As the only
private-sector partner involved in the Social Good Summit 2012 in New York,
Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) will participate in discussions on how mobile broadband
can be used as a tool for change in helping to tackle global challenges.
The
event, which takes place in New York on September 22-24, will be complemented
by Social Good Summit hub events on September 24 in Nairobi, Kenya and Beijing,
China as well as "meet-ups" in nearly 100 countries.
At the
Social Good Summit as well as other related events in New York during the same
week, Ericsson President and CEO Hans Vestberg will discuss the impact mobile broadband can have
on a range of initiatives, and outline the key role technology can play in
meeting global challenges.
Vestberg
says: "Broadband is proven as a key infrastructure for social and economic
development. It positively impacts GDP, employment growth, and supports a
low-carbon economy. During this week in New York we hope to raise awareness of
the role mobile broadband and ICT can play on the global agenda."
At the
Social Good Summit, Vestberg, who is a Broadband Commissioner, will highlight
the release of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development's report, The
State of Broadband 2012: Achieving Digital Inclusion for All, together with Dr
Hamadoun Touré, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union.
The report will be recognized by the United Nations Secretary General Ban
Ki-moon, on September 23, at a meeting of the Broadband Commission.
Vestberg
will also discuss the role of technology in development and peace with UNESCO
Goodwill Ambassador Forest Whitaker, Founder and Chair of PeaceEarth Foundation
and Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia
University
The global
education initiative "Connect to
learn" will also be highlighted during the week, with new
announcements and an outline of the milestones achieved to date. Ericsson's Vice President
of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility, Elaine Weidman-Grunewald,
will appear on a Social Good Summit panel to discuss ways to improve access to
a 21st-century secondary education for girls on September 24.
Later that
day, Weidman-Grunewald will also introduce a session at the Summit on refugee
reconnection. Based on the successful introduction of the mobile reconnection
platform developed by Ericsson on behalf of Refugees United, she and co-founder
Christopher Mikkelsen will discuss the importance of public-private
partnerships in achieving scale. This initiative will also be represented at
the Clinton Global Initiative in New York later in the week, which has the
theme of Designing for Impact.
Vestberg and
Weidman-Grunewald will also participate in the launch of the Sustainable Development
Solutions Network on September 22, the network recently announced by UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and directed by Jeffrey Sachs, in his role as
special advisor to the UN Secretary General.
This initiative is part of the UN initiatives in support of the
post-2015 development agenda and the outcome of the Rio+20 Conference.
Press
release