The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the ICT Association Suriname (ICT-AS) had taken the initiative to partner on a series of four webinars with the topic “Digital Inclusion for Sustainable Development” during the month of April 2021. The webinars were meant to engage policy makers, business communities and other stakeholders within the ICT and related sectors in a dialogue on the role and importance of ICT in the context of national development in Suriname.

The objective of the webinars was to initiate a discussion on the important issue of digital inclusion and to contribute to the formulation of a national strategy and plan regarding “Digital Inclusion for Sustainable Development “.

The following topics were addressed during the webinars:

• Enabling digital innovation in the telecommunications sector to support the development of Surinamese society (digital transformation).

• Bridging the digital divide and providing broadband “Access for All” in Surinamese (“digital inclusion”).

• The importance of the developing of digital literacy and skills in this modern and fast-moving digital era.

• Contribution of ICT in achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (the keystones social- and economic development).

• Relation between the SDGs and the 7 targets of the Broadband Commission, initiated in 2010 by the UNESCO and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).