Highlights March 2023
27 - 31 March
Cybersecurity: Africa
From 15 – 21 March, ITU organized a capacity-building session and national consultation workshop in N'Djamena, Chad, to support the National Agency for Computer Security and eCertification (ANSICE) in developing a more comprehensive and inclusive National Cybersecurity Strategy. As a result of the extensive and productive consultations with key stakeholders, the new strategy's objectives and action plan were established, which will have a significant impact on the advancement of cybersecurity in Chad and enhance the country's capability to effectively mitigate cyber threats.
Digital inclusion: Africa
During an International Women’s Day event on 27 March organized by the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office and the UN Women Country Office in Ethiopia, ITU participated in the intergenerational dialogue panel discussion and shared experiences of ongoing projects in Ethiopia, for example the African Girls Can Code and the Joint ITU-Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) project for girls and young women, among others.
Digital inclusion: Global
On 31 March, Generation Connect Youth Envoys attended the virtual session “How ChatGPT will change the classroom – teachers and students discuss” hosted by AI for Good on its Neural Network platform. Generation Connect Africa Youth Envoy Moitheri Hanese, spoke at the session as an Artificial Intelligence expert. The event also provided our Youth Envoys with the opportunity to ask questions, interact with other participants and build connections within the AI for Good community. The event preceded the first consultation meeting between Generation Connect and AI for Good, which will take place on 5 April to discuss how to maximize collaboration between the two initiatives.
Digital inclusion: Asia and Pacific
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in collaboration with the Philippines’ Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) organized an AI socialization event entitled “AI Dialogue: Gender Based AI Policy in the Philippines”. The aim of the event was to develop gender-sensitive AI awareness, build leadership capacity and knowledge for female policymakers and related stakeholders, and foster knowledge exchanges on AI policy and standards.
The event combined a research report presentation on Gender Sensitive AI Policy in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, a Dialogue Series and Networking on 29 March, followed by AI trainings on Gender-Based Policy and Standards on 30-31 March. During the Dialogue, participants emphasized the importance of working together to create gender-inclusive technology policies and standards that will shape the future. The discussion also focused on exploring opportunities in AI for the nation, the positive impact of female participation in the AI field and sharing initiatives by their respective organizations to promote a more gender-inclusive landscape in technology.
Environment: Europe
On 27 March, together with the Institute for Sustainable IT in Switzerland (ISIT-CH) and 2050Today, ITU co-organized and participated in the conference, "Sustainable IT as a lever of sobriety," held in Geneva. The conference discussed the impact of digital technologies on the environment and the need for sustainable IT. ITU presented their work on green digital transformation, highlighting the opportunities of ICTs to address the triple planetary crisis, and discussed the organization's efforts to drive green transformation through its work on the circular economy, green standards, efforts to monitor and address the ICT sector's GHG emissions, and greening ITU and the UN.
Environment: Europe
As part of the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development for the UNECE Region, the ITU Office for Europe organized a Roundtable Discussion on “Partnerships for inclusive and sustainable digital development” on 29 March, hosted by WMO with contributions from UN Women, UNIDO, and UNEP. The roundtable reviewed the achievement made on SDG 9 and SDG 17 indicators related to Internet connectivity access and use, ICT infrastructure, innovation, and the development, transfer, and dissemination of environmentally sound technologies. It shared policy recommendations and actions to support an inclusive and green digital transformation powered by partnerships. It was also an occasion to promote the Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Alliance and Partner2Connect.
ITU also organized and moderated a panel on “Green and digital - Sustainable digital transformation and digital transformation for sustainability”, which highlighted innovative ICT-based solutions and emerging technologies to support governments in mitigating environmental risks and challenges, and discussed policies and actions needed to build a circular economy and drive sustainability.
Environment
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific organized an online Information Session on Green Digital Transformation and a Circular Economy for Electronics for the Pacific. The event, which was organized under the Joint SDG Fund programme, provided participants with an overview of the role of ICTs in climate change and addressed the challenges of e-waste. Participants shared priorities in areas such as the need for cross-sectoral institutional collaboration, developing appropriate policies and regulations, raising awareness, and building capacity.
Network and digital infrastructure: Africa
On 29 March, ITU facilitated the Communications Regulators' Association of Southern Africa (CRASA) Pre-AGM (Annual General Meeting) Workshop on ‘International Space Regulatory Framework and Space Economy: Harnessing the Potential of the Space to Accelerate Digital Transformation in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Region’, held in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. ITU presented an introduction to the current landscape of satellite communications, and facilitated an open discussion about regional expectations and needs. CRASA members discussed challenges and opportunities in satellite regulations, services, technical, business, and economic aspects in the satellite sphere, and capacity building. The workshop helped shape the regional vision about satellite systems and addressed the challenges countries face while adopting, owning, or using satellite services. It also helped ITU to prepare materials and provide support that addresses the needs of the Region.
Policy and regulation: Asia and Pacific
On 24 March, the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific participated in Umagine Chennai 2023, a global technology, entrepreneurship and skills summit hosted by the Government of Tamil Nadu in Chennai, India. At the event, the inaugural TechGov Awards to celebrate excellence in technology that enables governance, was hosted by the Wadhwani Institute of Technology and Policy (an initiative of Wadhwani Foundation). ITU participated as an esteemed jury member for the TechGov Award.
Policy and regulation: Global
On 16 March, the UK Government hosted a session at WSIS 2023 to highlight the work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s (FCDO) Digital Access Programme and its three main partners, ITU, Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and Dynamic Spectrum Alliance (DSA). The ITU-FCDO work was also highlighted in the session on next-generation regulation for sustainable digital transformation which mentioned the upcoming collaborative regulatory case studies in Kenya and Nigeria, as well as a planned study in South Africa.
Policy and regulation: Asia and Pacific
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific participated in the 10th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) organized by United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) from 27-30 March in Bangkok, Thailand. Throughout the five-day in-person forum, ITU collaborated with FAO to host a joint booth which showcased the Smart Villages and Smart Islands Initiative. On 28 March, ITU co-led the SDG 9 Roundtable and delivered the opening remarks. On 29 March, ITU supported one of the key plenary sessions, the Review of Regional Progress and Opportunities for Achieving the SDGs. During this session, Aisha Humera Moriani, Additional Secretary at the Ministry of IT&T Pakistan, who was invited by ITU and nominated as the Rapporteur by the APFSD Secretariat, made a statement discussing ICT progress in the region and highlighted ITU initiatives.
New Members: Europe
Everbridge, a global leader in critical event management (CEM), has joined as a new Sector Member of the ITU Development Bureau. The company has acquired the leading global provider of cell broadcast solutions for safety applications, one2many, in order to provide a mobile-optimized, full-lifecycle solution for meeting and exceeding EU regulatory and other global initiatives for countrywide population alerting. Everbridge already leverages its CEM platform to deliver the world’s most widely used population alerting solution, reaching over 550 million people, with over 3,700 active deployments at the municipal, city, state, and province level in thirteen countries including the U.S., Canada, and India.
Giga: Global
On 24 March, Giga was awarded with the Social Impact Project of the Year award at the Artificial Intelligence Blockchain and Cryptocurrency (AIBC) Summit in Dubai. AIBC was established in 2018 and serves as a hub for cutting-edge technologies, attracting top talent and thought leaders in various fields such as Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, and more.
20 - 24 March
Cybersecurity: Asia and Pacific
On 22 March, ITU participated in a validation workshop on the “Final Draft of Cambodia Child Online Protection Guidelines for the Digital Technology Industry” organized by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications Cambodia and UNICEF. The interactive workshop discussed the capacity of the industry in Cambodia to tackle Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (OCSEA), including through the development of industry-specific child online protection policies.
Digital services and applications: Global
On 13 March, the ITU Office for Europe hosted two events that provided valuable insights into the impact of GovTech, emphasized the power of cooperation and the GovStack initiative value proposition, as well as facilitated the harmonization of approaches to driving sustainable development and transforming public services across Europe. The "Rethinking Public Services: Strategies for Achieving Digital Transformation Goals" workshop, held as a WSIS side event, ensured a constructive dialogue between key stakeholders on the front-end, back-end, and infrastructure aspects of public services' digital transformation. Following this expert-level dialogue, the WSIS session on "GovTech 4 Impact: Executive Experience Sharing on Digital Public Service Development in Europe" helped identify synergies, shared lessons learned, and explored ways to leverage opportunities. The session inspired countries to follow the example of regional leaders who are taking bold action to build more effective and cost-efficient digital government services.
Emergency telecommunications: Global
ITU and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat co-organized the SADC Model National Emergency Telecommunications Plan (NETP) Situational Analysis Validation Workshop on 22-24 March. The workshop focused on the topic of ICTs and disaster management and highlighted topics including NETP,
Tampere Convention, disaster preparedness and investment, early warning systems and the UN Early warnings for all initiatives, ITU capacity building opportunities (presented by the ITU Academy team) and regulation. The workshop also validated the SADC NETP situational analysis, an assessment carried out by ITU to identify key priorities and gaps in terms of emergency telecommunication of the SADC member states.
Environment: Africa
On 22 March, the ITU presented the outcomes of the E-waste Regional Data Harmonization Project at the ‘EACO 5th Regional E-waste Workshop on Sustainable E-waste Management in the East African Region’. The project provided technical assistance to harmonize e-waste data collection in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. The workshop was hosted by the East African Communications Organisation (EACO) in collaboration with the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority, and ITU joined online. The workshop created a multi-stakeholder forum where relevant stakeholders in East Africa discussed the status of e-waste management in the region. The workshop was attended by the Ministries of Environment, Ministries of ICT, regulatory authorities, academia, and the private sector.
Policy and regulation: Asia and Pacific
The ITU Area Office and Innovation Centre was opened during a high-level ceremony at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on 22 March. The inauguration was officiated by the Honourable Mr. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India in the presence of Doreen Bogdan Martin, Secretary-General of ITU, Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, and IT/Telecom Ministers from South Asian countries, industry leaders, academia, and media members.
On 23 March, dignitaries and participants visited the new ITU Area Office and Innovation Centre, located in the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) office in Mehrauli, New Delhi. ITU also organized the Regional Innovation Forum for Asia and the Pacific exhibition, and co-creation activities.
Giga: Africa
The ‘Co-creating Sustainable Operating Models for Connected Schools in Kenya’ workshop was held in Nairobi, with representatives from government and stakeholders in the Kenya internet space and the digital economy. The event, linked to a forthcoming ITU study on the same topic, explored challenges to school connectivity, new and innovative sustainable approaches that can be piloted and required partnerships to ensure long-term connectivity.
13 - 17 March
Cybersecurity: Global
From 14-16 March, ITU gave a presentation at the Gulf Information Security Expo & Conference (GISEC) in Dubai, highlighting ITU’s crucial role in cybersecurity. ITU’s contribution to cybersecurity capacity building programmes was discussed. ITU also moderated a session on Child Online Protection (COP), exploring challenges and opportunities in protecting children from online threats. The session convened experts from different sectors to discuss the latest trends, technologies, and best practices in COP.
Cybersecurity
On 10 March, ITU participated in the United Nations Open-Ended Working Group (UN-OEWG), hosting a side event on ITU’s mandate, activities and impact on cyber capacity building. The meeting was an opportunity to identify priority issues for Member States in terms of cybersecurity capacity development
Digital inclusion: Global
On International Women’s Day (IWD) on 8 March, ITU-D in collaboration with the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) and under the EQUALS global partnership, launched the Handbook on mainstreaming gender in digital policies. The launch was part of the “Bridging the gender digital divide through policy action” event, organized with the German government, which also launched the Network of Women Digital Ministers and explored how gender-inclusive digital policy can change digital development outcomes.
EQUALS hosted another event on 9 March, “Digital Skills for Life: building the talent pipeline of girls and women to benefit the digital economy” in collaboration with the governments of Canada, Australia, and Bulgaria. HRH Princess Beatrice of York, member of the Generation Connect Advisory Board, gave a keynote. The panel discussed the existing challenges to bridging the gender digital skills gap and outlined practical steps for ensuring that girls and women can take advantage of the digital economy.
Digital inclusion: Global
The work of the Digital Inclusion team was shared at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2023 week from 13-17 March. Prominent topics included ICT/digital accessibility as the universal design of technology; addressing the global megatrend of an aging population; and empowering indigenous and remote communities through technology. More than 400 stakeholders gained valuable insights into the availability of over 70 ITU-D tools and resources, free of charge in multiple languages and digitally accessible formats, aimed at supporting the implementation of inclusive policies, strategies, and concrete activities to ensure that no one is left behind in the digital age.
Digital inclusion: Global
On 16 March, the Generation Connect Regional Focal Points met to discuss the current work of Generation Connect Youth Envoys in their respective regions and share ideas for potential future projects. The Focal Points discussed the process and criteria for recruitment of future Youth Envoys and opportunities to maximise youth engagement across each region. The meeting was a useful exchange point, to stay informed about the impact of Generation Connect Youth Envoys globally and to plan further engagement.
Digital inclusion: Global
On 15 March, Generation Connect hosted an online meeting in collaboration with the Kofi Annan Foundation to facilitate dialogue between Generation Connect Youth Envoys and Kofi Annan Changemakers on youth in digital development. Generation Connect Africa Youth Envoys who have participated in both initiatives shared their experiences of each programme. Participants discussed ideas for building a sustainable digital future which facilitated a positive and productive exchange.
Digital inclusion: Global
On 10 March, Generation Connect released its latest podcast, ‘The SDGs and The Metaverse’. Guests shared personal and professional experiences of the opportunities offered by the metaverse for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and a better digital future.
Digital services and applications
During the WSIS Forum 2023, GovStack and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) hosted a session on the UN eGovernment survey consultation process, focusing on measurement alternatives of artificial intelligence (AI) applied to digital government services.
Also at the WSIS Forum, government leaders shared their insights on using AI in digital government services during the GovStack Chief Information Officer (CIO) Digital Leaders Forum. Digital leaders from Estonia, Argentina, Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia highlighted how AI can make digital government services more user friendly, responsive, and proactive. However, careful design, cognizant of user needs and vulnerabilities is needed.
Digital services and applications: Global
The first WSIS Digital Service Design Special Prize was awarded to the e-Governance Agency of Moldova for their Front-Office Digitization (FOD) framework. Selected from 50 submissions, FOD focuses on reusing data and other available electronic platforms and tools to simplify or eliminate public service requests, minimize the time needed to solve a request, and ensure efficient back-office operations.
The award was presented by the BDT Director during a prize giving ceremony at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2023 on 13 March. The event also featured remarks from the BDT Director, the UN Secretary General’s Envoy on Technology, GovStack Partners and a description of the best practice by the winner.
The winner and ten finalists will be featured at different events throughout the year, and their best practices will be documented to strengthen global communities of practice in GovStack.
Emergency telecommunications: Africa
ITU deployed 25 Thuraya satellite phones to Malawi and 10 Iridium satellite phones to Mozambique following a request from the respective governments as part of their cyclone Freddy disaster response. Cyclone Freddy has broken the record as the longest-lasting tropical cyclone on record. Heavy rainfall caused floods and mudslides, resulting in loss of lives and damage to property and infrastructure. More than 200 people died and more than 1 million people were affected.
Environment: Asia and Pacific
ITU, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) co-organised the 27th meeting of the regional Interagency Working Group (IAWG) on 13 March. The meeting convened representatives from 11 regional agencies to explore avenues for collaboration in implementing ICT and digital technology initiatives in the region. During the meeting, ITU proposed collaboration in the areas of Smart Villages, Smart Islands, digital inclusion, and capacity development. ITU also invited the participating agencies to attend the World Radiocommunication Conference 2023 (WRC-23) and the Regional Development Forum (RDF).
Policy and regulation: Americas
On 14 March, the ITU Representative for the Caribbean, on behalf of the Regional Coordinator (RC) for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, led the discussions on the National Electronic/Technological Strategy for Grenada.
Items covered included the need for better coordination among UN agencies of all ICT related activities for Grenada. Top priorities include an updated National ICT Plan, Digital Literacy and Improvement of key Government services using ICT.
As a result, the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) will be approached to develop the National ICT Strategy in collaboration with ITU. ITU will also discuss the establishment of an ICT UN Committee with the RC to coordinate all activities of the UN, which will be led by ITU.
Giga: Global
On 16 March, Giga held a session at the WSIS Forum, “Defining and Financing Meaningful School Connectivity”, in collaboration with the governments of Switzerland and Spain, as a follow-up to the Transforming Education Summit and the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-2022) Resolution 87 on “connecting every school to the Internet and every young person to information and communication technology services”. The session convened private sector, civil society, and government to discuss setting standards and targets for school connectivity. Please find more details here:
6 - 10 March
Cybersecurity: Asia and Pacific
From 7-9 March, together with USAID, the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD), and DAI Global, and the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific co-organized a training workshop on cybersecurity reporting for female journalists from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Mongolia, and Thailand. This training was the fourth and final one of a partnership that focuses on creating a cohort of female journalists dedicated to cybersecurity reporting in their respective news agencies.
Digital inclusion: Americas
ITU participated in the UN Women’ International Women’s Day celebrations at the Gabriela Mistral Centre in Santiago, Chile, which featured statements from the Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation of Chile, the Minister of Women and Gender Equality of Chile, the UN Resident Coordinator of Chile, as well as an interactive panel with speakers from organizations representing youth, indigenous, non-profit and the private sector to raise awareness about women and girls in technology.
Digital inclusion: Global
On 7 March, ITU participated in a webinar organized by the Convention on Biological Diversity (COB) and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) aimed at achieving digital inclusion for everyone, particularly indigenous peoples, and local communities. Information on the process of developing a new programme of work and institutional arrangements under Article 8(j) was shared, as well as other provisions of the Convention related to indigenous peoples and local communities.
Digital inclusion: Global
From 5-9 March 2023, ITU participated in the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) in Doha, Qatar. Key messages focused on the key role played by digital to help LDCs graduate and sustain their graduation. See below detailed information about the participation of the BDT Director.
Five Generation Connect Africa Youth Envoys participated in the conference. Generation Connect co-hosted two sessions in the LDC5 Youth Track:
- ‘Putting Youth at the Forefront: Paving the way for an Enabling Environment for Youth to Thrive and Prosper’ in partnership with UNDP and the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD). Speakers included the ITU Secretary General and BDT Director, in addition to Generation Connect Africa Youth Envoys Emmanuel Ganse and Jacqueline Mukurakundo.
- ‘Youth Enabling Development in LDCs’ in partnership with UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and International Trade Centre (ITC). Speakers included the BDT Director and Generation Connect Africa Youth Envoy Jacqueline Mukurakundo.
Digital inclusion: Asia and Pacific
On 8 March, the "DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality and Girls in ICT" event was organized by FAO, in partnership with the ITU, the National ICT Authority of Papua New Guinea (NICTA), and the Department of Information and Communication Technologies (DICT) in Vanimo town, Papua New Guinea. ITU led a panel discussion on "Rural Women and Girls in ICT for Agribusiness Development" highlighting how the EU STREIT PNG Programme, through the ITU and government stakeholders, works towards assisting women and marginalized groups in PNG by improving their lives through access to technology.
Emergency telecommunications: Europe
ITU participated in a panel session on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change: Sustainable Early Warning – Early Action during the 2nd edition of the European Humanitarian Forum. The session brought together a panel of humanitarian actors and academic experts and discussed opportunities for building efficient multi-hazard early warning systems. ITU highlighted the UN Early Warnings for All initiative and the opportunities that a growing digital world has for reaching communities at risk.
Emergency telecommunications: Global
The Disaster Connectivity Maps have been activated to support the disaster relief effort in Vanuatu, impacted by tropical cyclones Judy and Kevin, both of category 4 intensity. The cyclones made landfall on 1 and 3 March and around 250,000 people were affected. The strong winds and substantial amounts of rain caused major flooding, damage to structures and infrastructure, and power outages and communication system breakdowns. A decrease in cellular connectivity area was detected after the two cyclones, reaching 36% of the normal level on 3 March, followed by an overall increase during the week from 6 March.
Emergency telecommunications: Asia and Pacific
ITU conducted a stakeholder consultation meeting on 9 March 2023 to draft a National Emergency Telecommunication Plan (NETP) as a part of continued assistance to Tonga following the loss of connectivity in the wake of the volcanic eruption in January 2022. Following the formal consultation process, Tonga’s Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change, and Communications (MEIDECC) adopted the NETP before the cyclone season that usually starts in the Pacific in October. Technical assistance is supported through an ongoing partnership with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) Japan.
Network and digital infrastructure: Asia and Pacific
On 8 March, the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific conducted a national workshop in Tonga on developing Quality of Service/Experience (QoS/E) rules. Tonga’s Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change, and Communications (MEIDECC) plans to adopt the rules after the required consultation process that was initiated through this workshop. Technical assistance is supported through a project with the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications and the Arts (DITRDCA) Australia.