Highlights – August 2026
Capacity development: Asia and the Pacific
On 14 August 2026, ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific launched the ITU Academy online training on “Designing Interoperable Digital Government Services in South-East Asia” scheduled from 14 to 31 August 2026, bringing together more than 40 government officials and practitioners from Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Thailand, and Timor-Leste. Organized in partnership with The Open Group, the programme strengthens regional capacities in digital government, interoperability, enterprise architecture, Whole-of-Government approaches, and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) through the GovStack framework. Building on ITU’s support to over 1,500 government officials and practitioners across Asia-Pacific and its contribution to the ASEAN Digital Government Technical Interoperability Framework, the training forms part of the ASEAN-ITU Digital Work Plan 2026. It also contributes to the implementation of WTDC-25 outcomes and the Asia-Pacific Regional Initiatives 2026-2029, supporting inclusive, citizen-centric, and sustainable digital transformation across the region.
Cybersecurity: Asia and the Pacific
From 30 to 31 July 2026, ITU organized the 2026 Subregional CyberDrill for Pacific in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The event was hosted and co-organized with the Pacific Cyber Security Operational Network (PaCSON), in conjunction with the PaCSON 2026 Annual General meeting (AGM). More than 50 participants from Pacific Island member states took part in training sessions and scenario-based exercises led by ITU, the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST), and the National Cyber Security Centre New Zealand.
Digital inclusion: Asia and the Pacific
On 27 July and 4 August 2026, ITU participated in two activities in Thailand focused on advancing the digital skills and participation of girls and young women.
On 27 July, ITU participated in the Girls in ICT event under the theme “AI for development: Girls shaping the digital future”, organized by the Digital Council of Thailand (DCT), in partnership with ITU at True Digital Park, Bangkok. The hybrid event covered topics including AI and innovation, inclusive digital leadership, future digital career opportunities, AI content creation, vibe coding, and safe and smart AI use.
On 4 August, the Girls in ICT Day 2026 Training “Enhancing Digital Skills for Primary and Lower-Secondary Female Youth” was organized at Bang Luang Temple in Pathum Thani Province by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES) of Thailand together with ITU and local partners. The training included hands-on sessions on AI, future digital careers, creative content creation, online safety and anti-scam awareness. Across both activities, ITU highlighted the importance of supporting girls and young women to develop the digital and AI-related skills needed to participate meaningfully in an increasingly digital world.
Emergency telecommunications: Asia and the Pacific
To ensure swift disaster response to ASEAN countries, as well as the wider Asia-Pacific when needed, BDT has prepositioned emergency telecommunications equipment in Jakarta, Indonesia. On 5 August, BDT handed over life-saving satellite equipment to the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre), where they will be kept for rapid deployment to countries needing them following a disaster. BDT’s partnership with the AHA Centre reflects a shared commitment to equip countries with the tools and resources, and regional cooperation needed to keep people connected and first responders coordinated when every second matters.
Emergency telecommunications: Asia and the Pacific
As lead agency for the Early Warnings for All initiative’s Pillar 3, on warning dissemination and communication, BDT, through the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, delivered sessions on the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) during Fiji’s National CAP Workshop and National Dialogue on Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems on 29-30 July. The workshop was organized by the country’s National Disaster Risk Management Office (NDRMO) in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and supported by the Green Climate Fund.
The sessions highlighted how CAP enables life-saving alerts to be disseminated simultaneously across multiple communication channels. Stakeholders identified the governance, policy, technical, and institutional requirements needed to operationalize CAP. They also discussed the development of a national CAP adoption roadmap — helping ensure that life-saving alerts reach everyone, everywhere, in time to act.
Network and digital infrastructure: Asia and the Pacific
On 29 July 2026, the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific contributed as an invited expert at the Converged Telecommunications Policy Regulation (CTPR) Masterclass 2026 in Kuching, Malaysia. Through two technical sessions and expert insights on spectrum governance and regulatory readiness for 6G, the activity helped strengthen regulators’ capacity to adopt evidence-based and internationally aligned spectrum management approaches. These sessions also supported readiness to develop harmonized policies that promote efficient spectrum use, digital inclusion, resilient connectivity, and sustainable socio-economic development.
Other: Asia and the Pacific
On 22 July 2026, the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific delivered a presentation during a study tour facilitated by two ITU Academia members, Asian Institute of Technology and Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications. The presentation provided an overview of the Regional Office’s work in the Asia and the Pacific region and highlighted opportunities for further engagement with academia.
Other: Asia and the Pacific
From 4 to 6 August 2026, ITU participated in the 19th APT Policy and Regulation Forum for Pacific (PRFP-19) in Funafuti, Tuvalu, which brought together policymakers, regulators, industry leaders, and development partners to discuss priorities for inclusive, resilient, and sustainable digital transformation across the region. Discussions focused on digital government, resilient connectivity, infrastructure investment, submarine cable protection, emergency communications, innovation and entrepreneurship, and emerging satellite technologies. The ITU Regional Office for Asia-Pacific facilitated the session on Digital Government: Smart Island Initiatives and Whole-of-Government Approaches, highlighting resilient interoperable digital public services, and citizen-centric service delivery. Participants exchanged experiences and practical approaches to accelerating digital transformation while ensuring that the benefits of digital technologies reach remote and underserved communities. ITU also consulted Pacific Member States on the feasibility study to enhance its regional presence in the Pacific.