Highlights – September 2026

Capacity development: Asia and the Pacific

From 2 to 4 September, the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, in collaboration with Cambodia’s Digital Government Committee (DGC) and with support from the Australian Government, conducted a three-day capacity-building workshop on Whole-of-Government Digital Government Infrastructure and Digital ID in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The workshop brought together around 40 government officials and deepened their understanding of Whole-of-Government approaches, GovStack building blocks, Digital Public Infrastructure, Digital ID, and Service Design through international examples and practical case studies. Through interactive sessions and hands-on exercises, participants explored digital service prioritization, user journey mapping, interoperability, and Digital ID implementation considerations, while engaging with DGC on Cambodia’s digital transformation progress and future priorities.

Cybersecurity: Asia and the Pacific

On 1 September, the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific contributed virtually to the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) Workshop organized by the Philippines’ Department of Information and Communications Technology Cybersecurity Bureau. Bringing together 39 participants from different Philippine government agencies, BDT’s presentation increased awareness of the GCI framework, its five pillars and the forthcoming sixth edition, while encouraging continued dialogue and cooperation on national cybersecurity commitments.

RDF: CIS

The annual ITU Regional Development Forum for the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region, held on 29 and 30 September in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, welcomed around 143 participants representing 14 Member States, UN specialized agencies, Sector Members, Academia and other stakeholders to discuss priority development issues for the region including the implementation of the new Regional Initiatives adopted at the World Telecommunication Development Conference in 2025 (WTDC-25).

The Forum exchanged views on the state of digital development and trends in the region, the needs of Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), emerging technologies, innovation, capacity building and human-centric digital development, policy, regulation and cybersecurity and AI for digital development. A session on LLDCs focused on the very real digital constraints facing LLDCs, from increased dependence on cross-border infrastructure and transit arrangements to persistent gaps in rural coverage, service quality and affordability, while the Regional Partner2Connect Matchmaking Roundtable session allowed participants to match countries and regional needs with stakeholders’ interests to support digital development in the CIS region.

Africa-BB-Maps: Africa

The Africa-BB-Maps Intermediate GIS and Data Management capacity development training brought together participants from Côte d’Ivoire, Benin and Burundi, alongside representatives from the West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly, from 21 to 25 September in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Following the Basic GIS Training held in Benin in June 2026, the intermediate training focused on strengthening intermediate-level competencies in enterprise GIS architecture, multiuser geodatabases, data governance, role-based access control, advanced data editing, topology and database management for broadband mapping. Through practical, hands-on exercises, participants developed their capacity to manage, maintain and operationalize enterprise GIS environments supporting national broadband mapping systems, while exchanging experiences and practical lessons from their respective contexts. The training also contributed to an emerging community of practice, promoting continued collaboration, peer learning and technical knowledge exchange to support the implementation and long-term sustainability of national broadband mapping systems across the region.

Digital inclusion: Global

Under the ITU-EY “AI skills accelerator for girls” programme, 2 workshops took place on 21 and 22 September, in Guatemala City, Guatemala, bringing together over 70 participants. The workshops were organized in collaboration with the Superintendency of Telecommunications of Guatemala, the National Secretariat of Science and Technology of Guatemala, and Universidad Galileo, which hosted the workshops and facilitated the participation of its students. During the workshops, participants explored fundamental AI concepts, practical applications, and the ethical and responsible use of AI, including issues related to bias and inclusion. The training encouraged hands-on learning, creativity, and critical thinking, while introducing participants to the potential of AI-based solutions to address real-world challenges. These workshops contribute to the broader objectives of the “AI skills accelerator for girls” programme, which aims to equip young women across countries in all ITU regions with AI skills, empowering them to explore new educational and professional opportunities and actively contribute to shaping an inclusive digital future.

Emergency telecommunications: Africa

The Validation Workshop of the National Emergency Telecommunication Plan (NETP) Model for Central African Countries took place from 15 to 16 September 2026 in Brazzaville, hosted by the Government of the Republic of the Congo and the ‘Agence de Régulation des Postes et des Communications Électroniques’ (ARPCE). The workshop, which convened representatives from across Central Africa, was held as part of the consultative process for the upcoming NETP model. BDT is working closely with the governments of Central African countries and the ‘Assemblée des régulateurs télécoms de l’Afrique centrale’ (ARTAC) in finalizing the NETP model, providing technical support and expertise to strengthen preparedness, coordination, and ICT resilience.

Emergency telecommunications: Arab States

From 14 to 17 September, BDT took part in the National Early Warnings for All Gap Analysis Workshop for Syria, supporting the country in assessing capacities and identifying priority actions to strengthen the early warning value chain, particularly on alert dissemination and communication. BDT is also collaborating with the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management in the Syrian Arab Republic and the Syrian Telecommunications and Post Regulatory Authority to develop the National Emergency Telecommunication Plan. The discussions included how the Common Alerting Protocol and the Mobile Public Warning Systems can be leveraged to strengthen emergency preparedness and alert dissemination nationwide.

Emergency telecommunications: Asia and the Pacific

From 17 to 18 September 2026, ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific participated in the 11th Annual UN-SPIDER Beijing Conference, organized by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, bringing together governments, space agencies, academia, international organizations and development partners to explore how space-based technologies can strengthen disaster resilience and support Early Warnings for All (EW4All). As a panellist in the session “From Pilot to Operational Service: Scaling Space-Based Solutions and Building Lasting Capacity”, BDT shared lessons from its work under the EW4All initiative on how digital and communications solutions can transition from pilot projects to nationally owned operational services. Drawing on experiences with the Early Warning Connectivity Map, Common Alerting Protocol-enabled alerting systems, Cell Broadcast, satellite communications and emerging Direct-to-Device technologies, BDT highlighted the importance of embedding solutions within national institutions, strengthening local technical capacity, establishing enabling policy and regulatory frameworks, and securing sustainable investment to ensure long-term impact and resilience. The conversation also underscored the growing convergence between Emergency Telecommunications and Future Networks, where resilient connectivity, advanced wireless technologies, AI and satellite-enabled communications are increasingly critical to ensuring that warnings reach everyone, everywhere. BDT emphasized that resilient connectivity remains the foundation of EW4All, ensuring that every person at risk can receive a trusted and actionable warning in time to take life-saving action.

Environment: Africa

In Nigeria, BDT, in collaboration with the Universal Postal Union and the Nigerian Postal Service, and with support from the UK FCDO Digital Access Programme, convened a workshop to co-design and validate a postal service-led e-waste reverse logistics model. The initiative marks an important step towards more sustainable e-waste management by leveraging postal networks to make e-waste collection more accessible and efficient. As part of BDT’s broader efforts to advance green digital transformation, the pilot is expected to generate valuable lessons for scaling postal-led e-waste solutions in Nigeria and across the region, contributing to a greener and more sustainable digital future.

Network and digital infrastructure: Global

As part of the AI for Good Discovery Series, the session “Machine Learning for ICT Infrastructure Detection”, took place on 15 September. The session showcased how artificial intelligence and computer vision can be used to detect telecommunication towers from satellite imagery, improving the availability and quality of ICT infrastructure data. Participants were introduced to the end-to-end machine learning workflow, from data labelling and model training to large-scale inference, and learned about ongoing collaboration with the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. The discussion highlighted how AI-generated infrastructure data can support connectivity mapping, evidence-based planning, and capacity development efforts, strengthening BDT’s ability to support countries in advancing digital connectivity and infrastructure development.

Network and digital infrastructure: Asia and the Pacific

The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific participated in the 37th Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity Wireless Group in Bangladesh from 7 to 11 September. Through an official contribution to the meeting, BDT highlighted its mandate under WTDC-25 Resolution 9 and the Asia-Pacific Regional Initiative 3 on national spectrum management and showcased relevant regional work. The intervention during the plenary also promoted upcoming ITU regional events and reinforced Asia-Pacific engagement under the Network and Digital Infrastructure thematic areas.

Network and digital infrastructure: Asia and the Pacific

The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific supported the organization of ITU Regional Radiocommunication Seminar 2026 for Asia and the Pacific, held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia from 21 to 25 September 2026. Hosted by the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Communications of Mongolia in cooperation with the Communications Regulatory Commission of Mongolia and the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity, the seminar brought together more than 60 participants from over 15 countries across the region. During remote interventions by BDT, regional engagement was advanced, highlighting the importance of effective spectrum management as a foundation for universal, affordable and resilient connectivity. BDT also showcased its spectrum-related activities across Asia-Pacific, demonstrating how these efforts contribute to the implementation of WTDC-25 Resolution 9 on accelerating digital transformation and support impact under the Asia-Pacific Regional Initiative 3 on digital infrastructure and innovation. The presentation from BDT highlighted assistance to Member States through spectrum management capacity building, regulatory modernization, spectrum planning initiatives, support for emerging technologies, and BDT tools including Spectrum Management System for Developing Countries (SMS4DC) and Connectivity Planning Platform to strengthen automation and data-powered Radio Frequency planning.