| Africa & Arab Regions Emerging Technologies week |
Sunday, 13 December 2020
| 15:30 - 18:30 GMT+2 | IEEE Global Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Internet of ThingsIEEE Global Conference on Artificial Intelligence & Internet of Things (2020 IEEE GCAIoT) is a leading forum for researchers, practitioners and stakeholders from academia, industry and government to share their latest research contributions, and exchange knowledge with the common goal of shaping the future of the interaction among AI, ML, IoT, 5G, and related technologies to foster digital transformation and develop sustainable, smart cities.The Global Conference on the IoT (2020 IEEE GCAIoT) is intended to help our brilliant participants, researchers and professionals to share experiences and discuss up-to-the minute information and technological facts. The conference brings the latest research relevant to the new technologies, including a wide-ranged program of presentations, project showcasing and outstanding innovations that serve the community and help it move to digital transformation. |
Monday, 14 December 2020
| 08:30 - 14:30 GMT+2 | IEEE Global Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Internet of ThingsIEEE Global Conference on Artificial Intelligence & Internet of Things (2020 IEEE GCAIoT) is a leading forum for researchers, practitioners and stakeholders from academia, industry and government to share their latest research contributions, and exchange knowledge with the common goal of shaping the future of the interaction among AI, ML, IoT, 5G, and related technologies to foster digital transformation and develop sustainable, smart cities.The Global Conference on the IoT (2020 IEEE GCAIoT) is intended to help our brilliant participants, researchers and professionals to share experiences and discuss up-to-the minute information and technological facts. The conference brings the latest research relevant to the new technologies, including a wide-ranged program of presentations, project showcasing and outstanding innovations that serve the community and help it move to digital transformation. |
| 10:00 - 10:25 GMT+1 | Welcoming Remarks & Setting the Scene |
| 10:25 - 10:30 GMT+1 | Group Photo (Zoom) |
| 10:30 - 11:45 GMT+1 | Presentation of the Feasibility Report on Emerging TechnologiesThe feasibility report on emerging technologies will be presented. Panelists will discuss infrastructure, applications, cybersecurity landscape in the digital economy world and propose best practices to combat potential cyber threats in relationship with emerging technologies. |
| 11:45 - 13:00 GMT+1 | Presentation of Countries’ Roadmaps on Using Emerging Technologies for Development In this session, roadmaps on emerging technologies for development for three pilot countries (Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, and Malawi) will be presented. This presentation will be followed by a panel discussion among stockholders from the Arab and the African regions. |
Tuesday, 15 December 2020
| 08:30 - 14:30 GMT+2 | IEEE Global Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Internet of ThingsIEEE Global Conference on Artificial Intelligence & Internet of Things (2020 IEEE GCAIoT) is a leading forum for researchers, practitioners and stakeholders from academia, industry and government to share their latest research contributions, and exchange knowledge with the common goal of shaping the future of the interaction among AI, ML, IoT, 5G, and related technologies to foster digital transformation and develop sustainable, smart cities.The Global Conference on the IoT (2020 IEEE GCAIoT) is intended to help our brilliant participants, researchers and professionals to share experiences and discuss up-to-the minute information and technological facts. The conference brings the latest research relevant to the new technologies, including a wide-ranged program of presentations, project showcasing and outstanding innovations that serve the community and help it move to digital transformation. |
| 10:00 - 10:55 GMT+1 | Opening Ceremony and High-level panel discussionThis session will feature high-level panelists from the Africa and Arab regions. The panelists will present their visions and perspectives on the role of emerging technologies in their national digital transformation plans. In addition, they will discuss synergies and potential areas for collaboration and coordination related on using emerging technologies for development in the Africa and the Arab regions. They will also exchange their views on the use of emerging technologies to address emergency situations and follow up, particularly in the post-Covid context. |
| 10:55 - 11:00 GMT+1 | Group Photo (Zoom) |
| 11:00 - 12:00 GMT+1 | Imagining the Future of Technologies for DevelopmentThis session will provide a platform for youth representatives to engage with futurists on their visions about the future of emerging technologies for development in 2030 and beyond. They will tackle questions such as, what are some of the key developmental challenges of the future? How will future technologies evolve to tackle them? |
| 12:00 - 13:00 GMT+1 | Big Data and AI for development Data is transforming both the public and private sectors, increasing efficiency, maximising productivity, promoting sustainability and building resilience. Harnessing this new commodity, will allow countries and businesses to build sustainable economic growth. Insights from big data will stimulate evidence-based decision making within government, business and the development community. Following a presentation on “Big Data and AI for development”, the following topics will be discussed: The role of Big data in socio-economic development, Data infrastructure and technologies, Data applications for development, Data skills |
| 12:00 - 15:00 GMT+1 | ITU-GSMA 5G Capacity Building Course for the Arab and African RegionsThe mobile industry is preparing to embark on the transition to fifth generation (5G) technology, which will build on the achievements of 4G while also creating new opportunities for innovation. 5G will usher in a new era that will see connectivity become increasingly fluid and flexible. This course covers the key aspects of 5G technology and examines the role governments and regulators can play in helping unlock the benefits of future 5G services for their citizens. |
| 12:30 - 15:00 GMT+2 | Regional Expert Meeting on National Digital Development Reviews 2.0 – Enhanced Methodology and Updated Guiding TemplateI. BACKGROUND The Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) launched the Advancing Digital Cooperation and Development Arab States Action Programme (ADCD-ASAP) in 2020, comprised of eight tracks, which aims among others, to produce Regional/National Digital Strategies/Agendas that would enable policymakers to bring change in policy, thinking and/or practices that respond to the needs of their countries towards harnessing ICTs for development, and accelerating the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. This project is a natural extension of several efforts that ESCWA has exerted in the field of digital development for a number of years. The Regional Expert Meeting is being held within the framework of ADCD-ASAP’s. It is a culmination of ten bilateral research interviews conducted during September and October 2020 with ten Arab countries that participated in the first round of the National Digital Development Reviews (NDDRs) (Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Mauritania, Oman, State of Palestine, the Sudan, Syria, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates ) and the Regional Expert Meeting titled "National Digital Development Reviews - Review of Methodology and Guiding Template" held on 18 November 2020 (https://www.unescwa.org/events/regional-expert-meeting-national-digital-development-reviews-review-methodology-and-guiding) that examined and discussed the 10 countries’ feedback on the methodology and tools used to produce the NDDRs for 2019, which constituted inputs to the 1st edition of the Arab Digital Development Report for 2019 (ADDR 2019) (https://www.unescwa.org/publications/arab-digital-development-report-2019), as a co-production by ESCWA and cooperating countries.This regional meeting will set the stage for the 2nd round of NDDRs expected to be launched in the first quarter of 2021, guided by a manual including an enhanced methodology and other tools that take into consideration common and important comments received from the focal points of the participated countries to further enhance the content and ease the process of developing the NDDRs by countries in close cooperation with ESCWA as well as the ADDR. Furthermore, the meeting will launch a call for partnership with ESCWA and the League of Arab States (LAS) to design and develop complementary tools in support of the NDDRs/ADDR and invest in all UN and Arab existing expertise in the field of ICT for development in the Arab region. In this context, and to keep the momentum, partnership is also sought to collaborate in the development of the Arab ICT Strategy/Arab Digital Agenda (ADAICTS) under the umbrella of the League of Arab states (E/ESCWA/CL4.SIT/2020/TP.7., E/ESCWA/TDD/2019/TP.4), expected to be finalized by end of 2021, and to be adopted by the Arab ICT Ministers soon after. UN and Arab concerned organizations working in the region as well as all Arab countries are welcome to participate in the ADAICTS design and respective stages. Participation of the National Focal Points that have been involved in the preparations of the first NDDRs round is encouraged to contribute to this collaborative work.
II. OBJECTIVES AND FOCUS OF THE MEETING The Regional Expert Meeting aims to introduce the enhanced toolkit to be used for developing the 2021 National Digital Development Reviews (NDDRs) and the next Arab Digital Development Report (ADDR) edition to help Arab policy makers devise tailored evidence-based policies and strategies for advancing digital development and digital cooperation at the national and regional levels. Innovative suggested tools will also be discussed for potential piloting by interested countries and organizations. Furthermore, the meeting will pave the way towards the collaboration in the elaboration of the Arab ICT Strategy/Arab Digital Agenda (ADAICTS) which initiation and details will be further discussed with prospective partners in a dedicated meeting planned to take place on 21 December 2020, whereby ESCWA and LAS will join efforts with Arab countries and concerned UN and Arab organizations to shape the ADAICTS and agree on the way forward for advancing digital development and digital cooperation in the region for the next ten years.
III. STRUCTURE AND THEMES OF THE REGIONAL CONSULTATIVE EXPERTS MEETING The regional expert meeting, informed by the outcomes of the bilateral research interviews conducted during September and October 2020 with NDDR national focal points from the ten Arab countries participated to the NDDRs first round (2018-2019), as well as the outcome of the recently convened Regional Expert Meeting on "National Digital Development Reviews - Review of Methodology and Guiding Template" held on 18 November 2020, will comprise of the following main blocks:• Discussion of the proposed ESCWA Enhanced Methodology and Updated Guiding Template to be adopted by national counterparts for the development of the 2021 NDDRs Round and the next ADDR edition.• Partnership to develop innovative complementary tools for enhanced NDDRs/ADDR framework and better evidence-based tools for policy change in ICT for development in the Arab region. These tools include the Digital Development Maturity Index (DDMI) and the Smart interactive observatory.• Technical cooperation for designing digital development national and regional agendas. |
Wednesday, 16 December 2020
| 08:30 - 14:30 | IEEE Global Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Internet of ThingsIEEE Global Conference on Artificial Intelligence & Internet of Things (2020 IEEE GCAIoT) is a leading forum for researchers, practitioners and stakeholders from academia, industry and government to share their latest research contributions, and exchange knowledge with the common goal of shaping the future of the interaction among AI, ML, IoT, 5G, and related technologies to foster digital transformation and develop sustainable, smart cities.The Global Conference on the IoT (2020 IEEE GCAIoT) is intended to help our brilliant participants, researchers and professionals to share experiences and discuss up-to-the minute information and technological facts. The conference brings the latest research relevant to the new technologies, including a wide-ranged program of presentations, project showcasing and outstanding innovations that serve the community and help it move to digital transformation. |
| 09:00 - 17:00 GMT+1 | AI for Development Challenge: Judging session (closed session, invitation only) The shortlisted participants from AI for development challenge will be pitching their innovation ideas to the Judging panel consisting of partners of the AI for Development challenge. |
| 10:00 - 14:00 GMT+1 | Field visit and panel discussion on “Emerging technologies in Morocco and their contribution to the SDGs achievement”As part of the Inter-regional Week on Emerging Technologies for Development in the Arab and African Regions, the United Nations Development System and the Embassy of Switzerland in Morocco will organize a visit to the “Moroccan Foundation for Advanced Science, Innovation and Research - MAScIR », followed by a lunch-discussion at the Swiss Ambassador’s residence. The event will bring together several partners including ministries, embassies, research institutes and UN agencies. The visit will allow the participants to discover the ultra-modern laboratories of MAScIR - at the origin of the Moroccan PCR test - which aims to promote and develop technological research centers in the fields of materials and nanomaterials, biotechnology, microelectronics and life sciences. After the visit, the lunch-discussion will focus on emerging technologies in Morocco and their contribution to the SDGs achievement, specifically SDG 2, 3 and 9. Organized by United Nations Development System in Morocco & Embassy of Switzerland in Morocco |
| 10:30 - 12:30 GMT+2 | Regional Expert Meeting on National Digital Development Reviews 2.0 – Enhanced Methodology and Updated Guiding TemplateI. BACKGROUND The Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) launched the Advancing Digital Cooperation and Development Arab States Action Programme (ADCD-ASAP) in 2020, comprised of eight tracks, which aims among others, to produce Regional/National Digital Strategies/Agendas that would enable policymakers to bring change in policy, thinking and/or practices that respond to the needs of their countries towards harnessing ICTs for development, and accelerating the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. This project is a natural extension of several efforts that ESCWA has exerted in the field of digital development for a number of years. The Regional Expert Meeting is being held within the framework of ADCD-ASAP’s. It is a culmination of ten bilateral research interviews conducted during September and October 2020 with ten Arab countries that participated in the first round of the National Digital Development Reviews (NDDRs) (Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Mauritania, Oman, State of Palestine, the Sudan, Syria, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates ) and the Regional Expert Meeting titled "National Digital Development Reviews - Review of Methodology and Guiding Template" held on 18 November 2020 (https://www.unescwa.org/events/regional-expert-meeting-national-digital-development-reviews-review-methodology-and-guiding) that examined and discussed the 10 countries’ feedback on the methodology and tools used to produce the NDDRs for 2019, which constituted inputs to the 1st edition of the Arab Digital Development Report for 2019 (ADDR 2019) (https://www.unescwa.org/publications/arab-digital-development-report-2019), as a co-production by ESCWA and cooperating countries.This regional meeting will set the stage for the 2nd round of NDDRs expected to be launched in the first quarter of 2021, guided by a manual including an enhanced methodology and other tools that take into consideration common and important comments received from the focal points of the participated countries to further enhance the content and ease the process of developing the NDDRs by countries in close cooperation with ESCWA as well as the ADDR. Furthermore, the meeting will launch a call for partnership with ESCWA and the League of Arab States (LAS) to design and develop complementary tools in support of the NDDRs/ADDR and invest in all UN and Arab existing expertise in the field of ICT for development in the Arab region. In this context, and to keep the momentum, partnership is also sought to collaborate in the development of the Arab ICT Strategy/Arab Digital Agenda (ADAICTS) under the umbrella of the League of Arab states (E/ESCWA/CL4.SIT/2020/TP.7., E/ESCWA/TDD/2019/TP.4), expected to be finalized by end of 2021, and to be adopted by the Arab ICT Ministers soon after. UN and Arab concerned organizations working in the region as well as all Arab countries are welcome to participate in the ADAICTS design and respective stages. Participation of the National Focal Points that have been involved in the preparations of the first NDDRs round is encouraged to contribute to this collaborative work.
II. OBJECTIVES AND FOCUS OF THE MEETING The Regional Expert Meeting aims to introduce the enhanced toolkit to be used for developing the 2021 National Digital Development Reviews (NDDRs) and the next Arab Digital Development Report (ADDR) edition to help Arab policy makers devise tailored evidence-based policies and strategies for advancing digital development and digital cooperation at the national and regional levels. Innovative suggested tools will also be discussed for potential piloting by interested countries and organizations. Furthermore, the meeting will pave the way towards the collaboration in the elaboration of the Arab ICT Strategy/Arab Digital Agenda (ADAICTS) which initiation and details will be further discussed with prospective partners in a dedicated meeting planned to take place on 21 December 2020, whereby ESCWA and LAS will join efforts with Arab countries and concerned UN and Arab organizations to shape the ADAICTS and agree on the way forward for advancing digital development and digital cooperation in the region for the next ten years.
III. STRUCTURE AND THEMES OF THE REGIONAL CONSULTATIVE EXPERTS MEETING The regional expert meeting, informed by the outcomes of the bilateral research interviews conducted during September and October 2020 with NDDR national focal points from the ten Arab countries participated to the NDDRs first round (2018-2019), as well as the outcome of the recently convened Regional Expert Meeting on "National Digital Development Reviews - Review of Methodology and Guiding Template" held on 18 November 2020, will comprise of the following main blocks:• Discussion of the proposed ESCWA Enhanced Methodology and Updated Guiding Template to be adopted by national counterparts for the development of the 2021 NDDRs Round and the next ADDR edition.• Partnership to develop innovative complementary tools for enhanced NDDRs/ADDR framework and better evidence-based tools for policy change in ICT for development in the Arab region. These tools include the Digital Development Maturity Index (DDMI) and the Smart interactive observatory.• Technical cooperation for designing digital development national and regional agendas. |
| 12:00 - 13:00 GMT+1 | Realizing the Potential of Blockchain Blockchain and other distributed ledgers have been attributed the potential to transform a wide range of processes, organizations and industries. This session will revisit some of the principles and promises underlying blockchain; it will showcase scenarios in which blockchains are utilized in the context of contributing to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals; and discuss policy recommendations aimed at enabling countries to take advantage of distributed ledger technologies as they mature. |
| 12:00 - 15:00 GMT+1 | ITU-GSMA 5G Capacity Building Course for the Arab and African RegionsThe mobile industry is preparing to embark on the transition to fifth generation (5G) technology, which will build on the achievements of 4G while also creating new opportunities for innovation. 5G will usher in a new era that will see connectivity become increasingly fluid and flexible. This course covers the key aspects of 5G technology and examines the role governments and regulators can play in helping unlock the benefits of future 5G services for their citizens. |
| 12:30 - 13:30 GMT+1 | Building the next technology Unicorn near yourCreating the next Silicon Valley has been elusive and difficult, especially in the developing country context. Following traditional Science Technology and Innovation (STI) experts’ recommendations of investment in inputs such as R&D, infrastructure, and education does not guarantee the right results even for developed countries. To be able to navigate technological changes and create the tech unicorn, you need an ecosystem where stakeholders are collaborating and creating impact, where entrepreneurs and innovators are at the driving seat of digital development. This session will share insights about the regional ecosystem performance and what gap needs to be filled to close the growing digital innovation divide, which is at the root cause of our digital divides. |
| 15:00 - 16:30 GMT+1 | Launch Event: ITU Last Mile Internet Connectivity Solutions GuideThis session will feature the launch of ITU Last Mile connectivity Solutions Guide which is designed to support governments in their role of regulating, funding and implementing universal access to connectivity. This include identifying the unconnected areas and selecting sustainable technical, financial and regulatory solutions to ensure affordability and accessibility to relevant connectivity services. The session will provide an overview of solutions for last mile connectivity in rural and remote areas based upon successful implementations in countries around the world. Participants will discuss technical, business and regulatory considerations for implementing last mile connectivity solutions to connect the unserved and underserved populations, especially in rural and remote areas. |
| 16:30 - 18:00 GMT+1 | Connect2Recover: Emerging Technologies for Connectivity in the Wake of COVID-19COVID-19 has highlighted the need of resilient and affordable digital connectivity to reach everyone. At the same time, financial pressures of the pandemic make it ever important to identify solutions that would enable deployment of digital infrastructure in the most cost efficient way. This session will explore emerging technologies and their applications that have demonstrated a potential in helping meet this challenge – from new and emerging satellite technologies, through HAPS-type solutions, to new approaches to lowering the costs and increasing flexibility of deployment of terrestrial networks. Leading industry players will present their experience in actual deployments in the field and share their insights on how such technologies and solutions could help in bringing everyone online. |
Thursday, 17 December 2020
| 10:00 - 11:00 GMT+1 | Award Ceremony for the AI for Development Challenge The AI for Development Challenge aims at identifying four innovative ideas to tackle key development problems relevant to SDG 2 (zero hunger), SDG 3 (good health and wellbeing), SDG8 (decent work and economic growth) and SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure) using Artificial Intelligence. During this session, four winners will be announced from the shortlisted 10-15 teams. This challenge is organized by ITU, facilitated by Nilepreneurs and in partnership with FAO, UNDP, UNESCO, WHO, Etisalat, GSMA and Nile University. |
| 11:00 - 12:00 GMT+1 | ITU Initiatives on Emerging Technologies This session will showcase some of the key initiatives and activities related to emerging technologies across the ITU. |
| 12:00 - 16:00 GMT+1 | ITU-GSMA 5G Capacity Building Course for the Arab and African RegionsThe mobile industry is preparing to embark on the transition to fifth generation (5G) technology, which will build on the achievements of 4G while also creating new opportunities for innovation. 5G will usher in a new era that will see connectivity become increasingly fluid and flexible. This course covers the key aspects of 5G technology and examines the role governments and regulators can play in helping unlock the benefits of future 5G services for their citizens |
| 12:00 - 13:00 GMT+1 | Emerging Technologies for SDGs This session will showcase selected initiatives on using emerging technologies for development. In particular, panellists will discuss solutions and experiences for implementing SDG 2 (zero hunger), SDG 3 (good health and wellbeing), SDG8 (decent work and economic growth) and SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure) |
Friday, 18 December 2020
| 12:00 - 14:00 GMT+1 | Localized Big data applications for supporting decision making (organized by UNESCWA)The immense growth in networked devices has led to an exponential concurrent growth in collected data. Big data has emerged as a new technology field which, with the help of data science, provides policymakers with insights relevant to planning and decision-making. Its impact and benefits on the various sectors are still progressing and have been demonstrated in a few cities worldwide. ESCWA has been working on big data applications to explore and analyze their potential to affirm new insights, confirm estimates and support decision making. The three selected areas are of special importance for the region namely: a) the development challenges of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, b) monitoring the effectiveness of COVID-19 related policies in Lebanon and Jordan, and c) movement of air flights and vessels in the Arab region. ESCWA will shed light on its experience and work on big data based on practical experiments. |