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WTIS-23
Monday, 03 July 202309:30 – 09:50Opening sessionOpening remarks
Mr Tomas Lamanauskas
Deputy Secretary-General, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Biography
Mr Tomas Lamanauskas took office as Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union on 1 January 2023.
His 25-year experience in telecoms and digital policy, regulation and strategy includes positions of Member of the Board, CEO and Deputy General Director of national communications regulatory authorities in Europe, the Middle East and Caribbean, and senior government advisor on information and communications technologies policy in the Pacific. He also served as Head of Corporate Strategy as well as Special Advisor for Crisis Strategy (COVID-19) and Partnership Initiatives for the International Telecommunication Union, and Group Director Public Policy at VEON, a multinational technology and communications company.
Tomas has Master’s degrees in Public Administration (Harvard), Leadership and Strategy (London Business School), Telecommunications Regulation and Policy (The University of the West Indies) and Law (Vilnius University).
Dr Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava
Director
Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT), International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Biography
Dr Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava took office as Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on 1 January 2023.
With more than 30 years in telecommunications, including over 20 years in ITU’s Development Sector, Dr Zavazava has promoted and implemented impactful information and communication technology projects around the world.
Prior to his election as BDT Director, he served as ITU’s Chief of Partnerships for Digital Development, overseeing development-related projects, strategic partnerships, and resource mobilization between 2019 and 2022, while launching new initiatives that have boosted the engagement of industry, private-sector and academia members in ITU’s work.
Mr Bernard Banda
WTIS-23 Chair
Biography
Mr Bernard Banda is currently Director for Economic Regulation and Consumer Protection at the Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority, the regulator of Information and Communication Technologies in Zambia. He is also the Chair of the Expert Group of Telecommunication Indicators at the International Telecommunications Union. Bernard has extensive experience in research design and implementation, policy analysis and data analytics. In the last few years, he has led several national demand and supply side surveys in Zambia and is actively involved in a number of regional initiatives in Africa.09:50 – 10:00Group photo10:00 – 10:20Coffee break10:20 – 11:30High level session: Universal and meaningful connectivity – the policy perspectiveSession introduction: Achieving universal and meaningful digital connectivity —the possibility for everyone to enjoy a safe, satisfying, enriching, productive and affordable online experience— is key for enabling digital transformation and meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.
Connecting everyone is no longer enough. Universal connectivity without meaningful engagement could inadvertently exacerbate economic and social disparities both within and across nations.
Outcome: This high-level session provided insights from prominent practitioners and thought leaders about the role of connectivity and technology in development strategy, and their efforts to foster universal and meaningful connectivity respectively.
Participants were able to discover innovative approaches to accelerate progress in achieving a truly transformative digital experience for all. Participants also learned how data could inform policymaking and improve the policy impact.Ministerial PanelDr Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava
Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT), International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Biography
Dr Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava took office as Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on 1 January 2023.
With more than 30 years in telecommunications, including over 20 years in ITU’s Development Sector, Dr Zavazava has promoted and implemented impactful information and communication technology projects around the world.
Prior to his election as BDT Director, he served as ITU’s Chief of Partnerships for Digital Development, overseeing development-related projects, strategic partnerships, and resource mobilization between 2019 and 2022, while launching new initiatives that have boosted the engagement of industry, private-sector and academia members in ITU’s work.
H.E. Ms Emma Inamutila Theofelus
Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Namibia (Republic of)
Biography
Honourable Emma Inamutila Theofelus is a young, 28-year-old Namibian woman who serves as a Member of Parliament and the Minister of Information and Communication Technology in the Republic of Namibia.
Before her appointment, Honourable Emma was always policy adjacent and was a Youth Activist around issues of gender, children’s rights, and sustainable development and against youth unemployment. She served as the Deputy Speaker of the Youth Parliament of the Republic of Namibia, Board Member of the National Council of Higher Education and the Junior Mayor of the City of Windhoek amongst other roles.
Born and bred in Windhoek, Namibia, Honourable Emma holds an LLB Honours Degree from the University of Namibia where she served as Secretary General of the Student Union in her final year of study; a diploma in Business Management from Amity University and a diploma in Afrikan Feminism and Gender Studies from the University of South Africa. She is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in ICT Policy and Regulation at the University of Witwatersrand.
Honourable Emma is currently awarded the Laureate in the Individual Category of the United Nations Population Award, 2022 and serves as a board member of the Leadership Council of Africa REACH. She has been recognised as the BBC 100 Most Influential Women in the World 2021, named as Avance Media 100 Most Influential Young Africans 2020 & 2021, named as the New African 100 Most influential Africans of 2020, Reputation Poll 100 Most Reputable Africans 2020 and named as the Emerging African Young Leader by the African Leadership Magazine 2022.
Honourable Emma is currently a council member of Nala Feminist Collective where she is championing digital justice on the African continent. She was further nominated for the One Young World Politician of the Year Award 2020 & in 2021. In her current role, Honourable Emma plans to better communicate the activities and programs of the Government of the Republic of Namibia, create a more digitally literate nation, increase access to the internet among Namibians and assist in preparing the Namibian nation for the 4th Industrial Revolution.
H.E. Ms Aurora Díaz-Rato Revuelta
Ambassador, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Spain to the United Nations Office
and other international organizations in Geneva, Spain
Biography
A career diplomat since 1983, H.E. Ms Aurora Díaz-Rato Revuelta holds a law degree from Complutense University and a diploma in European law from the College of Europe in Bruges, as well as a diploma in international relations from the Diplomatic School of Madrid.
She served at the Directorate for Foreign Policy for Iberoamerica (1983-1985) and as Director-General for Cooperation with Iberoamerica at the AECID (2004-2008). She also served as Minister Counselor at the Embassy of Spain in San Jose, Costa Rica (1987-1991), and later as Ambassador of Spain in Montevideo (2008-2011). In addition, she worked in Brussels at the Spanish Representation to the EU, responsible for Latin American affairs and human rights (2013-2017).
In European affairs, she served in the Secretariat of State for European Affairs in various capacities. She was an advisory member from 1986 to 1987, Deputy Director-General for Political Affairs from 1993 to 1996, Deputy Director for General EU Affairs from 2001 to 2003, and Head of Institutional Affairs in 2011. From 2017 to 2020, she served as Ambassador in Bern, and since then she has been the Permanent Representative of Spain to the UN and other international organizations based in Geneva.
Dr Claire Melamed
CEO, Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Biography
Dr Claire Melamed is the CEO of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data. This growing network brings together several hundred members — governments, private sector, and civil society — to harness and leverage data and data technology towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. She was previously Managing Director of the Overseas Development Institute, and in 2014, she worked in the office of the UN Secretary General, writing the report of the Independent Expert Advisory Group on the Data Revolution, “A World That Counts”. Claire is based in London and heads up a global team based in ten countries. Claire is an Affiliated Researcher at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge and serves on a number of Boards and advisory groups for institutions including the UK Office of National Statistics Data Science Campus, Full Fact, and Mo Ibrahim Foundation Governance Index.
Mr Didier Kla
Director of Orange Business and Broadband, Orange, Côte d’Ivoire (Republic of)
Biography
Mr Didier Kla, Director of Orange Business and Broadband, is a born leader and ardent advocate of technology for the benefit of business development, organizations, and civil society. Passionate about information and communication technologies with more than twenty years of experience under his belt, he is one of the pioneers behind the promotion of the internet and free software in Africa, particularly in Côte d’Ivoire. He has also been an integral part of the deployment of various technologies such as 3G, 4G, ADSL, and Fiber in Côte d’Ivoire.
An expert of the International Telecommunication Union since 2007, he has organized and led several international seminars on ICT development and telecommunications network security. Among these events is the first African regional conference on cybersecurity in 2008 in Yamoussoukro. This conference, which he initiated, was organized in partnership with the African Union, La Francophonie, and the former Telecommunications Agency of Côte d’Ivoire, now known as the Telecommunications Regulatory Agency of Côte d’Ivoire (ARTCI).
Mr Didier Kla holds an engineering degree and, eager for knowledge, has completed several training courses in the fields of Management, Leadership, Cybersecurity, and digital transformation from various recognized institutions such as ESSEC Paris, etc. He was first the Technical Director of Orange Côte d’Ivoire for more than 10 years before taking over the management of the Orange Business and Broadband division, which has a workforce of about 200 employees. This division is the section of Orange Côte d’Ivoire responsible for the development and sale of innovative solutions for both the enterprise market and the general public.
Mr Torbjörn Fredriksson
Head of the E-commerce and Digital Economy Branch, UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
Biography
Mr Torbjörn Fredriksson heads the E-commerce and Digital Economy Branch at the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The Branch’s work covers the Digital Economy Report, the eTrade for all initiative, eTrade for Women, the E-commerce Week, various capacity-building activities, and the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on E-commerce and the Digital Economy. Mr Fredriksson joined the UN in 2000.
11:30 – 12:30Universal and meaningful connectivity: tackling the measurement imperativeSession introduction: In parallel to meeting the policy imperative, we must tackle the challenge that measuring universal and meaningful connectivity represents. Without good data, we are lost. Data tell us where we were, where we are, and where we ought to be. Data tell us what works and what doesn’t. While counting the number of subscriptions is relatively straightforward, measuring the meaningful side of connectivity is much harder.
Outcome: This session presented efforts undertaken to tackle the measurement challenge.
Speakers
Mr Daniel Ker
Economic Affairs Officer
Division on E-commerce and Digital Economy , UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
Biography
Mr Daniel Ker is an Economist-Statistician in the E-commerce and Digital Economy branch of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). His work is focussed on measuring aspects of the digital economy including e-commerce and digital trade. Daniel is an author of the IMF-OECD-UNCTAD-WTO Handbook on Measuring Digital Trade as well as the recent UNCTAD report Measuring the Value of E-commerce. Before joining UNCTAD in 2021, Daniel spent 5 years at the OECD working on topics including measuring the digital transformation and R&D statistics, as well as the G20 Roadmap toward a common framework for measuring the digital economy. Prior to that, Daniel worked at the United Kingdom Office for National Statistics in labour market statistics, National Accounts development, classifications, and as co-Deputy Director for Public Sector Statistics.
PresentationXMr Daniel Ker
Presentation: Universal and meaningful connectivity: at work
Mr Fabio Senne
ICT Survey Project Coordinator, Regional Center for Studies
on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br), Brazil (Federative Republic of)
Biography
Mr Fabio Senne is Survey Project Coordinator at the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br), linked to the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br). PhD degree in Political Science from the University of São Paulo (Brazil), a Master Degree in Communication from University of Brasília (Brazil) and a BSc Degree in Social Sciences from the University of São Paulo (Brazil).
PresentationXMr Fabio Senne
Presentation: Universal and meaningful connectivity: tackling the measurement imperative
Moderator
Ms Linah Ngumba
Statistician, Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, Kenya (Republic of)
Biography
As a trailblazer in the field of ICT statistics, Ms Linah Ngumba spearheads this sector at the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, the National Statistics Office (NSO). She handles ICT-related research and analysis in the organization. Ms Ngumba was instrumental in establishing the ICT statistics division, introducing the Economic Survey report, orchestrating ICT enterprise and public institution surveys, and integrating an ICT module in the integrated household budget surveys and the 2019 Population and Household Census. Currently, she chairs the International Telecommunication Union’s Expert Group on ICT Household Indicators. Ms Ngumba hold master’s degrees in the fields of Communications Management and Economics, in addition to her bachelor’s degree in economics and Statistics.12:30 – 14:00Lunch break14:00 – 15:30Keeping up with the measurement agenda: insights from the Expert Group on Telecommunications/ICT IndicatorsSession introduction: How can ICT statistics follow the pace of innovations in digital technologies and communication services, and still measure the changes?
ITU’s Expert Group on Telecommunication/ICT Indicators (EGTI) reviews existing indicators and develops new methodologies for data collection, incorporating experiences from around the world. These feed into the Handbook on Telecommunication/ICT Indicators, which is the central reference on the topic.
Outcome: This session reported on the 13th meeting of EGTI that was held in September 2022, which included a report of the subgroup on the implications of 5G deployment on measuring M2M subscriptions and IoTs, a report of the subgroup on the development of indicators measuring OTT services (jointly with EGH), and a review of the indicators collected in the ITU WTI Long Questionnaire.
The second part of the session shed light on measuring middle mile connectivity (with a focus on Internet exchange points, IXPs) and the affordability of Internet-enabled devices. It also discussed the possibilities of developing globally comparable statistics that would help better understand the barriers to universal and meaningful connectivity and the deployment of new connectivity infrastructure in these domains.
SpeakersMr Bernard Banda
Director for Economic Regulation and Consumer Protection
EGTI Chair, Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority, Zambia (Republic of)
Biography
Mr Bernard Banda is currently Director for Economic Regulation and Consumer Protection at the Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority, the regulator of Information and Communication Technologies in Zambia. He is also the Chair of the Expert Group of Telecommunication Indicators at the International Telecommunications Union. Bernard has extensive experience in research design and implementation, policy analysis and data analytics. In the last few years, he has led several national demand and supply side surveys in Zambia and is actively involved in a number of regional initiatives in Africa.
PresentationXMr Bernard Banda
Presentation: Keeping up with the measurement agenda: insights from the Expert Group on Telecommunications/ICT Indicators
Ms Bijal Sanghani
Managing Director
EUR-IX
Biography
Ms Sanghani’s experience includes DNS management for DEMON Internet, Provisioning Engineer at Level 3, Senior Operations Engineer at FLAG Telecom and Reliance Globalcom where she was involved from the beginning to build the FLAG IP network. In 2011 Bijal moved from an operational role to managing the Euro-IX operations.
Euro-IX is a non-profit membership association for Internet Exchange Points (XPs). In her role she brings the members together to share ideas, best practises, experiences on technical, commercial and regulatory matters, and works on other IXP related projects such as the IXP{DB} (IXP Database), The Peering Toolbox and others to help promote and support IXPs.
Bijal has been involved with the Peering and Interconnect Community since 2003, she’s been a RIPE NCC Services Working Group Co-chair since 2005 and served on various Program Committee during this time. Bijal also served on the PeeringDB Board as a Director from 2017 to 2023.
PresentationXMs Bijal Sanghani
Presentation: The IXP
Dr Rami Amin
Project Lead, The World Bank
Biography
Dr Rami Amin leads several initiatives at The World Bank and in collaboration with the IFC, developing insight to inform clients and Bank-financed operations on how to accelerate digital transformation, investment, and economic growth. His advisory work focuses on 5G, AI, cloud and data infrastructure, technology adoption, and developing innovative solutions to close digital divides through affordable financing. He also co-leads the World Bank’s Secretariat for Mainstreaming Digital and Disruptive Technologies, manages its thought leadership series on Digital Development, and was appointed The World Bank’s IEG MAR focal point on Mobilizing Technology for Development. Outside of the Bank he participates in various multi-stakeholder working groups including the UN-Interagency WG on AI, GlobalPolicy.AI, the Global Forum for Law, Justice and Development, and IEEE’s Advisory Committee for Connecting the Unconnected.
Prior to joining The World Bank he coordinated Oxford University’s leading research center for interdisciplinary collaboration, providing early-stage funding for projects considered to be radically innovative with high-impact potential. Prior to this he worked for the ECIR Initiative at MIT, the Shorenstein Center at Harvard, and was also a Google Public Policy Fellow.
Rami was awarded a PhD / DPhil from Oxford, an MPP from Harvard, and was a policy and international affairs fellow at Princeton.
PresentationXDr Rami Amin
Presentation: Device Affordability and Meaningful Connectivity
Moderator
Ms Linda Kambale
Economic Regulation Manager, Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority, Malawi
Biography
Ms Linda Kambale works as the Economic Regulation Manager at the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority. Ms Kambale has over 10 years of extensive experience in the field of competition and economic regulation and research. She has been instrumental in designing, planning, and collecting ICT and digital services statistics in Malawi both on the demand and supply sides. She has actively been involved in the works of the ITU expert groups on statistics. Ms. Kambale holds master’s degrees in Agricultural and Applied Economics, and Business Administration.15:30 – 16:00Coffee break16:00 – 17:00Measuring connectivity using open and private sector big dataSession introduction: The explosion of data generated from online activities and connected devices has reached unprecedented levels. The majority of these data sources are private and subject to safeguards and restrictions, ensuring the protection of individual privacy and the preservation of commercial interests. However, in recent years, there has been closer cooperation between the private and public sectors, highlighting the immense value of utilizing privately-owned big data to gain new insights that support the development of public policies. This has been particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Outcome: This session showcased the potential of utilizing big data from the private sector to establish new benchmarks for universal and meaningful connectivity.
Speakers
Mr Andrew Tatem
Professor of Spatial Demography and Epidemiology
University of Southampton
Director of WorldPop , United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Biography
Andy Tatem is Professor of Spatial Demography and Epidemiology at the University of Southampton and is the Director of WorldPop (www.worldpop.org), leading a group of 30 researchers and data scientists. He is interested in how populations, their characteristics and their dynamics can be mapped at high resolution across low and middle-income countries. His research has led to pioneering approaches to the use and integration of satellite, survey, cell phone and census data to map the distributions and movement patterns of vulnerable populations for disease, disaster and development applications. He runs international collaborations with national governments, UN agencies and data providers, and leads multiple research and operational projects funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust, World Bank, GAVI, Clinton Health Access Initiative and others.
PresentationXMr Andrew Tatem
Presentation: Mapping and modelling population distributions and dynamics
Mr Barry Graham
Head of Market Impact Team, OpenSignal
Biography
With over 25 years in the Mobile Industry, Mr Graham has worked for a range of companies from the large infrastructure vendors to small start ups and has worked with networks across the world. Barry now heads up Opensignal’s Market Impact team, responsible for both public reporting, and our engagements with regulators and other industry bodies worldwide.
PresentationXMr Barry Graham
Presentation: Advancing connectivity for all
Mr Amit Misra
Principal Data and Applied Scientist , AI For Good Lab
Microsoft
Biography
Amit Misra is a Principal Data and Applied Scientist at Microsoft’s AI For Good Lab, where he works in a variety of areas, including leveraging Microsoft telemetry for measuring internet connectivity, causal inference via time series forecasting, and exploring use cases for LLMs inside and outside of Microsoft. Prior to joining the AI for Good Lab, he worked on a variety of projects across Microsoft, and also built pricing optimization models at a real estate company called OpenDoor. Prior to his time in the technology industry, he obtained his PhD in Astronomy and Astrobiology at the University of Washington.
PresentationXMr Amit Misra
Presentation: Microsoft Internet Connectivity Data
Moderator
Mr Steve MacFeely
Director of Data and Analytics, World Health Organization (WHO)
Biography
Mr Steve MacFeely is the Director of Data and Analytics at the World Health Organization, based in Geneva, Switzerland and Adjunct Professor at the Department of Economics at University College Cork in Ireland. He is co-chair of the Committee of the Chief Statisticians of the UN System (CCS-UN) and of the Committee for the Coordination of Statistical Activities (CCSA), chairs the Advisory Boards of the Statistical Journal of the IAOS, and of the International Statistical Literacy Project (ISLP), and the UN Productive Capacity Index Technical Advisory Board. Before joining WHO, Steve was Chief Statistician at UNCTAD. Prior to joining the UN, he was the Deputy Director-General at the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in Ireland.
17:00 – 18:30WTIS-23 receptionWTIS-23 reception will be held in the restaurant Violetta Parra in CICG.
Tuesday, 04 July 202309:30 – 11:00Preparing the ground: mobile phone data for official statisticsSession introduction: As mobile phone usage continues to grow rapidly around the world, the wealth of data generated by these devices presents numerous opportunities for improving our understanding of the information society. The session will highlight some of the success stories in using mobile phone data for measuring the information society, as well as some of the challenges and limitations in the use of this new data source.
Outcome: The session showcased approaches to help improve access to data, build statistical capacities of, and funding for, national statistics offices.
Speakers
Ms Esperanza Magpantay
Senior Statistician, ICT Data and Analytics Division , International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Biography
Ms Esperanza Magpantay is the Senior Statistician of the ICT Data and Analytics division of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), where she has been working since December 2000. She is responsible for the collection, harmonization, and dissemination of ICT statistics. Ms Magpantay is the ITU’s representative to the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development and its Steering Committee, the UN Inter-agency Expert Group on SDG Indicators and the UN Committee of Experts on Big Data and Data Science for Official Statistics (UN-CEBD) where she currently leads the Task Team on mobile phone big data. She has represented ITU in international meetings including the UN Statistical Commission, the UN Committee for the Coordination of Statistical Activities (CCSA), the UN World Data Forum (UNWDF) and other international and regional events giving presentations and trainings on ICT statistics. Before joining ITU, she worked for 7 years at the International Labour Office (ILO) in Geneva as a statistical officer. Ms Magpantay holds a master’s degree in Business Analytics and Big Data from IE University in Madrid, Spain, and Bachelor of Science in Statistics from the University of the Philippines.
PresentationXMs Esperanza Magpantay
Presentation: Preparing the ground: mobile phone data for official statistics
Ms Ruaa Alshehhi
Data Analyst, Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre, United Arab Emirates
Biography
Ms Ruaa Alshehhi works in the UAE Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre. She graduated from the University of Nottingham with a BA Hons in International Media & Communications Studies, and recently graduated from Mohammad Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) Executive Program. Ruaa initially joined the organization as part of the Digital Enabling Sector and recently transitioned to the SDGs team. She also holds a position as a member of the UN Regional Hub for Big Data in the United Arab Emirates.
PresentationXMs Ruaa Alshehhi
Presentation: United Nations Global Platform For Big Data, United Arab Emirates Regional Hub
Mr Laurent Sarr
Chief Technology Officer , Global Voice Group
Biography
Mr Sarr holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Poitiers University in France and a Telecommunications Engineer Diploma from the Polytechnic Institute of Dakar. With over 17 years of telecom engineering experience, he has successfully managed the technical aspects of many IT projects for telecom regulators. Mr Sarr has worked as a telecom engineer and/or technical supervisor in numerous countries across the globe.
PresentationXMr Laurent Sarr
Presentation: Mobile phone data for official statistics and better inform policymaking
Mr Trevor Monroe
Senior Program Manager
Development Economics Data Group, The World Bank
Biography
Trevor Monroe is a Senior Program Lead with the Chief Statisticians Office in the Development Data Group at the World Bank. Trevor leads programs that put Data and AI to work for development. Currently, He currently manages a program under the Global Data Facility to accelerate country capacity to use Mobile Phone Data for policy and Official statistics.
PresentationXMr Trevor Monroe
Presentation: Global data facility: putting mobile phone data work for policy
Moderator
Ms Julie Ssali
Manager of Mobile Forecasting and Modelling , GSMA Intelligence
Biography
Ms Julie Ssali is Manager of Mobile Forecasting and Modelling at GSMA Intelligence, specialising in core mobile networks and services. As a region specialist for Africa and Latin America, she provides market insights that covers 5G, next-generation technology and digital financial services in emerging markets.11:00 – 11:30Coffee break11:30 – 12:00ITU’s new statistical tools and initiativesSession introduction: Discover how ITU assists stakeholders throughout the data lifecycle with innovative products and activities.
Outcome: The ITU DataHub was presented, and the Dashboard for Universal and Meaningful Connectivity was launched during the session. The session also demonstrated the new tool that ITU used to collect data from Member States. In addition, an overview of two training courses on the ITU Academy, one on ICT access and use by households and individuals and one on Telecommunication/ICT indicators was also given.
Speakers
Mr Thierry Geiger
Senior Economist and Head of the ICT Data and Analytics Division, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Biography
Thierry Geiger is Senior Economist and Head of the Data and Analytics Division at the International Telecommunication Union. Prior to joining ITU in 2020, Mr Geiger spent 15 years at the World Economic Forum in various roles. As Head of research and benchmarking within the Centre for the New Economy and Society, he was in charge of several benchmarking studies and initiatives, including the flagship Global Competitiveness Report and Global Gender Gap Report series, and led the development of a dozen of composite indicators. He led the Centre’s competitiveness practice for Asia and the Pacific and was responsible for technical assistance and capacity-building activities. Mr Geiger also worked for the World Trade Organization and Caterpillar Inc, and co-founded Procab Studio, a Geneva-based IT company. A Swiss national, Mr Geiger holds a BA in Economics from the University of Geneva, an MA in Economics from the University of British Columbia, and was a Fellow of the World Economic Forum’s Global Leadership Programme.
PresentationXMr Thierry Geiger
Presentation: ITU’s new statistical tools and initiatives
Mr Fredrik Eriksson
Data Scientist
ICT Data and Analytics Division , International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Biography
Fredrik Eriksson is a Data Scientist of the ICT Data and Analytics Division of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) with nearly 20 years of experience in quantitative analysis from international organisations and across the private sector. Fredrik has previously been responsible for ITU’s data collection on ICT household statistics, and re-joined ITU in 2021 to focus on ITU’s work on big data after spending a few years building a Data Science team in the private sector. Prior to first joining ITU, he also worked in the finance sector and spent eight years at the OECD analysing international finance flows for economic development. Fredrik holds a Master’s degree in Statistics from Uppsala University in Sweden.
PresentationXMr Fredrik Eriksson
Presentation: ITU’s new statistical tools and initiatives
Mr Nathan Menton
Statistician
ICT Data and Analytics Division, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Biography
Mr Nathan Menton is a statistician in the ICT Data and Analytics Division of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecommunication Development Bureau where he focuses on the measurement of ICT indicators through household surveys. His work includes managing ICT data collection through country questionnaires and developing statistical models to estimate key ICT indicators such as individual Internet use and mobile phone ownership. Before joining ITU, Nathan worked as a statistician with the UN Economic Commission for Europe and the UN Statistical Division where he coordinated international data collection and analysis on transport, demography, and national accounts at various points. Nathan holds a master’s degree in statistical science from George Mason University.
PresentationXMr Nathan Menton
Presentation: ITU’s new statistical tools and initiatives
12:00 – 12:30Information session: update on the ICT Development Index (IDI)Outcome: This session provided an update on the process for developing a new ICT Development Index (IDI) and report on the progress.
SpeakersMr Thierry Geiger
Senior Economist and Head of the ICT Data and Analytics Division, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Biography
Thierry Geiger is Senior Economist and Head of the Data and Analytics Division at the International Telecommunication Union. Prior to joining ITU in 2020, Mr Geiger spent 15 years at the World Economic Forum in various roles. As Head of research and benchmarking within the Centre for the New Economy and Society, he was in charge of several benchmarking studies and initiatives, including the flagship Global Competitiveness Report and Global Gender Gap Report series, and led the development of a dozen of composite indicators. He led the Centre’s competitiveness practice for Asia and the Pacific and was responsible for technical assistance and capacity-building activities. Mr Geiger also worked for the World Trade Organization and Caterpillar Inc, and co-founded Procab Studio, a Geneva-based IT company. A Swiss national, Mr Geiger holds a BA in Economics from the University of Geneva, an MA in Economics from the University of British Columbia, and was a Fellow of the World Economic Forum’s Global Leadership Programme.
PresentationXMr Thierry Geiger
Presentation: The ICT Development Index
Mr Daniel Vertesy
Economist
ICT Data and Analytics Division , International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Biography
Dániel Vértesy is an Economist at the ICT Data and Analytics Division of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). His work focuses on measuring and analysing digital development and the affordability of ICT services in particular. Previously, he coordinated research projects at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission and was a research fellow at the United Nations University in Maastricht (UNU-MERIT).
His publications cover innovation system dynamics and technological change, the aerospace industry and the economic impacts of AI inventions. He has supported international organizations (including EU institutions, OECD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNECA, WIPO) with developing monitoring tools and statistically coherent indicator frameworks.
He holds a Ph.D. in Innovation Studies and Development from Maastricht University and UNU-MERIT, a Ph.D. in Economics and an MA in International Relations from the Corvinus University of Budapest.
PresentationXMr Daniel Vertesy
Presentation: The ICT Development Index
12:30 – 14:00Lunch break14:00 – 15:30Tracking trends in ICT use and ownership: insights from the Expert Group on ICT Household IndicatorsSession introduction: The ITU Expert Group on ICT Household Indicators (EGH) reviews global experiences to improve statistical indicators measuring ICT access and use by households and individuals. Their findings contribute to the ITU Manual for Measuring ICT Access and Use, which guides countries in conducting ICT household surveys.
Outcome: This session highlighted the outcomes of the 9th and 10th EGH meetings held on September 13-15, 2021, and September 12-14, 2022. The meetings covered various topics, including updates on e-waste indicators, mobile money services, child online protection, OTT service indicators, and skills categories. The session also highlighted the importance of measuring ICT indicators for children and the experience of Bangladesh in implementing their ICT household survey.
SpeakersMs Linah Ngumba
Statistician
EGH Chair, Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, Kenya (Republic of)
Biography
As a trailblazer in the field of ICT statistics, Ms Linah Ngumba spearheads this sector at the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, the National Statistics Office (NSO). She handles ICT-related research and analysis in the organization. Ms Ngumba was instrumental in establishing the ICT statistics division, introducing the Economic Survey report, orchestrating ICT enterprise and public institution surveys, and integrating an ICT module in the integrated household budget surveys and the 2019 Population and Household Census. Currently, she chairs the International Telecommunication Union’s Expert Group on ICT Household Indicators. Ms Ngumba hold master’s degrees in the fields of Communications Management and Economics, in addition to her bachelor’s degree in economics and Statistics.
PresentationXMs Linah Ngumba
Presentation: Tracking trends in ICT use and ownership
Dr Daniel Kardefelt-Winther
Lead, Research on Children’s Digital Engagement and Protection, UNICEF
Biography
Dr Daniel Kardefelt-Winther leads UNICEF’s research on Children’s Digital Engagement and Protection, at the Global Office of Research and Foresight. He works at the intersection of child rights and digital technology and has many years of experience in designing, implementing and managing cross-national, comparative evidence generation projects involving children and adults. In his role at UNICEF, Daniel manages the Global Kids Online and Disrupting Harm projects, implementing household surveys and qualitative research with children in more than 30 low-middle income countries. Daniel holds degrees in Computer Science (BSc) and Psychology (BSc) from Stockholm University, as well as in Management (MSc) and Media & Communications (PhD) from the London School of Economics. He also holds a post-doctoral research position in the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at the Karolinska Institute.
PresentationXDr Daniel Kardefelt-Winther
Presentation: Understanding (and measuring) children’s lives in a digital age
Ms Syeda Marufa Shaki
Deputy Director , Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Bangladesh (People’s Republic of)
Biography
Syeda Marufa Shaki is the Deputy Director of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics where she works as Project Director of the Measuring ICT Access and Use by Households and Individuals project. She currently works as a focal point officer of the upcoming project Measuring District Wise ICT Access and Use by Households and Individuals. She has been working in the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics since 2012 where she originally joined as a Statistical Officer.
PresentationXMs Syeda Marufa Shaki
Presentation: ICT Access and Use by Households and Individuals Survey 2023 in Bangladesh
Moderator
Ms Alana Gorospe Ramos
Chief of the Plans and Policy Monitoring and Evaluation Division (PPMED), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) , Philippines (Republic of the)
Biography
Ms Alana Gorospe Ramos is currently Chief of the Plans and Policy Monitoring and Evaluation Division (PPMED) of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) of the Philippines. Ms Ramos oversees ICT data generation and consolidation in support of the DICT’s ICT policy and planning agenda.
Her Team has pioneered the conduct of the first Philippine National ICT Household Survey, dedicated solely to ICT indicators and aligned with the ITU Core Household indicators. Recently, they had just completed, with the Philippine Statistics Authority, another landmark national survey on women and ICT development.
Alana holds degrees in Anthropology and Information Studies from the University of the Philippines where she also lectures on ICT for development.
15:30 – 15:45Break15:45 – 16:30The promises and perils of AI for statisticsSession introduction: As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape our world, it holds the potential to revolutionize the ways in which we create, analyze, and present statistical data.
Outcome: This captivating and forward-thinking session addressed pressing questions surrounding AI’s impact on data quality and the potential emergence of misleading or falsified statistics. The session focused on the merits, promises, and potential pitfalls of AI in the realm of data and statistics.
Speakers
Dr Emmanuel Letouzé
Director, Data-Pop Alliance
Biography
Dr Emmanuel Letouzé is the Director of Data-Pop Alliance, an international NGO he co-founded in 2013 with the MIT Media Lab and the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, where he holds visiting academic appointments. He works on the applications and implications of data, Big Data, statistics, digital technology and AI for human development, humanitarian action and democracy. He holds a BA and MA from Sciences Po Paris, an MA from Columbia University where he was a Fulbright Scholar, and a PhD from UC Berkeley.
PresentationXDr Emmanuel Letouzé
Presentation: (About) The Promises and Perils of AI for Statistics
Moderator
Mr Alexandre Barbosa
Head , Regional Center for Studies
on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br)
linked to the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br), Brazil (Federative Republic of)
Biography
Alexandre Barbosa, Head of the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br), linked to the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br) is responsible for research projects to produce ICT-related data for the monitoring of national policies and international goals, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He coordinates capacity building programs in survey methodologies in Latin America and Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa. Mr Barbosa is a Member of Consultive Committee of the Brazilian Census (Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics) and member of the Board of Councelors of the Brazilian Center for Innovation in Education (CIEB). Chair of the Expert Group on ICT Households indicators (EGH) from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) from 2012 to 2017, expert at the OECD working party on Measurement and Analysis of the Digital Economy and working party on Artificial Intelligence Governance.16:30 – 17:00Closing sessionSpeakers
Mr Amandeep Singh Gill
UN Secretary-General Special Envoy on Technology , United Nations (UN)
Biography
Mr Amandeep Singh Gill was appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General as his Envoy on Technology in June 2022 and joined the Secretary-General’s senior leadership team as Under-Secretary-General in mid-July 2022.
A thought leader on digital technology, Mr Gill has a deep knowledge of digital technologies coupled with a solid understanding of how to leverage the digital transformation responsibly and inclusively for progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.
Before taking up the position as Envoy on Technology, Mr Gill was the Chief Executive Officer of the International Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence Research Collaborative (I-DAIR) project, based at the Graduate Institute, Geneva.
In 2018/19, Mr Gill was Executive Director and co-lead of the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation. Between 2016 and 2018, he was India’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.
Mr Gill holds a PhD in international learning from King’s College London, a Bachelor of Technology in electronics and electrical communications from Panjab University, Chandigarh, and an Advanced Diploma in French history and language from Geneva University. He is fluent in English, French, Hindi and Punjabi. He is married to Ashma, an educationist, and has a son and a daughter.Dr Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava
Director
Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT), International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Biography
Dr Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava took office as Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on 1 January 2023.
With more than 30 years in telecommunications, including over 20 years in ITU’s Development Sector, Dr Zavazava has promoted and implemented impactful information and communication technology projects around the world.
Prior to his election as BDT Director, he served as ITU’s Chief of Partnerships for Digital Development, overseeing development-related projects, strategic partnerships, and resource mobilization between 2019 and 2022, while launching new initiatives that have boosted the engagement of industry, private-sector and academia members in ITU’s work.Mr Bernard Banda
WTIS-23 Chair
Biography
Mr Bernard Banda is currently Director for Economic Regulation and Consumer Protection at the Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority, the regulator of Information and Communication Technologies in Zambia. He is also the Chair of the Expert Group of Telecommunication Indicators at the International Telecommunications Union. Bernard has extensive experience in research design and implementation, policy analysis and data analytics. In the last few years, he has led several national demand and supply side surveys in Zambia and is actively involved in a number of regional initiatives in Africa.
