The goal of this high level dialogue is to understand the issues of the digital divide, and bridge this divide through projects that focus on satellite connectivity providing broadband to remote islands and rural areas in small island developing states (SIDS) and foster partnerships to ensure concrete projects are created and implemented through partnerships between governments, private sector and academia are included in the post 2015 agenda. The main objectives are two fold - to improve social and economic development, and to use information and communication technologies (ICTs) for climate change adaptation and mitigation, and emergency telecommunication when natural disaster strikes. Specific objectives include but not limited to:- creating regional and international genuine and durable partnerships for improving access and affordable access to broadband and information and communication for all. To do this, ITU as the United Nations specialized agency shall take the lead in creating genuine and durable partnerships to assist SIDS in improving connectivity in order to bridging broadband divide within SIDS. These partnerships are between governments, private sector, academia and civil society. - providing connectivity to remote islands and rural areas enabling access to broadband and the Internet for connecting and communicating to families and friends living in other islands and at the global level.- implementing concrete actions for SIDS to help in achieving social and economic development in these areas. - recognizing connectivity as a priority for SIDS, and to be included in the post 2014 agenda. - designing, develop and implement projects for connectivity with a goal of increasing capacity of SIDS in order to own such projects ensuring sustainability.

Each partner will bring it their contribution to projects. Letters of commitment from each partner detailing their contribution are sent to the ITU. Governments will also provide letters of commitment that they wish to be a beneficiary country also detailing their commitment to the projects. ITU as the lead and implementing organization provides project management services and ensure that partners provide their contribution as stated in their letters of commitment.

The key component of each project is transfer of knowledge and capacity building. ITU ensures that the project document details requirements for capacity building and that the call for partnership for capacity building is included.At the implementation phase, providers of required capacity building are sought from the beneficiary country first. Failing the availability of training skills for a certain capacity building need, then providers of such training services are sought from the region and international level.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) will be the lead organization that will coordinate with Member states and sector members concerning the creation and development of partnerships. However, the implementation at the national level will be governed by governments and local partners under the overall management of the ITU.Cooperation Agreements will be signed between the ITU, partners and governments of SIDS, where the ITU will be the implementing agency, partners to provide contributions and governments to manage at the national level.

International Telecommunication Union (ITU), United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR)