Speakers from governments and industry from around the world will provide contrasting perspectives on the theme of "Collaborating in the Digital Economy" at this year's ITU Telecom World event.

The annual meeting of global leaders in information technology will be held on 14-17 November in Bangkok, Thailand.

Current confirmed speakers include:

• Shamshad Akhtar, Executive Secretary of The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
• Adam Boni Tessi, President, Haute Autorite de L'audiovisuel et de La Communication (HAAC), Benin
• Yuji Inoue, Chairman, Toyota Info Technology Center, Japan
• Dongmyun Lee, Chief Technology Officer, KT Corporation (Korea Telecom)
• Vladica Tintor, Director, Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Postal Services (RATEL), Serbia
• Syed Ismail Shah, Chairman, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, Pakistan

The Leadership Summit will kick off the event, bringing together public and private sector leaders who will explore the reasons why working together is crucial for growth in the digital economy. Subsequent Telecom World sessions will explore topics key to the future of telecommunications and development, including 5G, collaborative regulation, the connected car, smart sustainable cities, fostering SME innovation, digital financial services and more.

"Building meaningful collaboration is the only way to feed innovative ideas back into the digital economy in a sustainable way, securing inclusive growth and positive social impact," ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao said. "By bringing together expert speakers from government and industry, including leaders from SMEs, the ITU Telecom World Forum will focus on the most effective ways to build this collaboration, accelerate innovation and help the global digital economy flourish."

Other forum highlights will include

• A ministerial roundtable on the crucial role governments play in advancing the digital economy. The conversation will include ministers from countries around the globe, including Thailand, Afghanistan, Iran, Ivory Coast, Belarus and Singapore, among others.
• B2B and B2G dialogues exploring how corporations and governments can strengthen collaboration with SMEs to improve the outcomes of research and development, accelerate innovation and improve public services

The full event programme can be found here.

Alongside the forum discussions, ITU Telecom World will feature an international exhibition, which will showcase digital solutions and investment opportunities from countries and companies from emerging and developed markets, including SMEs.

The ITU Telecom World Awards ceremony will recognize excellence in ICT innovation with social impact, and a host of networking opportunities will connect exhibitors, delegates, countries, organizations and individuals.