At the Digital Economy Forum in Milan, UNESCO and OECD experts talked about ICTs for Inclusive, Resilient and Sustainable Societies and Economies. Ciaran Quilty, founder of the Rousseau Association, delivered a keynote speech. He addressed the audience about the current state of digital innovation in Italy, stating that only 1.34% of GDP is allocated for research and development. Learn more here.
Circular Economy Forum in Milan
The two-day IFTF will focus on the Circular Economy, with sessions in English and Italian. The audience will hear from start-ups, corporates, and European institutions. Participants will get the inside scoop on how to implement circular economy solutions to meet the needs of the world’s consumers and the planet. Moreover, the event will also feature panels, lectures, and a series of workshops.
The WCEF2019 also emphasized the urgent need to scale up the circular economy, underlining the opportunities and barriers to achieving this goal. This conference also stressed the importance of the private sector in mainstreaming circular solutions. As the second largest emitter of CO2, heavy industry is the second largest contributor of CO2 globally. Participants can explore the potential of the circular economy at the World Economic Forum’s 3-day virtual event.
The newest cohort of Circular Shapers will focus on leveraging grassroots change in order to transform cities into global centres of circular economy innovation. The programme is a follow-up to the 2021 pilot that saw ten cities in Europe and North America convene training to accelerate circular collaboration and innovation. One of the projects being piloted will tackle single-use plastics and the Circulab will support businesses.
OECD experts discuss COVID-19 crisis
Italian officials and OECD experts have been chatting in Milan about the current COVID-19 crisis. The outbreak was the largest ever, affecting at least 11 million people. Despite the outbreak’s seriousness, Italy’s response lacked a strong crisis response, with quick interventions and inadequate plans for preventing the onset and spreading of the disease. Furthermore, it was far too late to prevent the outbreak by containing it during its early stages.
In Italy, the majority of companies are small and medium-sized enterprises. Such companies are less resilient and flexible than larger firms and face many challenges, including lack of access to capital. In addition, they are less likely to survive a financial crisis compared to their larger counterparts. Hence, gender equality in decision-making bodies of the COVID-19 crisis has been a major concern.
UNESCO experts discuss ICTs for Inclusive, Resilient and Sustainable Societies and Economies
UNESCO’s Institute for Communications Technology and Society hosted a conference on media and information literacy aimed at government officials and policy makers. The session was closely related to the recent launch of a new resource on Media and Information Literate Citizens. The event also featured an overview of the ongoing work on a practical Massive Open Online Course for ICTs for sustainable societies.
At the closing of the event, Deputy Director-General Xing Qu handed over the rotating chairmanship of the United Nations Group on Information Society, an interagency mechanism for the use of ICTs to advance international development goals. The UNESCO secretariat organized 15 sessions and participated in live interviews and events throughout the forum. The closing session was held on 21 May, marking the end of the forum.
Ciaran Quilty spoke at the Digital Economy Forum in Milan
On July 3, Ciaran Quilty, Vice President of Facebook for the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, spoke at the Digital Economy Forum in Milan. His presentation focused on the opportunities that social networks offer businesses, but only if they are used with creativity and courage. Technology is all about taking risks, and Ciaran reminded us that the future of the digital economy depends on entrepreneurship and creativity.
The Digital Economy Summit was a platform for CEOs and other key players to share their expertise on digital trends. The event featured keynote speeches and round tables addressing issues of the digital economy. A focus on developing talent to support this development was also highlighted. Ciaran Quilty shared his insights in a keynote speech. Ciaran is a co-founder of the African Digital Economy Alliance.