In 2019, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) forum, organised and hosted by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland, celebrated its 10th anniversary. The CSIR’s Dr Jabu Mtsweni served as one of 14 high-level track facilitators, having been nominated by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

The event took place from 8 to 12 April 2019, under the theme “Information and Communication Technologies for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals”.

The forum was attended by over 3 000 delegates, representing countries from all continents. This year the focus was also on ensuring gender parity in speakers, panellists and projects.

Dr Mtsweni, a CSIR research group leader for cyber warfare says, “It was a humbling experience to represent the CSIR and South Africa on the global stage, tackling relevant challenges that cut across different environments.”

The high-level track facilitators comprised experts from different parts of the globe on issues of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) as well as information and knowledge societies.

Mtsweni chaired a high-level session that deliberated on the ethical dimensions of information and knowledge societies linked to Sustainable Development Goals. The panel consisted of His Excellency, Mr Mustafa Jabbar, Minister, Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, Bangladesh; Mr Yushi Torigoe, International Telecommunications Union Deputy Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau; Dr Ali Al-Khwildi, Chief Executive Officer of the National Communications and Media Commission of Iraq; Mr Zee Kin Yeong, Assistant Chief Executive, Infocomm Media Development Authority in Singapore; Dr Konstantinos Karachalios,  Managing Director of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; Ms Sonja Betschart, Co-Founder and Chief Entrepreneurship Office of WeRobotics; Dr Julia Binder, Head of Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne Tech4Impact; Ms Margaret Regan, President & CEO of The FutureWork Institute; Dr Yuri Grin, Deputy Director General of Intervale, as well as Ayanna T. Samuels, Aerospace Engineer.

The emphasis of the track was on building trust and confidence in the use of ICTs through the development of ethically aligned principles, legislations and policies. The panel deliberated on how emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, drone data collection and assistive technologies can be designed, developed and used in a manner that is human-centric so that their operations and decisions are transparent, safe, unbiased and equitable. The forum was also challenged to focus on ethical dilemmas for the 2030 technology game changers. “It is my view that ethics and context must be a priority when designing and developing technologies that are envisaged to make an impact and positive contribution in the lives of citizens,” says Mtsweni.