ITU Digital World 2021

Opening Ceremony live from Ha Noi, Viet Nam

an ITU Telecom event

Building the digital world. Together.

The 50th anniversary edition of the UN global tech event for government and industry

ITU Digital world 2021

Online, September to December 2021

ITU Digital World 2021 is now taking place virtually from September to December 2021.

Join us online for a series of high-level Forum debates and Ministerial Roundtables on digital transformation, the SME Programme and Virtual Exhibition. World-class content, whatever the format.

Find out more

Global meeting place

Expert, international perspectives

Government and industry leaders

Technology, policy & strategy trends

Universal connectivity

ICTs for development

Who is it for

Programme summary

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Forum sessions

27 Oct, 13:30-15:00 (Geneva time):
Regulatory Roundtable - Ensuring participatory regulation for an equitable and safe digital future

5 Nov, 13:30-14:45 (Geneva time):
Upskilling us all: digital skills for a digital world

17 Nov, 13:30-14:45 (Geneva time):
Human at heart: privacy, transparency and accountability in AI

24 Nov, 13:30-15:00 (Geneva time):
Greening our own house: addressing the environmental footprint of digital technologies

26 Nov, 13:00-18:00 (Geneva time):
2nd joint ITU/WHO workshop on digital COVID-19 certificates

30 Nov, 13:30-14:45 (Geneva time):
Securing cyberspace and protecting privacy: meeting the challenges of a digital world

SME Awards

26 Oct, 12:00-14:00 (Geneva time):
Pitching Day 01: Connectivity

2 Nov, 12:00-14:00 (Geneva time):
Pitching Day 02: EdTech

9 Nov, 12:00-14:00 (Geneva time):
Pitching Day 03: Smart Cities

16 Nov, 12:00-14:00 (Geneva time):
Pitching Day 04: E-health

23 Nov, 12:00-14:00 (Geneva time):
Pitching Day 05: Digital finance

1 Dec, 15:00-16:30 (Geneva time):
ITU Digital World 2021 SME Awards Ceremony

Partner sessions

11 Nov, 13:00-15:00 (Geneva time):
The 10th GTI Spectrum and Technology Online Workshop

18 Nov, 08:30-09:45 (Geneva time):
Beyond chocolate: cutting-edge digital solutions from Switzerland

SME Masterclasses

28 Oct, 15:00-16:30 (Geneva time):
Sustainable startups and SME-corporate collaboration

29 Nov, 14:00-15:30 (Geneva time):
Finding the perfect connectivity product to market fit for SMEs

2021 highlights

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Session
summaries

Session
videos

Executive
interviews

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How to take part

Debate

Expert speakers, industry and government leaders, world-class debate. Exploring the new realities of digital transformation.

Sponsor

Your brand, message and thought-leadership. At the heart of the international ICT community.

Network

Connect with speakers, peers and participants in our informal online networking sessions.

Exhibit

A global virtual exhibition platform for the tech industry, featuring National Pavilions and business booths.

ITU Digital World 2021 SME Programme and Awards

Opening the door to opportunity for innovative tech SMEs with real social impact. A programme of free, expert-led online SME masterclasses. UN credibility, visibility, partnership and networking in our SME Awards.

SME Programme

SME Awards Finalists and Winners

2021 Speakers

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Annabel Lee

Head of Digital Policy, APJ
Amazon Web Services, Inc.

Full bio

Ivana Bartoletti

Global Data Privacy Officer
Wipro Limited

Ruixin Gao

Director of the Data Protection Compliance Department
ZTE Corporation

Irene Kaggwa Sewankambo

Ag. Executive Director
Uganda Communications Commission (UCC)

Gene Yoo

CEO
Resecurity Inc.

What they said

The satellite sector is well placed to drive truly global digital transformation, but this ‘gift to society’ must be managed in a sustainable manner.

Deputy Governor for Radio Spectrum, Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), Saudi Arabia

Mohammed Alotaibi

Digital transformation to build the digital world does not belong to any single country, organization or individual. No country, organization or individual can be exempt from humanity’s digital transformation process

Prime Minister, Viet Nam

Pham Minh Chính

Digital transformation is important for the whole of society and needs the cooperation of the whole ecosystem. Government plays a key role in setting direction, policy, support and coordination

Secretary-General, GTI & Deputy General Manager, China Mobile Research Institute, China GTI

Yuhong Huang

Spectrum harmonization sets the scene for investment, industrial planning and the present and future of ecosystems....guaranteeing economies of scale, lower prices and better services

Spectrum Policy Manager, GSMA

Luis Felippe Zoghbi

AI will be key: we cannot manage on a legacy mode such complex and enhanced modern networks

CTIO, Orange Middle East and Africa

Jocelyn Karakula

If this pandemic had happened in 2000, only 0.2% of the workforce would have been able to work remotely. Less than 1% would have had real broadband connectivity. Networks have been the critical glue enabling us to work from home and drive education.

Global Head, Technology, Media and Telecommunications at Boston Consulting Group

Vaishali Rastogi

Spectrum does not respect borders

Head of International Spectrum Policy, Office of Communications

Stephen Michael Talbot

The business case for affordable and meaningful connectivity, especially in rural areas, needs to be made - and we still have a long way to get there

Executive Director and Director of Digital Inclusion Programs, Alliance for Affordable Internet (Web Foundation)

Sonia Jorge

Affordable access is everybody’s responsibility

ITU Secretary-General

Houlin Zhao

Evolution in technology and work on standards will make it much easier to integrate satellite into the network of networks. The legacy divisions between mobile, fixed and satellite are dissolving

Secretary General, EMEA Satellite Operators Association

Aarti Holla-Maini

2021 Partners & sponsors

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China Mobile / GTI

Qualcomm

ZTE

Switzerland Global Enterprise

Immersion4

Resecurity

GEW Technologies

Nokia

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Viet Nam

Japan