Coming up in 2022 – Highlights


Capacity Development


  • Phase 2 of the Digital Transformation Centres (DTC) initiative will begin in early 2022, with 5 new DTCs identified. The 2022 global DTC network includes Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Morocco, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia.

Cybersecurity


  • The 5th edition of Global Cybersecurity Index will be launched with an updated questionnaire.
  • The second edition of the Women in Cyber Mentorship Programme will expand the opportunities for mentors and mentees around the world to build cyber skills for more women.

Digital Inclusion


  • Development and promotion of resources to support ITU members and stakeholders globally “towards building inclusive digital communities and environments” thus ensuring that ICT products and services are universally designed and accessible and thus everyone, regardless of age, gender ability or location, can be part of the digital world.
  • Leverage capacity of ITU members and stakeholders in ICT/digital accessibility on how to address the two global mega trends that will influence each other and generate major socio-economic changes: an ageing population and the exponential rise in digital technologies, to turn these challenges into great opportunities.
  • The first global gathering of the NoW4WTDC will be held at WTDC.
  • In 2022, the project will train a total of 800 women in Burundi and Ethiopia and 60 women-owned MSMEs will access new markets thanks to the digital skills trainings received. Furthermore, gender equality in the digital economy guidelines will be launched.
  • The Generation Connect Youth Summit will be held on 3-5 June 2022.
  • The International Girls in ICT Day will be celebrated on 28th April 2022.
  • A new online self-paced training “Beyond smart cities: Towards building inclusive and digitally accessible environments and communities to meet the needs of present and future generations” will be made available in English, French and Spanish.

Digital Innovation Ecosystems


  • New ecosystem country assessments and digital innovation profiles will be carried out to strengthen the ICT-centric national innovation ecosystem and increase its impact on the broader economy.
  • More capacity-building trainings and toolkits for countries to adapt to the fast-changing digital environment and technological revolutions.

Digital Services and Applications


  • The Smart Islands Initiative will be extended to 10 countries to advance digital transformation in the Pacific.
  • A GovStack publication will assist governments in providing sustainable digital services that could be scaled up and upgraded in a more agile, accelerated, and cost-effective manner.

Network and Digital Infrastructure


  • New guidelines for establishing national broadband mapping systems will support regulators and other institutions seeking to improve national and regional capacity on broadband mapping systems.
  • The Last Mile Connectivity Toolkit will be piloted in more countries to identify unconnected places and estimate the cost of connecting those areas.

Emergency Telecommunications


  • National Emergency Telecommunication Plans will be developed for Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga, Solomon Island, Peru, and Malawi.
  • ITU will contribute to the Words into Action guide on multi-hazard early warning systems, which will be launched at the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction 2022.
  • ITU will continue working with the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster and the GSMA to improve the Disaster Connectivity Maps (DCM) by adding new data sources.

Environment


  • ITU will publish a new report to showcase innovative best practices and assess how the ICT industry is progressing in terms of its environmental footprint, targets and commitments.
  • A new technical assistance workstream called Greening government digital transformation will help governments to respond to climate change.
  • New e-learning on extended producer responsibility will be available publicly and free to provide technical assistance in e-waste policy and regulatory development.
  • Through the new project with UNEP, signed in late 2021, several countries will benefit from technical assistance on e-waste management to support the policy development and implementation, raise awareness, and set regulatory measures.

Policy and Regulation


  • The Global Symposium for Regulators 2022 will gather regulators and other stakeholders to share their diverse views and experiences on the most pressing regulatory issues they have identified.
  • The G5 Accelerator will become fully interactive, enabling policymakers, regulators and interested stakeholders to analyse trends, compare progress and visualise the most relevant paths to move their countries towards G5.
  • The Business Planning for ICT Infrastructure Development Toolkit and training materials will be reviewed and expanded.

Statistics


  • A country-level dashboard for Universal and Meaningful Connectivity will be launched in 2022 following the outcomes of an ITU-led sub-working group on achieving the UN Secretary General’s Digital Cooperation Roadmap. It will provide information on the current availability and quality of digital connectivity, as well as national connectivity targets for 2030.
  • The Global Connectivity Report 2022 will be launched at WTDC.
  • Estimates for key connectivity indicators will be released in Facts and Figures 2022.
  • A new online portal will provide data for hundreds of ICT indicators and an improved user experience.

Study Groups


  • The Questions for the next study cycle will be decided at WTDC in June 2022, with the first Study Group meetings of the new cycle to be held in the last quarter of 2022.

Connect2Recover


  • Ongoing projects in Rwanda, Haiti, Armenia, Kazakhstan, as well as regional projects in Arab States will be expanded in 2022.

Broadband Commission


  • The Broadband Commission at the LDC5 conference in Doha
  • Annual Meetings 2022: Annual Spring Meeting and Fall Meeting
  • Annual State of Broadband report 2022

I-CoDI


  • I-CoDI will explore how it can further support innovation programme for ITU Member States across the world.
  • I-CoDI toolkit and onboarding process created and regional offices trained/onboarded in collaboration with the UAE
  • First Regional Hub established by June 2022
  • First external use case – by June 2022.

Giga


  • Welcome additional countries to the initiative.
  • Continue work to map school locations and their connectivity.
  • Develop interactive connectivity country maps to highlight coverage gaps and assist with identifying appropriate solutions.
  • Work with regulators and ICT Ministries to identify potential policy and regulatory changes to facilitate connecting and financing school connectivity.

Be He@lthy Be Mobile


  • The project evaluation of Senegal Telemedicine/AI solution for diabetic retinopathy screening will be completed. A sustainability framework will be developed to scale-up solutions and replications in other clinics throughout the country.
  • Be He@lthy Be Mobile mHealth for noncommunicable diseases will be launched in new countries to leverage new handbooks and toolkits.
  • Infodemic management campaign in the Caribbean will be scaled up to new countries in the Caribbean region. A framework will be developed to secure longer-term collaboration with the telecom operators to streamline ICT use for public health response and emergency communication.

Africa


  • Opening of new Digital Transformation Centres identified in Phase 2 of the DTC initiative.
  • Generation Connect will be expanded across the continent.
  • Implementation of ITU’s contribution to the 2022-2026 Zimbabwe United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (ZUNSDCF).
  • Greater engagement across the continent in UN country team projects and initiatives, also in countries where ITU is non-resident, with concrete efforts to contribute to components of the Zimbabwe United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) implementation where ITU’s expertise and experience in digital development can be leveraged.

Asia Pacific


  • National CyberDrills are planned in India and Bhutan over the course of 2021 and 2022.
  • ITU has worked in partnership with the Australian Government Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, and Communication (DITRDC) to develop a project on “Connect2Recover – Digital Infrastructure and Ecosystem Reinforcement Against COVID-19 in Asia-Pacific” whose activities are centered on addressing the three pillars identified by the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development in its COVID-19 Crisis Agenda for Action: (1) development of resilient connectivity, (2) affordable access to ICTs, and (3) safe use of online services (2021 – 2023). The project was signed for the implementation from 2022.

Americas


  • The implementation of the National CIRT for The Bahamas will be finalized by end 2022.
  • National Cybersecurity Strategies for the Member States of the AMS Region will be implemented, updated or enhanced through a series of events, online trainings and interactive exercises.

Arab States


  • The Child Online Protection framework will be implemented in the following countries Morocco, Egypt and Iraq.
  • National Emergency Telecommunications Plans will be developed for three Least Developed Countries in the Arab Region: Palestine, Iraq and Somalia.
  • Regulatory metrics and collaborative regulatory reviews for two Arab countries will be conducted: Qatar and UAE.
  • The AIEN 2022 strategy will be implemented.

CIS


  • The first CIRT project in the region will be implemented in 2022-2023 and will be co-funded by ITU and the World Bank.
  • Cybersecurity programmes will advance in the region, with CIRT assessments in Belarus, a regional Cyberdrill in Azerbaijan and National Cybersecurity Strategy country trainings.

Europe


  • Digital Skills assessment Moldova
  • Digital Innovation Profile North Macedonia