Agenda

ensuring the functioning, further development and modernization of telecommunications infrastructure, data transmission systems, television and radio broadcasting, mobile and satellite communication networks, including implementation in rural areas, organizing the transition of telephone, television and radio broadcasting to digital systems, the introduction of modern technologies in these areas to ensure the functioning of existing networks;

organization of interaction with local government authorities and management activities for effective state regulation in the field of development of telecommunication networks, including data transmission networks, television and radio broadcasting in the implementation of strategic priority tasks;

management of telecommunications networks, ensuring their efficient operation, development of telecommunications infrastructure and their rational use, creation of a coordinated system for managing telecommunications networks of various operators, owners of departmental networks in order to fully meet the needs of consumers in communication services, as well as organizing network work to ensure the rational use of state bodies in the interests of defense and state security of the Republic of Uzbekistan;

organization of work on the introduction of industry and state standards, specifications and requirements for the creation, implementation and application of advanced technologies in the field of telecommunications and information technology;

coordination of work on the introduction of modern intelligent systems for managing urban and territorial infrastructure, including housing and communal services, transport logistics, a unified dispatch service, the creation and development of situational centers;

management of issues of certification and metrology, the use of technical means of telecommunications and information technology, the provision of services;

making proposals and exercising control over the plan and system of telephone numbering and allocation of numbering capacity, taking into account the use of telecommunications network numbering resources;

Implementation of representative work on telecommunications issues in the International Telecommunication Union, the Regional Commonwealth in the field of communications and other international organizations.

An ambitious person growing up in the heart of Egypt, I was always ready for an exciting challenge. 

Determined in the modernizing times of the 90s to graduate from the Faculty of Law, Menufia University to start my journey in the legal field. After my studies I went on to work in various leading legal consultancy and law firms, where I played a key role in numerous substantial acquisitions in Egypt.

In 2001, I joined Vodafone Egypt, the leading telecommunications company in the country. With the company’s Legal Department, I accomplished an extensive roster of major acquisitions that took place during my 10 years' tenure.

After a decade with Vodafone Egypt, it was time to get back to my roots. I joined the reputable Zaki Hashem & Partners Law firm as a Partner in 2010, where I led the firm’s transformation and regional expansion. By 2012, I had decided to return to the Telecom industry, joining Orange Egypt as its Legal & Corporate Affairs Director.

As of 2017, I have rejoined Vodafone Egypt in the role of External Affairs and Legal Director, leading various teams across External Communications, Sustainable Business, Vodafone Egypt Foundation, Regulatory Affairs, Public Policy, Government Relations, Legal and Compliance, and Corporate Security.

As director he provides strategic advice, guidance, and knowledge expertise to promote digital technologies in Asia and the Pacific, and serves as a leading figure to shape ADB’s digital technology strategies. Mr. Zaballos holds a doctorate degree in economics, master’s in management development, and bachelor’s in business administration.

Alex has over 30 years professional experience in leadership roles with a focus on building and implementing partnerships to address the world's biggest development challenges. Alex currently serves in the Executive Office of the ITU, the UN agency for digital technology, where he oversees Giga, together with UNICEF, an initiative that aims to connect every school to the internet by 2030, as well as Partner2Connect, an ITU-led initiative to achieve universal, meaningful connectivity and digital transformation. From 2019-2022, Alex served as Senior Strategy Advisor and Chief, Special Initiatives, in the Office of the Director of the Telecommunications Development Bureau (BDT). Prior to joining the ITU, Alex worked in both the private and not-for-profit sectors. He is a licensed professional engineer with a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Toronto and a master’s in public administration from Harvard University.

As UNICEF’s Global Lead for Digital Education and Head of the Global Learning Innovation Hub in Finland, I lead the organization’s vision, strategy, and partnerships for learning innovation and the digital transformation of education systems. 

Working with governments, partners, and UNICEF country offices in over 120 countries, we help build government capacity on digital transformation and support the development of national digital education and AI strategies, strengthen teacher capacity in digital pedagogy and EdTech, evaluate the world's best EdTech tools, conduct research on the impact and cost-effectiveness of innovative digital learning solutions and implementation models, and work with governments to scale digital education in sustainable, inclusive, and evidence-informed ways, aligned with UNICEF’s Digital Education Strategy. 

Our global digital education programmes include Accessible Digital Textbooks, Akelius, Blue Unicorn, EdTech for Good, Gateways, the Global AI for Learning Alliance (GAILA), Learning Cabinet, Learning Passport, Learning Pioneers, Superstar Teachers, Tech4Ed, and Tinkering with Tech and AI.

The Global Learning Innovation Hub is driven by a dual mission: to harness innovations to address the global learning crisis and to shape the future of learning now.

Mark currently manages a team that seeks to clarify the educational implications of mainstream and frontier digital technologies, including AI. He considers how technology is used (and misused) for learning and how it impacts: individual and community health; environmental and financial sustainability; and the quality, equity, and accessibility of education. 

Mark also leads the UNESCO-UNICEF Gateways to Public Digital Learning Initiative which helps countries support education online as well as offline. The Gateways Initiative facilitates international cooperation to strengthen digital learning opportunities that are free and open to learners, teachers and families. It seeks to realize a future where all countries offer excellent digital learning platforms (whether national or sub-national) that are quality-controlled, curriculum-aligned, and accountable to the public. 

Mark has authored numerous publications for UNESCO, including 'An Ed-Tech Tragedy?', a book about education during the COVID-19 pandemic. It examines what happened to learners, teachers, families, communities — and understandings of education itself — when schools closed and formal learning shifted almost exclusively to digital screens. Various sections explore how practices and norms that emerged during the pandemic have rippled into the educational present and influenced visions of the future of education. The publication has sparked international debates about the appropriate places and roles of technology in education. It has been well received by education and technology experts as well as various news outlets, including the New York Times and the Financial Times. 

Mark's other publications of note include 'I’d Blush if I Could' (2019) and 'Reading in the Mobile Era' (2014). 

'I'd Blush if I Could' prompted leading technology companies to make changes to the way AI voice assistants project gender. It clarified how education can help close digital gender divides and was praised by media organizations around the world. 
 
'Reading in the Mobile Era' brought international attention to the ways governments, schools and families can leverage inexpensive mobile technologies to help advance literacy.

Irene Kaggwa is the Programme Manager at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) for Giga, a joint ITU-UNICEF initiative that seeks to support governments to connect all schools to the Internet by 2030.  

Prior to that, she worked in different roles within Uganda Communications Commission - the regulator in the communications sector in Uganda, for a period of 25 years, including serving as the interim Executive Director from 2020 to 2023. Her experience spans policy development, research, strategy, communications/ICT regulation, radio spectrum management, cyber security and implementation of the various aspects of fostering ICT and ICT enabled socio-economic development. 

A registered engineer, Irene holds a Master of Science in Communications Systems and Signal Processing from the University of Bristol and a Master of Science in Economic Management and Policy (Business Economic Pathway) from the University of Strathclyde in the United Kingdom. She did a Bachelor in Electrical Engineering at Makerere University in Uganda.