Highlights – May 2025
19 – 23 May
Capacity development: Asia and the Pacific
Together with United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) and the National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA), the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific held cyber capacity-building and policy training sessions in Bangkok to support Thailand’s cybersecurity development. As part of its engagement, the Office delivered a keynote address, gave presentations and facilitated tabletop exercises.
Digital services and applications: Asia and the Pacific
Under the Smart Villages and Smart Islands initiative, the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, in collaboration with the Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communications (MEIDECC), the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the UN Tonga Country Team, and Tonga Women in ICT, conducted a series of digital literacy and skills trainings in Hunga, Vava’u, Tonga. The trainings aimed to strengthen community resilience and promote inclusive digital transformation by equipping underserved populations with foundational skills in the use of local digital services. A total of 88 community members participated in the programme, reflecting strong local engagement and a shared commitment to advancing digital inclusion in remote island communities.BDT Project #9RAS22071
South Pacific Joint SDG Fund
5 – 9 May
Capacity development: Asia and the Pacific
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) through its Area Office for South Asia and Innovation Centre, in collaboration with the National Communications Academy-Finance (NCA-F) in India, held the first face-to-face training on “AI Standards for increasing the efficiency of telecommunications/ICTs: Shaping the Future Responsibly” at NCA-F headquarters in Delhi. The workshop brought together government officials, policymakers, and regulators from six countries, including India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The training course leveraged the expertise from both the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) and Standardization Bureau (TSB) to deliver hands-on training on ITU’s ICT standardization activities focusing on artificial intelligence (AI). As part of the Bridging the Standardization Gap initiative, it covered various crucial aspects of AI such as ethics, governance, data and privacy in telecommunications and ICT through a combination of theory, practical exercises, case study, role plays, an innovation café and site visits. The workshop was organized under the project “Artificial Intelligence Technology and Standards Capacity Building in Asia-Pacific”, funded by Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs & Communications, in collaboration with the host institution, National Communications Academy-Finance in India, and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).
Digital services and applications: Asia and the Pacific
The 2nd High-Level Panel of the project “Advancing the SDGs by Improving Livelihoods and Resilience via Economic Diversification and Digital Transformation” was held. In Breakout Room Group 2, titled “Laying the Foundations for the Digital Economy in Remote Islands,” the Regional Office for the Asia and the Pacific presented digital transformation efforts and key achievements. Government representatives and beneficiaries from Fiji, Tonga, and Tuvalu shared the impact of the project, which was made possible with the support of the Joint SDG Fund.
[This activity is the result of a BDT project. You can find more details of the project here]
Digital services and applications: Asia and the Pacific
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, under the EU-STREIT program, participated in the EU Day Global Gateway Exhibition held at APEC Haus, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (PNG). At the EU-STREIT PNG booth, the Regional Office presented its Learning Management System (LMS) Platform to exhibition visitors and showcased more than ten e-learning trainings on the LMS platform, as well as and websites developed for farmers. The booth drew over 100 attendees, including secondary and tertiary-level teachers and students. Through weekly online trainings on the LMS platform, the EU-STREIT program has empowered value chain farmers, school teachers, and students by improving their digital skills and competencies, contributing to an increase in sales and revenue for beneficiaries.
Emergency telecommunications: Asia and the Pacific
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific conducted a webinar on “Data Collection for the Assessment of an Early Warning System (EWS) Based on Cell Broadcast for the Pacific Islands”, highlighting how cell broadcast implementation can help countries strengthen their early warning dissemination capacities and reduce associated costs through different cell broadcast deployment architectures. The event was attended by participants from Vanuatu, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Palau, and Tuvalu, along with regional and industry organizations, including the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC), GSMA, and Vodafone, as well as several UN agencies from across the Pacific. Participants received technical insights on cell broadcast technology and its potential for enhancing emergency communications in the region.
Other: Global
The fourth and final meetings of Study Groups 1 and 2 in the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) for the 2022-2025 study period took place in Geneva, Switzerland from 28 April to 9 May 2025. During the meetings, delegates approved 14 final reports for the 2022-2025 study period and one report revised from the previous study period, and concluded their discussions on future topics for the next study period (2026-2029).
Cybersecurity: Arab States
The ITU Global CyberDrill 2025, co-organized by the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau and the UAE Cyber Security Council (CSC) and held during GISEC Global 2025, marked a major milestone in global efforts to strengthen cyber resilience through coordinated and practical collaboration. More than 260 participants from over 130 countries took part in the ITU Global CyberDrill 2025. The event was recognised as the largest in-person Global CyberDrill.