Highlights November 2024
25-29 November
Policy and Regulation: Arab States
The ITU Regional Office for the Arab States, in collaboration with the Syrian Ministry of Communications and Technology and the Syrian Telecommunications and Post Regulatory Authority, successfully conducted a virtual training workshop focused on ICT market review and analysis. The workshop provided participants with in-depth insights into key regulatory topics, including national roaming, infrastructure sharing, market definition, dominance, and price regulation frameworks. The training workshop sessions combined theoretical presentations with interactive Q&A segments, fostering a robust dialogue on practical recommendations tailored to Syria's ICT sector.
Digital services and applications: Asia and the Pacific
In Port Moresby, under the European Union-funded Programme for Support to Rural Entrepreneurship, Investment and Trade (EU-STREIT) in Papua New Guinea, the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific conducted a roundtable on “Final Policy Dialogue to Expand Network Coverage and Financial Access Points across the Sepik,” in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF).
The event brought together telecom operators, financial service providers, and policymakers to enhance private sector engagement for mobile network expansion through International Financial Institutions and strengthen links between telecommunications and financial services for agricultural value chain actors. Key outputs included recommendations for a supportive regulatory environment to drive digital transformation, foster multi-stakeholder partnerships, and promote the adoption of cost-effective, next-generation technologies to expand mobile networks and financial inclusion in the Sepik region.
Also under the EU-STREIT Programme, a one-week workshop was conducted on the Agriculture Management Information System (AMIS) to Papua New Guinea’s National Department of Agriculture and Livestock. AMIS serves as a centralized knowledge hub offering real-time, actionable insights and automating agricultural processes for improved accuracy and efficiency. The platform enables data-driven decision-making, supporting farm management, environmental impact monitoring, food security analysis, and evidence-based policy development to promote sustainable growth and resilience in the agricultural sector.
Environment: Asia and the Pacific
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific participated in panel discussion, ‘Harnessing Regional Collaboration and Circularity for an Environmentally Sustainable and Inclusive Digital Economy in Asia-Pacific’ in Bangkok, Thailand. During the discussion, the Office highlighted the challenges and opportunities in ensuring the environmental sustainability of digital infrastructure. Key points included ITU's work on standardization for environmental sustainability in the ICT sector, its ongoing projects on electronic waste management in Thailand and Mongolia, and the importance of the extended producer responsibility (EPR) policy principle.
18-22 November
Statistics: Arab States
The BDT-led ITU Regional Workshop Towards Universal and Meaningful Connectivity for Arab Region, held in in Algiers, Algeria, brought together participants from key stakeholders to discuss innovative approaches to connectivity.
The event featured high-level interventions and expert presentations, focusing on broadband mapping, sustainable connectivity, 5G rollouts, and the role of geospatial tools in enhancing ICT infrastructure. Discussions included Algeria’s efforts to bridge the digital divide in rural areas, BDT’s tools and methodologies for driving meaningful connectivity, and collaborations with global partners like Ericsson and Eutelsat ONEWEB.
The workshop emphasized evidence-based decision-making and the importance of quality of service (QoS) in achieving sustainable connectivity goals. This workshop showcased how partnerships and cutting-edge technologies are advancing meaningful and inclusive connectivity across the Arab region.
Cybersecurity: Asia and Pacific
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific joined the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)'s workshop titled "New Playgrounds Online: Addressing Learner Safety from Cyberbullying in Education". The Office presented Child Online Protection (COP) initiatives to address cyberbullying. Key points included leveraging technology like AI to mitigate risks, fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration, and sharing regional achievements such as localized COP Guidelines and capacity-building efforts in Asia-Pacific.
Cybersecurity: Asia and Pacific
BDT organized the 2024 ITU Regional Asia-Pacific CyberDrill in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. Co-organized with Cyber Security Brunei (CSB) and supported by the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications (MTIC) of Brunei Darussalam, the CyberDrill aimed to enhance communication, incident response capabilities, and collective efforts among Asia-Pacific Computer Incident Response Teams and cybersecurity stakeholders to mitigate cyber threats. Attendees from 19 Member States joined the training sessions and scenario-based exercises. By bringing together cybersecurity stakeholders, the 2024 ITU Regional Asia-Pacific CyberDrill improved cybersecurity cooperation, promoted knowledge sharing, and strengthened cybersecurity capacity for the region.
Digital services and applications: Asia and Pacific
As part of the Smart Islands programme, the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, together with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the Fiji National University, the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific held a workshop in Rotuma, Fiji, to enhance participants’ community awareness and digital skills on basic digital literacy, online safety, and the use of digital services for education, agriculture, finance. The Smart Islands programme is being implemented together with the Government of Fiji as part of the Joint SDG Fund programme, and the ITU-Asian Development Bank project on Smart Village and Smart Islands in the Pacific.
The Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific organized digital skills workshops and community engagement sessions on Tonoas Island in the Federated States of Micronesia as part of the Smart Islands initiative under the Joint SDG Fund programme. The workshops trained students and teachers on online safety, crafting compelling CVs, and leveraging digital tools for education and job searches. An information session introduced community members—including teachers, village chiefs, police officers, and municipality representatives—to the digital hub that will be launched under the initiative. Participants learned about the potential of digital technologies to access information, skills, and opportunities, furthering the initiative's goal of fostering digital inclusion and innovation.
[This activity is the result of a BDT project. You can find more details of them here]
Digital services and applications: Asia and Pacific
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific conducted a two-day technical workshop for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) value chain experts under the European Union-funded Programme for Support and Rural Entrepreneurship, Investment and Trade in Papua New Guinea (EU-STREIT PNG). The focus was on the Agricultural Meteorological Advisory Monitoring and Services (AMAMAS) system, a weather and crop advisory tool designed to provide farmers in East and West Sepik provinces with critical forecasts and farming recommendations. Agriculture is a cornerstone of life in the Sepik region, yet unpredictable weather patterns often jeopardize farmers' livelihoods. Through BDT’s capacity-building efforts, more than 300 farmers have been trained to effectively utilize AMAMAS, enabling them to make informed decisions regarding planting schedules, pest management, water conservation, and more. This initiative marks a shift from traditional intuition-based farming to a structured, data-informed approach, fostering resilience and sustainability for farming communities in the region.
Policy and regulation: Asia and Pacific
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific spoke at the Ministerial roundtable. during the Vietnam Digital Week focusing on their work in AI and emerging technologies. On the sidelines of the event, the Office, together with the Ministry of Information & Communications from Vietnam, organised a side event titled “ITU MIC Workshop on AI Governance & Applications” which saw participation from the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office (UNRCO) and agencies such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The session helped disseminate information about BDT’s work on AI as well as that of the Area Office and Innovation Centre in Delhi. It further helped strengthen the engagement with stakeholders in Vietnam as well as broader Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region.
11-15 November
Digital services and applications: Asia and the Pacific
Under the European Union-funded Support to Rural Entrepreneurship, Investment, and Trade (EU-STREIT) program, ITU-D held the third online training in e-commerce and digital marketing for value chain farmers. The training reached cocoa and vanilla farmers, fisherfolk, government officials, and various local organizations.
Emergency telecommunications: Asia and the Pacific
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific participated in the 2nd UNESCO-IOC Global Tsunami Symposium, “Two Decades After the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami: Reflection and the Way Forward,” held in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. The Office’s intervention highlighted the use of AI, satellite, and terrestrial mobile solutions, among others, for disseminating early warning information for hazards.
Environment: Asia and the Pacific
A face-to-face training on 'Fundamentals on e-waste policy and the role of producers' took place at the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok under the framework of the 'capacity development for digital transformation' project which is supported by the European Union's Global Gateway initiative. Participants looked into the essentials of e-waste policy, circular economy, and extended producer responsibility. This interactive program featured in-depth discussions, engaging sessions, inspiring case studies and an informative site visit in an e-waste recycling facility.
Study Groups: Global
The third meetings of Study Groups 1 and 2 in the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) for the 2022-2025 study period took place in Geneva, Switzerland from 4 to 15 November 2024.
The meetings reviewed the main conclusions of the April-May 2024 rapporteur group meetings, appointed new management team members, reviewed and approved interim deliverables, presented and discussed contributions, incoming liaison statements and administrative documents.
4 - 8 November
Emergency Telecommunications: Arab States
A virtual multi-stakeholder workshop on National Emergency Telecommunication Plan (NETP) development was organized in Libya, which established a coordination mechanism and validated the NETP draft. The workshop strengthened Libya's emergency telecommunications and response strategies.
Capacity development: Asia and the Pacific
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, in partnership with the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), organized the ITU Academy Training on "Emerging Technology for Digital Transformation" in Chongqing, China. This intensive course provided participants with a deep dive into the evolution of 5G and emerging technologies such as AI, cloud computing, and big data, with applications in key sectors including healthcare, education, and energy. The training also explored global and China-based advancements in digital and network infrastructures, featuring case studies in spectrum monitoring, industrial Internet identity, and low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite applications. Participants from China, Solomon Islands, Gambia, Zambia, Nepal, Sir Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan Cameroon, Zimbabwe, Lao P.D.R and Egypt joined the sessions.
Cybersecurity: Asia and the Pacific
On 5-8 November 2024, ITU organized a joint training on Strengthening Critical Information Infrastructure Resilience through National Computer Incident Response Team services. This training was co-organized with the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, Cambodia and JICA, and featured 30 attendees hailing from government and critical information infrastructure stakeholders. As part of the workshop, ITU delivered a structured workshop focused on Global Cybersecurity Index recommendations, labs, and scenario-based exercises. Additionally, ITU delivered two table top exercises respectively on National Cybersecurity Strategy and Cyber Crisis Management.
Cybersecurity: Asia and the Pacific
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific organized a joint training on Strengthening Critical Information Infrastructure Resilience through National Computer Incident Response Team services. This training was co-organized with the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, Cambodia and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The training welcomed attendees from government and critical information infrastructure stakeholders. As part of the workshop, the Office delivered a structured workshop focused on Global Cybersecurity Index recommendations and scenario-based exercises. Additionally, two tabletop exercises respectively on National Cybersecurity Strategy and Cyber Crisis Management were delivered.
Network and digital infrastructure: Asia and the Pacific
The ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific partnered with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) China to organize the 2024 ITU-MIIT High-Level Seminar under the theme “Digital Innovation for Inclusive and Sustainable Development” in Chongqing. The seminar featured a keynote and three sessions on “Fair, Reasonable, and Efficient Use of Spectrum Resources,” “Universal and Meaningful Connectivity,” and “Green and Digital Transformation,” covering all three ITU sectors.
Network and digital infrastructure: Asia and the Pacific
Upon invitation from the Malaysian Communications & Multimedia Commission, the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific joined the DIGITAL OUTLOOK SERIES 2024 THEMED “ORBITING INNOVATIONS: UNVEILING THE FUTURE OF SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS” on 29 October 2024. The intervention from ITU was on international regulatory mechanisms for satellite communication that included the WRC-23 decisions and Agenda items for WRC-27 related to satellite communication including NGSO, NTN and HIBS. The key outcomes of the ITU-ITTLLDC 2024 event related to National space policy and regulations were also shared as part of the session outcomes.
28 October - 1 November
Policy and regulation: Arab States
The National Stakeholders Workshop on ICTs Market Review and Analysis for Syria was organized by the Regional Office for the Arab States, in collaboration with Syria's Ministry of Communications and Technology and the Syrian Telecommunications and Post Regulatory Authority. The event gathered key market players, including Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and other prominent stakeholders from Syria's ICT sector.
Through a series of sessions, participants explored the identification of dominant operators, market definitions, analyzed patterns of market concentration, and outlined regulatory strategies to foster competition and inclusivity.
Furthermore, the workshop highlighted international best practices for conducting public consultations, emphasizing structured engagement with diverse stakeholders to gather meaningful insights.
Digital innovation: Global
The Global Innovation Forum held by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) between 28 and 30 October identified key ways to help close the “digital innovation gap." The suggested approaches, focusing on critical factors from expanding collaboration to attracting investment, are meant to spur sustainable economic growth and find solutions to pressing societal challenges through accelerated, and localized, technology innovation.
The three-day Global Innovation Forum, held in Valletta, Malta, emphasized the importance of collaboration, knowledge sharing, and capacity building to bridge the innovation gap and advance socio-economic development.