AI Capacity Building Project: Closing Event

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Background
Funded by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) of Japan, the project aims to build capacity and awareness among government officials and key stakeholders on artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. The project leverages existing ITU standards and advances standards development to increase the efficiency of telecommunications/ICTs within ITU's mandate and core competencies, supporting developing countries' digital transformation strategies and the enabling ecosystem, and bridging the standardization gap between developed and developing countries. Activities focus on AI and draw upon expertise from both the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) and Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB).

The project began in February 2025 and is expected to conclude all activities by the end of July 2026

Major components of the project include:

1. Regional/National workshops to provide in-person training on:
1. AI technologies for increasing the efficiency of telecommunications/ICTs.
2. AI standards to increase the efficiency of telecommunications/ICTs and Bridging the Standardization Gap (BSG).
2. Supplement the in-person training with online training, where required.
3. Baseline study on Artificial Intelligence technology and standards needs in South and Southeast Asia.

Activities so far
A series of sub-regional and national workshops were organised in 2025 to meet the project objectives. Given below are the details of each of the activities:

 
All workshops consistently received excellent participant evaluations, leading to repeat requests from host institutions and cost-sharing arrangements demonstrating sustainable demand and high ownership amongst the member states. The project is expected to be scaled further to include the Africa and Asia Pacific regions as it moves into the next phase.​

Objective
A closing event was organized from 24-25 June online, bringing together the donor, member states, and partners to showcase Phase 1 results and outcomes, and discuss Phase 2 priorities and next steps. The main objectives are listed below:

• ​Disseminate the Phase 1 project results to members and partners.
• Bring together the focal points of participating member states to understand key takeaways from the workshop.
• Invite potential partners to explore Phase 2 collaboration opportunities.
• Discuss and plan the way forward.​

​Timel​i​ne

• 24-25 June, 09:00 – 12:00 Bangkok time (online on zoom)
  
• For registration, please click ​here​​​

• ​Focal points from 15 participating member states, including India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Timor-Leste, Thailand, Cambodia, Mongolia, Lao PDR & Pakistan.
• Focal points rest of the member states to understand their AI capacity development needs.
• Potential partners such as the ILO, UN Country Team in Bangkok, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, industry, and academic members.