High-Level Policy Session 8: Enabling Environment


WSIS

Session 464

Wednesday, 1 June 2022 10:00–11:00 (UTC+02:00) Popov Room, ITU Tower Building (with remote participation) Real-time human captioning Interpretation: EN/FR High-Level Policy Session

"An enabling environment at national and international levels is essential for the Information Society. ICTs should be used as an important tool for good governance.

The rule of law, accompanied by a supportive, transparent, pro-competitive, technologically neutral and predictable policy and regulatory framework reflecting national realities, is essential for building a people-centered Information Society. Governments should intervene, as appropriate, to correct market failures, to maintain fair competition, to attract investment, to enhance the development of the ICT infrastructure and applications, to maximize economic and social benefits, and to serve national priorities.

ICTs are an important enabler of growth through efficiency gains and increased productivity, in particular by small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). In this regard, the development of the Information Society is important for broadly-based economic growth in both developed and developing economies. ICT-supported productivity gains and applied innovations across economic sectors should be fostered. Equitable distribution of the benefits contributes to poverty eradication and social development. Policies that foster productive investment and enable firms, notably SMEs, to make the changes needed to seize the benefits from ICTs, are likely to be the most beneficial."

Geneva Declaration of Principles, WSIS 2003, https://www.itu.int/net/wsis/docs/geneva/official/dop.html


Mr. Kevin Perkins
Mr. Kevin Perkins (High-Level Track Facilitator) Executive Director Farm Radio International, Canada Moderator

Ms. Sofie Maddens
Ms. Sofie Maddens Head, Regulatory and Market Environment Division, BDT International Telecommunication Union

H.E. Mr. Peya Mushelenga
H.E. Mr. Peya Mushelenga Minister Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, Namibia

In August 2002 he was elected Member of the Central Committee of SWAPO Party, the ruling parry of Namibia, He was re-elected in 2007, 2012 and 2017.

Honourable Dr Mushelenga was elected to the Namibian National Assembly during the 2004 general elections, and re-elected 2009 and 2014 general elections.

He was appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, by His Excellency President Hifikepunye Pohamba, on 21 March 2010.

He was appointed Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation by His Excellency President Dr Hage Geingob, on 21 March 2015

Honourable Dr Mushelenga was appointed Minister of Urban and Rural Development by His Excellency President Dr Hage Geingob, on 08 February 2019.


H.E. Ms. Bolor-Erdene Battsengel【R】
H.E. Ms. Bolor-Erdene Battsengel【R】 State Secretary Ministry of Digital Development and Communications, Mongolia

Education
2017 University of Oxford, Master of Public Policy
2014 Handong Global University, Korea, MBA
2011 University of Humanities, Mongolia, Bachelor of International Relations

Work Experience
Jan 2022 – present State Secretary, Ministry of Digital Development and Communications, the Government of Mongolia
Jul 2020-Dec 2021 Chairwoman of Communications and Information Technology Authority, the Government agency of Mongolia
Jan 2020- Jul 2020 Head of the Secretariat of National Committee for Digital Development, Cabinet Secretariat of the Government of Mongolia
2019-Jul 2020 Project Coordinator, “Nomads in the Digital Age” project /funded by University of Oxford and Gates Foundation/
2018- Jul 2020 World Bank, Public Sector and Evaluation Consultant
May 2017- Sep 2017 Researcher, Cabinet office of United Kingdom
2011-2017 Consultant at international organizations such as ADB, The World Bank, Millennium Challenge Corporation, International Institute for Sustainable Development, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, European Bank for Reconstruction Development

Ms. Bolor-Erdene is the first State Secretary of the newly established Ministry of Mongolian Government, responsible for ICT policy development and implementation. She has been working on efforts to implement widespread digital governance in Mongolia, as part of the E-Mongolia project.


Dr. Fadhlullah Suhaimi Abdul Malek
Dr. Fadhlullah Suhaimi Abdul Malek Executive Chairman Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, Malaysia

Dato’ Dr. Fadhlullah Suhaimi Abdul Malek is the Chairman of Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

Dato’ Dr. Fadhlullah has more than 22 years of industry experience holding several senior positions both in public and in private sector. He previously served as both a Commissioner and Executive of MCMC from 2016-2018. Prior to returning to MCMC, Dato’ Dr. Fadhlullah was Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Perdana University. He is a Public Health Specialist by training and an Adjunct Professor at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) dan Perdana University.

He obtained his medical degree from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Masters of Medicine in Public Health from the National University of Singapore and MA in Health Management Planning and Policy with distinction from the University of Leeds. He also attended the Senior Management Programme at INSEAD.

In March 2022, he was conferred with Darjah Indera Mahkota Pahang (D.I.M.P) which carries the title Dato’ by DYMM Sultan Pahang.


Ms. Gisa Fuatai Purcell
Ms. Gisa Fuatai Purcell CEO/Regulator Office of the Regulator

A national of the Independent State of Samoa who is highly experienced in telecommunications/information and communication (ICT) development issues in a multicultural setting, Gisa has over 35 years in the ICT sector. Her visionary leadership achieved the telecommunication sector reform of Samoa, represented Samoa at international conferences and worked at the International Telecommunication Union as Head of Division and the CTO as Acting Secretary General and Director of ICT Development. She has a Master of Commerce and Administration in Information system, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.  


Ms. Ekaterine Imedadze
Ms. Ekaterine Imedadze 【R】 Commissioner Georgian National Communications Commission, Georgia

Ms. Ekaterine Imedadze is a Commissioner of the Georgian National Communications Commission (ComCom) since March 2021. Prior to taking up her position, she headed the Telecommunications Market Regulation Department at ComCom. 
Ms. Imedadze has a 13-year professional experience in the telecommunications field, including international experience. Ms. Imedadze occupied several leading positions at telecommunications group company VEON Ltd.. She headed the Global Project Management and was the Head of Internal Control and Risk Management. Further, Ms. Imedadze was Head of Finance of several leading private companies.
Ms. Imedadze owns Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Bradford University School of Management as well as Master of Science, Physical Sciences at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, In 2003 completed postgraduate study at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University Faculty of Applied Mathematics: Artificial Intelligence and Fuzzy Logic.
 
She speaks Georgian, English, German and Russian.
 
 


Mr. Kimsann Srun【R】
Mr. Kimsann Srun【R】 Commissioner Telecommunication Regulator of Cambodia, Cambodia

Kimsann Srun has almost 18 years of local and international working experience in private companies relevant to telecom sector, including as a consultant for one of the largest telecom equipment manufacturers, before he was appointed as Commissioner - Telecommunication Regulator of Cambodia (TRC) in November 2020.

With previous background powered by his aspiration, Commissioner Srun jointly builds TRC to be one of the most potential world-class regulators, finding practical answers for some of the nation’s complex questions and ensuring good governance and transparency in management and operations.

Srun holds qualifications in Electricity, Electronic and Telecom from Institute of Technology of Cambodia.


Dr. LUO Zhong
Dr. LUO Zhong Vice President, Standards and Industry Huawei Technologies, China

Noah Luo, ITU-T SG16 chairman since 2016, president of I3 international organizations collaboration and coordination department, senior director  in standards and industry development field, Huawei Technologies, Co.,Ltd, is based in Lausanne, Switzerland, in charge of development of strategic relationships with leading international standards organizations including ITU,ISO,IEC, ISO/IEC JTC1 and scores of others. He was educated in Xi’an Jiaotong University, China with a Doctorate in Automatic Control: Theory and Application, he spent two years in Chinese Academy of Sciences,  Beijing, as a postdoctoral research scientist before joining Huawei. Dr.Luo has experience of working in international standards organizations since the early 2000s and he had been based in Europe for leading and supervising standards and ecosystem development tasks 2013-2019 before his current posting in Switzerland.


Mr. Andrew Wilson
Mr. Andrew Wilson【R】 Global Policy Director, Permanent Representative to the UN International Chamber of Commerce, France

Andrew Wilson is the Permanent Observer of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) to the United Nations, a position which he has held since 2018.

In March 2020, Mr. Wilson took charge of ICC’s Global Policy and External Affairs Department and COVID-19 response. In this role, Mr. Wilson oversees ICC’s engagement with international organizations and processes, including the United Nations, the European Union, the World Trade Organization and the Group of 20 while leading the

development of ICC’s policy recommendations, practical guidance and standard setting activities.

Prior to his appointment, Mr. Wilson was, from 2015 to 2018, Chief of Staff and Director of Global Communications at the ICC’s headquarters in Paris – during which time, he ran numerous global campaigns, including ICC’s application to obtain Permanent Observer status to the United Nations General Assembly.

Previously, he held several roles at ICC’s national committee in the United Kingdom, including InterimExecutiveDirector andDirectorofPolicy,aswellaspolicyrolesintheprivatesectorand theGovernmentofthe UnitedKingdom.

Mr. Wilson holds degrees from the London School of Economics and the University of Leeds.


Mr. Troy Reynolds 【R】
Mr. Troy Reynolds 【R】 Chief Legal & Compliance Officer Tata Communications, United States of America

Troy Reynolds is the Chief Legal and Compliance Officer of Tata Communications. In this role, he oversees the company’s global Legal and Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) departments, and advises the company, its board of directors, and management on all legal matters affecting the company. He has served and continues to serve on the company’s board of directors for many of its operating subsidiaries and is also a member of the legal and compliance advisory committee of Hedera Hashgraph, as well as one of the company’s representatives on its governing council. Since joining Tata Communications in 2008, Troy has been responsible for a number of different functions within the Legal department. Prior to joining Tata Communications, Troy was a Special Counsel at Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, an international law firm, where he provided legal counsel to a number of organizations in the technology, media and telecom sector. He has also worked with other U.S. based law firms – Dinsmore & Shohl LLP, and Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs LLP – in an overall career spanning over 28 years in corporate and business law. Troy obtained both his bachelor’s degree and law degree from the University of Kentucky.


Topics
Digital Inclusion Infrastructure
WSIS Action Lines
  • AL C6 logo C6. Enabling environment
Sustainable Development Goals
  • Goal 1 logo Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere
  • Goal 2 logo Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
  • Goal 3 logo Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all
  • Goal 4 logo Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
  • Goal 5 logo Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
  • Goal 6 logo Goal 6: Ensure access to water and sanitation for all
  • Goal 16 logo Goal 16: Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies
  • Goal 17 logo Goal 17: Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development