Page 7 - SAMENA Trends - November-December 2021

SAMENA COUNCIL ACTIVITY SAMENA TRENDS

SAMENA COUNCIL ACTIVITY

SAMENA Council's end-2021 Intervention at the World Telecom Policy
Forum Identifies Key Implementable Areas to Shape Future Digital-
Technology Policy

SAMENA Council, represented by its CEO -
Bocar BA, who also delivered a keynote in
support of the Private Sector, participated
and contributed to the Guidelines
adopted during the Sixth World Telecom/
ICT Policy Forum (WTPF-21), held
virtually in December 2021. The Forum
brought together representatives from
all stakeholder groups belonging to 90
ITU Member States, 40 Sector Members,
including SAMENA Council, and various
Observers.

Deliberations at the WTPF-21 delved into
identifying actions that can be taken to
mobilize new and emerging technologies
and ICTs for sustainable development,
as well as practical measures to ICT services and technologies to advance Houlin Zhao, and Opinions 3 & 4 agreed
boost universal, affordable and secure sustainable development is critical for to during the WTPF-21 regarding the
connectivity. Delegates recognized a sustainable digital future. (SAMENA need to adopt effective future-oriented
policy approaches for building the digital
SAMENA Council stressed upon two particularly important future, SAMENA Council stressed upon
aspects for future policymaking and governance: One, two particularly important aspects for
future policymaking and governance:
adopting innovative and sustainable funding, financing One, adopting innovative and sustainable
and investment models that need to be much broader and funding, financing and investment models
that need to be much broader and include
include contributors apart from Telecom Operators alone contributors apart from Telecom Operators
and predictable and sustainable contributions from all alone and predictable and sustainable
contributions from all those that benefit
those that benefit from infrastructure investments. Two, from infrastructure investments. Two,
understanding and meaningfully utilizing the vast data understanding and meaningfully utilizing
flow landscape that now exists... the vast data flow landscape that now
exists, and for which Policymakers
and Regulators should help in the
the need to re-energize sustainable Council noted that this was in accordance harmonization of data categorizations
development and drive faster and more with the earlier acknowledgement by such as global definitions and data-related
inclusive connectivity, and to ramp up the global community of the role that concepts; developing common technical
digital skills. The essential requirement the Telecom/ICT industry, especially the data-related standards; exploring
for setting best policies and practices for Telecom Operator community, has been emerging forms of data governance, and
adopting and utilizing new and emerging playing in digital development worldwide agreeing on digital and data-related rights
technologies and services to facilitate the and more so throughout the 2020-to- and principles at the top of their data-
use of ICTs for sustainable development date pandemic response and future centric policy and regulatory approaches.
was recognized as being crucial. It was preparedness processes.)
also agreed that an enabling environment Bocar BA, in his keynoted, stated that
for the development and deployment of Aligned with the Report presented by "Focusing on these two aspects will help
new and emerging telecommunication/ the ITU Secretary General, H.E. Mr. establish a foundation on which the future

7 NOV-DEC 2021