“We never had a more opportune moment. Can we work together better to seize this opportunity of a lifetime within the lifetime of the opportunity?” Ms. Tiziana Bonapace, Director of Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction Division at ESCAP, highlighted the importance of consistent investments in ICT infrastructure and multilateral cooperation for seamless digital connectivity and digital transformation at the “Digital Almaty Forum” on 5 February 2021.

While COVID-19 lockdowns have turned our physical lives into a virtual reality almost overnight, digital connectivity has taken on a compelling new meaning in the region. For one, countries that have managed to put digital technologies to effective use have shown signs of better combating cluster outbreaks and gaining the public’s trust by sharing credible information in a timely way.

11 April 2019, Geneva, Switzerland.

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum is a global United Nations (UN) multistakeholder platform facilitating the implementation of the WSIS Action Lines for advancing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The side event will showcase the work of UN agencies (ESCAP, APT, ITU, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNV) and its partners (member States, research organizations, academia, private sector) in fostering partnerships with government and stakeholders at country level in using ICT tools for e-resilience and societal transformation in sectors which cover the work programmes of the UN agencies (e.g. early warning and disaster risk reduction, information superhighway, telecommunication, capacity building, education, volunteers, water and sanitation, etc.).