As part of the ITU TELECOM World 2019, the ITU Office for Europe held series of sessions related to the implementation of the Regional Initiatives for Europe. Meetings provided an opportunity for representatives from the public institutions, private sector, academia, telecom operators, ICT companies, UN agencies and other high-level stakeholders interested and involved in ICT4SDG, to share best practices, discuss challenges and identify some opportunities to be addressed. Various topics were addressed, such as emerging innovative technologies, regional harmonization, facilitation of innovative ICT4SDG projects, ICT investment, digital infrastructure, e-agriculture, strategies and policies, enabling environment etc.
Monday 9th September 2019
16:00 – 17:30
| Accelerating Digital Transformation through ICT Centric Ecosystem (ITU Europe office / Innovation program) World leaders may have embraced the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) since 2015, but technology is changing fast, and continuing to disrupt economies and lives everywhere. If we are to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs, technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship must converge through new thinking, and leverage an ecosystem approach to fostering digital development. As newer technologies appear, unexpected challenges in growth, inclusion and job creation arise for policymakers. The capacity of entrepreneurs to take ideas to market is the biggest source of job creation. Through entrepreneurship, innovators create startups, which can grow to become small and medium businesses, some of which are ultimately able to sustain high growth. National programmes and pol icies need constant adaptation due to the constantly changing environment – but this is often happening too slowly, increasing the digital innovation divide. What has been the experience of different countries in terms of key actions taken to build competitive innovation ecosystems and close this innovation gap? How can ITU help countries to navigate the changing technology landscape through innovation? Session supported within the framework of the ITU Regional Initiative for Europe on ICT-Centric Innovation Ecosystems.
Welcoming remarks: Ms. Doreen Bogdan Martin, BDT Director, International Telecommunication Union
Moderator: Mr Kemal Huseinovic, Chief of the
Infrastructure, Enabling Environment and E-Applications, ITU Panellists: - H.E. Ms Pinky Kekana,
Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, South Africa
- Mrs. Niken Rosarita Niken Widiastuti, Secretary General of Ministry of Communication and Informatics, Republic of Indonesia
- Ms. Ratka-Seka Strugar, General Director of directorate of Electronic Communications, Postal service and Radio-spectrum, Ministry of Economy, Montenegro, Presentation
- Mr. Konstantinos Masselos, President of the Hellenic Telecommunications & Post Commission (EETT), Greece
- Ms. Marta Arsovska-Tomovska, Director for PAR/Advisor for IT and Entrepreneurship, Office of the Prime Minister, Republic of Serbia
- Mr. Leigh Purnell, C.E.O, Petalite Limited
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Tuesday, 10th September 2019
9:15 - 10:30 | Investing in the Digital Future: Towards Gigabit Infrastructure and Society Investment in ICT infrastructure, such as broadband rollout, is a vital step to promote sustainable development, social integration and the development of gigabit society. An enabling environment is a key determinant of investment dynamics. This session will provide a unique opportunity for dialogue and discussion of high-level representatives from public and private sectors, development banks, regional and international organizations. This workshop will showcase case studies from Europe region. This session is held within the framework of the ITU Regional Initiative for Europe on Broadband infrastructure, broadcasting and spectrum management, which aims to facilitate high-speed connectivity through resilient and synergistic infrastructure development, deployment and sharing, whilst ensuring the quality of user experience.
What are the key measures that may help countries attract investment in the ICT sector, and what are the existing and emerging opportunities - as well as related challenges? How can mapping systems be used to foster investment and what are the financing opportunities from regional and international financial institutions? How can agile national policies and strategies for digital sustainable development be created? What can be learnt from European experiences, in particular those from South Eastern Europe, and what are the best practices, issues and opportunities commonly encountered?
Moderator: Mr. Jaroslaw Ponder, Head of Europe Office, International Telecommunication Union Panellists: - H.E. Mr. Damjan Mancevski, Ministry of Information Society and Administration, Presentation
- H.E. Ms. Dorina Cinari, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Energy of Albania
- Ms. Lise Fuhr, Director General, European Telecommunications Network Operators' Association, ETNO
- Mr. Je Myung Ryu, Senior Expert, World Bank, Presentation
- Mr. Liu Po-Wen, European Investment Bank, EIB (TBC)
- Mr. Ákos Bóna, Member of the Board at The Digital Future Foundation, Presentation
- Mr. Enrique Medina Malo, Head
of Telecommunications and Information Society Legal Affairs, Telefonica
- Mr. Gaábor Körösi, Director of Public and Regulatory Affairs, Telenor Hungary
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Wednesday, 11th September 2019
11:00 – 12:30
| Developing Digital Agriculture Strategy in Europe and Central Asia / Fostering Digital Agriculture (ITU-FAO) This session will be held within the framework of the ITU Regional Initiative for Europe on ICT-centric innovation ecosystems that aims at establishing a sustainable culture of innovation through concrete strategic actions using information and communication technology (ICT) as an enabler. FAO and ITU are jointly supporting countries who wish to develop a national e-agriculture strategy. Several countries in Europe and Central Asia have decided to put the strategy on their national agenda. The main objective of this session is to bring together high-level stakeholders such as Ministries and Regulators from ICT sector as well as Agriculture' Ministries to share best practices and case studies, highlight gaps and identifying sustainable funding models to support e-agriculture, and focus on e-agriculture strategies and regulations systems across countries. Whilst strengthening collaboration between the countries, FAO and ITU, this session will provide a unique opportunity for high-level dialogue and discussion between ITU and countries' Ministers and Regulators operating in the e-Agriculture domain, setting a platform for strengthening national, international and cross-sectorial cooperation. Moderator: - Mrs. Sophie Treinen, Information and Knowledge Management Officer, Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (REU), UNFAO, Presentation
- Mr. Jaroslaw Ponder, Head of the ITU Office for Europe, ITU
- Mr. Valentin Nagy, FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, Presentation
Panellists: - H.E. Dr Aniko Juhasz, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Hungary, Presentation, Presentation
- Mr. Marcin Cichy, President of the Office of Electronic Communications, Poland, UKE
- Mr Geert Kits Niewenkamp, Agricultural Counsellor, Kingdom of the Netherlands
- Ministry of agriculture of Albania
- Dr Davit Babayan, Head of Extension and Science department, Ministry of Economy, Armenia
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| 13:15 – 15:15 |
“Ecosystem Matching" unlocking opportunity through good practice (Innovation program supported by the ITU Office for Europe) Creating the next Silicon Valley has been elusive and difficult, especially in the context of developing countries where less than 1% of GDP may be dedicated to research and development. An exciting ecosystem alone is not enough: it must also be competitive, and include all the right ingredients. Programmes or policies need constant adaptation to meet the changing environment, and stakeholders must be able to update their processes based on good practices to achieve impact. Good practices are key to unlocking opportunities, maximizing limited resources, ensuring ICT innovation reaches markets and creating a high-growth, innovation-driven economy. What practical examples of good practices can be transferred or nurtured in order to develop an ecosystem with a strong fabric that can create the next tech unicorns? This interactive session will explore relevant case studies and facilitate networking opportunities between successful innovators and participants. This session is supported within the framework of the ITU Regional Initiative for Europe on ICT-Centric Innovation Ecosystems.
Moderator: Mr. Mohamed Ba, Head of Innovation Division, BDT, ITU
Panellists: TBD
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