April 2025

Capacity development: Asia and the Pacific

Under the European Union – Support to Rural Entrepreneurship, Investment and Trade in Papua New Guinea (EU-STREIT PNG) Programme, the 8th Program Steering Committee in Wewak, Papua New Guinea, was organized featuring a high-level delegation that included the UN Resident Coordinator, the EU Ambassador, the Secretary of PNG’s National Department of Agriculture and Livestock, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative, and representatives from National Information and Communications Technology Authority (NICTA) and Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), among other other key stakeholders.

The delegation visited project sites across East Sepik Province, including the recently established resource center at the remote Nindinumbo Primary School, where they were introduced to the process of improving farmers’ digital skills on e-commerce. This hub is providing students, the local community, and several value chain farmers with digital skills and e-commerce knowledge, fostering a more connected future.

During the visit, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, in collaboration with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), conducted an online training on nutrition using the Learning Management System (LMS) platform developed by ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau. The Regional Office also successfully presented the progress of its deliverables, focusing on upgraded policy frameworks, digital agriculture services, and enhanced digital connectivity and skills.

Also under the EU-STREIT project, the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific conducted a three-day training in e-commerce and digital marketing for 30 stakeholders – including cocoa and vanilla value chain farmers, fisherfolk, government officials, and local organizations, including women and youth in Brandi Secondary School resource center.

Training participants improved Internet skills and knowledge of business groups, cooperatives and producers enabling them to effectively market their vanilla and cocoa crops online as well as to purchase inputs and services and increased online visibility of their businesses and access to potential buyers, leading to expanded market opportunities and competitive prices for producers.

Digital inclusion: Asia and Pacific

The ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau organized Girls in ICT Day Thailand 202 in collaboration with the Office of National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission (NBTC) Thailand, and supported by Ministry of Digital Economy Thailand. The full-day event was held on 24 April in the Office of NBTC, Bangkok. Held under the theme “Girls in ICT for Inclusive Digital Transformation”, it brought together participants, including students and partners, and featured high-level opening remarks from ITU, NBTC, and the Ministries of Digital Economy and Education, followed by a special panel on the digital gender divide.

The interactive programme included inspirational success stories from Thai influencers and three “Talking Tech” sessions where youth engaged directly with speakers from UN agencies, industry leaders, and academia on the importance of digital skills, STEM careers, and inclusive digital futures. The event empowered youth voices, showcased initiatives bridging the digital skills gap, and strengthened multi-stakeholder collaboration to ensure girls and young women are not left behind in the digital age.

Emergency telecommunications: Asia and the Pacific

In support of the Issue-based Coalition on Digital Transformation (IBC-DX) in the Asia-Pacific, the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific conducted an awareness session focused on Cell Broadcasting for the effective dissemination of early warning messages and integration of Common Alerting Protocol (CAP). The event was attended by various regional UN agencies, including United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), World Meteorological Organization (WMO), World Food Programme (WFP), and United Nations Development Coordination Office (UNDCO), among others.

Girls in ICT Day: Global Celebration

On 24 April, the Global Celebration of International Girls in ICT Day was co-hosted by the CIS and the Arab States regions, featuring a live link between Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and Nouakchott, Mauritania, along with distinguished panellists from around the world, live-streamed for global audience. In Bishkek, the event was organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Development and Innovative Technologies of the Kyrgyz Republic while, in Nouakchott, the celebration was held in cooperation with the Ministry of Digital Transition, Innovation, and Modernization of Administration of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.

Digital inclusion: Asia and the Pacific

Under the European Union-funded Programme for Support to Rural Entrepreneurship, Investment and Trade (EU STREIT) in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a resource centre was established in the remote Huareheng village in the Yangoru district, East Sepik, Papua New Guinea. The objectives of the resource centre are as follows:

Facilitate collaboration between all partners for cross-sectorial initiatives, including UN agencies, provincial administrations, government agencies, local communities, farmers, private sector, and NGOs.
Provide access to broadband networks needed for the delivery of digital skills and digital services to all beneficiaries, especially women, youth and people with disabilities.

Deliver service platforms for the development and delivery of digital solutions, applications, and services including e-learning, e-agriculture, e-money, e-commerce, and e-health.

Digital services and applications: Asia and the Pacific

On 16 April, Dr Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, launched Smart Village Swabi, in Pakistan, as part of the ITU’s Smart Villages and Smart Islands initiative. He was joined by H.E. Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Minister of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MOITT) of Pakistan, and Mr. Ethan Sun, CEO of Huawei Pakistan. As the third Smart Village in the country, the launch event showcased the success stories of the Smart Village Gokina and Smart Village in Sambrial, the first two Smart Villages established in the country, with testimonials from the community. Following the launch, BDT and project partners will begin implementing the priority digital services identified for the Smart Village in Swabi, including digital skills and e-health services for women. On the same day, Dr. Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava also visited the first Smart Village in Gokina, where he met with community representatives and beneficiaries of the e-education and e-health services provided by the project.

Digital services and applications: Asia and the Pacific

The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, the Government of Fiji, and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) organized the Smart Classroom Opening in Rotuma, Fiji, which was officially launched by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Co-operatives, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, and Communications of Fiji. This was part of the implementation of the UN Joint Programme, Advancing the SDGs by Improving Livelihoods and Resilience through Economic Diversification and Digital Transformation. As part of the event, a demonstration on AI application solutions was presented by the Asian Institute of Technology that was attended by the Deputy of Prime Minister of Fiji, with active participation from school students and teachers in Rotuma.