Highlights: 29 November – 10 December 2021

6 – 10 December 2021

Capacity development: Americas

The ITU Digital Skills Assessment Guidebook Workshop for the Americas Region focused on the role of the Guidebook in the development of National Digital Skills Strategies. Reference document and webpage.

Digital inclusion: Americas

The Regional Office for the Americas organized the 8th edition of Accessible Americas: ICTs for All, which was held from 29 November to 1st December in Varadero, Cuba. The event saw more than 250 participants and covered topics of great importance, such as projects and initiatives for persons with disabilities, sharing of good practices, challenges and opportunities for digital inclusion in the region for girls, women, youth and the elderly, smart and accessible cities, gender equality, and more. Web Page

Digital inclusion: Americas

The Generation Connect – Caribbean Youth ICT Workshop on Innovation took place on 10 December and provided a platform for youth and multiple stakeholders such as policy makers, youth entities, financial institutions, Academia, ICT Industry players, among others, to address youth Innovation and entrepreneurship, the challenges that must be addressed and the solutions necessary for success. Web Page

Digital Inclusion: Americas

ITU Americas and a representative from Generation Connect Americas Youth Group participated in the UNICEF Argentina end of year event “Habilidades que nos hacen una #GeneraciónÚnica” (Skills that make us a #GenerationUnlimited). This webinar counted with the participation of #GeneraciónÚnica Argentina – Rural Adolescents Council (students of the Rural Secondary Schools Mediated by Technology SRTIC programme).

Digital inclusion: Asia and the Pacific

ITU delivered a message on the ITU-AIBD Joint Declaration during the 19th AIBD General Conference and Associated Meeting under the theme: Leading Media into the New Norm. The “Joint Declaration between ITU and AIBD” aims to strengthen the collaboration and partnership of the two institutions on the role of broadcasting in addressing various digital challenges in Asia and the Pacific. It is also expected to pave the way for AIBD to systematically and sustainably contribute to P2C and WTDC.

Giga: Africa

The bi-weekly Giga Rwanda meeting with the Government focused on the ‘project concept’ to serve as the formal national Giga Rwanda guiding document to be signed by ITU, UNICEF and the Government. While resources have not to date been mobilized to connect all Rwanda’s remaining schools, a partnership document on the financial needs and on the progress and commitments has become important for the Government to drive Giga Rwanda as the main national initiative to connect schools.

Other: Asia and the Pacific

ITU organised the Asia and the Pacific Regional Dialogue on ”Digital Transformation: Gearing up for inclusive and sustainable development” from 7-10 December. 1134 participants from 49 countries and over 90 speakers and panellists participated in the 17 sessions to discuss topics related to digital transformation, connectivity, inclusion and innovation. The ITU Regional Office for Asia-Pacific thanks partners from DFAT, USAID, Code.org, UNICEF and TSDSI as well as the non-ICT sectors for making this event a great success. Web Page

Other: Africa

The Regional Office for Africa met the European Union Delegation (EUDEL) to Namibia on 7 December to explore possible areas of collaboration and learn more about the plans and areas of focus for the coming year. The meetings identified some areas of mutual interest which may pave the way for further collaboration. Follow-up meetings will be held as appropriate.

Digital inclusion: Americas

ITU and CITEL-OAS organized the “Generation Connect Americas towards the World Telecommunication Development Conference” webinar. The objective of the event was to discuss the four proposed Regional Priorities for the Americas region from a youth perspective, encouraging youth’s participation as equal partners alongside the leaders of today’s digital change, leading up to the WTDC and the Generation Connect Youth Summit. Web Page

29 November – 3 December 2021

Capacity development: Asia and the Pacific

ITU organised the 6th Steering Committee Meeting of the Centers of Excellence Network for Asia and the Pacific Region. The ITU Centres of Excellence for Asia and the Pacific has trained over 2500 individuals in digital skills in 2021. The ITU Regional Office for Asia-Pacific thanks the ITU CoE ASP Steering Committee Chairman Mr. Ahmad Norhad Zahari, from Malaysia for his leadership in 2021, and congratulates Mr. Radhacharan Shakya, Department of Telecommunications (DOT), India, for his appointment as Chairman of the Asia and the Pacific CoE Steering Committee in 2022.

Cybersecurity: Global

ITU participated in the African Commonwealth Cybersecurity Conference to discuss the collaboration with the UK Home Office on helping countries develop National Cybersecurity Strategies (NCS), the recently released NCS Guide, the Global Cybersecurity Index and the Women in Cyber Program.

Cybersecurity: Asia and the Pacific

The 2021 India-ITU joint CyberDrill for Indian entities was successfully organized virtually. The event included panel discussions from ITU and outside experts, simulations, and training events. Over 400 cybersecurity professionals attended the panel sessions. The event started with a high-level meeting on Day 1, bringing together high-level speakers to highlight the state of cybersecurity, the role of emerging technologies, and the importance of public-private cooperation and information sharing. Day 2 featured parallel training tracks under Technical and Management themes, where participants learned about Threat Intelligence and Incident Response, Vulnerability Management & Penetration Testing, Cyber Incident Simulations, and National Cyber Risk Assessments for Critical National Infrastructure. The CyberDrill culminated in scenario-based exercises on Days 3-4, where participating entities used their skills in a number of scenarios.

Digital inclusion: Arab States

The ITU Arab Regional Office hosted the Network of Women NoW4WTDC 2nd fireside discussion on “How can ITU serve our membership?”. The virtual event included insightful talks and discussions on ITU’s journey towards digital inclusion and the strive to achieve meaningful connectivity for everyone.

Digital inclusion: Arab States

Under the theme “Ensuring equity and inclusivity in all that we do: Data, platforms and policies”, the ITU Arab Regional Office and UNESCO organized the 5th annual ITU-UNESCO Regional Digital Inclusion Week for the Arab States. Equity and inclusivity in the Arab region were some of the main topics addressed during the week in addition to sharing and discussing the work and initiatives carried out to help implement policies, strategies and resources to ensure inclusiveness of ALL people.

Digital inclusion: Arab States

The ITU regional office for Arab States and UNESCWA held the Accessible Arab Region: ICT for All event. The event, held for the first time in the Arab region, aimed to raise awareness about the importance of digital accessibility and provide a platform for dialogue, sharing best practices, knowledge and initiatives. The sessions included valuable discussions and called on Arab policymakers to develop and enhance their national policies, technical guidelines and ICT Accessibility strategies that encourage innovation, partnerships, and entrepreneurship to ensure digital inclusion for all, including persons with disabilities.

Digital inclusion: Asia and the Pacific

The Center of Data and Information (Pusdatin), Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology Republic of Indonesia (Kemendikbudristek) organized the International Symposium on open, distance and e-learning (ISODEL) from 1-3 December. ISODEL 2021 aims to provide a platform to exchange knowledge and experiences in solving global education problems through various innovative education technology strategies as well as collaborating with various parties and stakeholders to formulate policies on education technology. ITU made presentations on school connectivity and Child Online Protection.

Digital services and applications: Asia and the Pacific

ITU made a presentation on the whole-of-government approach, GovStack, Smart Villages and Smart Islands during the Forum Group Discussion for the preparation for Indonesia Chairmanship in 2023.

Digital services and applications: Africa

A meeting with the National Communications Regulator for Sierra Leone was held to introduce the DFS security lab in coordination with TSB. It was agreed that a DFS security clinic will be conducted early next year.

Digital services and applications: Asia and the Pacific

The Regional Office for Asia-Pacific delivered a keynote presentation on Digital Connectivity and E-Agriculture for Food Security in Asia and the Pacific during the Policy Partnership on Food Security Webinar on Digitalization and Innovation. ITU shared the ongoing work on digital agriculture, digital government, smart villages and islands and highlighted the importance of adopting a whole-of-government approach in addressing agriculture challenges.

Emergency telecommunications: Arab States

In collaboration with the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)/United Nations University (UNU) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the ITU regional office for Arab States held the launch event for the Regional E-waste Monitor for Arab States and shared the findings of the 2050 E-Waste Outlook in West Asia. The virtual event aimed to harmonize e-waste data and promote actions on electrical and electronic waste in the Arab region, in addition to providing an overview of the current e-waste situation in the region and enabling public and private stakeholders to use the data collected in making informed decisions for e-waste management, which can help reduce e-waste generation, prevent illegal dumping, promote recycling, and create jobs in the sector.

Environment: Launch of the Regional E-waste Monitor for Arab States

The Regional E-waste Monitor for the Arab States provides an assessment of e-waste statistics for the Arab States, including Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) Put on Market (POM), e-waste categories, and environmentally sound management of e-waste. The report sheds light on the transboundary movement of e-waste and provides an overview of import and export legislation, policies and international agreements and maps key stakeholders. In addition, the monitor highlights the common issues and challenges in e-waste management in the Arab States. Web Page

Environment: Africa

The EACO Regional E-waste Data Harmonization Project organised bilateral consultations with National Statistical Office focal points from Burundi and Kenya to discuss proposed plans for conducting e-waste household and business surveys in 2022 and to further assist with the compilation of e-waste statistics.

Environment: Africa

As part of the E-waste policy-making process, the ITU Environment Team facilitated the engagement of the Private Sector stakeholders in Namibia. Producers of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) were invited to the consultation meeting together with the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) of Namibia, with the objective of discussing the draft national E-waste Policy document, that is ready to be submitted for official approval by the Government. Numerous participants from the IT and EEE sectors actively participated in the discussion. The CEO of NamiGreen – currently the only recycling company in the country – was invited to present their new initiative on e-waste drop-off points, in partnership with MultiChoice Namibia, in order to facilitate the collection of e-waste.

Network and digital infrastructure: Americas

ITU held a meeting with ECLAC to share between them the activities each entity is pursuing regarding mapping in the region, right after the conclusion of technical cooperation from ECLAC to Honduras on the mapping area.

Network and digital infrastructure: Asia and the Pacific

ITU delivered a keynote presentation entitled “Creating Digital Opportunities that matters” during the GIGA Thailand: Broadband Forum organized by Huawei in partnership with National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC). ITU emphasized how the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgency of accelerating digital transformation. The forum was held in Bangkok with participants from the government, industries, and academic sectors.

Policy and regulation: Africa

ITU attended FRATEL-21 (French speaking countries Regulators’ Forum) and participated in a roundtable on the theme “What policies to ensure the affordability of offers, their accessibility as well as the improvement of digital inclusion?” and delivered a presentation on “Access for all in a digital world” followed by Q/A.

Statistics: Facts and Figures 2021

According to ITU’s Facts and Figures 2021 report, an estimated 37 per cent of the world’s population – or 2.9 billion people – have still never used the Internet. The newly released data also reveals strong global growth in Internet use, with the estimated number of people who have used the Internet surging to 4.9 billion in 2021, from an estimated 4.1 billion in 2019. This comes as good news for global development but the ability to connect remains profoundly unequal. Of the 2.9 billion still offline, an estimated 96 per cent live in developing countries. And even among the 4.9 billion counted as ‘Internet users’, many hundreds of millions may only get the chance to go online infrequently, via shared devices, or using connectivity speeds that markedly limit the usefulness of their connection. “These statistics show great progress towards ITU’s mission to connect the world,” said Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau. “But a vast ‘connectivity chasm’ remains in the LDCs, where almost three quarters of people have never connected to the Internet. Women in LDCs are particularly marginalized, with roughly four out of every five still offline.” Learn more in the ITU Facts and Figures 2021 report. Read the report here. Watch the short video here.

Giga: Africa

On 2 December, the 2nd Giga Africa Ministerial Roundtable meeting was held virtually, co-organized by UNICEF and Smart Africa and chaired by Ms. Paula Ingabire, Minister of Information Communication Technology and Innovation of Rwanda . The meeting highlighted Giga’s work and progress in Africa and brought together country leaders and partners involved in Giga activities, as well as leaders in countries who are interested in exploring a potential Giga country partnership. The meeting also discussed the foundation of the Giga approach, school mapping as well as data gathering. Boston Consulting Group, an ITU Knowledge Partner under Giga, also presented findings from the recent Giga report on Sustainable Business Models for School Connectivity. Web Page

Policy and Regulation: Arab States

Co-organized by ITU and CITC, Saudi Arabia, the online training took place from 29 November to 2 December 2021. The course allowed participants from the region to be better equipped to navigate the emerging challenges associated with digital transformation while protecting users and creating competitive environments for the private sector to thrive. Participants gained insights on the latest regulatory developments and global trends. The online training was organized as part of the collaboration between Saudi Arabia and ITU on assistance in telecommunication/ICTs to ITU Member States. ITU-Saudi Arabia Digital Regulation Training for the Arab Region and ITU Academy