A day
before he meets Prime Minister
Narendra Modi,
Facebook CEO
Mark
Zuckerberg made a call to world leaders at the
UN to ensure universal
Internet access by 2020 to "give a voice to the voiceless and power to
the powerless."
Zuckerberg, who will
host a townhall meeting with
PM Modi at his company's sprawling campus in Menlo Park in California on Sunday, participated in several engagements at the world body's
headquarters on the sidelines of the ongoing UN Sustainable Development
Summit.
He called for greater global Internet access during a speech at the United Nations Private Sector Forum on Saturday.
He said that when communities are connected, they can be lifted out of poverty.
"Connecting
the world is one of the fundamental challenges of our generation,"
Zuckerberg said adding that wide Internet access "needs to be at the
heart of the global development strategy" to address new challenges and
needs of the new generation.
Just prior to his speech, Zuckerberg
posted on Facebook that Internet access is essential for achieving humanity's Global Goals.
"By
giving people access to the tools, knowledge and opportunities of the
Internet, we can give a voice to the voiceless and power to the
powerless.
"We also know that the Internet is a vital enabler of
jobs, growth and opportunity. And research tells us that for every 10
people connected to the Internet, about 1 is lifted out of poverty," he
said.
"By connecting more people in developing countries, we have
an opportunity to create more than 140 million new jobs, lift 160
million people out of poverty, and give more than 600 million children
access to affordable learning tools," he said.
Zuckerberg also
kicked off a global campaign demand Internet access for all. Joining
Zuckerberg in this global campaign is the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation, singer Bono, business tycoon Richard Branson and pop star
Shakira.
A declaration signed by Zuckerberg, Gates and others for
the global campaign states that Internet access is essential for
achieving humanity's global goals.
The declaration calls on
leaders and innovators from all countries, industries and communities to
work together to make universal Internet access a reality by 2020, as
promised in the new Global Goals adopted by world leaders, including
Prime Minister Modi, last week.
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