The third edition of the ITU Global Innovation Forum took place from 28 to 30 October 2024 at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta, Malta. The forum identified key strategies to help close the “digital innovation gap."
The three-day event emphasized the importance of collaboration, knowledge sharing, and capacity building to bridge the innovation gap and advance socio-economic development.
The forum was opened by H.E. Myriam Spiteri Debono, President of Malta.
“At the Global Innovation Forum, leaders, policy-makers and innovators have collaborated to share ground-breaking ideas and actionable strategies to foster digital innovation," said Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau, in his opening remarks.
The second meeting of the Digital Innovation Board of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Alliance for Digital Development, held during the Forum, endorsed the establishment of an Expert Network. This collaborative community will conduct foresight studies around trends, research readiness, open technology innovation, entrepreneurship and SME growth, policy experimentation, and ecosystem initiatives acceleration.
The forum also conferred the Global Innovation Forum Award on three digital start-ups in recognition of their efforts to advance digital innovation in their communities and beyond. A pitch competition was held, and the winning initiatives were selected by an expert jury.
The event brought together nearly 500 participants, including 27 Ministers and Deputy Ministers, along with other high-level officials from government, the private sector and the United Nations system. Participants came from 64 countries. The forum concluded by identifying several key drivers that can help countries champion digital innovation.
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