A/HRC/43/29 12. New technologies also risk exacerbating gender and other disparities. According to the latest estimates, the digital gender gap is rapidly growing in developing countries, especially in the least developed countries. 5 Gender disparities in access to and use of information and communications technology often reflect the discrimination faced by women in society more broadly, and have the effect of further limiting access to technologies and the opportunities presented by them (A/HRC/35/9, para. 17). Similarly, children with disabilities face several barriers in taking advantage of information and communications technology to better access more educational opportunities, as technologies and contents may need to be adapted for their use (A/HRC/32/37, para. 42). 13. Ensuring the quality of the learning experience in online education is another challenge, as the driver of content dissemination can overwhelm the need for learner engagement and interaction. According to the Special Rapporteur on the right to education, qualifications and certificates obtained through open online courses often do not go through adequate assessment processes. Furthermore, as open online courses are often delivered by or in partnership with the private sector, it is incumbent upon Governments to put in place appropriate policies and regulations to fully ensure the acceptability, adaptability and quality of education in line with their obligations (for example, ibid., sections VI and XII). 14. Technology-based education should preferably supplement, rather than replace, a full learning experience based on proven face-to-face teaching and interaction (ibid., para. 58). There is a need to ensure that the overall education system fully respects the right to education and that education itself is directed to the full development of the human personality and the sense of its dignity. 6 B. Right to food 15. New technologies are having multiple and complex implications for various dimensions of food security and the right to food. For example, biotechnology and genetic engineering, as well as techniques for improving soil fertility, irrigation technologies and targeted use of agrochemicals, can increase the availability of food. Post-harvest and agroprocessing technologies can address food accessibility, and biofortification can improve the nutritional quality of food. At the same time, the potential safety and ethical implications of these new technologies, including synthetic biology, artificial intelligence and tissue engineering, will require close examination from a human rights perspective. 7 16. Droughts increasingly threaten access to water for food production and exacerbate hunger. However, new technologies offer the means to predict and mitigate the potential adverse effects of drought on food production. In a joint initiative, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the European Union supported the Government of Ethiopia in using satellite remote sensing to identify groundwater sources, with information relayed to communities and pastoralists in drought-affected areas, assisting them in digging more accurate boreholes. This has led to a 92-per-cent success rate in drilling new water sources, reducing cost and improving accessibility. 8 17. Information and communications technology can play an important role in empowering farmers and rural entrepreneurs with access to information about agricultural innovations, weather conditions, financial services and market prices, and connecting them with buyers. Mobile phones also have great potential for empowering smallholders and 5 6 7 8 4 International Telecommunication Union, Measuring Digital Development: Facts and Figures 2019 (Geneva, 2019), pp. 3–4. International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, art. 13. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, The Role of Science, Technology and Innovation in Ensuring Food Security by 2030 (Geneva, 2017), pp. 21–22. Sustainable Development Outlook 2019: Gathering Storms and Silver Linings (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.20.II.A.1), p. 94.