WSIS Forum 2023: Accelerating digital development in Europe and Central Asia: On our way to Agenda 2030

International Telecommunication Union (ITU), with the contribution of the UN Digital Transformation Group for Europe and Central Asia
Thematic Workshop
Digital technologies and innovations traverse every sector of our economy and are inherent to our daily life. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) can help accelerate progress toward every single one of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At the same time, it can also be the root of inequality and exclusion.

On our way to the High-Level Political Forum (2023) and the Summit of the Future (2024) with the Global Digital Compact, this moderated session will steer the tech community of Europe to reflect on where the regions stand today on inclusive digital development, and where the regions should be by 2030.

It will seek to understand what current efforts are put in place to advance the digital development scenario of the regions, how these mechanisms could be scaled up, and what policy actions are needed to boost the role of ICTs and digital for sustainable development. To do so, the roundtable will first share concrete examples of joint UN Agencies’ support to Member States in the field. Then, it will discuss the key priorities of the regions and related plans to continue the consistent development and deployment of an SDG-centric digital economy and society.

In line with this year’s WSIS Forum Focus, “WSIS Action Lines for building back better and accelerating the achievement of the SDGs”, the session’s outcomes will be considered during a roundtable discussion of the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (RFSD) for Europe and Central Asia. This way, reinforcing the contribution of the WSIS Actions Lines to the SDGs process.