Dr Fadel Digham, Chair of Study Group 2,
Vice-Chairs,
Rapporteurs and Vice-Rapporteurs of Study Group 2,
Distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen,
It is my pleasure to welcome you to the fourth and final annual meeting of ITU-D Study Group 2.
And though she is not able to join us, I would also like to acknowledge Ms Roxanne McElvane Webber, Chair of TDAG.
It has not been long since our last meeting, but I know you have been busier than ever engaging in numerous events and sharing insightful discussions as we prepare for the upcoming WTDC in Baku and continue to make strides toward our common goal of advancing digital transformation.
Your presence here is testament to your dedication to that goal.
You all have demanding commitments associated with your principal duties in your home countries and your participation in recent RDFs, RPMs and other preparatory activities for the next WTDC. I am grateful for your dedication and efforts.
The BDT remains engaged and supportive of your work aligning our initiatives, programmes and projects with the scope of this study group on 'Digital Transformation', all in the service of implementing the Kigali Action Plan.
Our efforts have yielded tangible impacts in various communities.
Through the Smart Islands and Smart Villages initiatives, we have facilitated the training in Niger as well as across Asia and the Pacific region, including Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, and Pakistan where we recently launched the third smart village. This initiative is not only nurturing essential digital skills but also fostering community transformation as we see enhanced health services, girls access to learning science subjects, smart classrooms, and much more.
The Digital Transformation Centre initiative is revolutionizing lives, in Ghana, in the Philippines and other locations, with significant participation of women, people with visual impairment, and also indigenous people.
In Sierra Leone, it has benefited 480 young boys and girls from marginalized communities, providing them with digital skills training and on overall, fostering a culture of continuous learning and digital innovation.
At least 80% of participants became proficient in basic to intermediate digital skills marking a much-needed increase in digital literacy among these youths.
Other initiatives include the “Digital Agriculture and Rural Transformation" (DART) programme, a groundbreaking joint programme leveraging digitalization to advance Albania's sustainability goals with interventions targeted at smallholder farmers, the green digital transformation towards a net-zero digital sector in the Philippines and Tanzania, to name a few.
Cybersecurity remains another critical area of focus, with our cyberdrills reaching out to 160 countries last year. This week we have another global cyberdrill in UAE, targeting as many countries.
Among other countries, a Computer Incidence Response Team readiness assessment was also conducted in January for our newest ITU Member, Palau reinforcing our support for secure digital ecosystems.
These are but a few examples of much more work in BDT, to bring digital transformation and to reinforce efforts of the Member States.
Digital Inclusion cuts across our work. I mentioned in Study Group 1 about a key youth event, but allow me to share it here too. The ITU Global Youth Summit 2025 was duly held in Varadero, Cuba in March. The aim was to amplify youth voices on the tech-driven future, and identify their priorities above all, ensuring information and communication technologies are safe, affordable and accessible. It was a great success.
This week also marks an important juncture as we anticipate the approval of your seven output reports from this study period.
In total, more than 670 documents have been received over this study period. Your insightful contributions have been particularly crucial to the development of these comprehensive reports, and I look forward to their approval.
Nevertheless, our mission extends beyond these achievements. We must remain cognizant of the evolving global challenges that lie ahead. Migration to urban areas is projected to rise with two-thirds of the world's population migrating to urban areas. We must close the urban-digital divide.
We are also witnessing the rapid growth of AI which is projected to become a huge market, but which could exacerbate the digital divide unless we make a concerted effort to promote digital skills and access.
As we deliberate on these and other issues, I strongly encourage you to contemplate how we can shape our current and future study topics and make them even more relevant and impactful ensuring we remain at the forefront of creating a better future for all.
Thank you for your steadfast engagement, including the TDAG Working Group on Future Study Group Questions, a crucial step in the preparation for WTDC-25.
I wish you a successful meeting. Thank you.
