Highlights June 2023
26 - 30 June
Cybersecurity: Europe
The ITU Regional Office for Europe actively participated in the Georgia Cybersecurity Forum, and shared insights on ITU's vision and ongoing efforts in the field of "Emerging Technologies and Cybersecurity" during a dedicated panel discussion. A series of fruitful bilateral meetings paved the way for future collaboration in responding to the country needs.
Digital inclusion: Africa
A capacity building workshop organized by ITU in partnership with GSMA, focused on bridging the gender mobile gap was held in Addis Ababa. Targeted at public officials from Ethiopia, the workshop aimed to understand the factors contributing to the mobile gender gap in low- and middle-income countries, and to generate insights and recommendations for improving digital inclusion for women. It was carried out in the framework of the project "Tech as a Driver of Women's Economic Opportunities" implemented by ITU with support from the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) and in cooperation with EQUALS, the Global Partnership for Gender Equality in the Digital Age.
[ This activity is the result of a BDT project. You can find more details of the project here ]
Digital inclusion: Asia and Pacific
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific and Huawei Thailand co-organized a training session on “Telecommunication Network Basics and 5G Network Overview” as part of the Girls in ICT Day Thailand 2023 digital skills training programme. The training included an information session on telecommunication network fundamentals and equipped participants with essential knowledge of advanced 5G technology.
Environment: Global
During the E-Waste World Conference and Expo 2023, ITU highlighted the importance of e-waste legislation and regulation at the Solving the E-waste Problem (StEP) expert panel on 'Advancing E-waste Management'. ITU highlighted key findings from its recently published thought paper on 'Global and complementary actions for electronics extended producer responsibility' and shared experiences from its technical assistance programme to support developing countries in developing e-waste policies.
Environment: Asia and Pacific
The ITU Area Office and Innovation Centre in New Delhi, India, organized an online Information Session on E-Waste Management for South Asia focussing on Green Digital Transformation and a Circular Economy for Electronics. ITU delivered a presentation on Circular Economy for Electronics, Greening Digital Transformation as well as ITU Standards for Sustainable Digital Transformation. Attendees discussed the way forward for greening the ICT sector in the region.
Network and digital infrastructure: Asia and Pacific
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific conducted a stakeholder engagement meeting on the resilience assessment of the Government Data Center (GDC) of the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB). Based on the recommendations made, the GovTech Agency of Bhutan and GDC stakeholders agreed to start implementing activities to enhance the resilience of GDC, supporting the ongoing ICT transformation initiatives of RGoB. The technical assistance is supported through an ongoing partnership with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) Japan.
19 - 23 June
Cybersecurity: Asia and Pacific
ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific organized the training and information session on Child Online Protection (COP) as part of the Girls in ICT Day Thailand 2023 digital skills training programme.
[ This activity is the result of a BDT project. You can find more details of the project here ]
Cybersecurity: Europe
This week the ITU Regional Office for Europe team delivered an ITU Training of Trainer on Child Online Protection for Educators to staff of psychosocial teams of schools across Malta. The national scale-up of the Training of Trainer follows up on the successful roll-out of the pilot project targeting two colleges in Malta in December 2022. The training was implemented upon the request of the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society (MFWS). During the event, the Maltese-language ITU COP Guidelines was announced. Overall, the event aimed to bring the ecosystem of stakeholders needed to holistically tackle the issue on child online safety together.
Digital inclusion: Asia and Pacific
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific and Huawei Thailand co-organized the “Huawei Company Visit and Seminar with ICT Veterans” as part of the Girls in ICT Day Thailand digital skills training programme. This event inspired participants to embrace ICTs as a career path.
Digital inclusion: Asia and Pacific
As part of the ASEAN Girls in ICT Day 2023, ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), and AI Center, co-organized a webinar on “Introduction to AI and Gender Bias”. The training featured insightful presentations by experts in the field, who explored the fundamentals of AI technology and its potential impact on gender and social biases. This workshop focused on addressing this issue to ensure fairness and benefits for all.
[ This activity is the result of a BDT project. You can find more details of the project here ]
Digital inclusion
A new ITU-FCDO report, Broadband connectivity for schools in Kenya funded by the Universal Service Fund – Assessment report, reviews the effectiveness of projects supported by universal service fund. The review compiles the lessons learnt and benefits that have been realized through connecting the schools to the Internet, revealing the importance of broadband connectivity as a critical enabler for teaching and learning.
Digital inclusion: Global
Generation Connect, in collaboration with AI for Good, launched a ‘Global Survey on AI and Youth’. This survey was compiled using inputs from meetings of the Generation Connect x AI for Good consultation group. It aims to gauge the youth perspective on artificial intelligence and is an ongoing survey, which it is hoped will elucidate important information about youth understanding of AI-driven technology.
Digital services and applications: Asia and Pacific
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific conducted training on “Digital Skills and Agrometeorology Services” for farmers from West Sepik Province in Don Bosco Secondary School in Vanimo town. The training was delivered jointly by ITU and the National Weather Service with the Food and Agriculture Organization. It featured enhanced capacity development of local farmers and Micro, Small and Medium Size Entreprises (MSMEs) on the use of relevant ICT applications to improve agriculture productivity, internet skills and marketing of their produce in a cost-effective, efficient, and sustainable manner.
Network and digital infrastructure: Europe
Progress on the GovStack Initiative was presented at a panel during the Creative Bureaucracy Festival held in Berlin, Germany. It looked at how mission-driven policy design and digital services based on building blocks can be enablers of inclusive and sustainable digital transformation.
[ This activity is the result of a BDT project. You can find more details of the project here ]
Partner2Connect: Americas
The Partner2Connect national meeting was held with the partner country Dominican Republic. It was led by the President of INDOTEL and the Executive Director, as well as representatives of the different institutions of the Digital Transformation Cabinet. Seven new pledges were announced by the National Cybersecurity Center of the Dominican Republic, the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, the Government ICT Office of the Dominican Republic, and the Development Bank of Latin America - CAF. Progress was presented in the implementation of pledges by the IDB, Coursera and the BBVA Microfinance Foundation through Banco Adopem. ITU presented the balance of pledges, their alignment with the Digital Agenda of the Dominican Republic and the steps to follow in the implementation.
Other: TDAG
The 30th meeting of the Telecommunication Development Advisory Group (TDAG) was held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 19 to 23 June 2023.The annual meeting helps to guide the work of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D). The 2023 meeting reviewed the outcomes of the 2022 World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-22), which took place in Kigali, Rwanda, from 6 to 16 June 2022 and provided advice to guide the work of ITU-D.
During TDAG, four announcements were made to support the work of ITU-D:
- The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, and the Arts of Australia will support the implementation of Regional Initiatives in Asia-Pacific, at a value of CHF 591,000;
- The Government of the United Kingdom will provide support to advance cybersecurity, at a value of GBP 83,755;
- The German Federal Foreign Office and the German Agency for International Cooperation of Germany will help strengthen cybersecurity through capacity building to promote the equal, full, and meaningful representation of women in cybersecurity, at a value of EUR 437,362.50;
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan will support Connect2Recover, the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Alliance for Digital Development, ICT Infrastructure in Asia-Pacific and cybersecurity in the Pacific for a total of USD 881,906.
A video presentation of some of the highlights of the impact made in the past months was also shared.
Projects: Arab States
Arab Innovation and Entrepreneurship Network (AIEN), initiated by ITU’s Regional Office for Arab States in 2013, is designed to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange among Innovation and stakeholders in the Arab region, while unifying the efforts of various ecosystems. A successful “soft-landing programme mission” – a short-term experience which helps smart-ups and SMEs to establish themselves and grow in a new international market, with the support of local and established partners – was recently conducted in Egypt, Algeria, and Tunisia. By providing opportunities to establish a presence in foreign markets, the programme aims to stimulate international growth and expansion for participating early-stage start-ups or successful established SMEs and enhance the competitiveness of entrepreneurship and innovation.
[ This activity is the result of a BDT project. You can find more details of the project here ]
12 - 16 June
Region: Europe
ITU was invited to participate in the Digital Assembly, hosted by the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the European Commission, for the first time ever. It was an opportunity to advance the implementation of Regional Initiatives, strengthen the cooperation with the European Commission, and engage with EU Member States.
Digital Transformation: Europe
UN agencies discussed the latest developments on digital transformation and, activities rolled out across the Europe and CIS regions and provided insights on regional trends during a coordination meeting for the UN Digital Transformation Group for Europe and Central Asia. The meeting was an opportunity for members to discuss and advance the Group’s actions plans, in particular related to the support to UN Country Teams.
Cybersecurity: Asia and Pacific
The first Child Online Protection (COP) National Conference Mongolia 2023 was held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, co-organized by ITU, UNICEF, and the Communications
Regulation Commission of Mongolia. The conference brought together policymakers, international organizations, industry, academic and media sectors as well as youth. It highlighted policy recommendations and solutions to strengthen a national strategy. ITU presented regional updates with preliminary findings of the draft COP national assessment report for Mongolia. The COP Global E-training programme and the Mongolian ITU COP Guidelines including Sango online episodes with sign language were launched during the event. The outcome of the discussions will be fed to the COP national framework and the agreed COP agenda in Mongolia.
Cybersecurity: Europe
ITU together with the UK Home Office delivered a multi-day workshop to support the improvement of Gibraltar's cybersecurity posture. Representatives from government departments, infrastructure providers, emergency services, and the private sector participated in a tabletop exercise on a cyber attack, as well as group discussions to advance Gibraltar's national cybersecurity agenda.
Digital inclusion: Asia and Pacific
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific and Code.org co-organized the training on “Introduction of Code.org Curriculum and Onboarding Session” as part of the Girls in ICT Day Thailand 2023 digital skills training programme. The session fostered an inclusive and interactive approach to computer science education, and students from high schools and universities expressed their enthusiasm for learning coding and AI and developing essential computational thinking skills.
Digital inclusion
ITU endorsed the 2022 United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD) Annual Report and commended UNPRPD's role in promoting inclusive development. As the 10th member, ITU is keen to contribute its expertise in digital accessibility and inclusion, fostering inclusive societies, economies, and environments. This collaboration underlines ITU's commitment to digital accessibility, ensuring that no one is left behind in the digital transformation journey.
Digital inclusion: Global
Ahead of the 16th Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CoSP to CRPD), ITU delivered an executive training session on ICT accessibility to UN policy and decision-makers. It was part of the side event, "Mastering ICT Accessibility - Paving the way for a digitally inclusive world for ALL", co-organized by ITU in partnership with the EU Commission, UN Romania Mission in NY, G3ict, and Zero Project.
ITU actively contributed to the Interactive Round Table on Digital Accessibility.
Digital inclusion: Asia and Pacific
Cisco and the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific co-organized the webinar on “Skills for All: Introduction and Onboarding Session 2” as part of the Girls in ICT Day Thailand digital skills training programme. Students from across Thailand participated in the online event and were introduced to the essential courses on cybersecurity, networking, and data science. The webinar encouraged participants to learn IT skills that aligned with their interests and career aspirations as well as to be prepared for the evolving digital landscape.
Digital inclusion: Asia and Pacific
The Department of ICT of the Republic of the Philippines and ITU co-organized the ASEAN Girls in ICT Day in Manila, with support from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Australian Government and the ASEAN Secretariat.
A session on "Sharing Good Practices from Previous Girls in ICT Day Celebrations in Southeast Asia" was held. The session "Enhancing the Development of Standards and Frameworks for Critical Technologies in Southeast Asia” highlighted how girls can thrive in the age of AI and included the participation of girls' representatives.
Generation Connect Asia Pacific Youth Envoys participated in the event.
Network and digital infrastructure: Global
As part of the FCDO project, an “Introduction to Broadband Mapping” self-paced course was launched on 1 June. The training covers an introduction to the broadband mapping journey and includes modules on Geographic Information System (GIS), data, and demonstrations of open-source practical tools. The course is available at the ITU Academy.
Policy and regulation: Americas
A recently published study on the challenges and opportunities for sustainable and effective connectivity policies in Brazilian schools analyses current policies relating to the provision of Internet connectivity in public schools in Brazil. It also explores costs of a sustainable national connectivity plan, presenting recommendations for medium- and long-term policies to achieve their goals.
Policy and regulation: Americas
The ITU-FCDO project held a Mapping Training Workshop at Anatel’s offices in Brasilia, Brazil. The Session consisted of two parts. First, a high-level overview of the mapping work undertaken by the project and discussion on mapping work undertaken by other partners in Brazil. The second half of the session focused on providing technical training on the mapping tools and the use of the maps, created through the ITU-FCDO work, for planning and designing connectivity projects.
Policy and regulation: Americas
The ITU Regional Office for the Americas gave a keynote address on alternative regulatory mechanisms at the Regional Seminar on Regulatory Improvement and Innovation organized by the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission CITEL. ITU also moderated a panel on the application of regulatory impact analysis methodologies.
New Members: Asia and Pacific
Kacific Broadband Satellites Group is a satellite operator providing a high-speed broadband internet service for the Southeast Asia and Pacific Islands regions. Kacific serves 600 million people, covers 25 countries with its services through its 56 satellite spot beams.
New Members: Americas
Bloxtel is a developer of a blockchain-based platform intended to connect users with mobile operators. The company's platform is building tools that help users to improve and maintain their network access points to quality-of-service levels required by operators in the US and around the world, enabling telecom industries to make connectivity more accessible and affordable to people.
New Members: Africa
Cyber Security Africa is a full-service Information Security Consulting firm offering a comprehensive range of services and products to help organizations protect their valuable assets.
5 - 9 June
Environment: Global
On World Environment Day 2023, BDT launched the Green and Digital Entrepreneurship for Women Training Course. The course is aimed at start-up and scale-up entrepreneurs to develop their capacity to develop digital green entrepreneurship skills in order to increase their economic empowerment. It is designed to guide participants through the concepts and benefits of green business, green and circular economy, and sustainability concepts. It also explores digital green concepts, how to green supply chains, and green finance.
Environment: Global
The Green GovStack is developing a use-case for the deployment of extended producer responsibility, including digital, financial, and regulatory solutions. The Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority regulation on governing e-waste management in Rwanda went through a final validation. The regulation on governing electrical and electronic products under the Rwanda Inspectorate and Consumer Protection Authority was shared during an engagement with electronics importers. The objective of these two sessions was to facilitate final inputs before the two regulations are to be approved by the respective regulatory Boards. A two-day session took place with the same electronics importers to define an operational plan for the establishment of a collective producer responsibility organisation, which operates in response to the legal obligations imposed on producers through the new regulations.
Policy and regulation: Global
The Global Symposium for Regulators (GSR-23) was held in Sharm El- Sheikh, Egypt, from 5-8 June. ITU-D participation included:
Generation Connect: Generation Connect Visionaries Board Member Sinead Bovell moderated a panel on extended reality technologies. Youth Envoy Tayma Abdalhadi spoke virtually at the Child Online Protection session while Noha Abdel spoke virtually in the Going Green panel. This provided important representation for Generation Connect at a global level.
Environment: The importance of digital tools and information and communication technologies for disaster management was discussed during a dedicated session on emergency public warnings systems and the Early Warning for All initiative. The discussion highlighted the important role that regulators have in building effective early warning systems. BDT invited delegates to comment on the ITU Background paper on the mobile early warning system, and showcased a number of videos, including the new Disaster Connectivity Map video, to highlight key ITU-D products and services.
Environment: A new project document was signed between Saudi Arabia’s Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) and ITU. The project marks the start of long-term collaboration between CST and ITU on environmental sustainability issues. Under a broader agreement, the first project to be signed was this one which will focus on developing and implementing e-waste policy and regulation in three beneficiary countries. The countries will be announced during the COP28 Climate Conference in November. The objective of the project is to provide the beneficiary countries with the tools and steps underpinning the system requirements for the management of e-waste in a circular economy through the identification, engagement, coordination, and capacity building of stakeholders. The project runs until December 2025.
Network and digital infrastructure: Americas
ITU participated in the Latin American Congress on Digital Transformation (CLTD) 2023 and Mobile 360, organized by Asociación Interamericana de Empresas de Telecomunicaciones (ASIET) and GSMA in Mexico City, Mexico. Topics included Smart Regulation, Management and Assignment of Radioelectric Spectrum, digital inclusion and policies for digital development and meaningful connectivity in Latin America.
Policy and regulation: Asia and Pacific
During the 17th ICT EXPO- Mindgolia 2023 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific participated in the “ICT Ministerial Meeting 2023: Building Inclusive Digital Economy” organized by the Ministry of Digital Development and Communications, Government of Mongolia. Following the discussion held in “Session 2: Development partners' perspective", a ministerial joint statement on advancing digital economy cooperation in the region will be issued by the distinguished guests and regional Ministers of Digital Development and Communications.
Policy and regulation: Americas
ITU participated in a meeting with the Caribbean Telecommunication Union (CTU) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, intended to survey regional efforts to confront challenges and discuss the opportunities and roles for governments and partner organizations to improve the regional position. ITU shared some of the important initiatives and upcoming events. As a result of the event, a set of actions on security and data centre services over the next few years were agreed.
29 May - 2 June
Capacity development: Asia and Pacific
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific participated in the “Capacity Development Webinar: Advancing Digital Government Transformation for Accelerating the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals”, organized by the United Nations Project Office on Governance (UNPOG) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). ITU presented "Recent Trends in Digital Government Transformation: Challenges, Approaches, and Strategies", which highlighted recent statistical trends and relevant initiatives by ITU that support Digital Government Transformation.
Digital inclusion: Global
ITU-D took part in the Workshop on the inclusion of persons with disabilities and older persons in humanitarian settings, organized by the Human Rights and Social Inclusion Unit at UN-Habitat and facilitated by Access Israel. It was an opportunity to remember the important role of ICTs in humanitarian situations and the need to ensure that ICTs are accessible for as many people as possible. By sharing resources on ICT Accessibility with the panellists, ITU-D raised awareness on how crucial it is to design and develop equitable ICTs.
Digital inclusion: Global
On Wednesday 31 May Generation Connect hosted the 2nd meeting of the Generation Connect x AI for Good Youth Consultation group. Generation Connect Youth Envoys and Visionaries Board members were invited to provide their feedback on the ‘Youth Perspective on Artificial Intelligence’ survey which was designed using inputs from the initial youth consultation held in April. The group was then able to brainstorm ideas for the design of the Generation Connect session at AI for Good Summit which will be held in Geneva between 6-7 July this year.
Digital services and applications: Asia and Pacific
During the Pacific Islands Telecommunication Association (PITA) 27th AGM & Business Forum Expo 23, ITU organized sessions on Emergency Telecommunications in the Pacific and Smart Islands and made a presentation on the Green PITA proposal. The sessions increased awareness of these important areas, increased ITU's visibility in the Pacific, enhanced ITU’s position as a thought leader in digital transformation and strengthened ITU’s partnerships.
Digital services and applications: Global
GovStack Global held regional and country workshops in Djibouti as part of the Initiative for Digital Government Cybersecurity (IDGC)Team Europe Regional work in the Horn of Africa (HoA). As part of GovStack implementation in this region, digital teams from Kenya, Somalia, and Djibouti shared best practices in their digital
transformation journeys, strengthened regional collaboration, and moved forward with GovStack implementation in priority use cases identified by each country.
In Laos, the Country Workshop was oriented to study the digital maturity assessment carried out by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for Lao PDR, and the undertaking of a live hands-on digital transformation exercise on four Lao government services by leveraging GovStack building blocks to put whole-of-government concepts into action, discussed insights, and learned from each other.