The following are the outputs of the captioning taken during an IGF virtual intervention. Although it is largely accurate, in some cases it may be incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors. It is posted as an aid, but should not be treated as an authoritative record.
***
>>PREETAM MALOOR: Dear MAG members, thank you very much for this opportunity to talk to you. I hope you and your family are all safe and well in these difficult times. I'm very happy to see that the IGF 2020 preparations are progressing well despite the challenges. And here let me convey ITU's best wishes to Poland. You can rest assured of ITU's active support and participation in the upcoming IGF.
It's a year where the importance of digital technologies is clear to one and all, and addressing the challenges to bring ICTs to everyone during and after this crisis are high on ITU's agenda.
During this critical period, in addition to maintaining its normal activities, though virtually but successfully, ITU's response to the pandemic has been swift and has been on cooperation. ITU has launched a new platform REG4COVID which is a multistakeholder effort to ensure that networks are kept resilient. We have launched new guidelines to assist countries developing national emergency telecommunications plans. We are working with WHO, UNICEF and telecommunication companies to text people directly on their mobile phones with vital health messaging. We have joined the Global Education Coalition led by UNESCO and also issued guidelines for parents, caregivers, guardians, and educators for child online protection to minimize online risks. We are working with ILO on digital skills for youth starting with young people in Africa. We're drawing on the expertise of the community of the AI for Good Summit to examine how emerging technologies can be used to combat COVID-19, especially through the ongoing AI for Good webinars.
ITU was instrumental in the adoption of the Broadband Commission Agenda for Action which outlines immediate measures that stakeholders can take to shore up their digital networks, strengthen capacity, especially at critical connectivity points such as hospitals, transportation hubs, and boost digital access and inclusion.
Now let me just give you a quick update on the WSIS Forum. WSIS Forum 2020 will be held virtually from the 22nd of June, culminating in a week -- a final week from 7th to 10th of September. The much-awaited WSIS 20- -- prizes 2020 will also be awarded and announced virtually this year. And this year marks the 15 years of the implementation of the WSIS process. So the forum will serve as a platform to track the achievements of the WSIS action lines in collaboration with the different U.N. agencies involved and provide information and analysis on the implementation of WSIS action lines since 2005.
Also, as you may know, starting in April, at the request of the WSIS stakeholders, the WSIS Forum partners have been hosting a weekly virtual WSIS TalkX for WSIS stakeholders to interact, connect and collaborate on topics ranging across all action lines.
Let me also highlight two online public consultations that ITU has currently launched which are open to contribution from all stakeholders. The first one is on the Council Working Group on Internet, and the topic is expanding Internet connectivity, which is a very timely topic, of course. The second one is on the third draft of the Secretary-General's report for the World Telecommunication/ICT Policy Forum, WTPF, where the topic is policies for mobilizing new and emerging telecommunication/ICTs for sustainable development. Information about the consultations and instructions on how you can participate, they're all available on the ITU website.
Let me also highlight ITU's recent work on the guidelines for child online protection for all stakeholders, which was first issued in 2009. It addresses policymakers, industries, parents and educators, and children themselves.
In 2019, ten years after its first publication, a multistakeholder Expert Working Group has developed a revised version of the guidelines and which reflect the, you know, different changes, including the situation of children with disabilities when it comes to online risk as well as issues around new technological developments such as IoTs, connected toys, online gaming, robotics, machine learning and AI. Multistakeholder online dialogue will be held for the launch of the guidelines on 24th of June. We invite all MAG members to join the panel discussion, and all the information can be found on the conference website.
Let me also finally thank you again for the opportunity to talk to you, and conclude by wishing you luck in your deliberations at this MAG meeting.
Thank you very much. Thank you.