The " Greatest HITs " series, organized by the Joint SDG Fund, seeks to highlight high-impact joint programmes and initiatives that are generating concrete results at the country level within the framework of the United Nations System's local work. This second session, held on June 4, focused on how public and private investment strategies are expanding digital and financial inclusion.
Within this framework, UN Chile Resident Coordinator María José Torres presented the Connected Communities programme, financed by the Joint SDG Fund, which seeks to expand digital connectivity in rural areas of the country, promoting local development, digital training, and access to social protection, with the potential to benefit more than 440,000 people.
What sets Connected Communities apart from other programmes?
The programme is currently in its implementation phase in the Ñuble and Araucanía regions, two areas with high rates of income poverty and multidimensional poverty, as well as a significant digital divide compared to other regions of the country. While in urban areas more than 75% of households have internet access, in rural areas of these regions, less than 40% have access to quality internet, and barely 10% have a fixed connection. Furthermore, more than 70% of students in rural areas lack access to digital resources for online education.
Faced with this scenario, the programme seeks to improve access to connectivity and essential digital services—such as education, health, social protection, and agricultural extension—through a pioneering collaboration of public and private efforts, and with strong interagency coordination from the United Nations, combining efforts from FAO, PAHO/WHO, UN Women, ITU, and ECLAC.
During her presentation, the Resident Coordinator highlighted several elements that differentiate Connected Communities and enhance its impact. First, the alignment with national and transformative public policies implemented at the local level. Second, the cross-cutting incorporation of a gender equality approach and Indigenous cultural relevance through analysis and the development of consultation protocols for investments.
Thirdly, she highlighted the importance of coordination with various government entities , such as ministries, regional governments, and presidential delegations. Along these lines, she emphasized, "the programme has been appreciated by local stakeholders, and there is interest in scaling it up and replicating it in other territories."
She also emphasized that Connected Communities envisions an integrated model for digital agricultural extension, social protection, health, and women's empowerment , using digital connectivity and literacy as a catalyst to achieve this.
Finally, she emphasized the importance of public-private partnerships as a pillar for the sustainability of the model, generating synergies between public institutions, agricultural cooperatives, private connectivity providers, and international actors such as the IDB and the European Union.
What's next for Connected Communities?
The programme's expected results are ambitious: at least 8,500 people are expected to directly benefit; more than 1,100 women will be trained in digital platforms and systems to access social protection services; more than 1,000 small farmers will be instructed in digital tools; and nearly 25,000 people will be able to access telemedicine services, among others.
In the words of the Resident Coordinator, "this programme demonstrates how inter-institutional collaboration within the United Nations system, under the umbrella of the coordination system, allows for the optimization of resources, the alignment of public policies, and the generation of concrete impacts in the most disadvantaged communities."
Connected Communities reflects UN Chile's commitment to localizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), expanding the operational footprint of the United Nations system in rural areas, and demonstrating that digital solutions, when implemented with a territorial, gender, and intercultural approach, can be a powerful tool for accelerating sustainable development.
Originally published at UN Chile.
Note:
All joint programmes of the Joint SDG Fund are led by UN Resident Coordinators and implemented by the agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations development system. With sincere appreciation for the contributions from the European Union and Governments of Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland for a transformative movement towards achieving the SDGs by 2030.
