Can DPI help us reach the Sustainable Development Goals?

(Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation)

DPI can advance many of the Sustainable Development Goals, the 17 global goals for 2030 adopted by all United Nations member states. 

• DPI reduces inequality by making it easier for the public and private sectors to expand banking, credit, and payment services, especially to women and others who have traditionally been left behind.  

• DPI promotes health and well-being. A child who gets a legal form of identity at birth that is linked via a data exchange system to clinics and pharmacies can receive better health care over a lifetime. Aggregated health data can help providers share information to improve patient care, and governments can better track illness and disease across communities. 

• DPI promotes sustainable and inclusive economic growth. When smallholder farmers and rural entrepreneurs can access global weather forecasting data, digital early warning systems, and digital payments, they can better plan their cropping cycles, protect against pests and weather shocks, and find new markets. The increases in their crop yields can, in turn, improve their income while reducing food insecurity in the community.