P2C partner countries

The two new resolutions adopted in Kigali at WTDC-22 (Resolution 88 on Partner2Connect 15 and the Resolution 89 on Digital Transformation for Sustainable Development 16) have given the mandate for ITU to catalyze concrete joint efforts that accelerate connectivity and bridge the digital divide in alignment with national digital transformation strategies. An engagement model at the national level has been developed to ensure a coordinated approachwith stakeholders across governments, the private sector, international and regional organizations, and the United Nations system. It is guided by the framework of the Telecommunication Development Bureau’s Digital Transformation Wheel where a 360 diagnostic assessment of a country’s digital connectivity ecosystem is offered across the pillars of ACCESS, ADOPTION and VALUE CREATION to serve as a basis for collaboration and P2C pledge mobilization. This comprehensive, data-driven process helps diagnose problems and prioritize, implement and monitor interventions to address digital transformation gaps.

Digital transformation wheel
Digital Transformation Wheel

ITU is working with an initial set of partner countries to help advance their national digital transformation strategies by implementing existing P2C pledges and mobilizing new ones. As of December 2022, the following are the confirmed initial P2C partner countries:

  • Africa – Madagascar
  • Americas – Dominican Republic
  • Arab States – Mauritania
  • Asia and the Pacific – Cambodia

Scope and objectives

P2C will provide support to these partner country governments with a focus on pledge mobilization and implementation based on three core objectives:

  1. Align with the country’s digital transformation strategies
    • Identify and support strategic priorities
    • Conduct diagnostic assessments and set targets
  2. Analyse pledges and conduct in-country validations
    • Map pledges against strategic priorities
    • Coordinate with key stakeholders to ensure collaboration and pledge implementation
  3. Follow through with action and progress reporting
    • Facilitate next steps from in-country validations
    • Monitor progress, continue to mobilize pledges, and troubleshoot where needed

Spotlight – Cambodia

Cambodia is paving the way for P2C’s engagement model with its partner countries. Partner2Connect has played an active advisory and coordinating role, supporting the country by:

  • Surfacing Cambodia’s digital transformation needs and agreeing on the key interventions required in response
  • Advising on how to advance pledge implementation to accelerate Cambodia’s digital transformation agenda
  • Aligning key stakeholders with resources to advance the digital transformation agenda via new and existing pledges and programmes

Since June 2022, P2C has been assisting Cambodia with several activities:

  • Analysing Cambodia’s digital landscape
  • Conducting diagnostic assessments, including mapping P2C pledges
  • Planning for a deep-dive analysis
  • Validating and prioritizing interventions including regional benchmarks, preliminary national action plans, and initial mapping of organizations and activities on the ground

All these activities will form preparations for an in-country validation in early 2023, at which point key stakeholders shall convene to plan the national agenda for digital transformation that will be facilitated by P2C.

This is a unique opportunity for multisector, global stakeholders with a wide range of expertise to come together to understand the country’s needs and determine the best possible responses. This includes the mobilization of new pledges, as well as leveraging dialogue with key stakeholders like the national government and operators to move toward implementing existing pledges.

Cambodia’s digital transformation agenda

Cambodia’s digital transformation agenda as articulated in the Digital Economy and Society Policy Framework 2021-2023 cites five key strategic goals, to cover the following:

  • Digital infrastructure
  • Digital trustworthiness
  • Building digital citizens
  • Building digital government
  • Enabling digital business

“Cambodia is very excited to collaborate with the ITU Partner2Connect Digital Coalition and happy to be one of the pilot countries to help contribute to the P2C pledges. ITU has supported our digital transformation objectives by identifying gaps and implementation strategies, which we would like to further explore together at the upcoming roundtable discussion.”

H.E. Puthyvuth Sok,
Secretary of State for Cambodia’s Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, speaking at ITU’s 2022 Plenipotentiary Conference

  1. WTDC-22 Final Report, p. 480
  2. WTDC-22 Final Report, p. 483