Humanity has come a long way since the days of hunting and gathering. We have made
planes that can fly faster than the speed of sound, we have launched satellites and humans into
space, we have made cars that can drive themselves, we have bombs that can level a city with a
single detonation, yet only 49% actually have access to the internet. A majority of the world lives
without quick access to information such as news, entertainment, databases, health reports, etc.
The Internet has become more and more accessible, but only to those in first world countries. For
example, 6.5% of Africans don’t have the internet and people in Kashmir have been stripped of
this right. The spread of the internet is not fast enough for the evolution of our society. Clearly,
the Internet is needed for countries to grow.
Information access to the internet is best described as the freedom and ability for an
individual to identify and obtain information from databases. It is a basic human right, the right
to knowledge. The United Nations, however, has done nothing regarding this issue in the past.
The UN has not helped the billions across the world who do not have access to the internet.
This issue deserves the attention of the United Nations as the access to information is a
right that billions do not have. One solution to this problem is the UN recommending countries
to incentivise local network providers to extend the reach of the internet to those in need,
especially in rural, remote areas. Companies can include T-Mobile because of its programs
which make their services available in certain areas of Africa among other third world countries.
Non-Government Organizations such CARE Educations and Pratham which have worked with
UNICEF in the past can help in providing access to information, providing free public education
in topics ranging from the sciences and maths to current events and business at physical classes in the case that access to the internet is not feasible. The spread of education is a great advantage
to the world, which should be available for free to all, not just the elite. It can help countries
evolve and innovate. The spread of the internet is a free way to achieve this goal, and the UN
along with other countries and NGOs should strive to achieve it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Written By: Volunteer Nayana Sharma
Date Published: 05/02/2021
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCES:
“Global Study Stresses Importance of Public Internet Access.” UW News,
www.washington.edu/news/2013/07/10/global-study-stresses-importance-of-public-inter
net-access/.
Nambiar, Manjusha. “The Internet Has Greatly Increased Our Access To Information: Band 8
IELTS Essay Sample.” IELTS PracticeOrg,
www.ielts-practice.org/the-internet-has-greatly-increased-our-access-to-information-ban
d-8-ielts-essay-sample/.
“12 Your Right to Information: Accessing Information through the Internet.” The Australian
Human Rights Commission,
humanrights.gov.au/our-work/12-your-right-information-accessing-information-through
-internet.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Have a question or comment? Use the 'Contact Us' feature on the homepage to reach out to us!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
コメント