The side event ‘Cross-cutting session:
Digital transformation beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic’ will be held on the 1
April from 10:00 to 13:00 CEST virtually, within the framework of the 2022 UN Regional
Forum on Sustainable Development (RFSD) for the UNECE region.
The side event is organized by
the UN Digital Transformation Group for Europe and Central Asia, coordinated by
ITU and UNECE and facilitated by FAO, UN Women, UNIDO, UNICEF and UNFPA. The session will benefit from Russian-English
interpretation and live captionning.
Development through digital
transformation is a complex issue and touches on many enablers, from broadband
availability to policies and sectoral e-strategies, as well as specific
programs fostering digital inclusion or the development of innovation
communities. The importance of digital transformation has become even more
predominant since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic as Member States relied
substantially on the digital components to adapt to the “new normal”.
As the situation is developing
where “digital" is not only a solution to an emergency but a long-term
investment towards inclusion and resilience, and against risk, this event will
provide a platform for the Member States to discuss challenges, opportunities,
and required policy actions related to the digital dimensions of each
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of focus during the 2022 RFSD. Namely: SDG 4
“Quality of Education”, SDG 5 “Gender Equality”, SDG14 “Life below water”, and
SDG 15 “Life on land”. All while highlighting the importance of partnerships as
per necessities to take a multistakeholder approach to address digital
transformation.
Lockdowns and other restrictive
measures adopted by many governments in Europe and Central Asia, and around the
world have temporarily moved education from the classroom to the home
environment, potentially overshadowing the need for action to improve ICT
infrastructure and the quality of connectivity in schools. However, the shift
has also forced the adoption of distance learning, often delivered digitally,
which shines an important light on the untapped potential of digital technology
to improve quality and equity in education. Therefore,
national stakeholders will exchange on the status of e-governance of education
system, smart
and flexible education delivery at school and at home, as well as broadband
status and government strategies in both education and connectivity. To prepare
the population to meet the needs of the gigabit society, Member States will
also exchange on the drivers of digital skills development to increase learning outcomes
for children and the youth, as well as to nurture the growth of the digital
economy and digital society.
Yet, numerous actions remain to
be taken in order for all communities, including vulnerable ones, to be part of
the digital society. Roughly 1.7 billion
women in the Global South are unconnected. On average, only point-five percent
of 15-year-old girls want to become ICT professionals, compared to five percent
of 15-year-old boys. Women-owned tech start-ups receive less than a quarter of
the funding of male-owned businesses. As outlined in a recent ITU-UN Women
study, family members in some countries do not encourage girls to take up
university studies in STEM. Challenges
– ranging from cultural norms and biases, lack of digital literacy among
women in low- and middle-income
countries to lack of self-confidence and online and offline harassment – hinder
girls’ and women’s full participation. At the same time, increased online
presence augments the risk of being exposed to technology-facilitated gender-based
abuse, misinformation, and radicalization. The digital acceleration fueled by
the COVID-19 pandemic represents a historic opportunity to transform women’s
involvement in the digital world and the STEM sector. If digital technology is
not equally accessible, the young generation - especially girls and
youth and those from other marginalized groups - are at risk of exclusion and
disadvantage in the labor market. In this sense, partners will discuss their solutions on how to provide equal access to technology,
digital training.
The innovative ICT-based
solutions brought about by the digital transformation also demonstrate a unique
opportunity to overcome obsolete and polluting practices, mitigate
environmental risks and challenges as well as conserve marine and terrestrial
ecosystems and sustainably use earth resources. In this regard, Member States
will also exchange on innovative solutions, practices, and policies such as submarine
telecommunications cables for oceans, climate monitoring and disaster warning, electronic
waste management as well as digital agriculture.
The discussion and key policy actions put forward by
panellists will be channelled to the ECOSOC High-Level Political Forum (HLPF)
2022, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2022, and the
Partner2Connect Digital Coalition.
