• Mr Houlin Zhao, Secretary-General, International Telecommunication Union​ (ITU) [Biography]​
  
• Mr Hiroshi Kuniyoshi, Managing Director and Deputy to the Director General, Directorate of External Relations and Policy Research, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) [Biography]
  
• Mr Namir Hourani, Managing Director and Member of the Organising Committee, Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit (GMIS) [Biography​]
  

The active engagement of all stakeholders (e.g. policy-makers, regulators, service providers/operators, manufacturers) is fundamental to enable and facilitate the future of ICTs and their applications in the society. Policies and decisions made today will impact sustainable development of infrastructures, cities, industries and societies in decades to come, fostering social and economic development and growth. Enabling policies in certain areas of technological adoption has led to major breakthroughs in the development of infrastructures and connectivity. This session will bring together key stakeholder representatives to discuss the impact of an enabling set of policies as well as global stakeholder alignment on the future of technological innovation, adoption and connectivity for a prosperous tomorrow.
• How can public and private sector work together to ensure effective engagement of all relevant stakeholders as well as effective planning and design of infrastructure enabling innovative solutions across different sectors?
• What are good practices and case studies of enabling policies for improving different types of infrastructure and connectivity?
• How can countries in varying stages of development work together towards shared outcomes? What tools can be used to bridge the gaps in infrastructure and digital access to ensure no community is left behind?

Moderator:​​

• Mr. Frank Van Rompaey, UNIDO Representative to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva, UNIDO
  

​   Panelists:

• ​Mr Aji Ed, Head of Technology - Middle-East and Africa, Nokia (United Arab Emirates) [Reference material]
  
• Ms Cecilia Ugaz Estrada, Director - Department of Policy Research and Statistics, UNIDO
• Mr Jovan Kurbalija, Executive Director and Co-Lead, UN Secretariat​ of the High Level Panel on Digital Cooperation​
  
• ​Mr Sébastien Kulling, Deputy Managing Director, Digital Switzerland (Switzerland)
  

     

11:00​ - 11:30​ Coffee/tea break

Digitization has ushered in new levels of efficiency in the way we manage assets and resources. Nowhere else has this had a greater impact than in the development of more sustainable urban spaces. The Sustainable Smart City and Society (SSCS) concept has become a reality, and through the collection of massive data and big data analytics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet-of-Things (IoT) and more, SSCS can now monitor and optimize quality, performance, cost-effectiveness and resource consumption of services better than ever before. This session will address the advent of SSCS and the role of emerging technologies such as AI and IoT, as well as the associated opportunities and challenges.
• What will be the next wave of technologies and innovations in 4IR that can be utilized in SSCS?
• What are the governing policies that foster innovation and enable efficient planning and development for SSCS?
• How can the potential of big data analytics, AI and IoT be harnessed to drive greater efficiency and sustainability in smart cities and societies worldwide?
• Giving the potential of ICT, how can governments adapt their approach to adopt ICT and to ensure that this potential leads to concrete difference in people’s lives and to a digital transformation?
• How can such new technologies improve industry production and alleviate the adverse effects of manufacturing and urbanization?

Moderator:​​

• Mr Fadel Digham, Co-Rapporteur for Question 1/2 and Executive Director - Research and Development, National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA), Egypt​
  

​   Panelists:

• Mr Gianfranco Moi, Deputy Director General, State of Geneva (Switzerland)​ [Presentation​]
  
• ​Mr Hyun-Wook Shin, Team Leader - Smart City Business Team, Korea Telecom (Korea, Rep. of) [Presentation]
  
• Mr Kelly Schlamb, Executive IT Specialist - Cognitive Systems, IBM (Canada) [Presentation]
  
• Ms Marie-Françoise Guyonnaud, Professor, Leonardo da Vinci Institute (France) and President, SmartUse (France)​ [Presentation​]
  

• Mr Ahmad R. Sharafat, Chairman, ITU-D Study Group 2​
  

• Q1/2 Final Report for the 2014-2017 study period "Creating the smart society: Social and economic development through ICT applications"

​​ Return to the m​ain ITU-D Study Group 2 page

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