Highlights – February 2026
Cybersecurity: Asia and the Pacific
On 13-16 January 2026, BDT delivered training sessions as part of the Pakistan – United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) Cyber Capacity-Building and Policy Training in Islamabad. Organized by UNIDIR and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan and with the support of Canada, the sessions focused on strengthening national Computer Incident Response Teams and Critical Information Infrastructure protection, National Cybersecurity Strategies, and technical trainings for incident responders.
Emergency telecommunications: Africa
The Early Warnings for All (EW4All) National Consultative Workshop for the Democratic Republic of the Congo was held on 28–29 January 2026 to officially roll-out the initiative in the country. The workshop was led by BDT in collaboration with the EW4All pillar lead agencies, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC), and received support from the Ministry of Interior, the Autorité de Régulation de la Poste et des Télécommunications du Congo, the Agence Nationale de Météorologie et de Télédétection par Satellite, and the Régie des Voies Fluviales. BDT’s work with the government, UN partners, and national institutions, contributed to identifying gaps across the four EW4All pillars and to co‑creating a national roadmap for risk knowledge, forecasting, warning dissemination and communication, and preparedness — strengthening the country’s path toward Early Warnings for All.
Emergency telecommunications: Asia and the Pacific
BDT, in collaboration with UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the EW4All pillar leads, organized a webinar on Financing Advancements in EW4All on 29 January 2026, as part of the Asia Pacific EW4All webinar series. Attended by more than 100 participants, the event featured speakers from Indonesia, India, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, and the Philippines Red Cross, who highlighted strategies and the importance of sustainable early warning system implementation. Representing Pillar 3: Warning Dissemination and Communication, the Department of Telecommunications from the Government of India shared the financing advancements in India for early warning systems.
Digital innovation ecosystem: Arab States
From 9 to 12 February, the ITU Regional Office for Arab States, in partnership with the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, co-delivered a four-day bootcamp in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to support the commercialisation of technology research across the country. The bootcamp brought together 16 research teams, representing 60 researchers, with 49% women scientists in attendance. Participants were guided through more than a dozen practical tools from the ITU Accelerating Research to Innovation and Commercialisation toolkit. Through a series of targeted, hands-on workshops, researchers moved beyond theory to directly apply these tools to their own research ideas and outputs. The initiative aimed to bridge the gap between research and market-ready solutions, enabling scientists to transform innovations into viable products and services. The outcomes contribute directly to national innovation priorities and support the ambitions of Saudi Vision 2030 by strengthening research commercialisation and inclusive innovation ecosystems.
[This activity is the result of a BDT project. You can find more details of the project here]
Emergency telecommunications: Africa
The National Emergency Telecommunication Validation Workshop for Senegal took place from 10 to 11 February, bringing together national stakeholders in disaster risk reduction and emergency telecommunications from across the public and private sectors. Co organized by the ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau and the Autorité de Régulation des Télécommunications et des Postes of Senegal, the workshop strengthened collective efforts to harness ICTs for disaster risk reduction and ensure that no one is left behind when emergencies strike. The workshop provided a platform for participants to review legal and regulatory frameworks that enable the use of technology for disaster management, clarify institutional roles and coordination mechanisms, build a shared understanding of how digital solutions support every phase of disaster management, and agree on a roadmap to enhance emergency telecommunications in the country.
Emergency telecommunications: Africa
The Early Warnings for All (EW4All) National Consultative Workshop for Malawi was held from 11 to 12 February, on the sidelines of the Partners’ Coordination Meeting on Early Warning Services for Malawi hosted by the Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems initiative. Organized with EW4All pillar lead agencies and national partners, the workshop served as a platform for the government, UN partners, and institutions to collaborate and review EW4All objectives, map key stakeholders, and agree on priority actions and next steps to strengthen people centred early warning systems across Malawi. Underscoring the need to implement cell broadcast as part of strengthening the national early warning system, the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority highlighted the support that the ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau has been providing to the country on emergency telecommunications.
Emergency telecommunications: Americas
The ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau has handed over Haiti’s National Emergency Telecommunication Plan (NETP) to the Conseil National des Télécommunications (CONATEL). This milestone strengthens Haiti’s disaster preparedness and national coordination, ensuring life-saving telecommunications are fit for purpose—before, during and after disasters—helping to protect lives, livelihoods and leaving no one behind.
Environment: Global
The second study tour under the ITU-Government of Colombia’s joint project, “International Exchange Initiative on Regulating E-waste and Engaging Tech Companies,” took place from 9 to 13 February in New Delhi, India. Participants from the six participating countries of the project (Colombia, the Dominican Republic, India, Malaysia, Nigeria, and South Africa) shared best practices on e-waste governance and engaged with technical experts, policymakers, and partners. The five-day event concluded with a visit to an e waste recycling facility and the ITU Area Office and Innovation Centre in New Delhi, and a networking segment where participants explored how stronger collaboration and more innovative policies can support the transition to a circular economy and address the growing e-waste challenge.
Network and digital infrastructure: Asia and the Pacific
From 10 to 11 February, the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific conducted detailed sessions with the technical, legal and finance departments of the National Communications Authority of Timor-Leste (ANC) to harmonize national spectrum allocation policies with current ITU Radio Regulations. As part of direct country assistance to Timor-Leste, the sessions focused on radio frequency (RF) monitoring, enforcement, spectrum management and explanations of the draft National Table of Frequency Allocation..