ITU Forum Charts Course for Equitable, Inclusive Digital Future

Emma Okonji with Agency Report
Over 400 top representatives from the public and private sectors, who attended the 6th World Telecommunications/ICT Policy Forum in Geneva, Switzerland, organised by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), affirmed the need to align information and communication technologies (ICTs) and rapidly evolving new and emerging technologies, with global priorities for sustainable development.

The participants adopted five key guidelines addressing opportunities, challenges and policies to foster tech for global sustainable development.

Delegates at the sixth World Telecommunications/ICT Policy Forum (WTPF-21) gave their seal of approval to a set of guidelines shaping future technology policy. These covered areas from inclusive connectivity and digital skills to using new and emerging technologies and services for sustainable development, fostering an effective enabling environment, and how tech can support effective COVID-19 response and recovery.

The guidelines, set out in non-binding policy documents known as ‘Opinions’, were approved in the Chairman’s report at the close of the WTPF-21, which took place online in December 2021. The Opinions reflect common views among ITU’s membership of countries, companies, institutions, academia and civil society, as refined and set down during a highly collaborative two-year multistakeholder preparatory process.

ITU Secretary-General, Houlin Zhao, said: “The ITU family came together at WTPF-21 to discuss the new and emerging technologies that show so much promise for all humanity. The output of the forum sends a clear, strong and positive message to the world that these technologies and ICTs in general are essential to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals and address some of the world’s most pressing opportunities and challenges, from COVID-19 to the digital divide.”

Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ghana and WTPF-21 Chair, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, said: “As ITU members, we owe it to ourselves to do our utmost to harness better the emerging technologies and ICTs to accelerate the achievement of the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development. When poverty is on the rise, when our children’s education is on the line, when our planet is suffering and when our health is impaired with existing and new diseases, we believe that these technologies can and will make a big difference.”

She further said: “These ‘Opinions’ will now provide guidance and support to ITU Member States in formulating future policy, and the task ahead for ITU members as stakeholders is to work towards implementing them.”

The forum brought together representatives from all stakeholder groups belonging to 90 ITU Member States, Nigeria inclusive, 40 Sector Members and some 10 Observers and began with the presentation of the ITU Secretary-General’s report.

ITU Deputy Secretary-General, Malcolm Johnson, said: “The report by the Secretary-General is a balanced text recognising the complexities of the current digital ecosystem. The key public policy questions at its core provides a solid framework for discussion at WTPF-21, which will help build a digital future where no one is left behind and where opportunities have no boundaries.”

The report outlined the topics of the five ‘Opinions’ to include: Enabling environment for the development and deployment of new and emerging telecommunication/ICT services and technologies to advance sustainable development; Affordable and secure connectivity in mobilising new and emerging telecommunications/ICTs for sustainable development; Digital literacy and skills for inclusive access; New and emerging technologies and services to facilitate the use of telecommunications/ICTs for sustainable development; and Use of telecommunications/ICTs in COVID-19 and future pandemic and epidemic preparedness and response.