By ITU News

How do stakeholders get from conversation to consensus on digital transformation in the service of the UN Sustainable Development Goals? Hear from Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Minster of Telecommunications and Digitalisation, Ghana and Chair of the sixth World Telecommunication/ICT Policy Forum, set to be held virtually from 16 to 18 December 2021.

1. How is technology changing our lives, and what tech trends and issues are at the centre of this year’s Forum?

In 2018, ITU Member States decided to hold this sixth World Telecommunication/ICT Policy Forum. This was well before the COVID-19 pandemic made it clear how pivotal telecommunications and ICT services are in people’s lives. That’s what made it possible for us to have near-normal communications and socio-economic activity.

But from September 2019 right up to November 2021, a group of over 170 experts representing ITU Member States, Sector Members and Academia met on a regular basis to draft a set of non-prescriptive policy documents called “Opinions” which will be discussed and approved by consensus at the Forum.

All 5 draft Opinions they have worked on address how new and emerging telecommunications/ICT services and technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), 5G, big data and over-the-top services (OTTs) can be enablers of a global transition to the digital economy.

We’ve all realized how digitalization has become pivotal to everything we do. And so we need to consider how existing technologies, and new and emerging technologies, can facilitate that transition.

In fact, one Opinion deals specifically with the role played by these technologies and services in facilitating the use of telecommunications and ICTs for sustainable development. We still have the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals to work towards.

It is important to note that it is not one single technology, but rather a mix or convergence of technologies, that will sustain the extraordinary technological advances at the center of this year’s Forum.

2. The COVID-19 pandemic has set back progress on development gains. Can emerging technologies help reverse this trend and drive sustainable development for people everywhere?

Absolutely. The emerging technologies we’ll be discussing at the Forum can help us tackle the world’s most pressing challenges – from ending hunger to reducing inequalities and poverty, to combatting climate change.

Everything from education, healthcare, finance, mobility, agriculture, energy, accessibility and all the other areas related to the SDGs can be facilitated and transformed through technology. Everything!

But to succeed, we need to fulfill the promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by leaving no one behind.

New data from ITU show strong global growth in Internet use. The number of Internet users globally grew by more than 10 per cent in the first year of the pandemic – by far the largest annual increase in a decade.

However, almost 3 billion people have still never used the Internet and are being left out. Many of these ‘digitally excluded’ people face formidable challenges in addition to that, including poverty, limited access to electricity, and lack of digital skills and awareness. So creating and using relevant content in local languages is essential to drive demand and close the usage gap. Government services are a prime example, particularly in this COVID era.

It is also critical to extend connectivity in unserved or underserved areas.

And it is important to recognize and address the particular challenges faced by developing countries, and landlocked and small island states in mobilizing new and emerging telecommunication/ICT services and technologies for sustainable development. That’s part of the conversation we’re going to have [at WTPF].

3. As the Chair of the Forum, how important is it to you that all public and private stakeholders come together at this time of accelerated digital transformation?

I think one of the distinct features of the Forum and its preparatory process is its inclusive nature – one of its main strengths as well. It brings governments, businesses, academia, civil society and others together to think through the issues that currently confront us.

All stakeholders need a seat at this table. No one can do it alone – it is impossible. And to meet the challenge of extending access to all, government has to work closely with industry, academia and civil society.

The private sector, for example, has a huge role to play in investing in the innovative technologies that will help create the global transition to the digital economy. We can’t do it without them.

Realizing the potential of this economy depends on several factors, including fostering an enabling policy environment – that’s where governments come in – that promotes investment and innovation through competition, capacity building, transparency, flexibility and the active participation of all stakeholders.

You need to create a Forum where we can all met and discuss these issues as equal partners – and work towards implementing solutions together. And that’s what this Forum offers: an excellent platform for this multilateral, multi-stakeholder approach – by consensus – to deal with the issues we all recognize confront us all. That’s the beauty of the WTPF.

Once agreed and finalized at the Forum, the Opinions will offer guidance to ITU Member States. It is important that the final Opinions are fully representative and the result of multi-stakeholder discussions and consensus among ITU’s membership. There’s no voting at the WTPF. We agree on every matter by consensus, and work towards implementing it together.

4. What message, in your view, does an international conference like WTPF-21 need to send to the world?

The world stands united in harnessing emerging technologies to accelerate the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals, and to solve some of our most pressing challenges, including this current pandemic, and any others which may come in the future, without leaving anyone behind.

Inclusion of everybody regardless of economic status, geographic location, gender, ability is absolutely critical.

WTPF-21 provides an opportunity to create a shared vision for a more fair, sustainable, and inclusive digital future. We absolutely need to make that happen.

 Join the conversation by registering to attend WTPF online.