Mark Zuckerberg announced at a United Nations forum this weekend that Facebook will work with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees to bring Internet access to refugee camps, BBC reports.
“Connectivity will help refugees better access support from the aid community and maintain links to family and loved ones,” Zuckerberg said. “Facebook is in a unique position to help maintain this lifeline.”
There are currently about 1.5 billion users that log into the social media website at least once a month. Facebook recently reached a milestone when a billion people used the site in a single day.
Three billion people around the world have access to the Internet, which is less than half of the global population.
For Zuckerberg, bringing Internet access to refugee camps is just one goal in a much larger campaign to boost global connectivity. The Facebook CEO recently co-wrote a piece in the New York Times with U2 frontman Bono in which they outline the importance of global connectivity and call for Silicon Valley tech companies to take action. The campaign, called the Connectivity Declaration, wants to provide Internet access to the four billion people who don’t currently have it within the next five years. Other influential participants include Bill Gates, Richard Branson, actress Charlize Theron, and Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales.
