On 15 July, UNCTAD will participate in the high-level policy session Implementation of the WSIS Action Lines in Covid-19 Response and SDG Decade of Action, organized in the context of the High-Level Political Forum 2020 (HLPF).
Participants will debate where we stand on the SDGs in light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. They will reflect on how the international community can respond to the pandemic in a way that puts us back on track to achieve the SDGs and accelerate progress during the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development.
This session, organized jointly by the United Nations Group on the Information Society (UNGIS) and the Communications and Information Technology Commission of Saudi Arabia, will consider strategic ways in which governments and partners are leveraging ICTs during the pandemic, raising key challenges and gaps; and, exploring ways forward for recovery and building back better, identifying digital capacities to prioritize based on needs on the ground, and the synergies necessary to support those.
UNCTAD is the UNGIS Chair for 2020–2021 and will be represented by Ms. Shamika N. Sirimanne, Director, Division on Technology and Logistics.
The HLPF annual meeting is the core United Nations platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Panellists
H.E. Dr. Mohammed Altamimi, Governor, Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), Saudi Arabia
Mr. Malcolm Johnson, Deputy Secretary-General, ITU
Ms. Shamika N. Sirimanne, Director, Division on Technology and Logistics, UNCTAD
Mr. Guilherme Canela, Chief, Section of Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists, Communication and Information Sector, UNESCO
Ms. Aarti Holla-Maini, Secretary-General, EMEA Satellite Operators Association (ESOA)
Mr. Michael Hodin, PhD, CEO, Global Coalition on Aging, Managing Partner, High Lantern Group
Prof. Francoise Grey, Director, University of Geneva and Tsinghua University Initiative
Moderators
Mr. Mansour S. Al Qurashi, General Manager for International Affairs at CITC and Saudi Arabia Councilor, ITU
Ms. Gitanjali Sah, Strategy and Policy Coordinator (WSIS), ITU
Link to the meeting
