ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication Anusha Rahman Khan appreciated on Saturday the Global Connect Initiative being launched by the US to support growth of internet access and connectivity across the globe.

The initiative will provide internet access to more than 1.5 billion unconnected citizens by 2020.

Ms Khan made these remarks during her meeting at the US Mission to the UN, said a message received here from New York on Saturday.

At an event organised by Catherine Novelli, Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the minister praised the programme and the role it was expected to play towards achieving targets set by the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN.

She highlighted the initiatives being pursued in Pakistan for connecting the underserved and unserved. The meeting was also attended by senior officials from global corporate like Google and Microsoft.

She stressed the need for addressing all the components of the value chain in order for the initiatives like these to bridge the digital divide within and between nations.

Under Secretary Novelli laid down the future engagement roadmap for the initiative.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2015