 00:28:28,279 this is the own age. 554 00:28:28,299 --> 00:28:29,980 What they would have been taught. 555 00:28:30,079 --> 00:28:33,639 You have to train your children to be compassionate human 556 00:28:33,740 --> 00:28:36,379 beings, responsible members of society, 557 00:28:36,480 --> 00:28:39,879 at whichever technological level they found themselves 558 00:28:39,980 --> 00:28:41,220 when they are once grown up. 559 00:28:41,319 --> 00:28:43,220 It's counterintuitive, but this is 560 00:28:43,319 --> 00:28:45,279 what we realize more and more in Estonia, 561 00:28:45,379 --> 00:28:48,059 that this is where you now have to put special effort. 562 00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:51,099 We learned reading other people's body language 563 00:28:51,200 --> 00:28:53,899 by going to the shop and asking for an ice cream. 564 00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:56,460 They don't have this experience, because this is all kind 565 00:28:56,539 --> 00:28:58,720 of resolved by talking to machines. 566 00:28:58,819 --> 00:29:01,819 They learn, therefore, tech just intuitively, 567 00:29:01,920 --> 00:29:04,120 like we learned emotional intelligence. 568 00:29:04,220 --> 00:29:06,259 Hence, the education system now has 569 00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:09,200 to put emphasis in developed nations, not on tech skills, 570 00:29:09,299 --> 00:29:10,860 but on societal skills. 571 00:29:10,960 --> 00:29:12,259 So indeed, there is a divide. 572 00:29:12,360 --> 00:29:15,900 You need to really train children and elderly 573 00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:18,100 in developing nations to, I mean, 574 00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:22,200 dare to use digital services once government has decided 575 00:29:22,299 --> 00:29:24,380 to give them to them. 576 00:29:24,460 --> 00:29:26,100 But in developed world, indeed, we 577 00:29:26,200 --> 00:29:28,600 have to remain compassionate human beings, 578 00:29:28,700 --> 00:29:31,940 and we have to train our children to be that. 579 00:29:32,040 --> 00:29:32,880 It's different. 580 00:29:32,980 --> 00:29:36,080 It cannot be put together, I mean, globally. 581 00:29:36,180 --> 00:29:38,480 Absolutely agree with you, Your Excellency. 582 00:29:38,580 --> 00:29:41,240 John, I go back to you as CEO of Gallup. 583 00:29:41,340 --> 00:29:42,780 What are the latest trends you've 584 00:29:42,880 --> 00:29:45,920 noticed in terms of digitization across nations, 585 00:29:46,020 --> 00:29:48,020 and are there any best practices you can 586 00:29:48,120 --> 00:29:51,560 highlight from your perspective? 587 00:29:51,660 --> 00:29:53,860 Well, first of all, Your Excellency, that's one of the, 588 00:29:53,939 --> 00:29:55,240 I think that's the smartest thing I've 589 00:29:55,339 --> 00:29:57,779 heard this entire conference, which is we need to think 590 00:29:57,879 --> 00:30:00,859 about our education system, that we're teaching our kids how 591 00:30:00,959 --> 00:30:02,759 to text and not teaching our kids 592 00:30:02,859 --> 00:30:04,619 how to have social interaction. 593 00:30:04,719 --> 00:30:06,759 I mean, if there's anything very tangible that any of us 594 00:30:06,859 --> 00:30:10,359 can take away, it's that needs to happen immediately. 595 00:30:10,459 --> 00:30:12,919 So thank you for that comment. 596 00:30:13,019 --> 00:30:14,599 I think the biggest thing is this. 597 00:30:14,699 --> 00:30:17,339 When Gallup shares with the world, 598 00:30:17,439 --> 00:30:19,579 that we're seeing this gradual increase, 599 00:30:19,679 --> 00:30:22,939 and it's been, on average, 10 points for the entire world, 600 00:30:23,019 --> 00:30:25,660 and it's rising almost at exactly the same time 601 00:30:25,759 --> 00:30:28,519 on anger, stress, sadness, physical pain, and worry. 602 00:30:28,620 --> 00:30:32,299 A lot of times people ask us the question and say, well, 603 00:30:32,400 --> 00:30:35,440 is it social media that's causing this? 604 00:30:35,539 --> 00:30:36,799 And so we thought about that, right? 605 00:30:36,900 --> 00:30:39,080 And in our surveys in over 140 countries, 606 00:30:39,180 --> 00:30:41,080 we don't ask people at the moment 607 00:30:41,180 --> 00:30:43,080 if they are engaging with social media, 608 00:30:43,180 --> 00:30:45,940 so we can't necessarily say whether or not that's true. 609 00:30:46,039 --> 00:30:48,920 But there is one thing we can do, which is by proxy, 610 00:30:49,019 --> 00:30:52,120 see who's using the internet and how they feel. 611 00:30:52,199 --> 00:30:53,899 And so as we mentioned, about a third of the world 612 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:55,899 is not currently online. 613 00:30:56,000 --> 00:30:58,179 And when we look at their anger, stress, sadness, 614 00:30:58,279 --> 00:31:00,279 physical pain, and worry, we see that it's 615 00:31:00,379 --> 00:31:05,079 rising at exactly the same rate as those who are online. 616 00:31:05,179 --> 00:31:07,879 And so this goes to show that some of these core issues, 617 00:31:07,979 --> 00:31:10,559 some like work, seems a bit more, I don't know, 618 00:31:10,659 --> 00:31:13,459 quotidian to some of these major global issues 619 00:31:13,559 --> 00:31:16,059 that we're facing. 620 00:31:16,159 --> 00:31:18,899 But they're still very real to human needs, 621 00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:21,459 and that's why things like loneliness in the workplace 622 00:31:21,519 --> 00:31:24,579 so badly need addressed. 623 00:31:24,680 --> 00:31:25,539 Thank you so much. 624 00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:29,720 I think it's very valuable. 625 00:31:29,819 --> 00:31:32,579 And as we've heard from Mr. Lee, there 626 00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:36,759 is a lot of partnerships that can shape together and come 627 00:31:36,860 --> 00:31:39,259 together to create better realities. 628 00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:42,559 And on this note, I would like to ask each one of you 629 00:31:42,660 --> 00:31:45,100 on what type of partnerships do you 630 00:31:45,200 --> 00:31:49,660 think we require today to ensure that digitization is 631 00:31:49,759 --> 00:31:55,500 contributing to the SDGs and shape the future of humanity? 632 00:31:55,600 --> 00:31:58,080 Well, the most important partnership, 633 00:31:58,180 --> 00:32:01,779 if I look at the scales, is Smart Africa, obviously. 634 00:32:01,880 --> 00:32:06,320 Because if Smart Africa can complement the four freedoms 635 00:32:06,420 --> 00:32:10,320 approved and ratified by the members of the African Union, 636 00:32:10,420 --> 00:32:12,519 and they can support this with, for example, 637 00:32:12,620 --> 00:32:14,800 digital backbone, which will make, let's say, 638 00:32:14,900 --> 00:32:17,860 free movement of labor a reality. 639 00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:21,500 Because if everybody had a kind of digital ID, which 640 00:32:21,599 --> 00:32:23,899 were either Pan-African or recognized 641 00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:26,740 by anybody else there, then this would 642 00:32:26,839 --> 00:32:31,039 create a huge opportunity for people to do away 643 00:32:31,139 --> 00:32:32,039 with human trafficking. 644 00:32:32,139 --> 00:32:33,679 Because if there is free movement of labor, 645 00:32:33,779 --> 00:32:35,740 you don't have to snuggle workforce anymore. 646 00:32:35,839 --> 00:32:38,979 Do away with, I mean, a minus working and not 647 00:32:39,079 --> 00:32:41,559 knowing where they came from and whether they are at the school. 648 00:32:41,659 --> 00:32:45,219 Do away with the problem of how to find children to vaccinate 649 00:32:45,319 --> 00:32:47,719 them, because you will have them registered at the birth. 650 00:32:47,720 --> 00:32:51,420 This, in my mind, is the biggest potential globally. 651 00:32:51,519 --> 00:32:53,360 And if Smart Africa can pull it off 652 00:32:53,460 --> 00:32:55,500 for the whole African continent, I 653 00:32:55,600 --> 00:32:57,360 think that this would demonstrate them 654 00:32:57,460 --> 00:33:00,440 in a huge, huge leapfrogging for the whole continent. 655 00:33:00,539 --> 00:33:02,259 And I think they are just at the cusp of it, 656 00:33:02,360 --> 00:33:03,860 of achieving it as well. 657 00:33:03,960 --> 00:33:06,100 Because for 15 years, 20 years, there 658 00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:08,500 has been quite a lot of talk about it. 659 00:33:08,600 --> 00:33:12,819 But I believe that it took the four freedoms approval 660 00:33:12,920 --> 00:33:16,240 by African nations to start really, radically, 661 00:33:16,339 --> 00:33:17,680 to move forward. 662 00:33:17,779 --> 00:33:20,559 Because where we are right now is that we don't even know. 663 00:33:20,660 --> 00:33:25,259 Maybe 10, maybe 15, 20% of births go unregistered totally. 664 00:33:25,360 --> 00:33:28,100 There are children who are trafficking to other countries 665 00:33:28,200 --> 00:33:29,299 to work there. 666 00:33:29,400 --> 00:33:33,000 When they are injured, they are just thrown out and like that. 667 00:33:33,100 --> 00:33:35,759 This cannot be stopped unless you really 668 00:33:35,860 --> 00:33:40,600 have a good, strong will to have a public registry of everybody 669 00:33:40,700 --> 00:33:42,039 whom you have in your country. 670 00:33:42,140 --> 00:33:44,680 And then you can attach the services to them. 671 00:33:44,740 --> 00:33:47,140 And then you can actually allow people 672 00:33:47,240 --> 00:33:50,420 to use what you have created as a legal space on the continent 673 00:33:50,519 --> 00:33:51,779 for freedoms. 674 00:33:51,880 --> 00:33:55,620 That is, in my mind, the most hopeful kind of partnership 675 00:33:55,720 --> 00:33:57,120 you can now imagine. 676 00:33:57,220 --> 00:33:59,160 Of course, there can be other areas, 677 00:33:59,259 --> 00:34:00,620 like curriculum countries are looking 678 00:34:00,720 --> 00:34:01,660 for how to cooperate. 679 00:34:01,759 --> 00:34:04,299 European countries have approved ADAS, 680 00:34:04,400 --> 00:34:06,019 which is also a very important partnership 681 00:34:06,120 --> 00:34:08,460 to make sure that digital services work not only 682 00:34:08,559 --> 00:34:10,260 nationally, but internationally. 683 00:34:10,360 --> 00:34:13,860 But globally, for the development, for SDGs, 684 00:34:13,940 --> 00:34:18,120 Smart Africa, in my mind, is the most important partnership. 685 00:34:18,220 --> 00:34:19,320 Absolutely. 686 00:34:19,420 --> 00:34:22,260 I think that's an amazing proposal and an initiative. 687 00:34:22,360 --> 00:34:25,000 And I think it serves so many of the priorities 688 00:34:25,099 --> 00:34:27,660 on the United Nations SDGs. 689 00:34:27,760 --> 00:34:30,400 Mr. Li, what are your views on this initiative 690 00:34:30,500 --> 00:34:32,800 and what other partnerships you think 691 00:34:32,900 --> 00:34:35,840 could contribute to accelerating the achievement of the SDG 692 00:34:35,940 --> 00:34:38,539 goals of 2030? 693 00:34:38,640 --> 00:34:43,539 Well, from a UN perspective, we really 694 00:34:43,539 --> 00:34:51,039 looked to a global partnership that, first, we 695 00:34:51,139 --> 00:34:55,739 focused on the priorities, not only on our own countries, 696 00:34:55,840 --> 00:35:01,880 but also take into account these very, very urgent needs 697 00:35:01,980 --> 00:35:05,320 from the others, for instance, in the global south, 698 00:35:05,420 --> 00:35:10,759 in those vulnerable countries and vulnerable groups. 699 00:35:10,920 --> 00:35:15,160 Second, we need to identify what 700 00:35:15,260 --> 00:35:20,060 would be the priority areas for the member states 701 00:35:20,160 --> 00:35:23,460 together to move forward with regard 702 00:35:23,560 --> 00:35:28,600 to this implementation process for the SDG for 2030 agenda. 703 00:35:28,700 --> 00:35:32,240 And third thing, the partnership, 704 00:35:32,340 --> 00:35:36,600 the global partnership, is not only among the governments, 705 00:35:36,679 --> 00:35:42,259 but also we need to engage all stakeholders 706 00:35:42,360 --> 00:35:45,799 to have the participation, enthusiasm, 707 00:35:45,900 --> 00:35:49,699 and contribution from the private sector, 708 00:35:49,799 --> 00:35:53,099 from the financial sector, from the civil society, 709 00:35:53,199 --> 00:35:55,000 from the vulnerable groups. 710 00:35:55,099 --> 00:35:57,799 And also, last but not least, we will 711 00:35:57,900 --> 00:36:03,239 see how is the willingness and the readiness to assist 712 00:36:03,339 --> 00:36:05,880 or to help other countries in need. 713 00:36:05,960 --> 00:36:10,599 For instance, like the Seeds country, like LDC country, 714 00:36:10,700 --> 00:36:14,500 LLDC country, or landlocked developing countries, 715 00:36:14,599 --> 00:36:18,700 what are the pressing needs from them, 716 00:36:18,800 --> 00:36:20,140 from their own perspective? 717 00:36:20,240 --> 00:36:23,539 For instance, over the past several years, 718 00:36:23,640 --> 00:36:26,940 more than 100 million people, again, 719 00:36:27,039 --> 00:36:29,180 fell into poverty. 720 00:36:29,280 --> 00:36:34,880 We almost erased what we gained over the past decade 721 00:36:34,980 --> 00:36:38,220 when we launched this 2030 agenda. 722 00:36:38,320 --> 00:36:42,820 So what are the pressing needs from the global files? 723 00:36:42,920 --> 00:36:47,760 And UN certainly would like to see how we would help 724 00:36:47,860 --> 00:36:53,400 those countries, but we also count on the participation 725 00:36:53,500 --> 00:36:57,500 and also support from the global laws. 726 00:36:57,599 --> 00:36:58,700 Thank you so much, Mr. Li. 727 00:36:58,800 --> 00:37:00,300 Very valuable input. 728 00:37:00,360 --> 00:37:05,060 John, are you going to give me your view on the partnerships? 729 00:37:05,160 --> 00:37:07,340 Yeah, I mean, we know that partnerships 730 00:37:07,440 --> 00:37:11,140 is what Goal 17 is all about in the SDGs. 731 00:37:11,240 --> 00:37:15,080 And I think there are two things that we should keep in mind. 732 00:37:15,180 --> 00:37:18,080 One, the partnership that we can do with the private sector. 733 00:37:18,180 --> 00:37:19,420 And again, I'm saying this as somebody 734 00:37:19,519 --> 00:37:23,620 who comes from an organization where we are completely data 735 00:37:23,720 --> 00:37:26,620 nerds, so we're very obsessed with data. 736 00:37:26,720 --> 00:37:28,860 And one of the partnerships that we can have 737 00:37:28,880 --> 00:37:33,260 is when a company has a purpose in the world, 738 00:37:33,360 --> 00:37:34,920 they can be the organization that 739 00:37:35,019 --> 00:37:37,599 says, we are going to sponsor the global data 740 00:37:37,700 --> 00:37:40,160 around this particular topic and just give it 741 00:37:40,260 --> 00:37:41,260 as a gift to the world. 742 00:37:41,360 --> 00:37:42,539 I'll give you an example. 743 00:37:42,640 --> 00:37:45,360 There is a medical device company in Massachusetts 744 00:37:45,460 --> 00:37:47,440 named Helogic. 745 00:37:47,539 --> 00:37:52,280 Helogic says their North Star is not to sell medical equipment. 746 00:37:52,380 --> 00:37:56,140 What they're trying to do is improve women's physical health 747 00:37:56,240 --> 00:37:57,340 all over the world. 748 00:37:57,400 --> 00:37:59,700 So what they said to their colleagues 749 00:37:59,800 --> 00:38:01,660 is, we want to be the world's official statistics 750 00:38:01,760 --> 00:38:02,940 for women's health. 751 00:38:03,039 --> 00:38:04,500 And they went out and actually are now 752 00:38:04,600 --> 00:38:07,680 collecting information on whether or not 753 00:38:07,780 --> 00:38:11,780 women in the past year have had a mammogram, whether or not 754 00:38:11,880 --> 00:38:14,480 they've been tested for STIs or STDs. 755 00:38:14,579 --> 00:38:17,620 These are data that many lower income countries just 756 00:38:17,720 --> 00:38:18,880 don't have. 757 00:38:18,980 --> 00:38:20,620 And now they make it available to the leaders 758 00:38:20,720 --> 00:38:22,559 of those countries so they can better 759 00:38:22,660 --> 00:38:25,059 inform the strategies that they're developing in order 760 00:38:25,160 --> 00:38:26,960 to better help women. 761 00:38:27,679 --> 00:38:29,679 And again, Helogic didn't have to do this. 762 00:38:29,780 --> 00:38:31,579 But they said, we as a company, we're 763 00:38:31,679 --> 00:38:34,320 not necessarily engaged in shareholder capitalism. 764 00:38:34,420 --> 00:38:36,159 We're engaged in purpose capitalism. 765 00:38:36,260 --> 00:38:37,920 And we're going to create the data to get 766 00:38:38,019 --> 00:38:39,699 behind our purpose capitalism. 767 00:38:39,800 --> 00:38:41,760 The second one I would say, and this 768 00:38:41,860 --> 00:38:44,360 might be a little bit contentious, 769 00:38:44,460 --> 00:38:45,800 but I think one of the partnerships 770 00:38:45,900 --> 00:38:48,300 that we can have government to government 771 00:38:48,400 --> 00:38:51,440 is when Angus Deaton wrote in his book, 772 00:38:51,539 --> 00:38:53,840 The Great Escape Nobel Laureate Angus Deaton. 773 00:38:53,940 --> 00:38:56,720 And he said, he sometimes gets concerned 774 00:38:56,739 --> 00:38:59,239 when wealthier countries just write a check 775 00:38:59,339 --> 00:39:01,279 to a lower income country. 776 00:39:01,379 --> 00:39:04,379 He says, the reason is it breaks the social compact 777 00:39:04,480 --> 00:39:06,079 between the government and their people 778 00:39:06,179 --> 00:39:09,379 because now the government is responsible to the government 779 00:39:09,480 --> 00:39:12,259 giving them money, not necessarily to their people. 780 00:39:12,359 --> 00:39:16,159 So instead of that relationship, what if those governments said, 781 00:39:16,259 --> 00:39:18,599 let's sponsor the data for these countries? 782 00:39:18,699 --> 00:39:20,439 Because take a country like Burundi. 783 00:39:20,539 --> 00:39:23,099 I think they do unemployment statistics, which 784 00:39:23,199 --> 00:39:26,399 we know as a survey, just like the US does on a monthly basis. 785 00:39:26,480 --> 00:39:28,420 They do it once every seven years. 786 00:39:28,519 --> 00:39:30,460 They get a labor force survey. 787 00:39:30,559 --> 00:39:32,059 How can you create policy if you only 788 00:39:32,160 --> 00:39:34,000 know what your unemployment statistics are once 789 00:39:34,099 --> 00:39:35,160 every seven years? 790 00:39:35,260 --> 00:39:37,200 I mean, you can Google it and look at behavior analytics. 791 00:39:37,300 --> 00:39:39,300 And I think they do some projections, which 792 00:39:39,400 --> 00:39:42,340 are effectively just assumptions or guesstimates 793 00:39:42,440 --> 00:39:44,840 in terms of what the labor force actually looks like. 794 00:39:44,940 --> 00:39:47,200 But help them actually get that information, 795 00:39:47,300 --> 00:39:49,039 lift the voice of the individuals 796 00:39:49,139 --> 00:39:51,980 within their country so that they can better serve them. 797 00:39:52,079 --> 00:39:54,220 I think those are the two kinds of partnerships 798 00:39:54,299 --> 00:39:59,179 that can be established to fully realize SDG 17. 799 00:39:59,279 --> 00:40:01,419 I just wanted to complement what you said. 800 00:40:01,519 --> 00:40:02,819 I think you are very right. 801 00:40:02,919 --> 00:40:03,819 But we need to- 802 00:40:03,919 --> 00:40:05,119 I thought she was going to disagree. 803 00:40:05,219 --> 00:40:07,059 But I mean, if I look what is happening, 804 00:40:07,159 --> 00:40:09,719 for example, in providing basic health care, 805 00:40:09,819 --> 00:40:13,319 then with quite good cooperation between private donors 806 00:40:13,419 --> 00:40:16,500 and the government's kind of responsibility shifts 807 00:40:16,599 --> 00:40:20,199 from government is out crowded by the private sector activity. 808 00:40:20,299 --> 00:40:22,399 And I see this is becoming a serious problem. 809 00:40:22,480 --> 00:40:23,860 A considerable amount of resources 810 00:40:23,960 --> 00:40:26,559 is going into providing basic health care. 811 00:40:26,660 --> 00:40:29,019 And it's considered kind of a donors' matter. 812 00:40:29,119 --> 00:40:32,099 And it's not anymore that much, I mean, government involvement. 813 00:40:32,200 --> 00:40:34,460 And I think we need to be very clear here. 814 00:40:34,559 --> 00:40:37,800 It cannot function unless you want. 815 00:40:37,900 --> 00:40:42,139 You must want to know how well your girls and women are doing. 816 00:40:42,240 --> 00:40:45,280 And let's face it, this is not the case everywhere. 817 00:40:45,380 --> 00:40:46,880 If you want, indeed, I agree. 818 00:40:46,980 --> 00:40:49,119 There are tools where private sector provides you. 819 00:40:49,440 --> 00:40:52,480 But you cannot do it without really the ownership 820 00:40:52,579 --> 00:40:54,880 of each and every individual government. 821 00:40:54,980 --> 00:40:56,579 It's not possible to do from outside. 822 00:40:56,679 --> 00:40:59,920 I am sure UN has recognized that principle as well. 823 00:41:00,019 --> 00:41:00,420 Can I? 824 00:41:00,519 --> 00:41:01,819 Absolutely. 825 00:41:01,920 --> 00:41:05,380 Yeah, I certainly subscribe to John's remarks. 826 00:41:05,480 --> 00:41:09,420 We need to have the latest data to assess the situation 827 00:41:09,519 --> 00:41:13,699 and inform and support the policy decision process. 828 00:41:13,799 --> 00:41:18,639 But one thing that I want to add, that is, even if we 829 00:41:19,259 --> 00:41:23,859 have the latest data in a very comprehensive approach, 830 00:41:23,960 --> 00:41:27,359 we can inform and support our policymakers. 831 00:41:27,460 --> 00:41:29,960 But then the question is whether or not 832 00:41:30,059 --> 00:41:37,139 we have the capacity to pursue the new roadmap 833 00:41:37,239 --> 00:41:39,940 or the new policy steps. 834 00:41:40,039 --> 00:41:42,139 That's something we need to bear in mind. 835 00:41:42,239 --> 00:41:45,319 It's not only up to the individual private sector 836 00:41:45,400 --> 00:41:49,400 or the individual digital company 837 00:41:49,500 --> 00:41:52,840 or individual national government. 838 00:41:52,940 --> 00:41:57,380 Again, it's about the partnership, we together 839 00:41:57,480 --> 00:41:59,420 to do that. 840 00:41:59,519 --> 00:42:00,420 Absolutely. 841 00:42:00,519 --> 00:42:03,519 Thank you so much for your contribution. 842 00:42:03,620 --> 00:42:05,720 It's been an honor to have you on this panel. 843 00:42:05,820 --> 00:42:08,460 Lots of lessons to learn from Estonia, 844 00:42:08,559 --> 00:42:11,460 lots of initiatives to support the UN, 845 00:42:11,559 --> 00:42:14,660 achieve, and lots of insights on technology and data. 846 00:42:14,659 --> 00:42:17,500 And how can we leverage all of these lessons 847 00:42:17,599 --> 00:42:20,980 to bridge the digital divide? 848 00:42:21,079 --> 00:42:21,779 Thank you all. 849 00:42:21,879 --> 00:42:22,779 Have a great day. 850 00:42:22,879 --> 00:42:23,379 Thank you. 851 00:42:23,480 --> 00:42:24,379 Thank you. 852 00:42:24,480 --> 00:42:25,379 Thank you.