GSR-24: Regulation for the next stage of digital transformation

By Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau, ITU

Global regulators and policy-makers will meet over the coming week to exchange knowledge and experiences on advancing ‘regulation for impact.’

This year’s Global Symposium for Regulators, GSR-24, taking place in Kampala, Uganda, between 1 and 4 July, explores regulating for impact in ground-breaking fields of regulation such as artificial intelligence (AI), the space economy, and climate change.

The annual symposium, organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), has brought regulators together and continually kept in step with emerging technologies since the year 2000.

But what is regulation for impact?

Regulating for impact means defining policy and regulatory measures that chart the course of transformative technologies for positive impact and the good of humanity.

Digital regulators are entrusted with creating an enabling regulatory environment where technologies can advance in tandem with socio-economic development. But regulation is only effective when we develop it with impact in mind.

For the first time, GSR in 2024 will feature discussions on Artificial Intelligence (AI), space economy, and climate change.

The dedicated AI session will consider how to address ethical aspects, standards development, and risk mitigation approaches for responsible AI and robotics. The session will address the following question: what strategies can be adopted to mitigate risks and create trustworthy AI systems?

GSR-24 will also explore the space economy at a pivotal moment. The expansion of satellite networks is yielding new space-based applications that can aid critical economic, business, and societal projects.

Session participants will consider regulatory measures and approaches for an inclusive, safe, and sustainable space economy

Digital technologies also stand at the forefront of challenges and solutions related to climate change and electronic equipment waste, or e-waste. Yet the absence of regulated emissions reporting across the tech industry hinders effective policy-making, constraining our ability to set realistic targets and monitor progress.

Our session on climate and environmental issues will consider what is needed to undertake comprehensive global data collection on tech-related greenhouse-gas emissions, as well as tackle increasing amounts of e-waste.

Other crucial discussions will delve into safe and inclusive digital financial services and the challenge of connecting everyone, everything, everywhere, all at once.

Impact is our guiding principle

Impact is at the heart of our work in ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) – and ‘BDT4Impact’ is a guiding principle. We aim to ensure that everything we do touches the lives of people – both in vulnerable or connectivity-challenged communities and all the billions worldwide who rely on telecommunications networks.

Our annual GSR has become the premier global platform for knowledge exchange on digital regulation. Together we can unveil new regulatory pathways make a positive impact on the lives of people everywhere.

This year, regulators from around the globe will once again meet their peers and debate core policy and regulatory issues to maximize the potential of digital for all.

GSR-24 is organized by ITU and hosted by the Government of Uganda, and will be chaired by George William Nyombi Thembo, Executive Director of the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC).