The Global Innovation Forum held by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) between 28 and 30 October has identified key ways to help close the digital innovation gap.
The suggested approaches, focusing on critical factors from expanding collaboration to attracting investment, are meant to spur sustainable economic growth and find solutions to pressing societal challenges through accelerated, and localized, technology innovation.
“No one can be left lagging behind due to a lack of access to digital tools and resources,” said H.E. Myriam Spiteri Debono, President of Malta, who opened the Forum. “It is pertinent that access to information technology and digital tools should be made available to everyone, everywhere.”
The three-day Global Innovation Forum, held in Valletta, Malta, emphasized the importance of collaboration, knowledge sharing, and capacity building to bridge the innovation gap and advance socio-economic development.
“Digital innovation is a driving force behind economic progress, sustainable development and solving societal challenges,” said ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin. “The Global Innovation Forum has helped identify how we can close the digital innovation gap to ensure that people and planet benefit from the transformative power of technology.”
“The Summit for the Future highlights the imperative of digital cooperation, especially to unlock the potential of the South,” said Director Dima Al-Khatib, moderator of the Global Innovation Forum dialogue on focusing on South-South and triangular cooperation as a catalyst for emerging technology. “By working together across borders and sectors, we can accelerate progress and create interconnected ecosystems of innovation that serve as engines of growth and resilience,” she said noting that, “Our task today is to leverage digital and technological advancements in a way that narrows – rather than widens – the digital and ultimately development divides. This is where South-South and triangular cooperation plays a pivotal role.”
The event brought together nearly 500 participants, including 27 Ministers and Deputy Ministers, along with other high-level officials from government, the private sector and the United Nations system. Participants came from 64 countries.
Forum participants identified several key drivers that can help countries champion digital innovation:
“The Summit for the Future highlights the imperative of digital cooperation, especially to unlock the potential of the South,” said Director Dima Al-Khatib, moderator of the Global Innovation Forum dialogue on focusing on South-South and triangular cooperation as a catalyst for emerging technology. “By working together across borders and sectors, we can accelerate progress and create interconnected ecosystems of innovation that serve as engines of growth and resilience,” she said noting that, “Our task today is to leverage digital and technological advancements in a way that narrows – rather than widens – the digital and ultimately development divides. This is where South-South and triangular cooperation plays a pivotal role.”
The event brought together nearly 500 participants, including 27 Ministers and Deputy Ministers, along with other high-level officials from government, the private sector and the United Nations system. Participants came from 64 countries.
Forum participants identified several key drivers that can help countries champion digital innovation:
- Projects that attract investment and leverage cross-sector collaboration.
- South-South and triangular cooperation in the area of open technology innovation.
- Building innovation capabilities within communities to envision and shape people’s future.
- Fostering youth resilience and ecosystems supportive to local entrepreneurship.
- Agile, anticipatory and cross-sectoral polices aligned with the evolving digital landscape.
- Availability of entrepreneurship networking opportunities and readiness for growth funding that enable startups and small-medium enterprises (SMEs).
- Establishment of an Expert Network by the Digital Innovation Board of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Alliance for Digital Development.
