Highlights – September 2025
8 – 12 September
Africa-BB-Maps: Africa
The ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT), l’Autorité de Régulation des Communications Électroniques et de la Poste,(ARCEP) Benin, the European Union in Benin and stakeholders from both public and private institutions gathered in Cotonou, Benin to launch the Africa Broadband Maps project in the country. The event gave a global overview of the current state of broadband mapping and outlined the policy and technology requirements to help establish harmonized broadband mapping systems in Benin.
Capacity development: Asia and the Pacific
Under the project “Artificial Intelligence Technology and Standards Capacity Building in Asia Pacific” funded by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan, a capacity building workshop on AI standards and technology was organised in partnership with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission in Kuala Lumpur via the ITU Academy. Participants were trained on Bridging the Standardization Gap and application aspects of AI for telecommunications and ICT. An innovation café was organised to examine the challenges that Member States face in applying AI and standards.
Digital inclusion: Asia and the Pacific
Over 300 young women came together for the ITU and EY ‘AI Skills Accelerator for Girls’ workshops in Bangalore and Hyderabad, India. Participants engaged in interactive sessions, hands-on projects, and discussions which explored key topics such as AI fundamentals, AI ethics, and cybersecurity. This initiative plays a critical role in empowering young women to break barriers, challenge stereotypes, and take confident steps towards shaping a smarter, safer, and more equitable digital future.
Digital services and applications: Asia and the Pacific
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific shared knowledge and experience on digital government and GovStack, bridging the digital divide, payment solutions for agriculture, Smart Islands, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations digital government interoperability framework at the Inter-regional Digital Agriculture Solutions Forum 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Digital services and applications: Asia and the Pacific
Electronic equipment was delivered to three newly established Resource Centres in Drekikier, Vanimo Green River, and Wyomn secondary schools in East and West Sepik provinces under the European Union – Support to Rural Entrepreneurship, Investment and Trade in Papua New Guinea (EU-STREIT PNG) Programme jointly with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. Resource centres support capacity building, financial services, e-marketplaces, agriculture extension and support services, and improve connectivity and access to information.
Digital services and applications: Asia and the Pacific
At a joint stakeholder meeting to prepare for the upcoming Lau Joint Field Visit in October, the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific reaffirmed its support for Fiji through the Smart Islands programme, digital skills development, and alignment with Fiji’s National Digital Strategy 2025–2030. This represents a significant step forward in fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration for inclusive digital transformation and sustainable community development across the Pacific.
Emergency telecommunications: Asia and the Pacific
During the first session in the Asia-Pacific Early Warnings for All webinar series titled “Institutionalizing Early Warning Systems”, BDT highlighted the importance of developing and implementing a National Emergency Telecommunication Plan and shared the achievements of the Smart Village Smart Island initiative in last-mile connectivity. The session was co-organized with the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, the World Meteorological Organization, and the International Federation of the Red Cross.
Emergency telecommunications: Africa
The ITU Regional Office for Africa attended the 13th Climate Change and Development for Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The meeting emphasized the importance of digital technologies in building resilience and increasing productivity. Artificial intelligence is also expected to play a key role in the Early Warnings For All initiative and other efforts to protect communities. A key message emphasized the importance of African-led solutions to address the region’s challenges.
Emergency telecommunications: Asia and the Pacific
The 1st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Emergency Telecommunications Network (ETN) Workshop was conducted in Bali, Indonesia, to prioritise the ETN initiatives and prepare a detailed workplan. The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific gave a presentation on emergency telecommunications related to ETN initiatives such as the National Emergency Telecommunications Plan, the Tampere Convention, harmonised frequency, multi-channel dissemination in the last mile such as cell broadcast and satellite, and Common Alerting Protocol.
Other: Africa
The ITU Regional Office for Africa joined a webinar organized by the UN Office of the Special Adviser on Africa titled ‘Boosting innovation for African Micro Small and Medium Enterprises through the use of Information Communication Technology’. The Office shared the work it is doing to support entrepreneurs in the continent’s growing digital economy.
New Member: Arab States
The Syrian Telecommunications Establishment is the state-owned operator responsible for managing Syria’s fixed-line, internet, and data services. The company maintains international partnerships for technology and infrastructure, including international collaborations to expand wireless and broadband systems.
New Member: Asia and the Pacific
Unified National Networks (UNN) is a company, wholly owned by His Majesty’s Government of Brunei Darussalam. Established in 2018, UNN unified the country’s telecom infrastructure, consolidating networks from DST, TelBru, Progresif and Brunei International Gateway. By delivering wholesale services and modern digital infrastructure, UNN supports Brunei’s Vision 2035 and Smart Nation agenda.
Unified National Networks (UNN) is a company, wholly owned by His Majesty’s Government of Brunei Darussalam. Established in 2018, UNN unified the country’s telecom infrastructure, consolidating networks from DST, TelBru, Progresif and Brunei International Gateway. By delivering wholesale services and modern digital infrastructure, UNN supports Brunei’s Vision 2035 and Smart Nation agenda.
1 – 5 September
Global Symposium for Regulators 2025 (GSR-25): Global
Telecommunications regulators from around the world endorsed guidelines to help them build digital ecosystems for essential national services like healthcare, education and finance at the Global Symposium for Regulators 2025 (GSR-25) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
GSR-25 brought together more than 1,200 participants, including Ministers and Heads of Regulatory Authorities.
The GSR-25 Best Practice Guidelines, issued during the closing of the three-day event, outline key tools and frameworks to drive regulatory innovation and build sustainable information and communication technology ecosystems, ensuring that digital societies and economies deliver prosperity for all.
Cybersecurity: Asia and the Pacific
The ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) organized the 2025 ITU Regional Asia-Pacific CyberDrill in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Co-organized with the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Communication (MDDIC) and supported by the Cyber Security Council of Mongolia, the CyberDrill aimed to enhance communication, incident response capabilities, and collective efforts among Asia-Pacific Computer Incident Response Teams and cybersecurity stakeholders to mitigate cyber threats.
The training sessions and scenario-based exercises were organized with partners including INTERPOL, Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST), United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), and Cyber Security Brunei.
Environment: Global
The Policy practices for e-waste management: Tools for a balanced and fair circular economy – Second edition, 2025 toolkit was jointly launched by BDT and the Communication, Space, and Technology Commission (CST) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during GSR-25.
The toolkit was developed as part of the ITU-CST project “Developing and implementing e-waste policy and regulation for a circular economy,” and provides a practical guide for policymakers and other industry actors in establishing an inclusive and fair e-waste management system based on the concept of extended producer responsibility. With examples from the project’s recipient countries, Paraguay, Rwanda, and Zambia, the toolkit provides guidance and covers all phases of e-waste regulation development process.