Context:
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) elects India as co-chair of its Digital Innovation Board (DIB).
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- Dr Neeraj Mittal, Secretary, Department of Telecommunications, led a high-level delegation to Geneva for a series of crucial meetings at the ITU Headquarters from March 18-20, 2024.
- The visit focused on fostering collaboration and exploring innovative initiatives in the telecommunications and information and communication technology (ICT) sectors.
- Where he was unanimously elected as the co-chair of the Digital Innovation Board (DIB).
- Various initiatives on scaling up ITU Area Office India, Digital Innovation Board, Digital Transformation Lab, Acceleration centres and Global Innovation Centre in India were discussed during the meeting by Dr Neeraj Mittal at ITU headquarters.
- He invited ITU to host the next meeting of the Digital Innovation Board in India alongside the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA) 2024.
- WTSA is held every four years and defines the next period of study for ITU-T. WTSA-24 is planned to take place in October 2024 in New Delhi, India.
International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
- ITU is the United Nations’ specialized agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs) founded in 1865 as the International Telegraph Union.
- Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
- It allocate global radio spectrum and satellite orbits, develop the technical standards that ensure networks and technologies connect seamlessly and work to improve access to digital technologies in underserved communities worldwide.
Digital Innovation Board (DIB)
- Formed under the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Alliance for Digital Development, consists of ministers and vice ministers of telecom/ICT from 23 member countries of ITU.
- The Alliance establishes the DIB to provide strategic guidance, expertise and advocacy regarding its mission of building critical local enablers and fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in digital development.
- The objective of DIB is to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in digital development for a more inclusive digital future.
Innovation and Entrepreneurship Alliance for Digital Development
The Alliance is established to respond to significant unmet needs of ITU Membership in the area of innovation, as articulated in the Kigali Action Plan adopted at the World Telecommunication Development Conference 2022 (W TDC-22) and the outcomes of the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2022 (PP-22).
- The Kigali Action Plan is used to develop the Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) operational plan to monitor and achieve the priorities identified by the ITU D membership at WTDC-22.
The Alliance has three main vehicles: –
- Digital Transformation Lab
- Network of Acceleration Centres
- Digital Innovation Board