Highlights September 2023
25 - 29 September
Cybersecurity: Arab States
The ITU Regional office for Arab States participated in a Panel Discussion on the Governance of Cyber Security Supply Chain at the Qatar Cyber Assurance Conference.
Cybersecurity: Asia and Pacific
ITU shared its Child Online Protection Guidelines and capacity-building programmes with various sectors as well as children during the ASEAN Regional Dialogue themed “Racing against the clock: Pushing forward with Child Online Protection in the ASEAN Region-Consolidation of Regional Cooperation under the Indonesia ASEAN Chairmanship in 2023”.
The event assessed progress at national and regional levels in implementing the ASEAN declaration and the regional action plan aimed at protecting children from online exploitation and abuse in the ASEAN region.
It also generated recommendations for the ASEAN Summit outcome document in 2023.
Furthermore, ITU provided a comprehensive summary of the deliberations.
[ This activity is the result of a BDT project. You can find more details of the project here]
Digital services and applications: Asia and Pacific
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and ITU jointly organized the 4th Digital Agriculture Solutions Forum (DASF) 2023 for Asia and the Pacific at Hotel Berkeley in Bangkok.
DASF 2023, convened senior government officials, agritech developers, young agritech founders, researchers, and development practitioners from 15 countries to discuss strategies, research, and practical digital solutions for agriculture.
The Forum also featured an exhibition showcasing digital agriculture solutions.
Digital services and applications: Asia and Pacific
The ITU EU STREIT Program conducted a Capacity Building Training on e-commerce in Maprik, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea, benefiting a diverse group of participants.
The training focused on enhancing the online marketing skills of cocoa and vanilla farmers, fishermen, schoolteachers, and SMEs. Participants gained knowledge of online marketing strategies to expand their market opportunities for vanilla and cocoa crops, ultimately increasing their revenue.
The program emphasized the effective use of smartphones, laptops, and apps for digital marketing, enabling business groups to confidently negotiate directly with buyers and to build long-term relationships. The training also addressed specific Internet skills needs and improved financial literacy in the East Sepik Province.
Overall, this initiative aims to reduce poverty and promote sustainable livelihoods for rural communities.
[ This activity is the result of a BDT project. You can find more details of the project here]
Policy and regulation: Asia and Pacific
ITU conducted a benchmarking workshop for direct country assistance to Iran, focusing on the Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) wholesale regulations, including Asymmetric/Symmetric regulations, ex-ante/ex-post regulations, and separation policies within FTTH infrastructure.
This workshop bolstered the capacity of the staff at the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) of Iran in FTTH wholesale regulations, facilitating the development of the country’s optical fiber infrastructure for FTTH services.
The assistance is part of an ongoing partnership with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) of Japan.
Network and digital infrastructure: Europe
The IPv6 Laboratory was officially opened at the University of Montenegro, Podgorica, marking a significant milestone in Montenegro’s journey toward IPv6 readiness.
During the inauguration, the BDT Director, Branko Kovijanić, President of the Council, Agency for Electronic Communications and Postal Services (EKIP), and Dr Irena Orović, Vice Rector for Science and Research of the University of Montenegro, unveiled a plaque inside the IPv6 Lab recognizing the strong cooperation between ITU and Montenegro on IPv6.
The migration to IPv6 – a high version internet protocol – is a fundamental enabler of digital economy transformation and improved social governance.
The transition from IPv4 to IPv6 is a technical upgrade and a fundamental step towards a more robust and sustainable digital future.
Consequently, the IPv6 Laboratory will play a pivotal role in fostering innovation, capacity building, and the development of Montenegro’s digital infrastructure.
ITU’s support is also in fulfilment of the ITU Resolution 180 which specifically calls on ITU to provide technical assistance to help Member States facilitate the transition from IPv4 to IPv6. This work is part of ITU-D’s ongoing efforts to provide reliable connectivity to everyone towards universal and meaningful connectivity and sustainable digital transformation.
18 - 22 September
Other: Arab States
A digital for sustainable development call to action for the Arab region was launched in New York, USA, by UNDP, ITU, The Islamic Development Bank, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, GSMA, the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO), and the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Five actions were announced:
- Enabling national agendas through digital transformation
- Establishing an Arab States Bank or repository of digital initiatives for the SDGs
- Developing a medium-term roadmap, prioritizing high-impact initiatives
- Enhancing digital cooperation among partners through better knowledge exchange
- Improving management and measurement of digital impact
This call to action to all stakeholders in the Arab region is intended to harness the power of inclusive digital transformation to accelerate progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Arab States region.
Moreover, it aims to align existing national and regional strategies and initiatives including the ITU Arab Regional Initiatives and the Arab Digital Agenda adopted by the League of Arab States Council of ICT Ministers.
Cybersecurity: Arab States
The ITU Regional Office for the Arab States (ITU ARB), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), the Arab Information and Communication Technologies Organization (AICTO) and the Internet Society co-organized a workshop on “Building Trust in Digital Government Services” in Beirut, Lebanon.
The event showcased practical strategies to enhance cybersecurity, discussed best practices on the use of emerging technologies to improve trust and confidence in digital government services, and looked at how to enhance privacy and personal data protection.
Capacity development: Americas
The ITU Area Office in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, carried out a digital transformation workshop for female entrepreneurs in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, based on the Digital KIT for Entrepreneurs, Micro and Small businesses.
Under the framework of the Canasta Digital Program, the initiative hopes to reach more than 3,000 women in the Dominican Republic.
Capacity development: Asia and Pacific
The ITU Area Office and Innovation Centre organized a Capacity Building Workshop on Whole of Government and GovStack in New Delhi, India. The main objective of the workshop was to share digital government endeavors in the region. It will help to deepen understanding of Whole of Government through relevant country case studies.
Cybersecurity: CIS
ITU delivered a report on ITU activities and shared ITU's approach to the issue of child Internet safety at an international forum on the challenges of establishing an international information security system held in Moscow, Russia.
Digital inclusion
Generation Connect members participated in the SDG Digital day in New York, USA.
Digital inclusion: Asia and Pacific
ITU VaMoz Digital! project in Mozambique: Further to the ITU VaMoz Digital! project mission to Mozambique last week in conjunction with two conferences, the 2nd National Conference on Disability and Human Rights and the national Banking Financial Services and Insurance Conference, the project team kicked-off their weekly project meetings on 19 September. Participants in the meeting included, in addition to ITU regional and HQ colleagues, representatives from the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the telecom regulator Instituto Nacional das Comunicações de Moçambique (INCM), the national geospatial agency and technical advisors to management.
The meeting reviewed the approach to the project, which has as the base an agreement signed by ITU and the EU Delegation in the country, discussed the modalities of work and the high-level work plan. The team will continue to devise details on the priority items for 2023 and 2024 in coming meetings to prepare for the kick-off of the ITU-Government Technical Implementation Committee on 9 November ahead of the official national project launch during Mozambique-EU Investment Forum, 22-23 November 2023.
Network and digital infrastructure: CIS
The ITU Regional Office for CIS conducted a comprehensive 5G training program in Yerevan, Armenia. This event aimed to educate and engage policymakers, regulators, telecom operators, academia, and other stakeholders on the transition to 5G technology. The program included a productive roundtable discussion, and underscored the importance of collaboration and knowledge sharing to accelerate the development and implementation of 5G technology in Armenia.
Policy and regulation: Asia and Pacific
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific attended the National ICT Roundtable on the theme of "Strengthen Digital Infrastructure, Accelerate Digital Economy" at Huawei Connect 2023 in Shanghai, China. The Roundtable focused on upgrading the digital nation master plan and accelerating the digitalization of public utilities. ITU emphasized the importance of inclusive digital transformation through digital connectivity and introduced the progress of Sustainable Development Goals in the Asia and Pacific region.
Policy and regulation: Asia and Pacific
As co-led the Pillar 3 of the Early Warning for All (EW4ALL) initiative, ITU attended the National Multi-Stakeholder Consultation Workshop in Lao PDR. The workshop took stock of the state of early warning systems in the country and laid the groundwork for a national roadmap through 2027.
Policy and regulation: CIS
The ITU Regional Office for the CIS region took part in the 45th meeting of the Council of Telecommunications and Infocommunications Operators of the Regional Commonwealth in the Field of Communications. ITU presented an overview of the regional development and digital transformation readiness. Special attention was paid on the existing data gaps and the use of ITU data in various global indices and rankings, as well as for SDGs progress measurement.
New Members: Europe
PwC Switzerland is an independent part of the international PwC company network. Their services consist of auditing and advisory as well as tax and legal services. Topics of PwC at the intersection with ITU are Cybersecurity and Data Transformation & Analytics including AI and Data Governance.
11 - 15 September
Statistics: Global
The number of people worldwide not connected to the Internet decreased to an estimated 2.6 billion people in 2023, according to data released by ITU. The reduction from the estimated 2.7 billion people offline in 2022 leaves 33 per cent of the global population unconnected in 2023.
Capacity development: Asia and Pacific
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific gave a presentation at the Opening Ceremony of the Digital Transformation Centres (DTC) Initiative Training of Trainers on Cisco Networking Academy Basic Digital Skills Programmes organized by BPPTIK, an ICT Training Facilitator Centre in Indonesia. ITU provided an overview of the DTC Initiative, emphasizing the significance of digital technology and the current challenges faced in global digital development, and analyzed the progress made so far, and the future potential in this domain. The ceremony marked an important milestone in advancing digital skills and fostering digital transformation in Indonesia.
Cybersecurity: CIS
ITU spoke at the Plenary session on domain names regulation in Kazakhstan's Internet space at the annual practical cybersecurity conference, KazHackStan, in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Digital inclusion: CIS
The ITU Regional Office for the CIS region conducted an ITU masterclass for educators on "Child Safety in the Online Environment” at the 16th International Conference of Administrators and Registrars of National Top-Level Domains of the CIS, Central, and Eastern Europe. The training covered a range of topics, including the risks children face online, the crucial role educators play in ensuring children's online safety, guidelines tailored for educators, the psychological and pedagogical aspects of raising children in the digital age, and ITU's thematic training materials on COP designed for educators, parents, and children.
Digital innovation ecosystems: CIS
As part of the ITU Startup Central Eurasia project, training sessions on creating and developing student startups took place at the Kostanay Engineering and Economic University, Kazakhstan. The first day focused on introducing students to the basics of startups, guiding them through the initial steps of launching their startup projects, and concluded with students presenting their startup ideas. The second day featured a training session for teachers, with experts sharing international and national practices related to establishing student startup programs and providing insights on assessing startups at various stages. This event offered students and teachers valuable knowledge and practical insights into the world of startups, fostering entrepreneurship and innovation within the academic community.
Digital services and applications: Asia and Pacific
The ITU EU STREIT Program recently conducted a Capacity Building Training on Internet Skills, benefiting a diverse group of participants in Vanimo, West Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea. The training focused on equipping cocoa and vanilla farmers, fishermen, government officials, teachers, SMEs, NGOs, and more with improved internet skills. Participants gained knowledge of online marketing, expanding their market opportunities for vanilla and cocoa crops. The program emphasized digital marketing and the effective use of smartphones, laptops, and apps for wider market reach which helped business groups gain confidence in negotiating directly with buyers and strengthening long-term relationships. The training also addressed specific Internet skills needs and improved financial literacy in the Sepik region. Overall, this initiative aims to reduce poverty and ensure sustainable livelihoods for rural communities.
Emergency telecommunications: Global
ITU joined the University College London (UCL) conference on “Creating Effective Warnings For All”. The conference brought together experts and stakeholder to discuss ways of improving warning systems. ITU highlighted the critical role of technology and the opportunities that the growth in information and communication technologies offers in reaching more people, more rapidly in critical situations. ITU presented its work in the Early Warning for All initiative, met with several partners, and discussed the role of regulation and mobile early warning systems, in particular the use of cell-broadcast for public alerts.
Network and digital infrastructure: CIS
ITU in the CIS region conducted a School Connectivity Week in Kazakhstan. It was held in the framework of ICTDF/FCDO project and was directed towards professionals from the telecommunications and education sectors in Central Asia’s Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), including Giga beneficiaries like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, as well as other LLDCs. The primary objective of the event was to introduce participants to various national surveys on school connectivity and software products developed within ITU's global and regional initiatives, and to explore options for enhancing broadband infrastructure for schools. Additionally, the event was also oriented on capacity building in the spheres of technology selection with cost-effectiveness in mind, ICT business planning, telecom infrastructure mapping as well as on fostering partnerships in this field.
As part of the event, the ITU Smart Educational Ecosystem in Kostanay opening ceremony was held, including the presentation of ITU Smart Educational Hub, ribbon cutting and field visit to Amankaragai secondary school, which is one of the beneficiaries of the Smart Educational Ecosystem in Kostanay.
Policy and regulation: Asia and Pacific
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific participated in the Indonesia-ITU Concern Forum (IICF), organized by Telkom University (TelU), and the Association of Informatics and Computer Science Universities (APTIKOM). The main objective of this session was to provide comprehensive information about the ITU activities, roles, and the ITU Regional Development Forum for Asia and the Pacific 2023. The event aimed to enhance the understanding of different stakeholders, enabling them to actively participate and maximize their engagement for mutual benefit during the Forum.
Policy and regulation: Asia and Pacific
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific participated in the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) Symposium 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand organized by APT, Thailand.
New Members: Africa
RIFEN is an internationally oriented NGO that works to achieve the SDGs through the promotion of professional and academic women and girls, in the field of digital economy, ICTs, postal sector, personal data protection and e-services. The goal of RIFEN is to create a multidisciplinary pool of women experts to exchange and work on the issue of SDGs. RIFEN also contributes to respond to challenges connected to women and girls’ inclusion and promotion in national, regional, and international activities.
New Members: Arab States
ALECSO is a Tunisia-based specialized institution working under the umbrella of the League of Arab States. It is essentially concerned with the development and coordination of the activities related to education, culture and sciences in the Arab World. Its activities include upgrading the level of human resources in the Arabic world.
New Members: Europe
The World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO) is an international, non-governmental organization, that aims to unite multidisciplinary engineering associations throughout the world. WFEO's vision is to foster sustainable development and poverty alleviation among all countries of the world through the proper application of technology. WFEO encourages all of its national and international members to contribute to global efforts to establish a sustainable, equitable and peaceful world by providing an international perspective.
New Members: Africa
CRASA represents the Telecommunications, Postal and ICT Regulators of the 13 SADC member states and focuses on harmonization of regulatory frameworks in the three sectors. It defines recommendations, model guidelines and position papers on various regulatory thematic areas framed on ITU best practices and recommendation. CRASA also contributes to ITU’s policy and regulatory resource platforms, study groups, forums, and workshops among others.
New Members: Arab States
Founded in 2016, Supercell Network for Internet Services is an internet service provider based in Baghdad, Iraq. In addition to their infrastructure in Iraq, the Internet Service Provider operates external infrastructure in Sofia and Frankfurt. Supercell's offering consists of internet and connectivity services including FTTH, ICT network infrastructure and network management.
New Members: Europe
Established in 1996, Hill provides consulting and creative conflict management services to individuals, public and private entities. The focus topics are Mediation and Arbitration, Telecommunications & Information Technology and Labor disputes in the UN system. Hill provides consulting regarding Telecommunication & IT especially for regulatory and policy topics.
New Members: Americas
The Global Digital Inclusion Partnership (GDIP) is a coalition of public, private, and civil society organizations working to bring internet connectivity to the global majority and ensure everyone is meaningfully connected by 2030. GDIP advances digital opportunities to empower and support people’s lives and agency, leading to inclusive digital societies.
New Members: Asia and Pacific
SENKO Advanced Components focuses on fiber optic connection solutions for information transit in computer networks. Their products enable its users to transfer information at the speed of light between different systems. SENKO Thailand joined as an Associate member to ITU-D’s Study Group 2. The company is active in 16 locations from California (USA) to Tokyo (Japan).
4 - 8 September
Other: Africa
ITU contributed to the dialogue on harnessing ICTs for sustainable urban development at the Africa Smart and Sustainable Cities Investment Summit (ASCIS) in Kigali, Rwanda, which brought together leaders, experts, city builders, planners and innovators to discuss the transformation of African cities into smart and sustainable cities.
ITU's involvement underscored our commitment to promoting equitable and accessible smart cities services and reinforced its role as a UN agency leading and advocating for ICT's responsible and sustainable integration into urban development.
Cybersecurity: Asia and Pacific
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific attended the first session of the Inter-ministerial Deliberation Committee on the draft Presidential Regulation on the National Roadmap on Child Online Protection in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection presented the draft and representatives of government ministries and agencies provided their initial feedback. More sessions will follow.
Cybersecurity: Asia and Pacific
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, UNICEF Bhutan Country Office and the GovTech Agency of the Royal Government of Bhutan, co-organized the meeting on Child Online Protection (COP) for the Bhutan task force stakeholder group in Thimphu, Bhutan. The meeting assessed the ongoing progress in the COP localization process and a timeline to deliver the final national COP report was agreed.
Digital services and applications: Arab States
GovStack roll out in Egypt continued with a ten-day deep dive into GovStack Technical Specifications, APIs Definitions, and SandBox architecture. Participants came from Government entities, and private sector tech companies currently supporting the delivery of Government Digital Services. Each session was run by a technical specification expert and a GovStack architect who co-facilitated the discussions.
[ This activity is the result of a BDT project. You can find more details of the project here]
Digital services and applications: Africa
The GovStack roll-out was launched in Kenya with a GovStack Road Show that allowed participants to learn about GovStack offerings and the current Horn of Africa collaboration. Through a series of panels and presentations, participants coming from the public and private sector explored the GovStack Implementation Playbook, Technical Specifications, Simulation SandBox and GovStack exchange. A deep-dive will follow for stakeholders participating in the prioritized use cases to be digitized using the building block approach.
[ This activity is the result of a BDT project. You can find more details of the project here]
Digital services and applications: Europe
During the 2023 Tallinn Digital Summit, GovStack Initiative welcomed the 1st Cohort of the GovStack Women in GovTech Challenge with 215 participants from around the world. Also, a GovStack side event brought together development aid partners, public and private sector representatives in a series of panel discussions around the challenges for implementing Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)/ Digital Public Goods (DPG), and Green ICT procurement practices.
[ This activity is the result of a BDT project. You can find more details of the project here]
Policy and regulation: Asia and Pacific
ITU participated in the 2023 BRICS Forum on Future Networks Innovation under the theme "Promoting High-Quality Development with Network Innovation", co-hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China and the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government in Shenzhen, China. ITU discussed and exchanged views and experience on the latest development in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, Next Generation Communications, Industrial Internet, Blockchain, and Universal Service for Telecommunications.