As part of the Catalyst 2030, the African Business Technology Network (ATBN) and the AfriConEU will participate at a webinar featuring leaders of digital innovation hubs, ecosystem builders and digital skills and entrepreneur supporters, who will discuss topics such as the digital innovation landscape in Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda and Tanzania, and the opportunities and challenges present within these spaces. Catalyst, launched in 2020 in Davos at the World Economic Forum by a group of social entrepreneurs in collaboration with governments and community groups, strives to inspire change and innovation in an effort to achieve the SDGs by 2030. From May1-5, the group will host the ‘Catalysing Change Week’, under the theme Solutions from the Frontline.
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Sustainable Batteries – The building blocks of a circular economy
ITU and the Secretariat of the Basel Convention will hold on the 26th of May 2023 a workshop on sustainable management of batteries. Batteries are essential for ICTs and the smart management of energy. By enhancing their durability and recyclability, preventing waste, and improving their design, it is possible to minimize energy usage, safeguard human and environmental health, and decrease global greenhouse gas emissions.
The workshop will discuss how managing batteries sustainably is crucial for a digital and circular economy, and how international standards can support this effort. Participants will learn about selecting batteries for ICT infrastructure and hear from experts on how sustainable batteries are essential for building a circular economy.
Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Serbia 2023
The IGF Serbia has a new edition. On May 16, the Serbian IGF will take place in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. Topics for this discussion will touch upon the issues of cybersecurity, privacy and infrastructure related to Serbia and the balkan region in whole
WP.6 Second Forum
Artificial intelligence (AI) is used more frequently in our daily lives, including search engines and rewards programs. The development of AI chatbots, like Chat GPT, has raised questions about regulation and standardisation. The UNECE’s Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies (WP.6) Second Forum will be held virtually on May 22-26, 2023. WP.6 examines AI from two angles: gender-responsive standards and product conformity. AI can contain inherent gender biases, and products with integrated AI can evolve and become non-conformant over time. The annual meeting in May intends to address these and other regulatory challenges and find ways to ensure that AI products benefit all consumers equally. For more information, access the following link.
Brain-Computer Interfaces Webinar Series-Part 3: Legal and Ethical Implications
During the webinar on BCIs, the panel will discuss the growing use of these applications in the military domain. BCIs are technical means and systems that provide direct links and communication between the brain and external devices. Traditionallly, they have been used in medicine, but in recent times their increasing use in the military field has placed them on the agendas of international law and ethics institutions. The meeting proposes to flesh out the issues BCIs can pose within these domains.
Episode #23: STI Forum Side event on Building the pathway to sustainable digital transformation
ITU and Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority are organising a virtual event on 2 May 2023 as part of ITU’s Webinar Series on Digital Transformation.
The ‘Building the pathway to sustainable digital transformation’ event will focus on how digitization and sustainability can work together to drive growth and achieve global goals.
The session’s objective is to explore how the ICT sector can help accelerate sustainable digital transformation and progress towards sustainable development goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 7, SDG 12, and SDG 13.
The event will also discuss the importance of circular products, the advancements in greening digital networks, and how the ICT sector can reach Net Zero.
Embracing Biodiversity – How the ICT sector can go beyond COP 15
ITU will host an online session on 22 May 2023 to explore the two-sided effect of ICTs on the environment. On the negative side, they contribute to environmental degradation through raw material extraction, increased production, and improper disposal of ICT equipment. However, on the positive side, ICTs and digital technologies can monitor biodiversity, gather and manage data, and promote conservation.
This session will examine both aspects of the impact of ICT on biodiversity and explore ways digital technologies can be used to address the goals set out by COP 15. The session will also emphasise the importance of international standards and feature insights from industry representatives and experts.
Webinar: ChatGPT, perspectives and scope for education in Latin America and the Caribbean
This workshop is intended for policymakers and relevant technical staff from education ministries in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as experts from international organisations, representatives from the private sector and civil society organisations, academic researchers, project managers specialising in AI, applied to education, and anyone interested in the use of technology in education. The specific objectives of this discussion are:
– To discuss the specific challenges and opportunities implied by the expansion of artificial intelligence technologies, such as ChatGPT, to achieve inclusive and equitable quality education for all in Latin America and the Caribbean.
– To review experiences of concrete applications of ChatGPT in educational activities.
– To promote synergies between various actors from the government, private sector, civil society, academia, media, and international cooperation agencies to build a sustainable future in the era of AI.
World Bank Spring Meetings
The World Bank is hosting a public discussion led by ministers and global experts to address practical approaches to the governance issue, as outlined in the report, ‘The Future of Government: A call to Action’, on 12 April 2023. Said report describes the present state of our world as being at an inflection point, given Covid 19, Climate Change and Conflicts, and encourages national governments to first redraft the existing social contract with citizens by first reconsidering: their role, the delivery of public goods, ways to be more productive and how to build trust with their citizenry, all to realise positive change. The report spotlights innovation and technology as precursory opportunities for change, notably in building trust and delivering public goods. The 12 April meeting promises to address practical ways governments, in partnership with The World Bank and other stakeholders, can use these and other opportunities to drive change in support of all, but in particular, the most vulnerable.
ITU-T SG5 Meeting
The next meeting of ITU-T Study Group 5, ‘EMF, Environment, Climate Action, Sustainable Digitalization, and Circular Economy’ (SG5), will take place from 13 to 23 June 2023 in Sophia Antipolis, France. It will be held jointly with the ETSI’s Technical Committee of Environmental Engineering (ETSI/TC EE).
SG5 is responsible for developing international standards related to electromagnetic fields (EMF), the environment, climate action, sustainable digitalization, and the circular economy. Its work focuses on promoting the use of ICT for climate change adaptation and mitigation actions, adopting e-waste management systems, and facilitating the recovery and reuse of ICT equipment. The group collaborates with other standards bodies and relevant stakeholders to ensure its standards align with existing frameworks.