Maureen Hilyard Urges Human-Centered Internet Access for 5-Year Inclusive Digital Growth
Updated
Updated · The Daily Star · Aug 10
Maureen Hilyard Urges Human-Centered Internet Access for 5-Year Inclusive Digital Growth
1 articles · Updated · The Daily Star · Aug 10
Summary
Maureen Hilyard said digital inclusion must start with people’s needs—not broadband itself—arguing connectivity matters when it improves education, healthcare, communication and opportunity for marginalized communities.
Cook Islands experience shaped that view: internet links cut students’ wait for teacher feedback from months to days or hours, showing how basic access can quickly change engagement in remote areas.
Local Internet Society chapters and youth forums can turn that access into influence, she said, by helping communities join national, regional and global internet-governance discussions through platforms such as Bangladesh Youth IGF, APrIGF, APNIC and ICANN.
Government backing remains critical, Hilyard added, because digital transformation works only when policy aligns with national priorities and gives underrepresented groups a real role in shaping outcomes.
Over the next 5 years, she said, countries should also prepare for AI’s cultural impact, citing a Cook Islands project to build an AI "knowledge keeper" for Indigenous language preservation.