Innovation-Track@WSIS took place on 8th April 2019 at the ITU Headquarters, Room C1. It was organized within the framework of the Innovation Programme of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau and the ITU Regional Initiative for Europe on ICT-Centric Innovation Ecosystem. This track was co-organized by the Office of Electronic Communication of Republic of Poland. Innovation Track@WSIS provided a unique opportunity for high-level dialogue, cooperation and partnerships among telecommunication/ICT policy-makers, regulators, industry, academia, regional and international development agencies and organizations on specific actions undertaken for strengthening the impact of the ICTs on the sustainable development.
Thematic Focus: Building a Culture of Innovation to Achieve the SDGs
A change mindset is required by all stakeholders to achieve the sustainable development goals. The growth mindset as opposed to a fixed mindset requires the stakeholders of an ecosystem to work together to pull their resources to achieve impact. Global experts and policy makers will present how this can be done. If the world needs to meet the SDGs, all stakeholders need to understand this paradigm shift.
11:00-13:00 | Session 1: Emerging Technologies for Digital Transformation – How to Maximize Benefits for Societies and Economies
Digital transformation is what happens when innovation is applied to solve problems through the use of ICT/telecommunication technology. The benefits to a country and its people are immense: significantly increased productivity, economic growth and greater employment opportunities. Three engines of growth must come together to nurture ICT innovations: innovation system, entrepreneurial ecosystem and the technology ecosystem. However, the ecosystems composed of a system or network of interconnecting and interacting organizations and stakeholders, from multiple sectors, must adapt new paradigms to deliver the promise of digital transformation and have a chance at achieving the SDGs. The degree to which a country benefits from digital transformation with emerging technologies, depends on the vibrancy of the ICT-centric innovation ecosystem.
This session answered the following questions:
- How the emerging technologies can create new opportunities for Start-ups and SMEs to address digital transformation of society?
- What are the challenges to scale up disruptive technologies in the global market?
- How the start-ups and SMEs can be supported in order to facilitate their growth in the ICT centric innovation ecosystem?
Opening Remarks: Mr Houlin Zhao, Secretary General, ITU
Welcome Remarks: Mr. Marcin Cichy, President of the Office of Electronic Communications
Moderator: Ms. Eun-Ju Kim, Chief of the ITU's Innovation and Partnership Department
Panelists:
- Ms. Agnieszka Gładysz, Director of the Department of Strategy and Analysis, Office of Electronic Communications
- Mr. Grzegorz Zwoliński, President of the board, SatRevolution
- Mr. Radosław Łapczyński, Member of the board, SatRevolution
- Ms. Hatsumi Tanaka, CEO of Welltool
- Mr. Piotr Harasimowicz, President of the board, Vector Synergy
- Mr. Wojciech Cellary, Poznań University of Economics and Business
Key achievements and recommendations:
- In order to improve, facilitate and maximize digital innovation, countries need to ensure an enabling environment
- Innovation is all about communication. The session discussed how communication is changing from human-to-human to machine-to-machine presenting new challenges. Is also highlighted the importance of cultural and communication barriers.
14:30-16:15 | Session 2: Fostering ICT-Centric Innovation Culture to Accelerate Achievement of SDGs
Innovation has been recognized as an essential development instrument underlining the social and economic challenges and steering global concerns for policy makers, change makers and citizens. Innovation is also a crucial accelerator of digital transformation building an equality-based society and generating economic growth. However, innovation is a mindset where stakeholders, innovators and the people supporting, need to explore new approaches that are evidence informed, collaborative and sustainable. To accelerate achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, identifying best practices in nurturing ICT centric innovations is essential to help organizations and innovators address opportunities in the digital economy. This session will highlight the challenging as well as successful measures taken by stakeholders including international entities and UN family to successfully drive innovation and organizational transformation to accelerate achievement of socio-economic needs through ICTs.
This session answered the following questions:
- How UN system fosters culture of innovation internally and externally in context of SDGs?
- What are the mechanisms fostering implementation of innovative solutions for SDGs?
- Are there good practices that should be amplified or some practices that should be avoided?
Moderator: Mr. Mohamed Ba, Head, Innovation Division, BDT, ITU
Panelists:
- Ms. Amy Rhoades, Community Engagement Programme Manager, Media & Communications Division, International Organization for Migration
- Mr. N M Zeaul Alam, Honorable Secretary, Secretary of Information & Communication Technology Division, a2i
- Dr. Suddha Chakravartti, Head of Research, EU Business School
- Mr. G. Anthony Giannoumis, Professor, Researcher, and Entrepreneur in Oslo
- Mr. Pradeep Kakkattil, Director of Office of Innovation, UNAIDS
Key achievements and recommendations:
- There is need for an innovation culture to allow innovation to scale
- Innovation needs to be a catalyst to make change but in a way that is more socially responsible
- There is a need for a new type of partnership to design prototype and scale innovation
- Innovation policies and programs need to be holistic to achieve impact
16:30-18:30 | Session 3: National Experiences in Strengthening the ICT-Centric Innovation for SDGs
There still remains some unanswered questions about building national communities in a globalized world. Many countries have recognized the potential of ICT driven Innovation and despite the existence of numerous initiatives citizens' essential needs such as having sustainable jobs, improved quality of life and sharing of inclusive wealth with the national administration are unfulfilled. Youth has a very important role to play in ensuring growth of digital economy as recognized in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals which sets out to 'substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship'. The capacity of entrepreneurs to take ideas to market is the biggest source of job creation. Through entrepreneurship, innovators create startups which can grow to be small and medium business, and ultimately a few become high growth firms. Programs and policies need constant adaptation due to the changing environment. Stakeholders as well need to have the ability to update their processes based on best practices to attain achievement of the SDGs.
This session answered the following questions:
- How to strengthen impact of ICTs on the achievement of SDGs?
- What are the possible measures to foster ICT centric innovation at the national level?
- How to enable new opportunities for youth to ensure growth of digital economy?
Welcome Remarks: Ms. Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau, ITU
Moderator: Mr. Jaroslaw Ponder, Head of ITU Office for Europe, ITU
Panelists:
- H.E Mr. Lasha Mikava, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, Georgia
- H.E. Ms. Maria-Manuela Catrina, State Secretary, Ministry of Communications and the Information Society, Romania
- H.E. Ms Anna Korka, Ambassador, Permanent Representative, Mission Of Greec
- Mr. Konstantinos Masselos, President of the Hellenic Telecommunications & Post Commission (EETT), Greece
- Mr. George Michaelides, Commissioner, Office of the Commissioner of Electronic Communications and Postal Regulation (OCECPR), Cyprus
- Mr. Vladica Tintor, Director at Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Postal Services (RATEL), Serbia
- H.E Ms. Anneli Vares, Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Estonia
- Hon. Mr. Oleksandr Danchenko (MP), Chairman of the Committee for Informatization and Communications, Parliament of Ukraine
- Mr. Anir Chowdhury, Policy Advisor, Prime Minister Office, Bangladesh
Key achievements and recommendations:
- Innovation can be improved by strengthening the collaboration within the community in Europe.
- The need to create new public-private partnerships to enhance the growth of digital innovation.
- Encouraging new ICT Start-ups and business through government incentives
- The digital culture should be built through the population but also from governments by improving and building e-services.
- A particular attention should be given to the regulatory framework that can be considered as a barrier for innovation.
- Education stays one of the key points to allow long term digital adaptation and innovation. This can be achieved by building educational curricula and providing training to increase digital skills for workers in specific areas.
