The ITU Regional Forum for Europe on Meaningful Connectivity was organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) with the support of Ministry of Public Administration of the Republic of Slovenia. Originally planned in Ljubljana, Slovenia, the Forum took place virtually from 8-9 March 2021.
This initiative was organized within the framework of the ITU European Regional Initiative on Broadband Infrastructure, broadcasting and spectrum management adopted by the ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference 2017 (WTDC-17) that aimed at facilitating high-speed connectivity with resilient and synergistic infrastructure development, deployment and sharing.
The Forum was held as a follow up to 2020 activities aimed at capacity building and advancing the connectivity agenda in Europe region, including the ITU Regional Regulatory Forum for Europe and the ITU Regional forum for Europe on 5G strategies, policies and implementation. Moreover, the event was held in follow up to the Global Symposium for Regulators 2020 (GSR-20) and the GSR-20 Best Practice Guidelines and the GSR-20 Regional Regulatory Roundtable Discussion for Europe and CIS.
It provided a unique opportunity for dialogue between stakeholders on strategies and policies aimed at connecting the unconnected and at ensuring that connectivity was leveraged meaningfully, thereby contributing to social and economic development and accelerating the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Forum focused on:
The Digital Divide in Europe: Ensuring meaningful and inclusive connectivity
Connecting Rural Areas in Europe: Regional and national approaches
Use of ICTs in Public institutions: A focus on connecting schools
Fostering Digital Skills development: Supporting demand creation for connectivity.
The outcomes of this Forum will contribute to the
work of ITU, including the activities undertaken by the Study Group of the
Development Sector, as well as other initiatives undertaken in line with the UN
Secretary General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation. Moreover, the outcomes
of this forum will feed into ITU’s workstreams relating to the following
projects:
The Regional Forum for Europe was expected to bring together up to 100 attendees including European policymakers, government officials, international organizations, business leaders, industry experts and academia.
