Digital cooperation Archives | Page 9 of 230

French CNIL hosts global privacy talks in Paris

The French Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés will host the G7 roundtable of data protection and privacy authorities in June 2026. The meeting aims to strengthen international cooperation amid rapid digital and AI developments.

The roundtable, created in 2021, brings together data protection authorities from G7 countries and the EU. It focuses on sharing legal and technological developments and encouraging coordinated approaches to common challenges.

Key areas of work for 2026 include emerging technologies, enforcement cooperation and the free flow of data. The discussions are expected to address growing concerns about data protection amid expanding AI use.

The CNIL stated that the French presidency will prioritise dialogue and practical cooperation, aiming to support global governance that respects fundamental rights, and that the event will take place in Paris.

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Uganda to host Digital Government Africa 2026 summit

Uganda has announced that it will host the 2026 Digital Government Africa conference, presenting the event as a platform for continental dialogue on digital transformation, public service modernisation, and government innovation.

The announcement was made at a press conference in Kampala by the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, the National Information Technology Authority of Uganda, and representatives of African Brains Global.

According to the organisers, the summit will bring together ministers, regulators, cybersecurity experts, cloud and data centre providers, digital finance institutions, investors, innovators, and development partners from across Africa and beyond. The event is scheduled to take place in Kampala from 6 to 8 October 2026.

Uganda’s Minister of ICT and National Guidance, Chris Baryomunsi, said the conference reflects growing confidence in the country’s digital transformation efforts and offers an opportunity to showcase how ICT is shaping service delivery and national development. The government linked the summit to Uganda’s wider Digital Transformation Roadmap, which focuses on digital infrastructure, e-government services, cybersecurity resilience, digital skills, and innovation.

Officials also pointed to Uganda’s expanding digital infrastructure. According to the ministry, the National Backbone Infrastructure now exceeds 5,000 kilometres of fibre-optic cable, connecting government institutions, districts, and urban centres, while more than 1,500 government sites use high-speed internet to support systems such as financial management, e-procurement, and online tax services.

The government also cited broader indicators of digital growth, including more than 44.3 million active mobile connections, expanding internet access through 4G and emerging 5G trials, and an ICT sector contributing more than 9% to GDP. Officials said hosting the summit should strengthen engagement between policymakers and innovators and raise Uganda’s profile as an ICT investment destination.

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Australia expands collaboration efforts in key science and technology areas

The Australian Government Department of Industry, Science and Resources has announced $6.2 million in funding for nine international projects under round two of the Global Science and Technology Diplomacy Fund (GSTDF).

The programme supports collaboration, innovation and commercialisation in priority technology areas. The selected projects focus on AI, advanced manufacturing, quantum technologies and hydrogen, with several initiatives applying AI to areas such as robotics, satellite networks and ocean forecasting.

According to the department, Australian researchers will work with international partners across Asia-Pacific, with projects spanning fields from healthcare to environmental monitoring and space technologies.

The funding reflects a broader effort to deepen international cooperation and advance strategic technologies, with collaborations involving countries including Singapore, Vietnam, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, and South Korea, supporting innovation linked to Australia.

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Bank of America forum highlights AI, quantum and Asia Pacific innovation

Bank of America convened its fifth Breakthrough Technology Dialogue in Singapore, bringing together leaders from business, academia, and science to discuss emerging technologies shaping the future. The event focused on areas including AI, quantum computing, energy, MedTech, and space.

The forum also highlighted the growing importance of the Asia Pacific in driving technological development and deployment. According to Bank of America, the region’s strong research base, advanced manufacturing capacity, and expanding digital infrastructure are helping position it at the centre of global innovation.

Designed as a high-level platform for discussion, the dialogue explored how emerging technologies are reshaping industries and economies. Participants also examined longer-term investment approaches and the need to connect innovation with practical use cases that can scale across markets.

The initiative reflects Bank of America’s wider approach to technology investment, combining large-scale spending with a stated focus on client and employee needs and on solutions that can be delivered at scale. The event is increasingly being presented as a global forum for shaping views on the next generation of technological change.

Why does it matter?

The significance of the dialogue lies less in any single announcement than in the way it brings together investors, executives, academics, and technologists around the sectors likely to shape future industrial and economic power. The emphasis on Asia Pacific also reflects a broader recognition that leadership in AI, quantum, and other frontier technologies will depend not only on research breakthroughs, but also on where they are manufactured, financed, and deployed at scale.

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EU and Armenia deepen digital and security partnership in Yerevan

The EU and Armenia have signed a new connectivity partnership during their first bilateral summit in Yerevan, expanding cooperation across digital infrastructure, transport, energy, defence, and border management. The agreement forms part of the EU’s broader effort to strengthen political and economic ties in the South Caucasus while supporting regional stability.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the summit had taken EU-Armenia relations to a new level, with future cooperation focused on economic integration, political dialogue, and security. The partnership aligns the EU’s Cross-Regional Connectivity Agenda with Armenia’s ‘Crossroad of Peace’ initiative and introduces high-level dialogues on connectivity and transport.

The summit also launched new initiatives in digital infrastructure, semiconductor skills, innovation ecosystems, and private investment mobilisation. Brussels advanced Armenia’s visa liberalisation process, strengthened border cooperation through Frontex, and backed security cooperation through an EU Partnership Mission and €30 million in European Peace Facility assistance.

At the same time, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez used the European Political Community meeting in Yerevan to call for stronger digital governance across Europe. Speaking at a roundtable on democratic resilience and hybrid threats, he warned that digital infrastructure and social media platforms are being used to exploit democratic vulnerabilities.

Sánchez called for action in three areas: implementing the European Democracy Shield, strengthening the European Centre for Democratic Resilience, and establishing a European-level digital age of majority. He also urged a review of platform obligations under the Digital Services framework and promoted coordinated action among countries committed to defending democracy.

Alongside the summit, Sánchez met Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to discuss peace efforts, EU-Armenia relations, multilateralism, energy cooperation, and digital sovereignty.

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Australia and Japan expand cooperation on AI, supply chains and resilience

Australia and Japan have issued a joint declaration on economic security cooperation, stating that economic and technological resilience are central to national security and setting out a broad agenda for closer bilateral coordination across supply chains, critical technologies, and Indo-Pacific connectivity.

The declaration states that economic resilience is foundational to both countries’ security and that the framework is intended to strengthen strategic autonomy, indispensability, and regional resilience.

Furthermore, the declaration commits the two governments to closer policy alignment through existing bilateral mechanisms and to consultation on economic security contingencies linked to geopolitical tensions, economic coercion, and major market disruptions.

A major focus is on supply chain security in strategically significant sectors. Australia and Japan reaffirmed their partnership on minerals, energy, food, and industrial goods, while expressing concern over economic coercion, harmful overcapacity, and export restrictions, particularly in critical minerals.

The declaration also highlights cooperation on critical minerals projects, domestic smelting and metals processing, and coordination among government-backed finance institutions to support investment and supply chain resilience.

The text also emphasises critical and emerging technologies. Australia and Japan say they will deepen cooperation on research security and integrity, while promoting trusted collaboration between governments, national laboratories, industry, and academia in areas including AI, data centres, quantum, biotechnology, space, undersea cables, and telecommunications. The declaration also links advanced technologies to defence industry cooperation and supply chain collaboration.

In the Indo-Pacific, the two countries say they will work together to foster a safe, secure, and trustworthy AI and digital ecosystem, including through the Hiroshima AI Process and cooperation on digital infrastructure such as telecommunications, undersea cables, data centres, and all-photonics networks. The declaration also commits them to stronger coordination on secure undersea cables, describing them as vital regional infrastructure.

More broadly, Australia and Japan reaffirm support for a rules-based international economic order centred on the World Trade Organization, while also backing further work through the The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Quad, the Asia Zero Emission Community, and other regional initiatives.

The declaration presents economic security cooperation not only as a bilateral priority but as part of a wider effort to strengthen resilience, secure connectivity, and trusted technology governance across the Indo-Pacific.

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Peacebuilding and AI in focus at UNSSC webinar series

The United Nations System Staff College has highlighted growing interest across the UN and the wider peacebuilding community in how artificial intelligence is shaping conflict prevention, arguing that the technology can support peace efforts but cannot replace human judgement, diplomacy, and oversight.

The reflection draws on a three-part webinar series launched by UNSSC to examine AI governance, field use, and ethical risks in peacebuilding. According to the text, one message ran across all three discussions: AI may offer real value for conflict prevention, but its role should remain supportive rather than substitutive.

The piece argues that AI is already being used across the UN peace and security pillar and should be introduced only where it improves effectiveness, such as by handling repetitive tasks and allowing staff to focus on analysis, leadership, and political judgement. It also stresses that principles long associated with peacebuilding, including trust and ‘do no harm’, should apply across the full AI stack, from data and infrastructure to model design and deployment.

Examples cited from the webinar series include the use of augmented intelligence in early warning systems, where machine learning is combined with human contextual knowledge, and an AI-enabled WhatsApp chatbot used in Yemen to broaden participation in mediation, particularly among women and young people. The text presents these cases as evidence that AI can extend the reach of peacebuilding tools without replacing practitioners.

The final part of the reflection focuses on governance and ethics. It argues that while ethical AI principles are widely discussed, they need to be translated into practical, context-specific safeguards, especially in conflict settings. It also notes that risks differ across use cases such as early warning, social media monitoring, and mediation support, and says meaningful governance requires input from diplomats, researchers, mediators, and the private sector.

UNSSC says the webinar series drew between 300 and 500 registrants per session, which it presents as evidence of strong demand for more targeted learning on AI and peacebuilding. The college argues that its role should extend beyond convening discussion to turning those debates into practical knowledge for UN practitioners working at the intersection of AI and conflict prevention.

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MoneyGram and Kraken connect crypto and cash globally

Kraken has entered a strategic partnership with MoneyGram to enable crypto-to-cash withdrawals in more than 100 countries. The integration links digital asset infrastructure with MoneyGram’s global network, allowing users to convert crypto into hundreds of fiat currencies through physical and digital payout channels.

The service is intended to address one of the main barriers to crypto adoption by improving access to reliable off-ramps. Users will be able to transfer funds to their accounts and receive near-instant cash payouts through MoneyGram’s retail network and regulated payment infrastructure.

Both companies highlighted the importance of interoperability between traditional finance and digital assets in driving practical adoption.

Kraken stressed the value of connecting liquidity and compliance systems with established payment rails, while MoneyGram presented its global distribution network as a bridge between digital value and everyday financial use.

The rollout will begin across the United States, Europe, Latin America, Africa, and parts of Asia-Pacific, with plans to expand further into local bank deposits and additional payment services as the partnership develops.

Why does it matter?

The partnership addresses one of the main friction points in crypto adoption: converting digital assets into usable cash at scale. By linking crypto infrastructure with a global payout network, it strengthens the practical use of digital assets beyond trading and speculation.

More broadly, it reflects a gradual convergence between traditional financial rails and crypto-native systems, with interoperability becoming increasingly important to how value moves across borders.

It may also support financial inclusion by expanding access to cash-out services in regions where banking infrastructure remains limited or uneven.

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UNESCO supports Western Balkans regulators on EU digital rules implementation

UNESCO organised a study visit for media regulators from the Western Balkans under an EU-funded project on journalism as a public good. The initiative aimed to support preparation for European rules affecting the information ecosystem.

Participants from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia examined implementation of the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA). The visit included exchanges with institutions in France and the Netherlands on regulatory approaches.

The Netherlands presented a model based on a risk-based regulatory culture, with separate roles for a Digital Services Coordinator and a media authority. France presented a more integrated structure within a central media regulator, supported by specialised bodies and legislation.

Meetings involved stakeholders, including the House of Representatives of the Netherlands, TikTok, Reporters Without Borders, and UNESCO. Discussions covered platform engagement, regulatory cooperation, and institutional practice.

Participants identified institutional cooperation, technical expertise, and engagement with platforms as key elements of effective implementation. Discussions with Mariya Gabriel also addressed public-interest journalism, platform governance, and regional cooperation to tackle digital risks while safeguarding freedom of expression.

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Canada and partners welcome EU as strategic partner in telecom coalition

The Government of Canada and its international partners have announced that the European Union has joined the Global Coalition on Telecommunications as its first strategic partner, reinforcing cooperation on secure, resilient, and trusted next-generation telecom networks.

The coalition, established in 2023, brings together governments, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Australia, to promote secure supply chains, interoperable standards, and telecommunications innovation. More recent expansion has also brought in Finland and Sweden, widening the coalition’s international reach and its work on future telecom technologies, including 6G.

The EU’s inclusion reflects a shared interest in closer policy coordination, technical standards development, and telecom innovation. As a strategic partner, the EU is expected to contribute to discussions, support coalition workstreams, and collaborate on initiatives aligned with the group’s broader objectives. Strategic partnerships are designed to allow flexible cooperation while leaving governance control with the coalition’s core members.

Canadian officials described the step as a significant milestone in efforts to strengthen secure and trusted telecommunications networks through joint policy, research, and innovation. In practical terms, the move points to a broader effort among like-minded partners to shape the future of telecom infrastructure through coordinated international action rather than fragmented national approaches. This final sentence is an inference grounded in the coalition’s stated purpose and the new strategic partner model.

Why does it matter?

The significance of the move lies in the way telecom policy is increasingly being treated as a strategic coordination issue rather than just a domestic infrastructure question. By bringing the EU into the coalition as its first strategic partner, the group is widening its capacity to shape standards, supply chain resilience, and future network technologies across a broader transatlantic and Indo-Pacific policy space. That matters because the contest over telecom systems is no longer only about connectivity, but also about security, industrial policy, and influence over the technologies that will underpin future digital economies.

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