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United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Sustainable Development

Better Connections

(
Government
)
#SDGAction43775
    Description
    Description
    The Better Connections Program is a ground breaking digital and social inclusion program that provides free training and access to ICT facilities for some 1.5 million migrant workers at their accommodations in the State of Qatar. The project is based on collaboration between public and private sector to refurbish donated computers, to enable low-skilled workers to gain an understanding of the benefits of online technology and teaches them basic IT skills to be part of an integrated digital society in which everyone has equal access to technology and are part of the information society. The program successfully exceeded its target of establishing 1500 ICT Facilities (each ICT facility includes 10 refurbished computers and 1 WIFI modem to connect to the internet), by providing extra 427 extra facilities serve the need of the workers.
    Expected Impact

    There are approximately 1.5 million low-skilled migrant workers living in Qatar. They come from various developing countries and many lack ICT knowledge and experience, which can cause them to become marginalized in modern society. The Better connections was launched as one of the digital inclusion programs to reach this large underprivileged community (due to low wages, remote living areas and language barriers) to use technology to reduce the risk of social exclusion. The program is also introducing them to social media platforms that help them learn and keep in touch with family and friends in home countries.

    Partners
    Ministry of Transport and Communications, Ministry of Administrative Development , Labors and Social Affairs (Government), Microsoft Qatar (Private sector), Vodafone Qatar (Private sector), Al Haya Enviro (Private sector), Over 500 Employers and contractors in Qatar (Private sector), Education Above All foundation (Other relevant actor), Social & Economic Survey Research Institute (Other relevant actor), 1000+ volunteers (Other relevant actor)

    Goal 17

    Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development

    Goal 17

    17.1

    Strengthen domestic resource mobilization, including through international support to developing countries, to improve domestic capacity for tax and other revenue collection

    17.1.1
    Total government revenue as a proportion of GDP, by source
    17.1.2
    Proportion of domestic budget funded by domestic taxes

    17.2

    Developed countries to implement fully their official development assistance commitments, including the commitment by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of ODA/GNI to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries; ODA providers are encouraged to consider setting a target to provide at least 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries

    17.2.1
    Net official development assistance, total and to least developed countries, as a proportion of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee donors’ gross national income (GNI)

    17.3

    Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources

    17.3.1

    Additional financial resources mobilized for developing countries from multiple sources 

    17.3.2
    Volume of remittances (in United States dollars) as a proportion of total GDP

    17.4

    Assist developing countries in attaining long-term debt sustainability through coordinated policies aimed at fostering debt financing, debt relief and debt restructuring, as appropriate, and address the external debt of highly indebted poor countries to reduce debt distress

    17.4.1
    Debt service as a proportion of exports of goods and services

    17.5

    Adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for least developed countries

    17.5.1

    Number of countries that adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for developing countries, including the least developed countries

    17.6

    Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism

    17.6.1

     Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, by speed

    17.7

    Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed

    17.7.1

    Total amount of funding for developing countries to promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies

    17.8

    Fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries by 2017 and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology

    17.8.1
    Proportion of individuals using the Internet

    17.9

    Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the Sustainable Development Goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation

    17.9.1

    Dollar value of financial and technical assistance (including through North-South, South‑South and triangular cooperation) committed to developing countries

    17.10

    Promote a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization, including through the conclusion of negotiations under its Doha Development Agenda

    17.10.1
    Worldwide weighted tariff-average

    17.11

    Significantly increase the exports of developing countries, in particular with a view to doubling the least developed countries’ share of global exports by 2020

    17.11.1

    Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global exports

    17.12

    Realize timely implementation of duty-free and quota-free market access on a lasting basis for all least developed countries, consistent with World Trade Organization decisions, including by ensuring that preferential rules of origin applicable to imports from least developed countries are transparent and simple, and contribute to facilitating market access

    17.12.1

    Weighted average tariffs faced by developing countries, least developed countries and small island developing States

    17.13

    Enhance global macroeconomic stability, including through policy coordination and policy coherence

    17.13.1
    Macroeconomic Dashboard

    17.14

    Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development

    17.14.1
    Number of countries with mechanisms in place to enhance policy coherence of sustainable development

    17.15

    Respect each country’s policy space and leadership to establish and implement policies for poverty eradication and sustainable development 

    17.15.1
    Extent of use of country-owned results frameworks and planning tools by providers of development cooperation

    17.16

    Enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in all countries, in particular developing countries

    17.16.1

    Number of countries reporting progress in multi-stakeholder development effectiveness monitoring frameworks that support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals

    17.17

    Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships 

    17.17.1

    Amount in United States dollars committed to public-private partnerships for infrastructure

    17.18

    By 2020, enhance capacity-building support to developing countries, including for least developed countries and small island developing States, to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts

    17.18.1

    Statistical capacity indicators

    17.18.2
    Number of countries that have national statistical legislation that complies with the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics
    17.18.3

    Number of countries with a national statistical plan that is fully funded and under implementation, by source of funding

    17.19

    By 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product, and support statistical capacity-building in developing countries

    17.19.1
    Dollar value of all resources made available to strengthen statistical capacity in developing countries
    17.19.2

    Proportion of countries that (a) have conducted at least one population and housing census in the last 10 years; and (b) have achieved 100 per cent birth registration and 80 per cent death registration

    Name Description
    1920/1500 ICT facilities
    20000+/15000 refurbished computers
    Staff / Technical expertise
    A mix of local funding and resources from other relevant entities.
    No progress reports have been submitted. Please sign in and click here to submit one.
    False
    Action Network
    SDG Acceleration Actions
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    Timeline
    31 July 2017 (start date)
    31 July 2021 (date of completion)
    Entity
    Ministry of Transport and Communications
    SDGs
    Region
    1. Africa
    2. Asia and Pacific
    3. West Asia
    Geographical coverage
    Doha, Qatar
    Other beneficiaries
    Migrant workers in Qatar who are coming from different countries, giving them the same opportunity of using and understanding the ICT tools, teaching them so when they return back to their countries they can use and pass the knowledge.
    Countries
    N/A
    Contact Information

    Reem Al-Mansoori, Assistant Undersecretary of Digital Society Development Sector