As originally posted on ITU.int

Pacific Island Nation strengthens commitment to promoting tech studies to girls & leveraging digital skills to boost sustainable development

ITU’s annu​al global Girls in ICT Day celebration will be held next year in the Independent State of Samoa. The advocacy event, which raises visibility of the importance of attracting women and girls to information and communication (ICT) studies and careers, was established in 2010 by ITU’s Plenipotentiary Conference^[​1] and is held around the world each year on the fourth Thursday in April.

ICTs are a key driver of gender equality and women’s empowerment. With improved access to these transformative technologies, women and girls can benefit from increased employment and business opportunities. In coming years there will be tens of millions of jobs for people with advanced digital skills, and nearly all jobs will have a digital component.

A global effort to help bridge the digital gender divide by encouraging young women and girls to pursue studies and careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Girls in ICT Day has enjoyed unprecedented success as a global movement. Over the past decade, more than 377 000 girls and young women have taken part in over 11 400 celebrations in 171 countries. 

The 2020 event, which will be held on 23 April in the Samoan capital of Apia, will be the first time ITU’s own Girls in ICT Day celebration has been held in the southern hemisphere. With the theme Expand horizons, change attitudes, the event is expected to welcome some 1000 local school-age girls from Samoa and abroad for a day of fun, interactive tech workshops, talks by industry experts, and high-level discussions around ways to boost regional capacity building for digital skills development. The global event in Apia will also feature winners from national competitions across the region.

“Girls in ICT Day is a call to action to inspire the next generation of girls and young women to learn more about the amazing opportunities and careers offered by ICTs,” said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao. “By bringing next year’s global celebration to Samoa, ITU shows our commitment to pressing for progress for gender equality everywhere, including in Small Island Developing States and Landlocked Developing Countries.”

“The Government and people of Samoa are excited about the opportunity to host the global ITU family, as well as the Blue Pacific family, on this special day for girls in ICT. Hosting an international event of this magnitude in Samoa will provide the opportune platform to showcase the empowerment of women at all levels and help them participate and become leaders in all aspects of ICT, ultimately ensuring a solid foundation upon which an economy can flourish and prosper,” said His Excellency Mr. Afamasaga Lepuia’i Rico Tupai, Minister of Communications and Information Technology of Samoa. “There is a Samoan proverb, ‘E au le ina’ilau a Tamaita’i’ which translates as ‘women are more than capable of achieving the impossible’. This proverb speaks to the strong spirit of women to achieve greatness in all areas of development.”

Every year, Girls in ICT Day events are held by schools, youth groups, civic organizations and government agencies in all world regions. In recent times, Girls in ICT Day events have expanded from one-day events to ongoing global programmes designed to teach girls about ICTs throughout the year. Samoa, through the Office of the Regulator in collaboration with ITU and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, has been celebrating Girls in ICT Day as an annual event since 2015.

ITU provides organizers of events and initiatives with a pack of resources to help shape and promote their activities. Events around the world are progressively ‘pinned’ on the ITU International Girls in ICT Day online map – creating an interactive global display of the many ‘tech & gender’ happenings that take place around the world each year. Efforts by Small Island Developing States to strengthen teaching of ICT skills to girls has been gaining momentum in recent years, as nations seek to leverage new economic opportunities offered by digital platforms.

“Girls in ICT Day has grown into one of ITU’s most successful global campaigns, so I am delighted that next year we will have the chance to reach out to girls in the Pacific region to show them how a career in tech could change their lives,” said Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT), which leads the global Girls in ICT Day initiative. “Technology is one of the most powerful tools we have for empowering women and girls. An ICT career gives girls the chance to be at the heart of the world’s most exciting and fastest-growing industry. And the ICT industry needs women to play an equal role in the creation, design and implementation of the devices and platforms that are becoming indispensable to the way we live.”

ITU’s own 2019 event, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, featured a day-long programme of hands-on workshops for school-age girls; high-level panels with speakers from government, the African Union, academia, and entrepreneurial women in the tech sector; and interactive dialogues with nearly 200 participating girls from local schools. It also featured an additional full-day site visit to two local schools to talk with teachers and girls.  

ITU and the Office of the Regulator in Samoa are already in the preparation phase for the 2020 celebration, with plans to hold a two-day pre-event capacity-building workshop for participants from Samoa and across the Pacific region.

As originally published on sprep.org

28 October 2019, Apia, Samoa – Building the capacity of Pacific National Meteorological Service staff to effectively use and sustain new Information Technology tools is at the core of a week-long training workshop being held at the newly opened Pacific Climate Change Centre at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). 

The training, facilitated by SPREP and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) with funding support from the Climate Risk Early Warning Systems (CREWS) Initiative and Climate Change Canada, brings together Met officers from Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Republic of Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa and Tuvalu.

They will be provided with hands-on training in the relevant Information Technology (IT) programmes associated with the operation of various tools and software relevant to their work. 

The WMO Project Officer for the CREWS Project, Ms Cecilia Amosa, said, “The main focus of the CREWS Project is to strengthen and build the capacity of National Meteorological Services (NMS) in the region. Moreover, it aims to provide support in strengthening multi-hazard predictions for our national Met Services.”

SPREP has provided training to NMS in the area of IT for the last four years to help enhance their work. This year SPREP is working with WMO to deliver the training.

“The work done by our NMSs is very important, especially for our region which is quite vulnerable to the impacts of climate change such as severe weather and natural disasters,” said SPREP’s IT Manager, Mr Christian Slaven.

“A lot of the tools used to carry out this important work is based on IT, which is why it is very important for SPREP to support and assist you by providing background training in order for you to effectively use and sustain these tools.” 

Throughout the week, trainers from the SPREP IT team, as well as officers from WMO with support from Pacific Met Desk Partnership officers, will be covering tools such as the Seasonal Climate Outlooks in Pacific Island Countries (SCOPIC), Traditional Knowledge Databases (TKDB), and other tools which are currently being used by the NMS. 

“I implore you to make use of this week to learn as much as you can about these technologies so that you will be able to maintain them upon the completion of this training,” Mr Slaven added. 

Mr Salesa Nihmei, Meteorology and Climatology Adviser, who coordinate the CREWS activities at SPREP reiterated the importance of the training to the work done by NMSs.

“There are more and more new technologies being introduced to Met services and there has been a trend of new technologies being introduced and then once projects conclude, staff have not been able to maintain them. SPREP has introduced a few technologies so the importance of this training is to help build the capacities of Met service staff to support these technologies themselves,” said Mr Nihmei.

“In addition, this training will also provide them with basic web developing skills. This will enable them to maintain their own websites for their respective Met service offices. 

Some of the participants will be staying on after the training workshop on attachments to the IT team for another week to further their understanding on identified priority IT topics and technologies. 

The IT Training is being conducted from 28 October – 1 November 2019. Another regional IT training will be organised in 2020 and will bring NMHSs from the remaining Pacific Island Countries.

For more information please contact Mr. Salesa Nihmei at salesan@sprep.org or Mr. Christian Slaven at christians@sprep.org. 

Read as originally published on zdnet.com

The goal of an ‘open and free internet’ has been dropped from Australia’s proposed national cybersecurity strategy. Job done, apparently.

The Australian government needs to drop the “national security” framing of its cybersecurity strategy, according to speakers at the inaugural NetThing, held at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) on Tuesday.

Australia is currently reviewing its national strategy. The Department of Home Affairs published a discussion paper last month, Australia’s 2020 Cyber Security Strategy: A call for views [PDF].

Speakers were concerned that the framing of cybersecurity had shifted from that of the original 2016 strategy issued by then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

“There’s two sort of narratives in cybersecurity and … states align with one or the other,” said Lucie Krahulcova, Asia policy analyst at Access Now.

One is the narrative of national security; a narrative of control, like in China and Russia, as well as in many other governments.

The other is the narrative of the internet as a shared common good and an enabler of civic rights. Under that framing, cybersecurity is about the integrity of the system and the protection of individual users.

“I think Australia teeters on the edge of those,” Krahulcova said.

“I would go as far as to say that certain parts of the government aren’t quite as aware [of] how much Australia sits with the Chinas and Russias,” she said.

“In spite of the cybersecurity objectives which were there since 2016, since 2017, the whole narrative and the way that the government views this space has been about control.”

The Australian government doesn’t like being compared with China or Russia. Apart from dumping two speakers from CyberCon earlier this month, it also pressured a third speaker to edit his “biased” slide deck.

Lawyer Ted Ringrose, the pressured speaker, had compared Australia’s encryption laws with China’s, saying that while Australia’s looked worse on the surface, they were “just about as bad”.

The 2016 strategy said its aim was an “open, free and secure internet”, but that wording has been dropped from the 2020 draft.

One action item from 2016 was “Champion an open, free, and secure internet to enable all countries to generate growth and opportunity online”. The 2020 discussion paper says this task is “Complete”.

“Australia champions an open, free, and secure internet in a range of international forums, bilaterally and in multilateral groups including the UN, East Asia Summit, and ASEAN Regional Forum. Australia has partnered with countries in the region through cyber policy dialogues to advance our advocacy of an open, free, and secure cyberspace,” it says.

“Australia has worked with international partners to secure leader-level re-affirmation of key tenets of international stability in cyberspace including the application of existing international law and agreed norms of behaviour.”

Job done, apparently.

Australia is continuing to engage internationally on the rules of behaviour in cyberspace, but the discussion paper barely mentions it as a future activity.

GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT: MORE, OR THE SAME, BUT DEFINITELY NOT LESS
Cryptographer Dr Vanessa Teague from the University of Melbourne said that Australia needs to think about the questions not being asked.

“[The discussion paper] seems to me to be infused with the unshakeable belief that more active government involvement must be a good thing for cybersecurity,” she said.

In a section on the government’s role, it says that maintaining the confidence of the Australian community is the first priority when considering how and when government should use its cyber security capabilities.

“Key to this is whether you think government could do more to confront cybercrime and protect the networks that underpin our way of life, or whether you think the current arrangements are right,” it says.

Less government involvement isn’t an option. The same level of government involvement, but under different arrangements, isn’t an option either.

“In my humble opinion, what we’ve seen is over many years of Australian cybersecurity policy is bipartisan support for a series of very bad policies,” Teague said.

They include the Defence Trade Controls Act 2012, which restricts the export of new cryptographic ideas, and of course the highly controversial Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Act 2018 that many in industry believe will damage Australia’s tech economy.

“I think we’re not just looking at a government that is, you know, well-intentioned but a little bit ineffectual. We’re actually looking at a series of policies that have actively done damage,” Teague said.

“I don’t think they’re deliberately doing damage. I think they’re pursuing an agenda oriented around surveillance and control, which inevitably has by-product of damaging our cybersecurity.”

Any government that’s serious about discussing cybersecurity “needs to divorce it from the national security narrative”, Krahulcova said.

The room needs to include people from industry, cybersecurity experts, and civil society representatives, not just law enforcement and security agencies who are trying to make their jobs easier.

“Often it’s a room full of white guys in suits,” she said.

Public submissions to the strategy close this Friday, November 1.

‘REINVIGORATING’ AUSTRALIA’S INTERNET COMMUNITY
NetThing was an attempt to restart collaboration among the country’s internet-related civil society organisations following the demise of the annual Australian Internet Governance Forum (auIGF).

Its organiser, .au Domain Administration (auDA), shut down auIGF after the 2016 event following a review of its community activities.

NetThing included representatives from Access Now, Asia Pacific Network Information Centre, auDA, Australian Privacy Foundation, Australian Communications Consumer Action Network, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Code Like a Girl, Communications Alliance, Democracy in Colour, Department of Communications and the Arts, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Digital Rights Watch, Electronic Frontiers Australia, InternetNZ, and IoT Alliance Australia, as well as academics, and commercial organisations including Deloitte, Google Australia, ProductSpace, Telstra, ThoughtWorks, and Vault.

The event had the strap line “Australian internet governance community moving forward”. From where your writer was sitting, however, there wasn’t much moving forward. At least not yet.

Plenty of civil society players were in the room, both old and new. Problems were reiterated, both old and new. Grievances were aired. And there was some good energy.

“The government is bad, m’kay?” Yes, but what does “The government is good” look like? What happens next? That wasn’t clear.

The challenge for all these players will be to keep the momentum going, and quickly. The rolling skateboard needs another push or three, or it’ll fall over.

Write up by Salanieta Tamanikaiwaimaro

On Sunday 3^rd November, 2019, Semi Tukana Founder of Software Factory Limited and CloudApp Laboratories (PNG) Limited, gave a 30 minute presentation on “Biblical Principles in the running of a successful business” to youth at the Christian Mission Fellowship’s World Harvest Centre. Whilst the context was a Christian gathering, there are lessons and principles that anyone can learn from regardless of religious disposition, that is whether they are atheists, agnostics or whether they subscribe to other religions. Many Pacific island nations share similar backgrounds and can relate his story. To watch the Facebook video, which was live-streamed, click here.

Semi has been building his businesses for the last 30 years. Over the years, Semi has encountered numerous challenges. In spite of the challenges, Semi’s businesses have become a success and they are well known for building customized software for his clients’ that include licensed financial institutions within the South Pacific. Through his journey, he has accumulated values such as perseverance, consistency and a tenacity to forge ahead and building teams that innovate.

He is a gentle soft-spoken visionary. I was privileged to serve on a Board with him and in other circles in Fiji. Semi’s faith defines him and his operations but what not many people know is that he grew up in abject poverty. As a child, he lived in a squatter settlement (akin to a refugee camp or even worse) from extreme poverty, was a C grade student but today runs the largest homegrown Pacific Software development company that has built platforms for Banks, Companies, Statutory organisations in the Pacific. 

The World Harvest Center’s Youth Pastor Kolinio Boila  who is also the Executive Financial Director of The University of the South Pacific had invited Semi to speak to the youth. 

Semi shared his journey and some biblical principles of running a successful business. These were some of the principles he shared:

1. Put God first and align your business to God, and God’s values and principles.
2. There are many entrepreneurs in the Bible who were people grounded in the word. Discover them as you read the Bible.
3. You are not a slave to your environment and circumstances. Choose to be defined by who God says you are.
4. The journey is filled with highs and lows and numerous challenges. It is not without struggle but within it you learn perseverance, endurance and tenacity.
5. The journey is not for the weak and you have to learn to deal with failure as it is part of the journey but you learn from it. The journey is not without struggle. If you can’t take challenges then reconsider whether running a business is for you.
6. Build your brand. Your brand includes your reputation in running your business affects your name, your family name. Flee corruption. This includes “integrity and your values”.
7. When starting a business, get your financial systems right from the outset. When building his business, he hired and engaged KPMG from the beginning and worked towards compliance.
8. He was a C grade student but did not let that stop him from growing and learning. Your academic qualification does not limit you. When God calls you, He equips and empowers you. (For students, that does not mean you don’t work hard).
9. Do not start your business with a loan because borrowers are slaves to debtors. He started with $1200 in his pocket, which is $600US, which he used to reinvest into the business. If you do get a loan, make sure you have already secured contracts and there is a deposit in the bank from income that is generated.
10. On compliance, make it your business to know what the rules and regulations are end engage in compliance.
11. Surround yourself with people who can offer Godly counsel and who are wise. If you hang out with the wise, you become wise.
12. Your business must engage in Tithe and offering. A tithe is one tenth of gross income that belongs to God. An offering is anything above that. Give to God what is God’s.
13. Remember that your environment does not determine who you are. You can be in the islands but be global. We are a global people.
14. As you build your business, credibility and are testing your products do not get your family members or friends to validate you because they will always give you positive feedback. Go to people who are ethnically and culturally different, who speak a different language and who can honestly critique your work so you can improve. To be stagnant is to stop innovating. You cannot be big in your own head. Be humble to learn!
15. Over time, as you establish your business, you will need to turn away potential clients as you have more than enough work.
16. Do not be afraid to start a business.
17. Each person on the planet has been given unique skills and talents. God has equipped you with unique skills and a set of talents. For Semi Tukana, his skills are software development and financial competency. Find what unique skills that God has gifted you.
18. As you grow your business, find your niche market and identify your boundaries. Software Factory works specifically on developing financial s Work within your boundaries and excel.
19. Whatever you do, do it from your heart with tender loving care. It will show in the products and services, whether this is developing systems or baking scones.
20. On the issue of recruitment, Attitude is key. People can have qualifications but if their attitude sucks, you will find training them is like training a stubbourn horse or donkey.
21. Money is not the only key factor but it is the environment. Identify the environment you wish to have in your business.
22. When building your business culture, it is critical to communicate your vision. The vision needs to be simple and clear for you and your people.
23. Pacific people are notorious for not saving and it is common that when people know that someone has money that people gather to ask for money. Break the status quo and develop good habits of saving.
24. It is important to keep records, correspondence, financial records and hire specialists where necessary.
25. Discipline and waking up early is critical.
26. Get out there and do it! Start small and start with what God has revealed to you.
27. Honour your father and mother. Do not engage in rebelling against your parents. If you start a business but you dishonour your parents, get it right before God and start honouring your parents.
28. Get your business vision aligned with God’s vision. The right starting point is the spiritual foundation.
29. Daily pray for your business.
30. Last but not least, align your business to God’s intent, vision and purpose.

Vodafone Fiji has introduced an innovative electronic transaction method using the M-PAiSA App that accelerates the move to a cashless society and keeps Fiji abreast with global technological advancements. The first of its kind, the M-PAiSA QR Pay was launched at the company’s headquarters in Princes Road, Tamavua, yesterday, much to the applause of merchant representatives and guests who were present. Chief Marketing Officer Rajinesh Prasad said the product was developed in-house and is available to everyone from the large businesses to smaller merchants and even market vendors where they can transact using QR Pay.

“[QR Pay is] very secure, the first level of security is on the phone, there’s a password in the phone, if someone hacks into the phone and is able to access the phone, you will still have an M-paisa pin, which is not stored in the phone but is stored online, stored in our system,” Mr Prasad said. “In that way, you will still be able to secure your phone and plus every time you transact, it’s secured through a pin, similar to banks. “This product has been developed in-house but there are some hardware and software that was actually acquired to get the product done.”

New M-PAiSA QR Electronic Payment Mr Prasad said the use of the QR Pay by consumers and merchants does not incur them any costs but there would be a fee applied to all businesses in the future. “This is a value add service for Vodafone and we have a good arrangement with merchants, so for customers, the transaction fees will be zero, later on, we will work with merchants on commercial arrangements. “At the moment it is also free for the merchants but over a period of time we will work on a commercial arrangement, but there will always be no cost for customers.

Mr Prasad said 200 outlets have already accepted the new transaction method as part of Phase I of the new payment with plans to get more supermarkets and small-medium enterprises and individual vendors in the next few months. “We have got a big roadshow planned from the Vodafone side. We will be going around the country to ensure [Vodafone is] able to highlight this to everyone, what QR Pay is because as I said 80 per cent of the population already has a smartphone and we just need to ensure that we help them download this app.” Head of E-Commerce Shailendra Prasad said QR Pay could be used in areas where there was also no electricity supply.

“There are still places that have no power, so where there is an EFTPOS, the cashier will do everything and create a QR code on their EFTPOS and with the phone, you just scan it there, you don’t even have to enter the amount, you just enter your pin.” The company invested in a $207 million network upgrade and are extending their 4G and 4G+ network coverage to almost 80 per cent of the population to ensure everyone can enjoy the benefits of the new payment method. This new payment system will also be rolled out to other Pacific Island countries where Vodafone M-Paisa is also available.

ABOUT M-PAISA QR PAY

The App comes with a new “Scan to Pay” QR Code payment feature. Consumers will automatically access the QR payment by downloading the M-PAiSA App. Once activated, consumers can select QR payment to activate the camera on their mobile device to scan a QR code placed at cashier counters in shops to make the payment. Every merchant enabled for M-PAiSA QR will have their own unique M-PAiSA QR code placed on their counters for customers. No fees and data costs are incurred when using QR pay.

Read article as originally published by Fiji Sun

A communications environment that enriches the social, cultural, customs and commercial fabric of Vanuatu.
Click to read the report as published by the Telecommunications, Radiocommunications and Broadcasting Regulator (TRBR)