In 1972, the General Assembly established World Development Information Day to draw world attention to development problems and the need to strengthen international cooperation in solving them.
The General Assembly decided to align the date with United Nations Day, 24 October, which was also the day in 1970 when the International Development Strategy for the Second United Nations Development Decade was adopted.
Improving the dissemination of information and the mobilization of public opinion, especially among young people, would increase awareness of development issues and facilitate efforts in the field of international cooperation for development.
Since the 1970s, governments have committed themselves to the fundamental goal enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations: to create conditions of stability and well-being through economic and social progress and development, and to ensure a minimum standard of living consistent with human dignity.
Launched in 1961, the First United Nations Decade for Development marked a massive global effort to give concrete substance to that solemn commitment. Since then, attempts have been made to develop countermeasures for this purpose.
Unfortunately, however, the standard of living for millions of people around the world remains pathetically low; they remain undernourished, undereducated, unemployed, and lack many basic amenities. Nevertheless, current frustrations and disappointments must not cloud the vision or get in the way of development goals.
The success of international development work depends in large part on concrete progress, and in particular on an improvement in the general international situation, which requires the promotion of equal political, economic, social and cultural rights for all members of society.
The ultimate aim of development must be to sustainably improve individual well-being to the benefit of all. When unjust privilege, extreme wealth and social injustice persist, development fails its essential purpose.
The international community must rise to the challenge of our time, the unprecedented opportunities offered by advances in science and technology, and ensure that all countries can share them equitably and, in turn, contribute to accelerating economic development around the world.
science and technology
Developing countries must continue to increase their spending on research and development. Countries must also continue to make concerted efforts, with appropriate support from other regions of the world, to expand their capacity to apply science and technology to development so that technology gaps can be significantly narrowed.
All-round international cooperation must be expanded to establish, strengthen and promote scientific research and technological activities related to economic expansion and modernization.
Particular attention should be paid to fostering technologies appropriate for each country, and intensive research efforts should be made on selected problems, the solutions of which can have a catalytic effect to accelerate development.
New solutions to development challenges
Information and communication technologies have the potential to provide new solutions to development challenges, especially in the context of globalization, and can help promote economic growth, competitiveness, access to information and knowledge, poverty eradication, social inclusion, and the integration of all countries, especially developing countries and especially least developed countries, into the world economy.
Furthermore, it is well known that information and communication technologies bring new opportunities and challenges, and that there is an urgent need to address the major obstacles that developing countries face in accessing new technologies, such as lack of resources, infrastructure, education, capacity, investment, connectivity, and issues related to technology ownership, standards and flows.
digital divide
However, there are concerns about the digital divide in access to information and communication technology tools and broadband connectivity between countries at different stages of development, which affects many economically and socially relevant applications in sectors such as government, business, health and education, as well as the special challenges that developing countries, including least developed countries, small island developing States and landlocked developing countries, face in the field of broadband connectivity.