Capacity Development for Digital Transformation

Capacity Development for Digital Transformation

On 6 October Ambassador Michele Cervone d'Urso, Deputy Head of the European Union Delegation to the United Nations in Geneva, the training course "AI Governance in Practice: Developing Secure and Innovative Frameworks", organised under the EU-funded Global Gateway initiative in partnership with the ITU Academy. Global Gateway is the EU's strategy to invest in sustainable, trusted infrastructure worldwide - including digital networks, clean energy, transport, health and education.

The training brings together 33 policymakers, regulators, and experts from 31 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas for one week in Geneva. Through interactive sessions and hands-on exercises, participants developed tailored five-year AI governance roadmaps to guide their national or institutional strategies.

In his opening address, Ambassador Cervone d'Urso underlined the opportunities and challenges posed by artificial intelligence:

Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant prospect-it is already transforming our societies, economies, and daily lives. It brings enormous opportunities for innovation and sustainable development, but it also raises profound challenges relating to ethics, human rights, data protection, cybersecurity, and public trust. This is why the European Union has placed AI governance at the heart of its digital agenda.

He stressed the importance of responsible and human-centric AI development, highlighting the EU's pioneering AI Act. The EU AI Act - the first comprehensive legal framework of its kind-aims to set clear rules for trustworthy AI, grounded in European values of human dignity, fundamental rights, transparency, and accountability while opening the door for secure innovation.

Over the course of the training week, participants will explore the entire AI lifecycle, debate ethical dilemmas, analyse security and data risks, and simulate real-world policy responses. Most importantly, they will work together to co-create five-year AI governance roadmaps tailored to your national or institutional realities.

This collaborative, practice-based approach is exactly what we need to bridge differences, build trust, and find common ground in this fast-evolving field. Your insights and your commitment will be vital in ensuring that AI serves the public good, protects rights, and fosters sustainable development worldwide." EU Ambassador Cervone d'Urso.

The European Union is committed to multilateral cooperation and building partnership to address the digital divide. We are convinced that by working together, learning from each other, and building capacity across borders, we can ensure that artificial intelligence and digital transformation more broadly becomes a force for progress-for everyone, everywhere.

For more information, visit the Global Gateway and ITU Academy webpage.