Highlights – October 2025
18 – 31 October
Cybersecurity: Arab States
From 20 to 24 October, the ITU Regional Office for the Arab States successfully co-organized an ISO/IEC 27005 Risk Management Training in Nouakchott, Mauritania together with the Ministry of Digital Transformation, Innovation and Modernization of the Administration.
The training focused on strengthening national capacities in cybersecurity risk management by introducing international standards and practical methodologies. Participants from the West Africa Regional Digital Integration Programme, telecom operators, and the ministries of Interior and Defence explored key principles and frameworks for risk management, gained hands-on experience in conducting structured risk assessments, from identification to evaluation, and learnt how to design effective risk treatment and communication strategies.
The course also emphasised continuous monitoring, review, and improvement to support a secure and resilient digital ecosystem aligned with ISO/IEC 27005 and ISO/IEC 27001 standards.
Digital innovation ecosystems: Arab States
On 25 October, the ITU Regional Office for the Arab States, in partnership with EY Egypt, organized the AI Skills Accelerator for Girls workshop, hosted by the Egyptian University for Informatics. The sessions introduced key concepts in artificial intelligence (AI), including large language models, AI ethics, and cyber safety. Participants explored how technologies like ChatGPT work and discussed ways to address bias and privacy concerns. The event also encouraged entrepreneurial thinking and responsible AI innovation. The workshop concluded with networking and reflections on building a smarter and more inclusive digital future.
Digital services and applications: Africa
On 22 October, in Kigali, the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) and Airtel Africa Foundation, together with RISA and Cisco, launched a partnership under the Digital Transformation Centres (DTC) Initiative to expand free Internet access and digital skills training for underserved communities in Rwanda. As part of this collaboration, Airtel Africa Foundation will connect and provide Internet to DTC centres at no cost. BDT will provide digital skills training content, facilitate networking opportunities, and connect DTCs with global expertise and best practices. The initiative supports Rwanda’s ambition to become a knowledge-based economy, complements national programmes such as Connect Rwanda, and contributes to advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It also lays the foundation for scaling up across other African countries.
Digital services and applications: Africa
The Burundi National Broadband Mapping Workshop was held in Bujumbura from 28 to 30 October, marking the national launch of the Africa-BB-Maps project. The three-day event brought together participants from the Ministry of ICT, government institutions, the Agence de Régulation et de Contrôle des Telecommunications, telecom operators, and private-sector partners. The workshop provided a strategic platform to align national stakeholders on broadband-data governance, data-sharing principles, and technical system requirements, while fostering a common understanding of the Africa-BB-Maps implementation roadmap. It also served to strengthen national ownership and coordination mechanisms essential for establishing a sustainable broadband-mapping system that will inform evidence-based policy, investment decisions, and digital-infrastructure planning in Burundi.
BDT Project #9RAF24107: Africa-BB-Maps
Emergency telecommunications: Arab States
From 22 to 24 October, the ITU Regional Office for the Arab States, in collaboration with national authorities, organized the National Multi-Stakeholder Workshop on Validation of the National Emergency Telecommunications Plan (NETP) and Training on Cell Broadcast Early Warning Systems (EWS) and the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP), in Nouakchott, Mauritania.
The workshop brought together representatives from government ministries, regulators, and emergency response agencies to refine and validate the NETP implementation plan and enhance national capacity in EWS and CAP deployment. The training strengthened interagency coordination and technical readiness, reinforced Mauritania’s efforts to operationalize its NETP, enhanced the effectiveness of its national alerting mechanisms, and contributed to building a more resilient and digitally prepared emergency communication ecosystem in Mauritania.
Emergency telecommunications: Global
On 13 October, International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, BDT launched the “Scaling Up Cell Broadcast for Last-mile Early Warning Delivery: Progress, Barriers, and Enabling Mechanisms” paper in collaboration with the G20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group. Developed by BDT with contributions from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, GSMA, the World Meteorological Organization, the Risk-informed Early Action Partnership/International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the World Food Programme, and supported by the G20 South African Presidency, the paper highlights the life-saving potential of cell broadcast technology before, during, and after disasters. It explores key barriers and enabling mechanisms to scale mobile-based early warning systems in countries, showing how investments in mobile early warnings, technology, and innovation can turn mobile networks into lifelines.
Emergency telecommunications: Global
BDT and United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, through the AI for Early Warnings for All Subgroup, co-developed and presented the poster “Towards Impact-Based Early Warning Alerts through AI-enhanced Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) Messages” during the “Pitching Ideas, Showcasing Projects: An Open Poster Session” at the UN-ETH Forum in Zurich from 20 to 21 October. The poster showed how CAP can be enhanced using AI. Automation and machine learning have the potential to transform generic emergency warnings into trusted, scalable, impact-based messages that translate risk knowledge into actionable, life-saving information for at-risk populations. With the theme “Science and Policy in Turbulent Times”, the two-day forum convened researchers and students from ETH Zurich, as well as policymakers and practitioners from the United Nations, and demonstrated the strong potential of UN-academic partnerships and the growing interest in the science-technology-policy nexus, which closely aligns with BDT’s priorities.
Emergency telecommunications: Global
On 23 October, BDT made a presentation during the “Bridging the last mile: Communication strategies for inclusive early warning delivery” panel session as part of the Eyes on the Storm global webinar series organized by the International Water Management Institute. As lead of Early Warnings for All Pillar 3, on warning dissemination and communication, BDT highlighted the importance of governance and coordination with multi-stakeholder participation, the use of multi-channel early warning systems, the role of community in warning dissemination, and the application of AI for more effective dissemination of early warnings.
Environment: Global
From 6 to 9 October, technical representatives gathered in Bogotá, Colombia for a study tour focused on e-waste management and policies. The tour was part of the International Exchange Initiative on Regulating E-waste and Engaging Tech Companies, a joint project with the Government of Colombia through the Presidential Agency for International Cooperation of Colombia. With over 50 participants from 34 entities from six participating countries—Colombia, Dominican Republic, India, Malaysia, Nigeria, and South Africa—the study tour combined on-site engagement with remote contributions to foster shared learning on e-waste management through a regulatory approach. On 10 October, a high-level event was organized by the Government of Colombia to formally launch the project.
[This activity is the result of a BDT project. You can find more details of the project here]
13 – 17 October
Capacity development: Asia and the Pacific
A workshop on AI standards and technology was organized in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from 8-10 October. It was held under the Artificial Intelligence Technology and Standards Capacity Building in Asia Pacific project, funded by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan, in partnership with the Ministry of Posts and Communications of Cambodia.
Participants from government, industry, and academia engaged in a mix of theory, case studies, role-play exercises, and an innovation café on AI technology and standards conducted via the ITU Academy. An online session was also held on 3 October.
Capacity development: Asia and the Pacific
Under the EU-STREIT PNG Programme, the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, together with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, delivered the nationwide Agriculture Management Information System (AMIS) to the Papua New Guinea National Department of Agriculture and Livestock on 14 October. AMIS successfully migrated to the G-Cloud server, which is supported by the Department of Information and Communications. This migration represents a successful joint effort in enhancing transparency and operational efficiency.
AMIS is a comprehensive decision-support system designed to improve the management, monitoring, and planning of agricultural activities across the country. It allows real-time, data-driven insights for evidence-based policymaking. The efficient collection, analysis, and sharing of information on farm yields, resource usage, and environmental impact provide actionable data to provincial offices, commodity boards, and farmers.
Cybersecurity: Asia and the Pacific
On 16 October, the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific delivered the keynote address at the 2025 Critical Information Infrastructure Protection (CIIP) Summit, organized by the Department of ICT, Philippines. The address highlighted global and regional trends on cybersecurity, the importance of CIIP for the Philippines, and the use of national risk management methodologies to enable national cyber crisis management. Potential areas for continued collaboration with the Philippines on its CIIP development and cybersecurity preparedness were also explored.
Digital inclusion: Asia and the Pacific
From 15 to 17 October, the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific organized a national consultation in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga, with the aim of developing the country’s first Draft National Digital Accessibility Policy Paper. The consultation, in collaboration with the country’s Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communications, gathered and analysed input from key stakeholders. The Regional Office presented findings on digital accessibility and inclusion in Tonga and shared resources for improving digital accessibility. Participants shared experiences and discussed key challenges and priorities for improving digital accessibility.
Policy and regulation: Arab States
From 12 to 13 October, the ITU Regional Office for the Arab States organized a workshop on the Digital Transformation Strategy for Somalia. The training event, held in Mogadishu, brought together the Ministry of Communications and Technology, the National Communications Authority, mobile network operators, and the ministries of health, agriculture, and water resources. The sessions focused on Somalia’s digital transformation, from strategy to implementation, aimed at achieving inclusive, sustainable digital progress.
Other: Africa
The Ethiopia National Broadband Mapping Workshop, held from 14 to 16 October in Addis Ababa, brought together the Ethiopian Communications Authority, relevant ministries, operators, and private-sector representatives. Organized under the Africa-BB-Maps project, the workshop served as a platform to validate Ethiopia’s broadband infrastructure baseline and advance the institutional framework for data governance and system deployment. Stakeholders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen collaboration on data sharing and enhance technical capacity for implementation. The event concluded with agreement on follow-up actions to align the deployment phase with Ethiopia’s national digital transformation agenda.
3 – 10 October
Capacity development: Asia and the Pacific
From 22 to 26 September, the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, in partnership with the Government Technology Agency of Bhutan, conducted training sessions on AI Fundamentals and Its Core Principles for civil servants in Thimphu. Delivered under the ITU project Artificial Intelligence Technology and Standards Capacity Building in Asia-Pacific, with support from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan, the training was hosted via the ITU Academy platform and combined theory, practical demonstrations, and group exercises.
Sixty-nine participants from Bhutan explored foundational AI concepts, including definitions, end-to-end AI workflows, types of machine learning, model development, problem-solving approaches, infrastructure requirements, and cost considerations. Group exercises focused on applying international frameworks to develop national AI strategies and ecosystems. Participants were also introduced to popular generative AI models and tools for day-to-day use.
Capacity development: Africa
On 29 October, the ITU Regional Office for Africa participated in a meeting with Smart Africa to discuss collaboration between the ITU Academy and the Smart Africa Digital Academy (SADA) on capacity building for Member States in the Africa region. The partnership will leverage ITU’s extensive experience in delivering training through the ITU Academy and SADA’s resources to enhance the digital capacities of policymakers and ICT professionals in key areas driving Africa’s digital transformation—such as digital regulation, broadband infrastructure development, artificial intelligence, and data governance. It was agreed to develop a joint project document to formalize the partnership and define priority areas and deliverables for this capacity building collaboration.
Cybersecurity: Arab States
On 24 September, the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific participated in the Australia Internet Governance Forum (auIGF) in Adelaide, Australia, under the overarching theme “New Playgrounds, New Rules: The Future of Child Digital Rights and Skills.” The panel featured moderators and speakers from the auIGF Secretariat, Netsafe New Zealand, Internet Society, UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report, and ITU.
The Office presented insights on the challenges and opportunities in implementing effective Child Online Protection frameworks in the Pacific, highlighting its support to communities through the Smart Villages and Smart Islands initiative and the Child Online Protection programme for Asia and the Pacific. The intervention also emphasized ITU’s role in fostering inclusive digital transformation, strengthening digital skills, and aligning Pacific initiatives with global standards.
The session underscored the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration, regional knowledge exchange, and practical solutions to strengthen online safety for children and youth—contributing to auIGF’s objectives of advancing digital trust, resilience, and sustainable digital inclusion.
Cybersecurity: Asia and the Pacific
On 6 October, the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific participated in the Industry Engagement titled “From Clicks to Care: Protecting Children’s Personal Data” in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, held as part of the 8th ASEAN Data Protection and Privacy Forum hosted by the Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs (MCDA) of Indonesia, alongside the 31st ASEAN Telecommunication Regulators’ Council Meeting. The session featured speakers from MCDA Indonesia, ITU, Deloitte Southeast Asia, and k-ID from Singapore, who shared perspectives on advancing children’s data protection and fostering safer digital ecosystems
Digital inclusion: Africa
On 2 October, Regional Office for Africa engaged with the regulatory authority in Sierra Leone (NATCA) to discuss ITU’s technical assistance in establishing a DFS Security Lab. Sierra Leone confirmed its commitment to procure the required hardware, while ITU will provide capacity building to support the lab’s setup and operations. The lab, once established, will strengthen the regulator’s capacity to audit mobile applications providing digital financial services.
OtDigital inclusion: Asia and the Pacific
On 25 September, the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific participated in the Girls in ICT Day 2025 Training Programme on the topic “AI and Telemedicine: Enhancing Access to Medical Services”, organized by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society of Thailand. The programme targeted nursing students in Thailand and included lectures on AI governance in telemedicine, healthcare information exchange, and the challenges, ethics, and future of AI in healthcare.
Digital inclusion: Asia and the Pacific
On 7 October, the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific participated in the Girls in ICT Day 2025 Celebration on the theme “Girls in ICT for Inclusive Digital Transformation”, organized in Jakarta, Indonesia, by the Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs of Indonesia. The event aimed to motivate Indonesian youth to develop interest and knowledge in STEM fields, enhance digital literacy and skills among young people, and encourage the safe and productive use of ICT.
Digital inclusion: Africa
A digital and ICT accessibility webinar generated active engagement in Mozambique. Held on 9 October 2025, the webinar “Digital and ICT Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities – Contributing to Digital Inclusion of All Mozambicans” attracted over 80 participants from government, the private sector, academia, and civil society.
Organized under the ITU–EU Laying the Foundation for VaMoz Digital! project, the webinar introduced fundamental concepts of digital and ICT accessibility and shared preliminary findings from an ongoing national assessment of related policies. Building on its success, discussions are continuing with stakeholders to develop new awareness-raising activities and training initiatives to further advance digital accessibility and inclusion across the country.
Digital inclusion:
Digital inclusion: Africa
On 3 October, the ITU Regional Office for Africa participated in a high-level event under the African Girls Can Code Initiative, held in Addis Ababa under the theme “Celebrating Transformative Impact, Showcasing Results, and Charting a Strategic Path Forward.” The event celebrated the initiative’s impact, showcased achievements, and outlined a strategic path forward.
It was co-hosted by the UN Women Special Representative to the African Union and UNECA, alongside the Ambassador of Belgium to Ethiopia, Djibouti, the African Union, UNECA, and IGAD.
Digital innovation ecosystem: Arab States
On 2 October, the ITU Regional Office for the Arab States held a kick-off meeting with representatives from the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) to launch the new project “Accelerating Innovation from Research to Market” in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The project, which is expected to conclude on 30 September 2026, aims to support scientists and researchers from KACST in commercialising their research by bridging the gap between research and the market through an innovation and entrepreneurship acceleration programme.
[This activity is the result of a BDT project. You can find more details of the project here]
Digital services and applications: Africa
On 2 October, the ITU Regional Office for Africa met with AFRALTI, an ITU Academy training centre, to review the development of a training programme on Digital Transformation of Government Services Using Modern Digital Public Infrastructure. The course is being designed using ITU resources, international standards, and partner contributions to offer a practical, hands-on approach that supports Member States in accelerating their digital transformation journeys for public service delivery.
Digital services and applications: Global
On 7 October, BDT, in partnership with the IEEE Humanitarian Technologies, launched the GenAI for Good Challenge, a global challenge connecting innovators and changemakers to tackle real-world problems in health, agriculture, and climate resilience.
Deadline for application intake is set for 1 December 2025.
Emergency telecommunications: Asia and the Pacific
From 10 to 12 September, the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific and the International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS) at Tohoku University co-organized a workshop on “Resilient Infrastructure for Effective Early Warning Dissemination” in Sendai, Japan. The event was supported by the MIC, Japan, and brought together participants from 18 ITU Member States across Asia and the Pacific, focusing on enhancing disaster preparedness through advanced technologies. Highlights included site visits to NICT, NTT DoCoMo, and Sendai city’s coastal tsunami early warning system using drones, along with a special visit to Arahama Elementary School, a site impacted by the tsunami. A live demonstration showcased an autonomous drone-based early warning dissemination system. The workshop featured expert presentations on ICT resilience, tsunami forecasting, fire disaster management, secure use of mobile networks during emergencies, and innovative smartphone relay systems.
Emergency telecommunications: Asia and the Pacific
On 6 October, the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific co-organized a webinar under the theme ‘Inclusive EW4All’ in Asia and the Pacific, as part of the Asia-Pacific EW4All Webinar Series. The event, held in collaboration with ESCAP, UNDRR, WMO, and IFRC, brought together 140 participants representing ITU member countries, academia, civil society organizations, and industry.
Environment: Asia and the Pacific
From 6 to7 October, a Capacity Building and Stakeholder Consultation Workshop was held in Ulaanbaatar as part of the “Creating a Circular Economy for Electricals and Electronics in Mongolia” project. Organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MECC) and the Communications Regulatory Commission (CRC) of Mongolia, the workshop strengthened participants’ understanding of the e-waste stream and the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy approach. Through interactive exercises, participants mapped key stakeholders in Mongolia’s electronics value chain, identified priority product categories, and discussed challenges and opportunities in developing a national e-waste policy framework.
Network and digital infrastructure: Americas
In conjunction with IPEC-25, on 8 October, a workshop on Emerging Technologies for Innovative Universal Connectivity Solutions: Policy, Economic, and Technical Aspects was held in Montevideo, Uruguay, as part of the ITU–MSIT Project on Emerging Technologies for Development. The event brought together policymakers, regulators, and academia to address critical issues related to emerging technologies and artificial intelligence within the context of Latin America and the Caribbean. It featured a dedicated session focused on technological development trends, social impacts, and legal initiatives specific to the LAC region.
[This activity is the result of a BDT project. You can find more details of the project here]
Network and digital infrastructure: Asia and the Pacific
On 23 September, the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific delivered a keynote presentation on the transformative impact of LEO satellites on global connectivity—highlighting faster data speeds and low latency—at the MCMC-APT LEO Training Programme in Kuala Lumpur. The event, held from 23–26 September 2025 under the theme “Bridging the Digital Divide with LEO Satellites: Unlocking the Future of Connectivity, 5G, and IoT”, was attended by ASEAN member states and other countries from the Asia and the Pacific region.
Network and digital infrastructure: Asia and the Pacific
On 29 September, following an invitation from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific delivered a presentation on 5G Security and Zero-Trust at MCMC’s ASEAN 5G Skilled Workforce Programme. The presentation highlighted the evolving security landscape for IMT-2020 (5G) networks and emphasized the need for a collaborative, ecosystem-wide approach.
Other: Africa
From 1 to 3 October 2025, ITU Regional Office for Africa conducted a training course on Satellite Regulations in Lusaka, Zambia, for English-speaking countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The training was organized in collaboration with the World Bank, the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA), and the Smart Zambia Institute, with support from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
Other: Africa
On 29 October, the ITU Regional Office for Africa participated in a meeting with the Government of Guinea Bissau to advance collaboration on the Digital Transformation of Government Services through the GovStack initiative. A project document has been prepared to build the capacity of Guinea Bissau’s national institutions in designing and implementing citizen-centric digital public services. During the meeting, it was agreed to finalize the project document and proceed to the signature process.
Other: Africa
On 1 October, the ITU Regional office for Africa and the Area Office in Dakar participated in a meeting with UNDP, UNOPS, and UN Women to review the closure of the SDG Digital Transformation Pathway multi-partner trust fund-sponsored project implemented in Senegal. The discussion focused on using the successfully piloted e-Justice project in Dakar as a foundation to mobilize resources for scaling this project to other regions across Senegal to amplify the impact of the joint efforts.
Other: Africa
On 30 September, the ITU Regional Office for Africa and UN-Habitat, with the support of UN Development Coordination Office, held a webinar for UN country teams on Harnessing the opportunities of innovation and emerging technologies to accelerate implementation of smart sustainable cities and communities in Africa, organized in the context of Africa Opportunity and Issue Based Coalition 3 (OIBC3) dedicated to Innovation, Digitalization, Youth and Transforming Education, and the flagship initiative on Smart Sustainable Cities and Communities. The webinar raised awareness of the opportunities around Smart Sustainable Cities and Communities Frameworks, standards, and tools for integration into joint programmes to accelerate the joint implementation of UN Sustainable Development Frameworks (UNSDCFs).