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ITU Regional Development Forum for Europe (RDF-EUR) 2023 - Draft Agenda

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Information and Communication Technologies for attaining Sustainable Development Goals

The ITU Regional Development Forum for Europe (RDF-EUR) 2023, took place on May 22-23 in Timisoara, Romania.

22 May 2023 (Timișoara, Romania time GMT+3)

​​
​13:30 – 14:00 ​Welcome Lunch, Courtesy of Romania 
​​

​​
​14:00 – 14:30​Opening Segment Ceremony

 Welcome and moderation

Mr. Jaroslaw Ponder
Head, ITU Office for Europe
​​
​​Panellists

​Dr. Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava
Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau, ITU
​ Ms. Cristiana Flutur
Co-President of CEPT and Chair of Com-ITU
​​Ms. Gwi-Yeop Son
Regional Director of UN Development Cooperation Office for Europe and Central Asia
​​Mr. Dmitry Mariyasin
Deputy Executive Secretary, UNECE
​
​Ms. Athena Vassilopoulos
Generation Connect Europe Youth Envoy, Greece/Luxemburg
​ ​Appointment of the Chair of the ITU Regional Development Forum for Europe
​​


​​
​14:30 – 15:20​Opening Segment PanelDigital development in Europe:Trends, opportunities, challenges

 Setting the context
Mr. Jaroslaw Ponder
Head, ITU Office for Europe
​​
​ ​Panellists

 H.E. Bogdan Dumea
Secretary of State, Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitalization, Romania

 H.E. Azir Aliu
Minister, Ministry of Information Society and Administration, North Macedonia

 H.E. Enkelejda Muçaj​​​​
Deputy Minister, Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, Albania

H.E. Maris Sprindzuks
Minister for Environmental Protection and Regional Development, Latvia 

 H.E. Valeriya Ionan
Deputy Minister, Ministry of Digital Transformation, Ukraine
​ H.E. Nele Leosk
Ambassador-at-Large for Digital Affairs, Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Estonia

H.E. Tadej Rupel
Ambassador - National Coordinator for External Aspects of Digitalization, AI & Cyber Security, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Republic of Slovenia 

 Ms. Olga Tumuruc
Head of Moldova E-Governance Agency, Moldova

Mr. Goran Djurdjevic
Assistant Minister, Sector for EU integration and Project Management, Ministry of Information and Telecommunications, Republic of Serbia

 Dr. Kostas Masselos
President of the Hellenic Telecommunications and Post Commission (EETT), Greece and 2023 Chair of BEREC
​​Ms. Naama Henig
Head of International Affairs Department. Ministry of Communications, Israel and 2023 Chair of EMERG
​ ​Ms. Ekaterine Imedadze
Commissioner COMCOM, Georgia,  and Chair 2023 of EaPeReg
​ ​Mr. Andrei Dodea
Generation Connect Europe Youth Envoy, Romania
​​
​ ​Special Message from Sweden as the Presidency of the EU Council
​ ​Ms. Susanna Mattsson
Sweden's Councillor and Deputy Director, Ministry of Finance, Sweden
​​


​​
​15:20 – 15:35
 Special Announcement



​15:35 – 16:00 Coffee Break and Group Photo
​​


​​
​16:00 – 16:50 Panel One
Building upon the outcomes of the ITU Conferences and UN processes towards the results and impact oriented regional actions in Europe
​​Moderation
Valentina Stadnic
Digital Service Expert, ITU Office for Europe
​​
​​​Panellists
​ ​Ms. Inga Rimkeviciene
Advisor on International Cooperation, Chair of the Project Team on Strategic ITU-D Issues, Com-ITU, CEPT and Vice Chair of TDAG
​​Ms. Blanca Gonzalez
Head of Unit at the Cabinet of the Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructures, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation and Vice Chair of TDAG
​​Dr. Fabio Bigi
Expert, Ministry for Business and Made in Italy, Chair of the Inter-sector Coordination Group (ISCG) on issues of mutual interest
​ ​Dr. Toni Janevski
​European Vice Chair of the ITU Group on Capacity Building Initiative, Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies (FEEIT), North Macedonia

Dr. Mindel Van de Laar
Head Capacity Development Office, United Nations University, The Netherlands 

Mr. Bilel Jamoussi
Chief of the Study Groups Department at Standardization Bureau, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

Mr. Nick Sinanis
Study Group Advisor, Radiocommunication Bureau, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
​​


​​
​16:50 – 17:45​Panel Two​One UN for digital development in Europe with ITU as the UN agency for digital
​ ​Moderation
Mr. Jaroslaw Ponder
Head, ITU Office for Europe

Ms. Sarah Delporte
Project Officer, ITU Office for Europe
​​
​​​​Panellists
​ Mr. Dmitry Mariyasin
Deputy Executive Secretary, UNECE

Mr. Simon Springett
Resident Coordinator, UN Moldova

Ms. Rossana Dudziak
Resident Coordinator, UN North Macedonia

Ms. Ingrid MacDonal
Resident Coordinator, UN Bosnia and Herzegovina​

Mr. Sameer Sharma
Head, Special Initiatives, Telecommunication Development Bureau, ITU  
​ Mr. Nabil Gangi
Deputy Regional Representative, Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, FAO
​ Ms. Daniela Di Gianantonio
Digital Agriculture Team Leader, FAO Regional Office of Europe and Central Asia, FAO
​
​ ​Ms. Ana Nedeljkovic Belja                                                           Mr. Dragan Mladenovic
Gender Focal Point and Project Manager UNOPS Serbia             Good Governance Advisor, UNOPS Serbia
​


​
​
​​17:45 – 17:55 ​Special Announcement


​
​
​17:55 – 18:10 Summary of the dayITU Office for Europe
​​


​​
​18:30 – 22:00 Social event outside TimisoaraMeeting point: Hotel Timisoara at 18:30
​​



23 May 2023

​​
​8:30 – 9:00 ​Networking Coffee
​​

​​
​9:00 – 09:50​Panel ThreeInnovation and entrepreneurship for digital development

 Moderation

Mr. Elind Sulmina
Project Officer, ITU Office for Europe
​ Introductory Remarks
​ ​Dr. Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava
Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau, ITU
​​
​​Panellists
​ H.E. Valeriu Zgonea
President, National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications, Romania
​ Dr. Irena Malolli​​​
Director of Telecommunications and Post Strategy Development, Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, Albania
​
 Mr. Nicos Ioannou
Electronic Communications Officer, Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Cyprus

Ms. Sophia Papathanasopoulou
Ministry of Digital Governance, Greece
​
​Ms. Marinela Lazarevic
Head of Department for Electronic Communications and Radio Spectrum, Ministry of Economic Development and Tourism, Montenegro

Ms. Naama Henig
Head of International Affairs Department. Ministry of Communications, Israel and 2023 Chair of EMERG

Mr. Nikola Nikolov
ICT State Advisor, Ministry of Information Society and Administration, North Macedonia

Mr. Neils Kalnins
5G Techritory Program Director, Electronic Communications Office, Latvia
​​Mr. Uwe Beader
Director International Relations ITU/UN, Rohde & Schwarz
​​


​​
​09:50 – 17:15​Partner2Connect (P2C) RoundtablesFostering partnership building to accelerate digital development in Europe and beyond
​​


​​
​09:50 – 10:35​P2C Roundtable OneEffective mechanisms for transforming commitments into the scaled-up impact of digital for sustainable development in Europe and beyond

Setting Context and Moderation
Mr Sameer Sharma
Head, Special Initiatives, Telecommunication Development Bureau, ITU
​​
​ ​Panellists

 Ms. Radka Sibille
Digital Affairs Officer, European Union Delegation

Mr. David Roos
Deputy Head of the GIZ Sector Programme Digital Development, Germany

 Mr. Dirk-Olivier von der Emden
Specialist in International Relations, Federal Office of Communications, Switzerland​

 Ms. Blanca Gonzalez
Head of Unit, Cabinet of the Secretary of State Head of Unit, Cabinet of the Secretary of State, Ministry of Industry Energy and Tourism, Spain
​ Mr. Teddy Woodhouse
International Policy Manager, OFCOM, United Kingdom

Ms.  Julia Jasinska
Head of International Relations and Strategic Advocacy, Nokia

Mr. Tomas Marques                                                                     Ms. Giulia Iattoni
Regional Sub-programme Coordinator,                                         ​Assistant Programme Officer, UNITAR​
Science-Policy and Air Quality Europe Office, UNEP                  
​
​​


​​
​10:35 – 10:45 Special Project
Mr. Thierry Geiger
Senior Economist & Head, Data and Analytics Division at International Telecommunication Union

Valentina Stadnic
Digital Services Officer, ITU Office for Europe
​


​​
​10:45 – 11:00 Coffee Break
​​


​​
​11:00 – 12:30 P2C Roundtable Two
Digital infrastructure development
​​EUR1: ITU Regional Initiatives for Europe
​​Moderation
Mr. Elind Sulmina
Project Officer, ITU Office for Europe
​​
​
​​Panellists
​​

Broadband Development

​ Dr. Irena Malolli
Director of Telecommunications and Post Strategy Development, Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, Albania (contribution)
 
Mr. Nicos Ioannou
Electronic Communications Officer, Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Cyprus (Contribution -VHCNs  & Contribution - “Gigabit-ready”)

​Ms. Gulnaz Bokuchava
Chief Specialist of Electronic Communications and Information Technologies Development Division Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, Georgia (Contribution broadband infrastructure development & Contribution digital hub)
​ Dr. Szabolcs Szentléleky
Expert on international affairs, National Media and Info communications Authority (NMHH), Hungary (Contribution)
​ Ms. Marinela Lazarevic​
Head of Department for Electronic Communications and Radio Spectrum, Ministry of Economic Development and Tourism, Montenegro (Contribution & Contribution Regfest)
​ Ms. Handan Cantekinler
Chief ICT Expert, Information and Communication Technologies Authority of Türkiye (BTK), Türkiye (Contribution)

​
​

Broadband Mapping

 
Mr. Marko Simončič                                                                  Mr.  Primož Uršič
Head of Telecommunications Regulation                                   Head of Sector for monitoring infrastructure investments, 
Sector Networks and Services Department                               The Agency for Communication Networks and
The Agency for Communication Networks and                          Services of the Republic of Slovenia (AKOS)
Services of the Republic of Slovenia (AKOS)
(Contribution)

Dr. Irena Malolli
Director of Telecommunications and Post Strategy Development, Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, Albania (Contribution SIP)

Ms. Adelina Ognyanska
European Coordination and International Relations Directorate, Ministry of Transport and Communications, Bulgaria (Contribution - SIP & Contribution - VHCNs )

Ms Aleksandra Peczsz-Okońska                                            Mr Michał Chojnowski
Head of International Organizations Unit                                   Expert, Office of Electronic Communications (UKE)
Department of Foreign Affairs                                                    Poland
Office of Electronic Communications (UKE), Poland
(Contribution)

Mr. Davide Gallino
Head of Unit, Statistics and research directorate, Authority for Communications Guarantees (AGCOM), Italy (Contribution)

Mr. Georgian Grigore
Delegate, National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM), Romania ( Contribution - AISEMNAL)


Mr. Henri Haxhiraj
Head of International Subsidiaries, ateneKOM​ (Contribution - Broadband Mapping)

Human capacity development


Ms. Meliha Kovacevic
Head of Telecommunication Licensing Department, Communications Regulatory Agency (CRA), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Contribution)

Ms. Kerstin Borglin
Executive Advisor in Digital Transformation, Swedish Program in Development Regions (SPIDER), Sweden​ (Contribution)


​

​Interventions related to ITU Council Resolution 1408 (Ukraine)

​​​​Panellists
​​Mr. Yurii Shchyhol
Chairman, State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection, Ukraine

H.E. Julius Skačkauskas
Vice-Minister of Transport and Communications, Lithuania (Contribtuion - Radio programme retransmission to Ukraine)
​ Ms. Inga Rimkeviciene
Advisor on international cooperation, Communications Regulatory Authority (RRT), Lithuania (Contribution – support to Ukraine for rebuilding their telecommunication sector)
​ Mr. Rafal Bartoszewski
Chief Expert in International Telecommunication Policy Unit, Ministry of Digital Affairs of the Rep. of Poland.
​ (Contribution - Ukraine support Supporting competitiveness and resilience)
​
 Ms. Blanca Gonzales
Head of Unit at the Cabinet of the Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructures, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, Spain (Contribution - “EU4DigitalUA: capacity building, communication and data protection")
​ Ms. Karolina Sölsnaes
Legal Adviser, Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS), Sweden
​ Mr. Oli Bird
Head of International Internet & Technology Policy, OFCOM, United Kingdom

Ms. Ksenja Podpečan
Ministry of Digital Transformation, Slovenia  (Contribution)
​

Other contributions


​​
​​


​​
​12:30 – 13:20 P2C Roundtable Three
Digital transformation for resilience
​​EUR2: ITU Regional Initiatives for Europe
​​Moderation
Ms. Valentina Stadnic
Digital Service Expert, ITU Office for Europe
​


Panellists


​Digitalization


Mr. Rafał Bartoszewski
Chief Expert in International Telecommunication Policy Unit, Ministry of Digital Affairs of the Rep. of Poland (Contribution - Human centric approach to digital transformation)

Ms. Dragan Mladenovic                                                          Ms. Ana Nedeljkovic Belja
Good Governance Advisor, UNOPS Serbia                              Programme Manager PRO, UNOPS Serbia
(Contribution - ITU-UNOPS Smart Cities Initiative in Serbia)

Mr. David Roos
Deputy Head of the GIZ Sector Programme Digital Development, Germany (Contribution - GovStack – Digital Public Infrastructure for Resilience)

Mr. Maksym Shkilov​
Adviser to the Vice-prime-minister - Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine (Contribution -  Platform of Registries as a tool for acceleration of governments transformation)

H.E. Nele Leosk 
Ambassador-at-Large for Digital Affairs, Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Estonia (Contribution - GovStack - Women in GovTech​)

Ms. Olga Tumuruc​
Head of Moldova E-Governance Agency, Moldova (Contribution - Scaling FOD (Front-office Digitalization) Framework & Contribution - Scaling FOD (Front-office Digitalization) Framework_Offer)

Mr. Nikola Nikolov
ICT State Advisor, Ministry of Information Society and Administration, North Macedonia (Contribution - National e-communication system)

Dr. Toni Janevski
Group on Capacity Building Initiative, Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies (FEEIT), North Macedonia (Contribution - Digital Transformation Support for North Macedonia)

Mr. Dejan Buha
Project Manager, UNDP, Bosnia and Herzegovina (Contribution - Supporting the development of digital service standards and systems in Bosnia and Herzegovina through cooperation with the GovStack Initiative)

Mr. Sherman Kong
Senior Advisor, Digital Impact Alliance (Contribution - DIAL’s support to ITU-D Europe regional initiatives and priorities within the context of digital public infrastructure and data governance )

Ms. Doris Põld
CEO, Estonian Association of Information Technology and Telecommunications (Contribution - Digital transformation for resilience - Estonian approachITL form to ITU)



​

Emergency response

​      
Mr. Alexandr Tatarov
Deputy Head of General Inspectorate for Emergency Situation, Moldova (Contribution - Feasibility study, technical requirements and estimated costs for National Early Warning System )

Mr. Vilem Vesely
Deputy Director, Electronic Communications Department at Ministry of Industry and Trade, Czech Republic (Contribution - Supporting digital resilience of Eastern Europe Partnership )

Ms. Gulnaz Bokuchava
Chief Specialist of Electronic Communications and Information Technologies Development Division Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, Georgia (Contribution -  Emergency Management and Response National plan)

Dr. Irena Malolli
Director of Telecommunications and Post Strategy Development, Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, Albania (Contribution - Development of resilience digital infrastructure in critical situations )

 

Enabling environment

 
Ms. Marinela Lazarević
Head of Department for Electronic Communications and Radio Spectrum, Ministry of Economic Development and Tourism, Government of Montenegro​ (Contribution - Smart Specialization Strategy of Montenegro (S3) 2019 – 2024 )

Mr. Nabil Gangi
Deputy Regional Representative, FAO ( Contribution - Digital Excellence in Agriculture in Europe and Central Asia & Contribution - Meeting the European Union's digital agriculture requirements. A guide for pre-accession countries )


Other contributions



​​


​​
​13:20 – 14:20 Lunch break
​​


​​
​14:​20 – 15:15 P2C Roundtable Four
Digital inclusion and skills development
​​EUR3: ITU Regional Initiatives for Europe
​​Moderation
Ms. Sarah Delporte
Project Officer, ITU Office for Europe
​​
​

​​Panellists

Digital skills​​

​Ms Izabela Iglewska
Chief Specialist, International Telecommunication Policy Unit, Ministry of Digital Affairs of the Rep. of Poland  (Contribtuion)
​
 Ms. Adelina Ognyanska
Chief Expert in European Coordination and International Cooperation Directorate, Bulgaria (Contribtuion)

Ms. Engel-Mari Mölder
Cooperation Projects Coordinator,  Tallin University of Technology (Contribution)

Ms. Naama Henig Head of International Affairs Department. Ministry of Communications, Israel and 2023 Chair of EMERG (Contribution​)
Dr. Irena Malolli
Director of Telecommunications and Post Strategy Development, Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, Albania (Contribtuion)

Ms. Viktoriia Omelianenko
Co-Founder, NGO MinzMin Ukraine (Contribution - Digital skills and Cyber Skills for women & Contribution - COP)

Ms. Handan Cantekinler
Chief ICT Expert, Information and Communication Technologies Authority of Türkiye (BTK), Türkiye (Contribution)

Ms. Marinela Lazarević
Head of Department for Electronic Communications and Radio Spectrum, Ministry of Economic Development and Tourism, Government of Montenegro (Contribution)

Mr. Nicos Ioannou
Electronic Communications Officer, Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Cyprus (Contribution)

Mr. Teddy Woodhouse
International Policy Manager, OFCOM, United Kingdom  (Contribution)

Ms. Ksenja Podpečan
Ministry of Digital Transformation, Slovenia (Contribution)

Mr. Paulius Vaina
Adviser, Communication Regulatory Authority (RRT), Lithuania  (Contribution)


Digital inclusion - Gender



Ms. Inga Rimkeviciene
Advisor on international cooperation, Communications Regulatory Authority (RRT), Lithuania  (Contribution)​

Dr. Caroline Wamala Larsson                                               Ms. Kerstin Borglin
Director, SPIDER                                                                     Executive Advisor in Digital Transformation,
(Contribution)                                                                           Swedish Program in Development Regions (SPIDER), Sweden
                                                                                                 (Contribution)                         
Mr. Boris Radanovic
Online Safety Expert, SWGfL, UK (Contribution)

Ms. Sabine Lobnig
Director Communications, Mobile & Wireless Forum (MWF) ​ (Contribution)


Other contributions

​
​​


​​
​15:15 – 16:05 P2C Roundtable Five
Trust and confidence in the use of ICTs
​​EUR4: ITU Regional Initiatives for Europe
​​Moderation
Ms. Sarah Delporte
Project Officer, ITU Office for Europe
​
​
​

​​Panellists


Child Online Protection

​ H.E Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca
Former President of Malta and Chair of the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society, Malta (Contribution)

Mr. Goran Djurdjevic
Assistant Minister, Sector for EU integration and Project Management, Ministry of Information and Telecommunications, Republic of Serbia (Contribution​)

Ms. Aleksandra Peczsz-Okońsa
Head of Unit, Office of Electronic Communications (UKE), Poland (Contribution & Contribution COP)
​
​Dr. Irena Malolli
Director of Telecommunications and Post Strategy Development, Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, Albania (Contribution)

Mr. Boris Radanovic
Online Safety Expert, SWGfL, United Kingdom (Contribution - COP Landscape Report & Contribution - COP North Macedonia)

Ms. Viktoriia Omelianenko
Co-Founder, NGO MinzMin Ukraine (Contribution - COP)

Mr. Peter Joziasse
Founder, Digital Child Rights Foundation, Netherlands  (Contribution)
​

Cybersecurity


Mr. Rexhion Qafa
Head of Cyber Security Incident Management Unit, National Authority for Electronic Certification and Cybersecurity (NAECCS), Albania (Contribution - COP & Contribution - National Cyber Security Strategy)

Ms. Ksenja Podpečan
Ministry of Digital Transformation, Slovenia (Contribtion - Her CyberTracks & Contribution - Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Center)

Ms. Handan Cantekinler
Chief ICT Expert, Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK), Türkiye​  (Contribution - Cyber Star Hackathon)


Other contributions


​​


​​
​16:05 – 16:20 Coffee break
​​


​​
​16:20 – 17:05 P2C Roundtable Six
Digital innovation ecosystems
​​EUR5: ITU Regional Initiatives for Europe
​​Moderation
Mr. Elind Sulmina
Project Officer, ITU Office for Europe
​​
​​​Panellists
​ Dr. Irena Malolli
Director of Telecommunications and Post Strategy Development, Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, Albania (Contribution – Regional Innovation Profile and Innovation Center)
​ Ms. Sophia Papathanasopoulou
Ministry of Digital Governance, Greece (Contribution - Global Innovation Symposium,  Contribution - Innovation Alliance,
Contribution-Innovation Center)

Mr. Neils Kalnins​
5G Techritory Program Director, Electronic Communications Office, Latvia  (Contribution -  MetaCity)

Ms. Marinela Lazarevic
Ministry of Economic Development and Tourism, Montenegro (Contribtuion -Energy Efficiency in Industry & Contribution - Tech Start-Ups and Scale-ups)

Dr. Mindel Van de Laar
Head Capacity Development Office, United Nations University (Contribution - ITU Academy Training Center – Data Management and Data Analysis, Contribution  ITU Academy Training Center – Policy to Research & Contribution - ITU Academy Training Center – Tailor-Made Training​)



Other contributions


​


​​
​17:05 – 17:15 Final Roundtable
ITU Regional Initiatives for Europe: Rolling Implementation Plan for 2023-24
​​ITU Office for Europe
​​


​​
​17:15 – 17:30 Closing ceremony
ITU Regional Initiatives for Europe: Rolling Implementation Plan for 2023-24
​ Dr. Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava
Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau, ITU
​ H.E. Bogdan Dumea
Secretary of State, Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitalization, Romania and the RDF Chair
​ Mr. Jaroslaw Ponder
Head, ITU Office for Europe
​​


​​
​17:30 – 18:30 Social Event, Courtesy of Israel​
Towards Strengthening the Intergenerational Dialogue for Digital Future
​​



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