World Telecommunication and Information Society Day

  While digital technologies are critical tools to respond to the most pressing global challenges of our time and a key for fast-tracking the achievement of the SDGs, responsible innovation and environmental and circular considerations must become integral in the design, deployment and decommissioning of digital technologies . ITU’s unique membership and mandate make it an important player for driving Green digital transformation . This includes it work on green standards and e-waste data and policies , where it guides countries and provides technical assistance to support countries in establishing environmentally sound national e-waste management systems  and regulation. ITU also tracks industry emissions, energy use and climate commitments from the world’s largest technology companies and supports countries in monitoring and tracking ICT sector Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emissions and energy use (e.g., ITU’s Global E-waste Monitor and the Greening Digital Companies Report...

  CONVENING GLOBAL PLATFORMS FOR CONNECTIVITY : Led by H.E. President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Carlos Slim Helù of Mexico, the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development is co-chaired by ITU ’s Secretary-General and UNESCO Director-General and comprises over 50 Commissioners who represent a cross-cutting group of top CEO and industry and policy leaders, with academia and organizations concerned with development. The Commission serves as a foundation for bringing the United Nations Secretary-General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation to life with its advocacy and thought leadership work and contributing and shaping the Global Digital Compat process (in particular in the pillar of " Connect all people to the internet, including all schools ") and outcomes as the high-level advisory multistakeholder group.

  The UN Inter-Agency Working Group on AI (IAWG-AI), co-led by ITU and UNESCO, is to bring together UN system expertise on AI in supporting system-wide policy coherence and programmatic coordination. It combines the ethical and technological pillars of the UN to provide a solid foundation for current and future AI efforts with a view to ensuring respect for human rights and accelerating progress on the SDGs. The  IAWG-AI , established during the 40th HLCP session in October 2020, focuses on advancing policy and programmatic coherence of AI activities within the UN. It currently has 40 UN agencies and bodies as members, and several workstreams such as capacity development, procurement guidelines, education, justice, industry, foresight, and other areas. UNITED NATIONS HIGH-LEVEL COMMITTEE ON PROGRAMMES (HLCP) INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP ON AI (IAWG-AI) : 

There are a number of pre-standardization initiatives , open to everyone, called ITU-T Focus Groups that work for the quick development of specifications to address industry needs as they emerge on various aspects of AI: including digital agriculture, disaster management, health, autonomous networks, and the metaverse. ITU-T Study Groups , that are open to all ITU members, also address aspects of AI and machine learning within their mandates. The work has so far resulted in ITU-T Recommendations and Supplements as well as deliverables from the various ITU-T Focus Groups . There is also ongoing work within ITU-R on this topic of  AI in STANDARDIZATION .

Through the Challenge, ITU encourages and supports the growing community driving the integration of AI/ML in networks and at the same time enhances the community driving standardization work for AI/ML, creating new opportunities for industry and academia to influence the evolution of ITU standards . The solutions can be accessed in several repositories on the Challenge GitHub

.  The ITU is committed to promoting cybersecurity and ensuring the security of telecommunication/ICT networks and services . Its Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) provides a framework for measuring a country's commitment and helps improve cybersecurity. ITU's National CIRT Programme helps enhance countries' cybersecurity capabilities , and its Cyberdrill exercises provide hands-on training for cyber incident response teams. ITU is also helping countries develop their National Cybersecurity Strategies andaction plans and promoting cybersecurity inclusion through initiatives such as Child Online Protection (COP) and Women in Cyber . ITU provides capacity building support for developing countries and has established programs for women in cybersecurity. As an international standards-making body for ICTs, interoperability, accessibility and security are our requirements from the design stage. Over 200 standards focusing on security and a series of ICT standards (e.g., Ar...

  According to ITU estimates, by 2025, 280 million more men than women are expected to use the internet globally. While 77% of men are online, only 71% of women have access. Bridging this gap is essential for inclusive digital growth and opportunities for women and girls worldwide. The GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR GENDER EQUALITY IN THE DIGITAL AGE ( EQUALS ) contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Agenda through actions and evidence-based research aimed at closing the global gender digital divide. By promoting awareness, building political commitments, leveraging resources and knowledge, harnessing the capacities of partners, and supporting real action, EQUALS seeks to achieve digital gender equality . Generation Connect is a leading platform to engage, specifically with global youth and encourage Youth participation as equal partners alongside the leaders of today’s digital change, empowering young people with thedigital skills and opportunities to advance their vision of conn...