ITU Media Centre

UNHCR and ITU Receive GLOMO Chairman's Award for Connectivity for Refugees

UNHCR and ITU received the GLOMO Chairman's Award at the Global Mobile Awards in Barcelona on March 2, 2026, for the Connectivity for Refugees initiative, which supports affordable and reliable connectivity for displaced populations and host communities. The initiative aims to connect 20 million refugees and host-community members by 2030, having already reached over 1 million people across more than 15 countries by mid-2026. The award was presented to ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin and UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner Kelly T. Clements.

Partner2Connect Pledges Reach USD 82 Billion for Global Connectivity

Partner2Connect Digital Coalition, ITU's global connectivity mobilization platform, has reached over USD 82 billion in total pledges from governments, private sector, and civil society, moving toward its USD 100 billion target by end of 2026. New commitments at MWC 2026 include Mobily's USD 1.715 billion investment in data centers, submarine cables, and 5G infrastructure, and Ooredoo Group's USD 500 million investment in MENA region optical fibre infrastructure. The initiative aims to connect the 2.2 billion people still offline and supports ITU's goal of universal, meaningful connectivity by 2030.