We were pleased to invite all European stakeholders to participate
in an online regional information
session for Europe on “Progress
update on the ICT Development Index (IDI)” held on 10 September 2020 from
8:30 to 9:30
(CEST). Please note
that this session was held back to back with the meeting of Com-ITU (8-10
September) starting at 9:30 that day.
The ICT Development Index (IDI) is a composite index
that assesses countries’ level of digital development. It was published
annually between 2009 and 2017. Since then, attempts at publishing a revised
version of the IDI have been unsuccessful. In 2020, the BDT Director sought
guidance from Council on the way forward.
During the virtual consultation of Councilors in June 2020, the Councilors
encouraged ITU Secretariat to work with experts to find a solution, while
waiting for a physical meeting of Council. Accordingly, the Secretariat worked on a new version of the IDI as a possible way forward. This work will be presented for the consideration of the Expert Group on
Telecommunication/ICT Indicators (EGTI) and the Expert Group on ICT Household Indicators
(EGH) at their annual
meetings on 14 September 2020.
Ahead of the session, noting the high level
of interest in the IDI among ITU members in the Europe Region, the information
session on 10 September 2020 was an informal engagement opportunity, which featured a presentation by the ITU Secretariat on the IDI, followed by questions
and answers.
The meeting was held in English. The draft
agenda and connection details were provided below.
An information document prepared by the ITU
Secretariat was available on the pages of the EGTI and EGH Meetings (https://1f8a81b9b0707b63-19211.webchannel-proxy.scarabresearch.com/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/events/egti2020/
and https://1f8a81b9b0707b63-19211.webchannel-proxy.scarabresearch.com/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/events/egh2020/)
as of 4 September. Participants were encouraged to consult that document ahead
of the information session.
DRAFT AGENDA
Online networking and testing of audio and vidion
Welcome and setting the context
- Jaroslaw Ponder, Head of the ITU Office for Europe
Progress updated on the ICT Development Index
- Thierry Geiger, Senior Economist & Head of ICT Data and Analytics Division, Telecommunication Development Bureau, ITU, Presentation
Questions & Answers and informal discussion
Closing remarks
- Eun-Ju Kim, Chief, Digital Knowledge Hub Department, ITU
