RIYADH: The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) celebrated World Telecommunication and Information Society Day with the participation of the Saudi Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) to raise awareness about the impact of telecommunications and IT on societies and their economies.

CITC held a dialogue session and discussed the best ways to harness technology to achieve sustainable development goals at a local community and international level to show the effective role of telecommunications and the importance of IT for the future of the Kingdom.

Under the slogan, “ICTs for Sustainable Development Goals,” the virtual session was held with the participation of prominent Saudi figures. Several themes were covered, including an historic overview of the concept of sustainable development and the role of the private sector in promoting sustainable development goals chaired by Al-Nuhait, general manager of the sustainability program at Saudi Telecom Co.

Director General of the Secretariat of the National Digital Transformation Committee Norah Al-Zaid discussed the importance of an enabling environment to help government bodies and encourage partnership with the private sector to achieve these goals.

Al-Zaid noted the recent virtual G20 meeting of trade and investment ministers presided over by the Kingdom, highlighting the recommendations and digital policies outlined to promote and accelerate responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The session also established a link between the sustainability that societies are seeking and the exceptional circumstances that the world is witnessing during the coronavirus pandemic. It highlighted the importance of adopting sustainability principles to overcome difficult times as well as the efforts exerted by the Kingdom on the digital transformation level to mitigate the potential effects of the virus on businesses’ continuity and service delivery.