Description

ITU, together with the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority, jointly organized the STI Forum 2023 “Side Event – Building the pathway to sustainable digital transformation”. This session took place virtually on 2 May 2023 from 10:00-11:30 hours, New York time, as part of the ITU’s Webinar Series on Digital Transformation.

Over the past few years, science, technology and innovation have become a necessary reality. However, digitization and sustainability are often viewed as mutually exclusive. As the global climate crisis persists, sustainability and digital transformation are well-positioned to be seen as complementary growth drivers.

Sustainable digital transformation has many foundational elements, such as circular economy, greening digital networks and efficiency of information and communication technologies (ICTs), that drive change. Having all of these pieces together can accelerate the progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ultimately achieve global agreements and commitments.

Objective

This session aimed to directly address and highlight the promising developments in science, technology, and innovation for accelerating progress towards SDGs, in particular SDG 7, SDG 12 and SDG 13. This session explored how the ICT sector can help accelerate sustainable digital transformation at all levels. It provided an overview of the importance of circular products and the circular economy. The sessions also described the advancements made in greening digital networks, followed by a discussion on how the ICT sector can reach Net Zero.  

Note: The views and opinions expressed by the presenters during this event are solely those of the individual speakers and do not necessarily represent, reflect, or constitute the official stance, policy, or position of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) or its secretariat.