Project Steering Committee (PSC) Inception Meeting
Enhancing the Sustainability of Smart Villages and Smart Islands (SVSI) in the Asia-Pacific Project
Meeting background and information
The ITU Smart Villages and Smart Islands (SVSI) initiative seeks to transform rural and remote communities by improving livelihoods and well-being through enhanced access to digitally enabled services.
To address these challenges, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), with financial support from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts (DITRDCSA) of the Government of Australia, is implementing the project “Enhancing the Sustainability of Smart Villages and Smart Islands in the Asia‑Pacific”.
Building on lessons learned and best practices from Phase 1 of the SVSI initiative, the project expands its scope to include new beneficiary countries, while supporting the replication of the model by the countries already implementing the initiative. It aims to strengthen national sustainability and governance frameworks through a whole-of-government and multi-stakeholder partnership approach, while ensuring that implementation is guided by the six dimensions of sustainability promoted by ITU.
In this context, a Project Steering Committee (PSC), comprising of participating countries, the ITU and the DITRDCSA (Australia), is proposed to be established to provide strategic advice and guidance for the planning, implementation, and monitoring of the project. A Terms of Reference of the PSC has been drafted for the discussion at the inaugural meeting of the PSC.
The PSC Inception Meeting marks the formal launch of the PSC. The meeting aims to introduce the SVSI initiative and the ITU–DITRDCSA project, present the Terms of Reference of the PSC, confirm governance and coordination arrangements, and provide an opportunity for participating countries to share initial views and expectations. The meeting will also discuss next steps and the proposed PSC meeting cycle of, envisaged to be held twice annually.
Target participants:
a) Participating countries that have submitted expressions of interest:
• South Asia: Bhutan and Pakistan
• Southeast Asia: Cambodia, Lao P.D.R, and Timor-Leste
• Pacific: Fiji, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu
b) ITU, as implementation agency, and
c) DITRDCSA, (Australia) as the project partner.
Date: Friday, 24 April 2026 at 09:00-11:00 (GMT+7) Bangkok time
Format: Online (via Zoom meeting)
Participants are kindly requested to register for this meeting by 24 April 2026 using Zoom meeting link.
Project webpage
• For more information, please visit the project webpage at https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/ICT-Applications/Pages/Initiatives/ASP/Smart-Islands/Enhancing-sustainability-of-SVSI-ASP.aspx
• Please also explore the Smart Villages and Smart Islands website at https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/ICT-Applications/Pages/Initiatives/ASP/Smart-Islands/Smart-Islands-Initiative.aspx
Provisional Agenda
Inception meeting
PSC of the ITU–DITRDCSA (Australia) Project on “Enhancing the Sustainability of SVSI in the Asia-Pacific”
Date: Friday, 24 April 2026
09:00-09:05 (GMT+7) Bangkok time
| Opening of the meeting
Introduction of the meeting objectives and agenda.
- Moderator: Ms. Rury Demsey, Project Officer, ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
|
| 09:05-09:15 | Opening remarks
- Ms. Atsuko Okuda, Regional Director, ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
- Ms. Maria Myutel, Director, International Engagement – ITU & APT, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts, Australia
Group photo session by Mr. Jingcheng Wang (Mr. William), ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
|
| 09:15-09:30 | Presentation on the overview of Smart Villages and Smart Islands (SVSI) Initiative in Asia-Pacific
The session will provide an overview of the SVSI initiative in the Asia and the Pacific, including experience gained and lessons learned.
- Presenter: Mr. Ashish Narayan, Programme Coordinator, ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
|
| 09:30-10:15 | Smart Villages and Smart Islands in Asia and the Pacific: Country presentations and experiences
The session will bring together participating countries that have been engaged in implementing the Smart Villages and Smart Islands (SVSI) initiative across Asia and the Pacific from 2022-2025 to share their country-level experiences, key achievements, challenges, and lessons learned in delivering digitally enabled solutions for rural and remote communities.
Speakers:
- Mr. Syed Jawad Ali Sherazi, Director General, Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT), Pakistan
- Mr. Avish Naidu, Director - Digital Government Transformation, Ministry of Policing and Communications, Fiji
- Ms. Renga Teannaki, Senior Policy Analyst, Ministry of Information, Communications and Transport, Kiribati
- Mr. Waylon Muller, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Communications & Information Technology, Republic of Marshall Islands
- Mr. Geoffrey Harris, Secretary, Department of ICT, Ministry of Communications and Media
- Mr. Warren Suti, Director, National ICT Authority (NICTA), Papua New Guinea
- Mr. Leasoiloafaleupolu Ronnie Aiolupotea, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ministry of Communications & Information Technology, Samoa
- Mr. Stan Ahio, Director for Communications, Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communications (MEIDECC), Tonga
(Each speaker will be allocated a maximum of 5 minutes and is kindly requested to focus on the key information to be shared)
|
| 10:15-10:25 | Presentation on the ITU-DITRDCSA project on Enhancing the sustainability of SVSI in the Asia and the Pacific
The session will provide an overview of the project.
- Presenter: Ms. Rury Demsey, Project Officer, ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
|
| 10:25-10:35 | Terms of Reference (ToR) of the Project Steering Committee (PSC)
The session will share the Terms of Reference of the PSC.
- Presenter: Ms. Rury Demsey, Project Officer, ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
|
| 10:35-10:50 | Discussion and open floor for participating countries o Feedback and comments on the project and its implementation approach o Views on the PSC ToR and governance arrangements o Country priorities, expectations, and initial considerations o Clarifications and questions |
| 10:50-11:00 | Way forward, agreements, next steps, and closing o Confirmation of PSC composition and focal points o Agreement on PSC ToR
o Confirmation of meeting cycle (Q1 and Q3 each year)
- Moderator: Ms. Rury Demsey, Project Officer, ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
|