Topic: 2026 – Digital Equity for Children
Country: Somalia
Delegate Name: Sylvia Duncan
Distinguished Delegates and Honorable Chair,
Digital equity goes far beyond just internet access. It includes the right to be able to participate online safely, to have human connections with others, have content online be in local languages, have affordable devices that are able to go on the internet and to have productivity in digital spaces. The United Nations Human Rights Council has recognized internet access as a human right, acknowledging that internet access being restricted violates international law. Many people still remain offline which includes women, rural populations, low income communities, elderly and people with disabilities. It is important when looking at digital equity that it is available to all communities and all types of people worldwide.
Statistics collected in 2025 in Somalia reflected that a total of 58.1% of the total population has access to cellular mobile connections. 2% of the top 1,000 websites in Somalia can be accessed through an in-country server or cache which means that only 20 websites are stored or hosted on servers in Somalia. This represents that Somalia has a heavy reliance on foreign infrastructure which results in dependence on far away servers. This results in slow internet speeds since the data must travel long distances across international cables, causing many to have low quality internet connections.
The delegation of Somalia feels a lot needs to be done to solve the massive inequality in access to the internet. There are solutions that Somalia is currently implementing that we feel would be beneficial if scaled globally. Including launching affordable device programs, promoting community based access to government services and making sure that the government online services are widely available at little to no data cost. Another solution we see fit on a global scale would be to develop digital literacy programs which would allow citizens from countries to learn about the benefits of technology while also making sure they know how to use technology safely.
Somalia is excited to work with other delegates on the topic and to find creative solutions to find the best approach for digital equity worldwide.
Work cited
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Kemp, Simon. “Digital 2026: Somalia – DataReportal – Global Digital Insights.” DataReportal, DataReportal – Global Digital Insights, 8 Nov. 2025, datareportal.com/reports/digital-2026-somalia.
Kahill. “Somalia Digital Inclusion Is a Rights Issue.” Knowledge Consulting Ltd, 29 Apr. 2025, kcl.co.ug/somalia-digital-inclusion-is-a-rights-issue/.
Candidate, Andre Ripla MBA.PgDip.PgCert.CMgr….AI DBA. “Digital Equality: Bridging the Global Divide in the 21st Century.” LinkedIn, 18 Dec. 2025, www.linkedin.com/pulse/digital-equality-bridging-global-divide-21st-century-andre-9kl3e.
“Digital Inclusion of All.” ITU, Nov. 2023, www.itu.int/en/mediacentre/backgrounders/Pages/digital-inclusion-of-all.aspx.
