{"id":323,"date":"2026-03-13T20:18:18","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T20:18:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/?page_id=323"},"modified":"2026-03-22T20:40:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T20:40:30","slug":"digital-lifelines","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/digital-lifelines\/","title":{"rendered":"The digital lifelines behind everyday resilience"},"content":{"rendered":"    <section>\n        <div class=\"ituContainer grid\">\n            <div class=\"introduction\" data-span=\"8\">\n                <div>\n                <p style=\"word-wrap: break-word;\">\n                    Every day, invisible digital systems help keep the world running.<br><br>They warn communities when disasters approach. Guide navigation across land, sea and air. Carry the data that connects continents. These systems form the digital lifelines that underpin modern life.<br><br><strong>Explore how they work, why they matter, and how global cooperation helps keep them strong.<\/strong>                <\/p>\n                <\/div>\n                <p class=\"btnIntro\">\n                                    <\/p>\n            <\/div>\n                            <div data-span=\"4\">\n                    <div class=\"ituCard\" >\n                        <div class=\"content quickLinksItem\">\n                            <h2 class=\"h5\">Digital resilience depends on many systems working together.<br><br>But which one matters most from your perspective?<\/h2>\n                                                                <p>\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/poll-which-digital-lifeline-matters-most-to-you\/?\" class=\"quickLinkcolor\" >\n            Vote here and tell us why.        <\/a>\n    <\/p>\n                                                    <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n\n\n<div class=\"ituContainer\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\"><div class=\"ituContainer\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"ituContainer\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\"><div class=\"ituContainer\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n    <section>\n        <div class=\"ituContainer grid \">\n                                <div class=\"ituCard bg hor alternating parent-side\" data-span=\"12\">\n        <img src=https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/Digital-lifelines-early-warnings-.png alt=\"Decorative image\" class=\"img-side\" \/>\n        <div class=\"content content-side\">\n            <div class=\"main\">\n                                    <p class=\"title\">What if a simple message on your phone could save your life?<\/p>\n                                                    ITU helps countries strengthen mobile-based early warning systems to reach at-risk communities fast, reliably and at scale when disasters strike.                                                    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.itu.int\/en\/ITU-D\/Emergency-Telecommunications\/Pages\/Early-Warnings-for-All-Initiative.aspx\" class=\"ituBtn\" =_self target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\n                        Explore the Early Warnings for All initiative                    <\/a>\n                            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n                                <div class=\"ituCard bg hor alternating parent-side\" data-span=\"12\">\n        <img src=https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/Digital-lifelines-space-.png alt=\"Decorative image\" class=\"img-side\" \/>\n        <div class=\"content content-side\">\n            <div class=\"main\">\n                                    <p class=\"title\">What if navigation signals remained strong and reliable for generations?<\/p>\n                                                    Every day, satellite and terrestrial navigation systems guide travel on land, at sea, and in the air. ITU coordinates radio frequencies, ensuring these essential signals remain safe and interference-free.\u00a0                                                    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.itu.int\/en\/ITU-R\/space\/Pages\/default.aspx\" class=\"ituBtn\" =_self target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\n                        Discover how satellite spectrum and orbits are coordinated                    <\/a>\n                            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n                                <div class=\"ituCard bg hor alternating parent-side\" data-span=\"12\">\n        <img src=https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/Digital-lifelines-maritime-.png alt=\"Decorative image\" class=\"img-side\" \/>\n        <div class=\"content content-side\">\n            <div class=\"main\">\n                                    <p class=\"title\">What if distress signals at sea were always received?<\/p>\n                                                    Maritime safety relies on dependable communications. ITU coordinates the spectrum use, identification resources and standards for the systems behind global distress signals.                                                    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.itu.int\/en\/ITU-R\/terrestrial\/maritime\/Pages\/default.aspx \" class=\"ituBtn\" =_self target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\n                        Explore how maritime distress systems work                    <\/a>\n                            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n                                <div class=\"ituCard bg hor alternating parent-side\" data-span=\"12\">\n        <img src=https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/Digital-lifelines-refugee-connectivity-.png alt=\"Decorative image\" class=\"img-side\" \/>\n        <div class=\"content content-side\">\n            <div class=\"main\">\n                                    <p class=\"title\">What if no one lost connection when forced to flee?<\/p>\n                                                    Through the Connectivity for Refugees initiative, ITU and partners are advancing meaningful, affordable connectivity, aiming to reach 20 million displaced people and host communities by 2030.                                                    <a href=\"https:\/\/refugeeconnectivity.org\/\" class=\"ituBtn\" =_self target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\n                        Learn how connectivity supports displaced communities                    <\/a>\n                            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n                                <div class=\"ituCard bg hor alternating parent-side\" data-span=\"12\">\n        <img src=https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/Digital-lifelines-greening-digital-.png alt=\"Decorative image\" class=\"img-side\" \/>\n        <div class=\"content content-side\">\n            <div class=\"main\">\n                                    <p class=\"title\">What if digital use didn\u2019t increase our environmental footprint?<\/p>\n                                                    ITU sets global standards for energy efficient, low-carbon digital technologies, and tracks ICT sector emissions and e-waste through the Greening Digital Companies Report and the Global E-waste Monitor.                                                    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.itu.int\/green-digital-action \" class=\"ituBtn\" =_self target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\n                        Join the partnership for Green Digital Action                    <\/a>\n                            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n                                <div class=\"ituCard bg hor alternating parent-side\" data-span=\"12\">\n        <img src=https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/Digital-lifelines-skills-.png alt=\"Decorative image\" class=\"img-side\" \/>\n        <div class=\"content content-side\">\n            <div class=\"main\">\n                                    <p class=\"title\">What if everyone had the skills to keep digital systems running?<\/p>\n                                                    Every year, the ITU Academy trains 5,000+ learners worldwide in topics such as digital inclusion, connectivity, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, policy leadership and more                                                    <a href=\"https:\/\/academy.itu.int\/ \" class=\"ituBtn\" =_self target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\n                        Take a course with ITU Academy                    <\/a>\n                            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n                                <div class=\"ituCard bg hor alternating parent-side\" data-span=\"12\">\n        <img src=https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/Digital-lifelines-submarine-cables-.png alt=\"Decorative image\" class=\"img-side\" \/>\n        <div class=\"content content-side\">\n            <div class=\"main\">\n                                    <p class=\"title\">What if global data traffic across oceans was never interrupted?<\/p>\n                                                    ITU co-convened the International Advisory Body for Submarine Cable Resilience to safeguard undersea cables carrying over 99% of intercontinental data.                                                    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.itu.int\/digital-resilience\/submarine-cables\/ \" class=\"ituBtn\" =_self target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\n                        Explore global efforts to strengthen submarine cable resilience                    <\/a>\n                            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n                                <div class=\"ituCard bg hor alternating parent-side\" data-span=\"12\">\n        <img src=https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/Digital-lifelines-AI.png alt=\"Decorative image\" class=\"img-side\" \/>\n        <div class=\"content content-side\">\n            <div class=\"main\">\n                                    <p class=\"title\">What if AI helped improve disaster preparedness?<\/p>\n                                                    ITU and partners advance the use of AI for disaster preparedness through the Early Warning Connectivity Map, identifying where and how many people can be reached via digital networks.                                                    <a href=\"https:\/\/aiforgood.itu.int\/summit26\/\" class=\"ituBtn\" =_self target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\n                        Attend the AI for Good Global Summit                    <\/a>\n                            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n                                <div class=\"ituCard bg hor alternating parent-side\" data-span=\"12\">\n        <img src=https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/Digital-lifelines-infrastructure-.png alt=\"Decorative image\" class=\"img-side\" \/>\n        <div class=\"content content-side\">\n            <div class=\"main\">\n                                    <p class=\"title\">What if everyone had access to resilient digital infrastructure?<\/p>\n                                                    ITU supports infrastructure mapping, planning, and analysis to help countries identify connectivity gaps and build inclusive, resilient networks.                                                    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.itu.int\/en\/ITU-D\/Technology\/Pages\/InteractiveTransmissionMaps.aspx \" class=\"ituBtn\" =_self target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\n                        Explore global connectivity infrastructure maps                    <\/a>\n                            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n                                <div class=\"ituCard bg hor alternating parent-side\" data-span=\"12\">\n        <img src=https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/Digital-lifelines-cybersecurity-.png alt=\"Decorative image\" class=\"img-side\" \/>\n        <div class=\"content content-side\">\n            <div class=\"main\">\n                                    <p class=\"title\">What if every digital network was trusted and secure?<\/p>\n                                                    ITU\u2019s Global Cybersecurity Index benchmarks cybersecurity commitments across all ITU Member States, and ITU Global CyberDrills engage incident response teams in live cyber-incident simulations.                                                    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.itu.int\/itu-d\/sites\/cybersecurity\/ \" class=\"ituBtn\" =_self target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\n                        Discover how countries strengthen cybersecurity with ITU                    <\/a>\n                            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n                                <div class=\"ituCard bg hor alternating parent-side\" data-span=\"12\">\n        <img src=https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/Digital-lifelines-P2C-1.png alt=\"Decorative image\" class=\"img-side\" \/>\n        <div class=\"content content-side\">\n            <div class=\"main\">\n                                    <p class=\"title\">What if connectivity reached everyone, everywhere?<\/p>\n                                                    Today, 2.2 billion people remain unconnected. Partner2Connect mobilizes new resources, partnerships, and commitments to advance universal connectivity.                                                    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.itu.int\/partner2connect\/\" class=\"ituBtn\" =_self target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\n                        Make a pledge with Partner2Connect                    <\/a>\n                            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n\n\n<div class=\"ituContainer\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":210,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"class_list":["post-323","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/323","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=323"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/323\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":394,"href":"https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/323\/revisions\/394"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wtisd.itu.int\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}