Tackling Poverty Based on ICT

Jose Graziano Da Silva (left), secretary general of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and KT chairman Hwang Chang-kyu pose for a photo after signing a business agreement to solve global poverty problems at the Seoul Global Center in Jongno-gu, Seoul on May 14.

KT announced on May 14 that it has signed a business agreement with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations to tackle the global poverty problem based on information and communication technologies (ICT).

The U.N. FAO was established in 1943 during World War II, when U.S. President Roosevelt delivered the Four Freedoms speech for the establishment of the postwar global economic and social order. As a special organization of the United Nations, it has contributed to ending starvation and improving nutritional quality through global cooperation and dissemination of expertise in the food and agriculture field.

The two organizations agreed to cooperate in resolving global starvation problems through the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs), undertaking joint research on agricultural technology innovation using KT's ICT technology and data innovation technology, and implementing digital agriculture technology training and job creation programs for young people around the world. They pledged to contribute to public management of humanity and resolution of global poverty.

KT and U.N. FAO's business agreement started when the U.N. organization, which showed interest in KT's global social responsibility initiative, including construction of Giga Island in Bangladesh, visited the KT head office last August. The conclusion of this agreement was made possible through active discussions between the two organizations over a period of one whole year.

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