ITU-D contributed to strengthening the capacities of ITU Member States by implementing a new ITU Centre of Excellence (CoE) Strategy in line with WTDC Resolution 73 (Rev. Dubai, 2014). CoEs strengthened capacities in Member States by conducting training programmes in policy and regulation, broadband access, cybersecurity, C&I, spectrum management, digital broadcasting, ICT applications and services, emergency telecommunications, Internet governance, e-waste and climate change mitigation and adaptation. Twenty-five training activities, across all the regions, were conducted through the CoE network in 2015, with a total of 820 participants. In 2016, 51 training activities were implemented, with a total of 1 167 participants.
ITU continued to create platforms for information sharing by the Membership with the holding of a Capacity Building Symposium (CBS-2016) in Nairobi, Kenya in September 2016, under the theme of "Embracing capacity building opportunities in the digital era". The Symposium attracted around 440 participants from 46 countries.
ITU continued to strengthen capacities in Member States by developing standardized training materials, which were made available through CoEs and other cooperating partners from Academia. Training materials were developed on spectrum management in 2015 and on QoS in 2016. Training materials relating to ICTs and climate change, and to IoT, are currently being developed. Training activities on international Internet governance started in 2017, with the first of a series of regional workshops held in Brazil in July 2017.
Activities under Output 4.1 contributed to greater cooperation between ITU and relevant partners in the field of capacitybuilding. ITU signed cooperation agreements with: the Czech Technical University, on a Spectrum Management Training Programme (SMTP); the United Kingdom Telecommunications Academy, for the delivery of a joint online Master of Communications Management (eMCM) training programme; with the African Advanced‑Level Telecommunications Institute (AFRALTI), for the delivery of training in spectrum management; and with the Association of Communications and Telecommunications Regulators of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries, with joint activities in capacity building and education.
ITU hosts the world’s most comprehensive and up-to-date collection of ICT data and statistics relating to ICT infrastructure, access and usage, policy and regulation, and cost and tariff policy issues. The work of ITU has resulted in the enhanced availability and dissemination of internationally comparable ICT statistical databases.
From 2014-2017, a number of statistical products were released in a move to enhance the information and knowledge available to policy-makers and other stakeholders on ICT trends and developments. The ITU flagship publication, the Measuring the Information Society Report, supports policy-makers, investors, and business people in terms of current ICT market trends, and enables them to make evidence-based decisions by providing an accurate analysis of ICT development at the national, regional and global levels.
By organizing the annual World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Symposium (WTIS), the main global forum for discussing ICT statistics, ITU has enhanced both the dialogue between ICT data producers and users and the awareness and capacity needed by countries in order to produce ICT statistics. To guide countries and ITU in future work on ICT measurement, WTIS adopted a number of recommendations.
D.4-3 Digital inclusion of people with specific needs [89]
ITU and ILO launched a joint Digital Skills for Decent Jobs for Youth Campaign in June 2017 with the goal of mobilizing the political will and resources to equip five million young men and women with job-ready digital skills by 2030 in support of SDGs. ITU-D shared innovative strategies with all ITU members on building their national digital skills development strategies in the ITU Digital Skills Toolkit published in March 2018 and shared at major events, such as the 2018 WSIS High Level Dialogue on Digital Skills and Mobile Learning Week.
Since WTDC-14, the awareness of almost 5 000 stakeholders, including ITU members, was raised around the world on ICT accessibility policies and regulatory measures for persons with disabilities. This was achieved through key regional and global meetings, including events of the relevant regional initiatives, ITU-D Study Groups, and UN events. ITU-D has developed numerous training resources on ICT accessibility, including online training materials on how to develop and maintain accessible websites; training materials and video tutorials on accessible digital content; self-paced training courses; and online courses on public procurement of accessible ICT products and services which were delivered through the ITU Academy. In addition, ITU-D has built the capacity of 1,000 ITU members and other stakeholders on ICT accessibility. The Model ICT Accessibility Policy Report, launched in November 2014, was also promoted in all ITU regional and global events.
D.4-3 (edoc 35).
ITU trained, in collaboration with Fondo Indigena, over 1 000 Indigenous leaders from Latin America from November 2014 to November 2018. ITU developed and delivered three online training courses every year on topics of Indigenous communities’ interest including development of Indigenous Radio/Networks, in line with WTDC-17 Resolution 46.
D.4-4 Concentrated assistance to least developed countries (LDCs), small island developing states (SIDS) and landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) [90]
ITU has raised awareness of the importance of ICTs for sustainable development and provided concentrated assistance as well as enhanced capacity to LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS in regard to ICT-related activities, initiatives, programmes and projects, including: market regulatory reforms, emergency telecommunications, disaster response, gender equality, ICT infrastructure, spectrum management and climate change adaptation. This push for greater awareness has served to mitigate adverse impacts and enhance human capacity. At the same time, ITU has improved ICT access and use in LDCs, and provided concentrated assistance to 40 LDCs between 2014 and 2017.
ITU has led the way in harmonizing telecommunication/ICT policies in the Pacific region, resulting in the adoption of a number of national strategies, policies and regulations on, among other things, ICTs, cybersecurity and universal access and service. On 1 October 2014, an agreement to launch the Pacific Connectivity Project was signed by ITU and 11 Pacific Islands and with industry partners, on the Development of Satellite Communications Capacity and Emergency Communications Solutions for the Pacific, with the aim of making broadband accessible and affordable to all citizens in the Pacific Islands. As part of information dissemination and sharing, ITU published the report “ICTs, LDCs, and the SDGs: Achieving universal and affordable Internet in the least developed countries”.
[87] WTDC Res. 1, 5, 9, 15, 20, 21, 22, 30, 32, 33, 36, 40, 50, 59, 73, 77; PP Dec. 5, 13; PP Res. 25, 71, 72, 137, 139, 140, 176, 188, 189, 197, 199, 202; Council R1143; WTSA Res. 54, 59, 72; WSIS Action Lines C4 and §§ 8, 22, 23a, 26g, 49, 51, 65, 72h, 86, 87, 90c, d, f, 95, 114b of the Tunis Agenda; SDG Targets 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17
[88] WTDC Res. 1, 5, 8, 30, 33, 37, 43, 50, 51, 52, 57, 59, 60; PP Dec. 5, 13; PP Res. 25, 71, 72, 137, 139, 140, 176, 188, 189, 197, 199, 200, 202; ICT statistics are relevant to monitoring the implementation of all WSIS Action Lines of the Geneva Plan of Action and are referred to in §§ 112-119 of the Tunis Agenda; SDG Targets 4, 5, 9, 17
[89] WTDC Res. 1, 5, 9, 11, 15, 20, 21, 22, 23, 30, 32, 55, 58, 68, 76, 77; PP Dec. 5, 13; PP Res. 25, 30, 32, 33, 34, 36, 37, 64, 70, 71, 131, 139, 140, 175, 184, 198, 202; WTSA Res. 55, 69; WSIS Action Lines C2, C4, C7, C8, and § 90 of Tunis Agenda; SDG Targets 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17
[90] WTDC Res. 16, 17, 18, 21, 25, 26, 30, 33, 36, 37, 50, 51, 52, 53, 57, 60; PP Dec. 5, 13; PP Res. 25, 30, 32, 33, 34, 36, 70, 71, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 135, 159, 160, 161, 193, 202; WRC Res. 12; WCIT Res. 1; WSIS Action Lines C4, C7, and § 9, 23, 26, 49, 59, 87 and 95 of the Tunis Agenda; SDG Targets 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17.
