Highlights August 2023
28 August - 1 September
PRIDA: Arab States
A Coordination Meeting for the National Table Frequency Allocation (NTFA) took place in Cairo, Egypt, as part of the ongoing implementation of PRIDA project activities. The meeting featured the participation of representatives from Libya, Mauritania, Somalia, and Sudan, alongside ITU experts.
The deliberations were centered around the key topics, including an in-depth overview of spectrum management and frequency allocation principles, as well as an exploration of international best practices in this field and overview of preparations for the WRC-23. The meeting provided a platform to address the unique challenges and opportunities faced by each country fostering the exchange of best practices and solutions.
Capacity development: Global
In collaboration with Microsoft, ITU organised online information sessions on “Digital Literacy, Productivity and M365 teacher resources” under the Digital Transformation Centres (DTC) initiative.
These sessions were initiated in response to the expression of interest from the DTCs regarding the incorporation of Microsoft content and tools into their training programs.
During the sessions, participants were introduced to Microsoft's learning pathways and trainer resources, with a specific focus on the course structure and delivery approaches.
Interactive polls were conducted to gather feedback from participants regarding their preferred topics and teaching methods. Notably, more than 74 percent of attendees expressed a strong interest in digital literacy and M365 content. Others also shared their initial ideas on how they plan to use this training to benefit citizens within their communities.
Digital inclusion: Asia and Pacific
In collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI), and Amazon Web Services (AWS), ITU organized a closing ceremony to mark the conclusion of the ‘Cyber for Her: Digital Upskilling and Competition’ event.
During this ceremony, 11 exceptional young female finalists from Cambodia, Indonesia, Mongolia, and Thailand were honored for their outstanding skills and potential in the field of cybersecurity.
The highlight of the event was an interactive panel discussion, during which ITU showcased it’s work on Girls in ICT Day and Child Online Protection in Thailand and Southeast Asia. The session provided a platform for ICT leaders to share personal experiences and offer valuable career advice, inspiring young women to pursue their passions in STEM fields.
Digital inclusion: Asia and Pacific
Four ITU Generation Connect (GC) Youth Envoys from Asia and the Pacific participated in the Asia Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum (APrIGF) 2023 in Brisbane, Australia. They delivered an intervention during the youth session titled "What does Youth have to say? A dialogue between the new generation and Members of Parliaments". The interactive dialogue addressed various perspectives of youth and discussed their views on current and emerging internet-related challenges, including connectivity, cybersecurity, digital literacy and skills.
Emergency telecommunications: CIS
ITU co-organized the launch and National Consultative Workshop Early Warnings for All in Tajikistan on 29-30 August 2023. The workshop was hosted by the Government of Tajikistan with support from the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, UNDRR, WMO, ITU, and IFRC.
Tajikistan is the first country in the CIS region to launch the EW4all initiative. Along with the official launch, the main goal of the two-day workshop was to consult with all stakeholders to identify a coordination mechanism, conduct a gap analysis, and to develop a roadmap for joint actions. As the lead of Pillar 3 on ‘warning dissemination and communication’ in the Early Warnings for All initiative, ITU presented the pillar 3 discussions and activities, and was able to bring in key stakeholders, including the regulatory authority, the committee for radio and TV, GSMA and two mobile network operators. This will help ITU in its support to Tajikistan in conducting the stock-taking assessment and enhancing its early warning systems by identifying the most appropriate channels to reach people at risk.
The event’s inauguration was led by H.E. Mr. Sulaimon Ziyozoda, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tajikistan, and Ms. Parvati Ramaswamy, UN Resident Coordinator in Tajikistan.
During the event, ITU presented the global initiative. The program included presentations and discussions on covering various aspects, such as checklists and gap analysis related to EW4All pillars, Climate Change Review, Evaluation of Climate Change, Disaster Risk, and Emerging Risks. Participants also reviewed the status of Tajikistan's national early warning systems and stakeholders, along with the progress of implementing the national DRR strategy for inclusion in the gap analysis, among other topics.
Environment: Americas
ITU, in collaboration with INDOTEL and Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of the Dominican Republic, conducted a workshop on the National E-waste Management Regulation of the Dominican Republic. The workshop saw a high level of participation from key stakeholders representing the public, private and environment sectors, with participants actively engaging in discussions to support the timely and effective implementation of the recently launched on e-waste management regulation.
Policy and regulation: CIS
The ITU Regional Office for the CIS region organized a regional Digital Transformation Forum in Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan, which was inaugurated by H.E. Zamirbek Kozhomuratov, Deputy Minister for Digital Development of the Kyrgyz Republic.
The Forum featured sessions on a range of topics. These included discussions on creating an enabling environment for digital transformation, ensuring universal and meaningful connectivity, utilizing ITU metrics on digital regulation, and training sessions on measuring digital transformation, and on the role and significance of ITU membership. The central focus of the Forum revolved around the ICT Regulatory Tracker and ITU Data Hub statistics, emphasizing the importance of collecting and analyzing ICT data.
Policy and regulation: Asia and Pacific
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific took part in the 16th Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT) Policy and Regulation Forum for the Pacific (PRFP-16) organized by the National Information & Communication Technology Authority (NICTA) of Papua New Guinea and the APT in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
Over the course of the three-day in-person Forum, ITU provided insights into the Pacific region’s most recent digital Infrastructure developments and associated issues, including policy and regulatory considerations. Furthermore, discussions revolved around policy and regulatory strategies aimed at fostering the growth of innovative services through digital innovation and entrepreneurship.
PRIDA: Africa
The PRIDA project gathered 147 young African women aspiring to become future engineers for an intensive 5-day training program in spectrum management, held in Kenya. This training has opened doors to diverse careers in spectrum management, making significant contribution to narrowing down the gender gap within the telecommunications sector. By promoting equality, and breaking down traditional barriers, the PRIDA project has empowered these young female engineers, who now serve as inspiring role models for other young women considering careers in telecommunications.
21 - 25 August
Digital inclusion: Asia and Pacific
A video highlighting the collaborative efforts between ITU and Thailand, including the 2023 Girls in ICT Day celebrations and the 2025 World Telecommunication Development Conference, was shown at the HACKaTHAILAND 2023: DIGITAL INFINITY event which was organized by the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA) of Thailand.
Digital services and applications: Europe
The ITU Regional Office for Europe, in collaboration with Govstack, held two consultation sessions on the GovStack research agenda and country experiences in Gdańsk, Poland. During the sessions, representatives from Poland, Moldova, and Rwanda presented their respective governments' approaches to democratizing access to digital government services at scale. Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) provided the academic context. The open research consultation included GovStack partner organizations - DIAL, GIZ, and Estonia - and received meaningful feedback to integrate into the research work.
Network and digital infrastructure: Asia and Pacific
At a panel discussion on the theme ‘Achieving seamless and sustainable connectivity through transport and ICT infrastructure’ during the High-level Euro-Asia Regional Review Meeting of the Vienna Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) for the Decade 2014–2024, the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific shared experiences and key achievements in improving ICT connectivity for the LLDCs.
Other: Africa
A Giga introductory meeting with representatives from South Africa’s Department of Basic Education and Department of Communications and Digital Technologies explored how a customized approach for the South African context and objectivities can be developed. Questions on the scope of Giga’s work, how and if Giga connects schools to ensure complementarity with other ongoing initiatives, and on infrastructure and connectivity mapping were answered. Follow up meetings are planned.
14 - 18 August
Regional Development Forum: Americas
The ITU Regional Development Forum for the Americas (RDF-AMS), held from 16-18 August 2023 in San Salvador, El Salvador, welcomed over 250 participants from 22 countries, to discuss priority development issues for the region and identify avenues to scale-up implementation of country and regional priorities including the ITU Regional initiatives for the Americas.
Read the Communiqué: Strengthening partnerships for digital development at the Regional Development Forum for the Americas
Emergency Telecommunications: Asia and Pacific
ITU deployed satellite telecommunications equipment to support Papua New Guinea in the aftermath of the volcanic eruption of Mount Bagana in Bougainville. This equipment will be used to coordinate evacuation activities of communities at risk. The satellite equipment deployed consists of 10 Iridium satellite phones and 5 Inmarsat BGAN terminals.
Cybersecurity: Asia and Pacific
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific conducted a Maturity Assessment of the Bhutan Computer Incident Response Team (BtCIRT). ITU will soon produce a Maturity Assessment report with recommendations on how to enhance the incident response capabilities of BtCIRT.
As part of the assessment, three days long cybersecurity capacity building programmes were given to the BtCIRT members as well as other cybersecurity professionals from critical information infrastructure in the country.
Digital inclusion: Asia and Pacific
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific held a meeting with the UN Resident Coordinator's Office in Jakarta for an initial discussion on the topic of "Multi-Stakeholder Partnership for Advancing Digital Talents to Facilitate Indonesia’s Digital Transformation." During the meeting, ITU's framework on digital transformation was presented, along with valuable resources, modules, and curriculum related to digital transformation, particularly those tailored to universities.
Following this productive discussion, a seminar in collaboration with all stakeholders, aimed at Advancing Indonesia’s Digital Talents is scheduled to take place in late November 2023. The primary objective of this seminar is to foster collaboration among the UN, private sector entities, and universities across the 34 provinces of Indonesia.
In another event, the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific chaired the 13th Asia & Pacific Digital Transformation in Learning and Education Technical Working Group meeting, which was co-organized with the UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia. The topics discussed included Child Online Protection, Youth Initiatives, Girls in ICT Day, and partnerships with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), involving ITU, UNICEF, UNESCO, and other UN agencies. The meeting also delved into potential collaborations in the areas of school connectivity, online safety, youth empowerment, and development.
Digital services and applications: Asia and Pacific
The ITU-led program to establish Farmer Resource Centers is making remarkable progress in the Sepik region of Papua New Guinea. The project, which aims to set up a total of 10 resource centers, has already completed four at Brandi Secondary School (Wewak) and Wosera Secondary School (Wosera) in East Sepik, as well as at Don Bosco Technical Secondary School (Vanimo) and St. Ignatius Secondary School (Aitape) in West Sepik.
The objective of the program is to leverage digital technologies to facilitate enterprise development, enhance producer capacity, develop local Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises capacity, and expand farmer clusters or collective marketing groups. These are linked to district community resource centers to improve market information and product quality.
The program utilizes a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) approach to ensure the enhanced sustainability of the resource centers. This is why specific public schools were identified under the program to host the resource centers.
The project is implemented as part of the EU-STREIT PNG Programme in partnership with provincial governments, the National Information and Communications Technology Authority (NICTA), and UN implementing partners in the Sepik region.
Environment: Africa
A breakfast meeting organized by the Regional Office for Africa brought together high-level management from the key organisations in Rwanda involved in the revision and issuance of new e-waste regulation and the design and set up of the system for extended producer responsibility (EPR).
The meeting checked progress on Green GovStack activities for designing this digital service. Senior management extended support for the proposed use case for Rwanda's nationwide e-waste management system as per new regulations. There was consensus on the regulations, eco-fee calculation, and digital registration of electronics producers.
[ This activity is the result of a BDT project. You can find more details of the project here ]
Policy and regulation: Asia and Pacific
The Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific participated in the Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Pacific Region of the 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
The event was organized by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the Government of the Kingdom of Tonga. An intervention was delivered at the roundtable discussion focused on the theme "Improving Partnerships around Technology and the Digital Economy in Pacific SIDS".
During this intervention, the significance of scaling up multi-stakeholder partnerships and adopting innovative approaches to ensure the sustainable development of Pacific SIDS was emphasized.
Connect2Recover: Americas
Connect2Recover and the ITU Area Office for the Americas in Bridgetown, Barbados, in collaboration with the Conseil National des Telecommunications (CONATEL), organized a Workshop on the Resilience Assessment of Telecom Networks and Infrastructure in Haiti. The workshop shared the results and recommendations of the post-disaster resilience assessment and was also supported by the Emergency Telecommunications Division.
The workshop was opened by H.E. Mr. Rosemond Pradel, Minister of Public Works, Transport, and Communication. Also in attendance were Mr. Joses Jean-Baptiste, Director–General of CONATEL, and the ITU Area Office Representative. The workshop was attended by over 40 participants representing the Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Communication, the Ministry of ICT, CONATEL, operators, ISPs, IXP, the broadcasters' association, police, and the army. Following the successful conclusion of the workshop, a multi-stakeholder group led by CONATEL, and the Ministry will be established to implement the recommendations aimed at increasing the resilience of telecommunications and infrastructure in Haiti.
PRIDA: Arab States
The ITU Regional Office for Arab States is organizing a coordination meeting on National Table Frequency Allocation (NTFA) in Cairo from 27 - 31 August. The meeting will include representatives from four beneficiary countries (Libya, Mauritania, Somalia, and Sudan). The purpose of the meeting is to revise and discuss the development of their respective NTFA, as well as to provide an in-depth overview of spectrum management and frequency allocation principles, along with international best practices in this domain.
Other: Arab States
ITU Regional Office for Arab States in collaboration with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MCIT) Egypt is organizing the GovStack deepdive training in Cairo from 20 - 31 August.
The training will be provided to over 20 participants from MCIT, covering all GovStack specifications. The aim is to explore how GovStack’s approach and specifications can be adopted and customized for Egypt.
Furthermore, the training will offer guidance to experts on how to present the GovStack specifications and manage Q&A sessions related to customizing the specifications within the context of Egypt.
7 - 11 August
Other: Arab States
The ITU Regional Office for Arab States participated in the 51st Meeting of the League of Arab States (LAS) Permanent Arab Committee for Communications and Information (PACCI) for the year 2023. Several topics and issues related to the joint Arab cooperation in the field of communications and information technologies were discussed, including the results of the working groups meetings of the PACCI, cybersecurity, the Arab strategy for communications and information, issues related to roaming in the Arab region, and other topics that serve and promote common interests in the field of communications and information. During the meeting a presentation was given on the activities of the regional office.
Capacity development: Global
ITU and the UNDP’s Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development (IICPSD) co-organized a number of train-the-trainer sessions on the HP-LIFE global training programme, as part of ITU and HP’s collaboration under the Digital Transformation Centres (DTC) Initiative.
The training was conducted online over the course of three weeks and followed a 3-hour orientation session held in March 2023. Separate sessions were held simultaneously in English and French to accommodate DTCs from both English-speaking and French-speaking countries.
During the sessions, 28 trainers and training centre managers from 10 DTCs were able to gain practical know-how to deliver the HP-LIFE programme on ICT and business skills. Master trainers from HP covered topics ranging from ICT-enabled entrepreneurship to communication and presentation skills, and invited participants to reflect on effective ways to deliver those courses within their centres and adapt their teaching approach to the needs of their beneficiaries.
At the end of the training, participants took part in a final simulation exercise to showcase the pedagogical tools, facilitation techniques and soft skills learned during the programme. As a next step, they will be responsible for gradually incorporating the HP-LIFE programme into the course offerings of their respective DTCs.
Cybersecurity: Asia and Pacific
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific took part in a weekly meeting of the Deliberation Committee for the Draft Presidential Regulation on the National Roadmap for Child Online Protection in Indonesia. An initial draft was adopted and will be presented to an Inter-Ministerial Committee in August 2023 with the goal of official enactment by the end of the year.
The meeting was organized by the Ministry for Women's Protection and Child Protection and was attended by various stakeholders including the Ministry of National Development Planning, UNICEF, and ECPAT Indonesia.
Digital inclusion: Asia and Pacific
ITU, in collaboration with the Autoridade Nacional De Comunicações (ANC) organized a full day national seminar to celebrate the International Girls in ICT Day at Timor Plaza, Dili, Timor-Leste.
The event was graced with the presence of H.E. Mr Miguel Marques Gonçalves Manetelu, Minister of Transport and Communication of Timor-Leste, H.E. Ms Maria Do Rosario Correia, Secretary of State for Equality and Inclusion of Timor-Leste, Mr João Olívio Freitas, Chairman of ANC, Ms Olufunmilayo (Funmi) Abosede Balogun-Alexander, and the UN Resident Coordinator. ITU was the keynote speaker.
The primary objective of this event was to encourage and empower girls and young women to explore and pursue careers in the ICT field. It provided valuable opportunities for attendees to enhance their digital skills, interact with female role models and mentors in the ICT sector, and explore diverse career paths in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
Approximately 70 female secondary school students and several female ICT leaders from all around Timor-Leste attended. Participants shared their experiences. The event received support from various partners, including the Australian Embassy in Timor-Leste, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Timorese JICA Alumni Association, MetroLink, Telkomcel, Telemor, Timor Telecom, the National University of East Timor, (UNTL), UN Women, etc.
Digital services and applications: Asia and Pacific
Several capacity building activities were held in Papua New Guinea in collaboration with EU STREIT and the Norwegian Agency for Development (NORAD):
- The EU STREIT Project Steering Committee meeting was held in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, attended by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), National ICT Authority of Papua New Guinea (NICTA), Provincial Administrators, EU, FAO, ILO, UNDP and UNCDF. Three value chain farmers in Cocoa, Vanilla, and Fishery, MSME, schoolteachers, students and the broader local community expects to benefit from the project.
- Simultaneously, the inauguration of an ITU Resource Centre was held at Don Bosco Secondary School, where ITU delivered and installed 15 desktop computers to conduct a series of digital skills training.
- A 6-day Training of Trainers programme on the Cisco Networking Academy and Network Essentials was conducted under the Digital Transformation Centre Initiative. Beneficiaries included IT teachers from ITU's resource centers, IT experts from East and West Sepik Provincial administration, Cocoa Board, Spicy Board IT experts, and IT managers.
These efforts mark a significant step forward in our mission to bridge the digital skills gap in Papua New Guinea.
31 July - 4 August
Cybersecurity: Asia and Pacific
The Cyber for Her: Digital Upskilling and Competition was held as part of a collaboration under the Joint Declaration between ITU and the USAID Regional Development Mission for Asia (RDMA), and co-organized with USAID (through the Digital Asia Accelerator project implemented by DAI) and Amazon Web Services (AWS).
The programme aimed to attract and empower women to pursue and advance careers in the field of cybersecurity by providing them with a platform to improve and showcase their skills and abilities.
During the event, ITU presented its work on cybersecurity to young women from Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Mongolia, and Laos attending the Cyber for Her event.
The event also featured digital skills training that culminated in a skills-based hackathon. The winners of the hackathon will be flown to Bangkok for an in-person final session and careers day on 29-30 August, with an awards ceremony featuring the US Ambassador to Thailand.
Digital inclusion: Global
Five Generation Connect Youth Envoys participated in the SDG Summer School hosted by the University of Geneva on the theme, “Open-Source Health Solutions”. Following a combination of workshops, lectures and different team and skills-based activities, the course culminated in a final project pitch session in front of a live audience. Altogether, this was a chance for young people to learn about sustainable development, entrepreneurship, and international organizations, and to engage with like-minded changemakers from diverse backgrounds.
Digital inclusion: Asia and Pacific
The Final Session of the Girls in ICT Day Thailand was co-organized by the Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission (NBTC), the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES), ITU, and hosted by UNRCO. This event was held at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC) in Bangkok. It featured interactive sessions where girls and young women who had participated in previous training activities shared their lessons learned from the Girls in ICT Day Thailand 2023 and contributed their suggestions for next year's celebration.
This session marked the closure of 35 digital skills training programmes that were organized throughout the Girls in ICT Day Thailand 2023 celebrations thanks to the support of 17 partners.
Over three months, more than 1100 participants, including over 400 girls, 170 boys, and 550 teachers from across Thailand, attended activities and events focused on digital inclusion, digital skills, and careers in ICT.
Environment: Global
Under the Green GovStack initiative, the Circular and Sustainable Public Procurement Guide for ICTs and a complementary e-learning course were launched. The guide sets out the systems and process requirements for ICT procurement in a way that supports the transition to circular and sustainable system solutions. It considers the need for policy and strategy, setting the conditions for and building circular and sustainable design into procurement processes.
[ This activity is the result of a BDT project. You can find more details of the project here ]
New Members: Asia and Pacific
SAP Asia Pte Ltd joined ITU-D as a Sector Member. SAP is considered to be a market leader in enterprise application software. They aim to help companies operate better and more efficiently by redefining Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and creating networks of intelligent enterprises that provide transparency, resiliency, and sustainability across supply chains.
Other: Americas
The ITU Regional Office for the Americas actively contributed to the Outcome Document of the ‘High-Level Latin America Regional Review Meeting of the Vienna Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries for the Decade 2014-2024’ conference held in Asunción, Paraguay. ITU was thanked by governments for their input to the document, helping to focus the message on specific connectivity needs of LLDCs.
The Outcome Document urged both Latin American LLDCs (Bolivia and Paraguay) to continue focusing efforts on expanding the telecommunications system to achieve rapid and secure market access, continue developing broadband infrastructure throughout their territory, and to facilitate Internet access and reduce tariffs by increasing competition in the sector. It also states that efforts should be intensified to reduce the digital divide, both in terms of gender and between rural and urban areas.