UNESCO welcomes the opportunity to contribute on the draft report of the EU-AU DETF with the following comments:

Under Section 1- Accelerating the achievement of universal access to affordable broadband and the proposed actions to support a favourable regulatory environment, we suggest to add :

• Support the creation of a structured policy dialogue, based on reliable data and country-owned assessments, including the internet universality indicators based on the internet universality framework adopted by African Member States at the UNESCO's General Conference in 2015, on digital connectivity and access/use at the national, regional and continental level involving all relevant stakeholders and promoting a whole-of-government approach to investments in order to facilitate digital economy across sectors.

Under Section 2, guaranteeing essential skills for all, in education and Vocational Education and Training (VET), to enable citizens to thrive in the digital age. We recommend the following changes to the first paragraph

• The advent of digitalisation has transformed the definition of literacy. Along with skills allowing individuals to both use digital devices and create digital solutions to local development challenges, a whole set of transversal competencies proves necessary, especially for women and young people entering the labour market. These entail digital literacy and e-business skills and 21st century skills, including critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, innovation. 

We also recommend to add a sentence in the end of following paragraph related to digital skills for all. The sentence would highlight that "People are also positioned, with these skills, as producers of digital local content and not only consumers of digital goods, essential for catalysing entrepreneurship accross the continent".

We recommend for the next paragraph on 21st century skills in education, to add at the end of this paragraph "In this regard, the development of enabling policies for ICTs in education are essential, as well as systematizing teacher-training in this field."

In relation to skills for ICT professionals, digital enterpreneurs and public institutions, we recommend to add that dedicated initiatives have already been implemented by partners with international organisations and the private sector playing a leading role in up-skilling professionals in the field. 

Under B. policy recommendations and proposed actions of this section

• We recommend to add International organisations in the list of entities to join forces with governments, business leaders, educational institutions, and civil society members to develop digital capabilities. We also recommend to add international organisations in the list of actors in the proposed actions to set up performance indicators and dedicated expert group.
• We recommend to add in the proposed actions to establish a capacity development programme to support African policymakers, regulators and other public sector representatives in taking "digital-by-default" decisions on digital and transversal skills development, inclduing on artificial intelligence and its human rights and ethical implications.  
   

In the Annex II - repository of existing practices, Goal 1: accelerating the development of universal access to affordable broadband, we suggest to add:

• The Internet Universality Indicators

UNESCO launched the concept of Internet Universality in 2013 as a way to identify features of the internet that are fundamental to fulfilling the potential of this human creation for the building of knowledge societies and achieving sustainable development.

The concept of Internet Universality was then endorsed by UNESCO’s General Conference in 2015. It serves as a heuristic for approaching Internet-related issues and their relevance to our aspirations for sustainable development. The concept highlights four principles that serve as the key pillars underpinning the growth and evolution of the Internet, and it points to the need to strengthen these as the Internet becomes more pervasive in all dimensions of life.

The four principles embraced by Internet Universality – known as the R-O-A-M principles – are seen as fundamental to the development of the Internet in ways that are conducive to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. These principles are:

R – that the Internet be based on human Rights

O – that it is Open

A – that it should be Accessible to all, and

M – that it is nurtured by Multistakeholder participation

It is to enable more concrete analysis of the Internet Universality concept at country level that a research framework of indicators has been developed. The purpose of this framework of Internet Universality indicators is to assist interested governments and other stakeholders who seek to voluntarily assess their national Internet environments as a means towards enable evidence-based policy formulation.

The Internet Universality indicators draw on UNESCO’s previous experience with indicator frameworks concerned with media and communications, from the Media Development Indicators (2008), to the Gender-Sensitive Indicators for Media (2012), UNESCO's Journalists' Safety Indicators (2013) as well as indicators concerned with media and information literacy. Recognition of the indicators came in November 2018 at the 31st Session of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Council of the International Program for Development of Communication.

Under Goal II, we suggest to add in the list:

• The ICT-CFT

The UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (ICT-CFT) seeks to help countries develop comprehensive national teacher ICT competency policies and standards and integrate these in overarching ICT in education plans.    Used by countries around the world, the UNESCO ICT-CFT highlights the role that technology can play in supporting six major education focus areas across three phases of knowledge acquisition.

• The Youth Mobile initiative

The YouthMobile UNESCO Initiative leverages computer science education and the widespread availability of mobile phones to empower its students. Young girls and boys are introduced to coding as both a resource to solve local issues and as a tool to develop complex learning skills. Students are encouraged to develop, promote and eventually sell mobile applications as the key to ensure sustainable development.  YouthMobile is strongly committed to the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 10 on reducing inequalities. It promotes the creation of inclusive digital societies and it strives to unlock the potential of women in ICT, fostering gender equality. It supports the creation of positive socio-economic cycles and it tackles unemployment challenges with a special focus on the African continent.