MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
OF GEORGIA

Hosted by the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia and organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Regional Engagement Roundtable for Europe (RER-EUR) was held online on 13 September. The Roundtable is the first high-ranking event hosted by Georgia since Georgia joined the European Group of the International Telecommunication Union in 2018, before that, the country was a member of the CIS group.

Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, Guram Guramishvili officially opened the Roundtable. In his opening remarks, the Deputy Minister overviewed the role of the digital technologies in overcoming the challenges posed by the global pandemic. Guram Guramishvili focused on the decisions taken to promote the development of the digital economy and information society in Georgia as well as the ongoing reforms and programs in the sector.

Within the event, the ITU European Regional Office member countries and representatives of the ITU sectors had a dialogue and shared the best practices on digital development issues within the ITU Development Bureau (BDT) thematic priorities (Skills Development, Cybersecurity, Digital Inclusion, Digital Innovation Ecosystem, Digital services and applications, emergency telecommunications, environment, policy and regulation, statistics).

Eka Kubusidze, Head of the Communication, Information and Modern Technologies Department of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, introduced Georgia’s experience to the participants of the Roundtable, paying particular attention to the current challenges and priorities of electronic communications, information technologies and innovations, both locally and regionally.

The visions and strategic directions presented at the event will be used in the 2022 Action Plans of the ITU Development Bureau and the ITU Regional Office for Europe.