Webinar — Towards Digital Transformation: Ensuring an Equitable and Inclusive Society (June 2025)

Date & Time: 17 June 2025 — 09:00–12:00 PST / Online & COMSATS Secretariat hybrid. Event type: International webinar / Policy & Tech panel (WTISD 2025) Host: COMSATS Secretariat (event page) — CSS: local student hosts & streaming moderation.

In observance of World Telecommunication & Information Society Day (WTISD 2025), COMSATS organized a three-hour international webinar to explore how emerging technologies (AI, IoT, 5G, digital identity) can be harnessed for an equitable, inclusive digital society. Participants included national policy leaders, representatives from ITU-affiliated organizations, academic experts from the Global South, and student presenters.

Agenda:
09:00 — Opening remarks (COMSATS Secretariat senior exec)
09:10 — Chief Guest address: Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Federal Minister for IT & Telecom — on national priorities for inclusive digital transformation.
09:30 — Keynote: “Global frameworks for inclusive telecommunication” (ITU / partner speaker)
10:00 — Panel 1 — AI & inclusion: accessible services, local languages, gender equity (3 panelists; 3×8 min + 12 min Q&A)
10:45 — Break & Student lightning demos (3 student demos: accessibility, low-bandwidth apps, local data tool)
11:00 — Panel 2 — Building resilient digital ecosystems in the Global South (policy + industry)
11:40 — Closing remarks & next steps — student challenge launch (CSS-sponsored sprint)

Speakers & panelists: Federal Minister IT & Telecom (Shaza Fatima Khawaja); representatives from ITU, TUBITAK, NDRA and regional partners (list on event page). Audience / target: Policy makers, faculty, CSS members, students across COMSATS network, NGOs focused on digital inclusion.