The ITU Regional Preparatory Meeting for WTDC-21 for the CIS Region (RPM-CIS) was held on April 21 - 22, 2021 via video conferencing using the Zoom platform.

The above ITU meeting was hosted by the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau. The objective of the RPM-CIS was to identify regional priorities for telecommunication and ICT development, taking into account contributions from Member States and ITU-D Sector Members from the region.

The meeting opened with greetings from the Director of the Regional Office of the International Telecommunication Union for the CIS Region Natalia Vyacheslavovna Mochu and Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau Doreen Bogdan-Martin.

Then Nurudin Nasretdinovich Mukhitdinov, General Director of the RCC Executive Committee, addressed the participants with a greeting.

The Chairman of the RCC Commission for the Development of the Information Society and Digital Transformation, Deputy Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of the Republic of Azerbaijan Elmir Tofig oglu, Deputy Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of the Republic of Azerbaijan, also addressed the participants with a welcoming speech.

President of VimpelCom PJSC Ismailov Rashid Rustamovich was appointed the Chairman of the ITU Regional Meeting on preparation for WTDC-21 for the CIS Region.

Alexey Sergeevich Borodin, Representative of PJSC Rostelecom in Geneva, was appointed Deputy Chairman of the above-mentioned ITU meeting. Regional Director of the ITU Regional Office for the CIS region Natalya Vyacheslavovna Mochu was introduced by the Chairperson as the secretary of the RPM-CIS.

Representatives of the RCC Communications Administrations: the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, as well as the Management and staff of the RCC Executive Committee took part in the work of the ITU Regional Preparatory Meeting for WTDC-21 for the CIS Region.

The agenda of the above meeting included the following issues:

1. Opening ceremony

2. Election of the Chair and Vice-Chair

3. Adoption of the agenda and time management plan

4. Digital Trends in the CIS Region

5. Submission of a report on the implementation of the WTDC-17 Buenos Aires Action Plan (including regional initiatives) and contribution to the implementation of the WSIS Action Plan and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

6. Report on the follow-up to decisions of other conferences, assemblies and meetings of ITU related to the work of ITU-D: PP-18, WRC-19, RA-19 and WTSA-16

7. Preparation for WTDC-21

7.1 Report of the TDAG Working Group in preparation for WTDC (WG-Prep-TDAG)

7.2 Report of the TDAG Working Group on Resolutions, Declarations and Thematic Priorities of WTDC (WG-RDTP-TDAG)

7.3 TDAG Working Group on Strategic and Operating Plans (WG-SOP-TDAG)

8. Identification of regional priority areas

9. Other business

The document entitled “Digital Trends in the CIS Region in 2021” was presented by Natalia Vyacheslavovna Mochu, Regional Director of the ITU Regional Office of the CIS Region. This document provided an overview of trends and developments in ICT infrastructure, access and use in the CIS region. The document has illustrated the progress in ICT development since the last World Telecommunication Development Conference in 2017, which was held from 9 to 20 October 2017 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The report on the implementation of the WTDC-17 Buenos Aires Action Plan (including regional initiatives) and contribution to the implementation of the WSIS Action Plan and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals was presented by the Deputy Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, Stephen Bereaux.

A progress report on the follow-up to the decisions of other ITU conferences, assemblies and meetings related to the work of ITU-D: PP-18, WRC-19, RA-19 and WTSA-16 was presented by Marco Obiso, Head of the Digital Networks and Society Department of BDT. The document summarized the ITU-D work-related outcomes of ITU conferences, assemblies and meetings, including the status of their implementation.

The report of the TDAG Working Group on WTDC Preparations was presented by the Deputy Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, Stephen Bereaux. The document contained the final report of the TDAG Working Group on the preparation of WTDC, including issues on which the group was unable to reach consensus.

The report of the TDAG Working Group on Resolutions, Declarations and Thematic Priorities of WTDC was presented by the Chairman of the Working Group, Ahmad Reza Sharafat. The document provided a progress report on the work of the TDAG Working Group on Resolutions, Declarations and Thematic Priorities of WTDC. The group will continue its work and present the next TDAG-21 report.

The report of the meeting of the TDAG Working Group on Strategic and Operating Plans (WG-SOP-TDAG) was presented by the Chair of the TDAG, Blanco Gonzalez. The document contained a report on the activities of the TDAG Working Group on Strategic and Operational Plans since its inception, as well as a number of recommendations for further work, approved at the TDAG-20/3 meeting.

Presented the RCC position on preparations for WTDC-21 Deputy Chairman of the RPM-CIS for WTDC-21, representative of PJSC Rostelecom in Geneva Alexey Sergeevich Borodin.

Thus, the meeting adopted a set of proposals on priority issues for the region, which will serve as a basis for the development of contributions to the World Telecommunication Development Conference, which will consider the directions for ITU-D activities for the forthcoming four-year period (2022-2025).

Concluding the ITU Regional Preparatory Meeting for WTDC-21 for the CIS Region, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau Doreen Bogdan-Martin summed up the event and thanked all participants for their constructive and fruitful work.

Chairman of the meeting Ismailov Rashid Rustamovich expressed gratitude to the ITU Regional Office for the CIS Region for the work done, and also thanked the Director General of the RCC Executive Committee for the quality organization of coordination between the Regional Commonwealth in the field of Communications and the ITU Regional Office.

Director General of the RCC Executive Committee Mukhitdinov Nurudin Nasretdinovich, in turn, expressed gratitude to the Chairman of the ITU Regional Preparatory Meeting for WTDC-21 for the CIS Region for the successful holding of the meeting. In addition, he thanked all the participants for their active work within the RPM-CIS for WTDC-21.

In addition, within the framework of the RPM-CIS, a special Session dedicated to the International Day of Girls in ICT was held for WTDC-21.

Participants of the panel discussion discussed the possibilities of professional implementation of girls / women in the field of ICT and with the help of ICT, shared their experience in implementing real projects in the field of ICT by girls / women.

ICT representatives also spoke about the contribution of women to scientific research, the development of educational programs aimed at digital inclusion, the development of digital skills, professional development, etc.

The key speakers of the Panel Session were:

- Deputy Minister of Communications and Informatization of the Republic of Belarus Gordeenko Natalia Mikhailovna;

- Leading consultant of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of the Republic of Azerbaijan, member of the Radio Regulations Committee Sahiba Hasanova;

- Deputy Head of the Laboratory of FSUE NIIR, Deputy Chairman of IC 2 ITU-D Maria Bolshakova;

- Director of the Union of Operators Christine Gonjyan;

- Head of the International Cooperation Department of PJSC Rostelecom Ekaterina Fomicheva.

Acting on behalf of the RCC Executive Committee made a presentation. Head of the Sector for Work with the CIS and Digital Development Natalia Skvortsova. The report noted the observance of gender balance in the organization, as well as encouragement and support by the Management of the RCC Executive Committee in the advancement of their employees.