 We have the pleasure of being joined by ITU, Chief of Department for Projects and Knowledge Management, Cosmos Zava Zava. It's such a pleasure to have you talking to us today. The pleasure is mine. Thank you. So we've heard a lot about ICT data and statistics during GSR. It is obviously high on the agenda for ITU. Just tell us a little bit about why that's important for member states and regulators. Well, we always say that if it exists, you should be able to measure it. So it is important for policymakers to know exactly what is on the ground and for the private sector to know what market opportunities they are. And you can only do that by measuring. And also it is important for investors and the donor community to know what is on the ground and then they can make some decisions on the basis of the interpretation of the data that we produce. Can you just conclude an information session and the topic was ICT Indicators for Measuring the Information Society. Can you tell us a little bit about what those discussions were all about? Well, you know, it is important to raise awareness among the regulators on their role, important role in the data collection process because what we do and like other organizations, ITU is the leading organization in terms of information society establishment. So in 2003, we led the process towards the World Summit on the Information Society. And in 2005, we had the second leg of the World Information Society. And then there are targets that are there and content. And we have some action lines. And it is important for us to continuously review, to monitor and to report on that. And right now we publish annually a report which we call Measuring Information Society Report, which captures things like the price index and it captures about the imaging technologies, the practices and the role of regulators, policymakers in formulating public policy. And for us it is important to report on the general trends that are happening like big data, internet of things, artificial intelligence, and capture that into the traditional way of reporting. So that's why it was important at the GSRA, where we have most of the regulators present to appeal to them to work together with the national statistical offices in interpreting data because the regulator and the ministry of ICT are responsible for collecting on the demand side, on the supply side of data. And the demand side is the national statistical office. So this kind of collaboration is very important. And that's why we were trying to explain and also to shed light on how ITU does benchmarking, how ITU develops definitions, methodologies, and internationally agreed standards in the way of interpreting data. Now, I think it's safe to say that every member state, every regulator understands the importance of data, but how much of them don't take advantage of it? Well, sometimes it is lack of capacity because when we also deal with the capacity building in ITU and that could be in terms of institutional capacity or human capacity. So they may have the intention to do it, but probably they may not have the systems in place. So we plead with them to assign some resources and to target and to care out capacity building initiatives to make sure that they prioritize the issue of data collection and also data interpretation and reporting. And we always interact with them in the process. When we send them this service, they report back. If we seek gaps, we go back to them. And all the data that we report is validated by them. So I think it's not a question of lacking interest or not realizing the importance because in our data collection, after we have done that, we publish what we call the measuring information society report, which is an annual report. And in it, there is an index, which we call the ICT development index. And it ranks countries. And there is no country that wants to be number two. So I think they do realize because after we have published, most of the countries come back and say, oh, we think we are being shortchanged. We don't look so well. What can we do to improve? So they take it seriously, but we need to continuously build the capacity and to involve them so that we come up with a more balanced interpretation of the situation and to report taking into account the new imaging technologies. Now, the beauty of GSR is that it brings together developed nations, developing nations, some of the big name regulators, and maybe some of those from the smaller countries. How does that benefit them in the data collection or learning about the processes? Do you see a benefit of bringing them all together to have this discussion? Absolutely. And actually, it's not only about data collection, it is about regulating. And when you are regulating, you must do it in an impartial manner, non-discriminatory manner, and in a transparent manner. So when you are bringing the oldest regulator and the youngest, you are transferring knowledge. So it is very important. And it is not about the most developed or the poor or the least developed. It is a triangular arrangement. So you have the most advanced sharing their experiences and those that are at the same level sharing also their experience and sharing with the developed countries as well. So it's a triangular arrangement. And when they interact like that, there is more confidence building because our statistics actually help to benchmark countries internationally and to see how they are doing and try to learn from others to emulate the best practices and then they can improve on their way. And the statistics are not good enough if one country just keeps its own statistics. And that's why we try to create a harmonized approach, definitions that are agreed upon, standards agreed upon, and methodologies that are internationally agreed. And in a harmonized way, when you interpret, it will mean something to everybody. And it's not only about the regulators, you can see they are also the private sector. So industry is the engine to ICT development. And ICT development is an engine to sustainable development. And so you cannot develop that much today without taking into account the application and the use of information and communication technology. And you talked about this transfer of knowledge and you talked about some of the older, more experienced regulators and the younger regulators. I think it's safe to say the Bahamas, for example, since we're here, we'll use that as an example, has younger regulators. Is there ever an opportunity to learn from the younger regulators? Yes. Actually, every situation is different. I always use an example of a zebra, because the zebra has got stripes. And when you go throughout the world, every zebra has got very unique stripes, particularly around the shoulders. So every country is like a zebra. It is unique. And even the most advanced regulator will have something to learn from an imaging. And anyway, those big regulators from big countries have an interest for their private sector because they wanted to have market opportunities. And it's important for them to understand the real situation on the ground. And the best way to do that is to learn from and to interact and also sometimes to cooperate with a smaller regulator. And small does not mean that they don't have adequate knowledge. It just means that they came late or not late, they came last. But they may be doing wonderful work. And every, there is no one size fit all. Every approach is appropriate to the environment. So yes, it is not a ghetto for the poor. It is a playground, fair level playing field. And every regulator has a story to tell. And that interaction will transfer knowledge in its both ways. Of course, everyone we've spoken to has talked about the benefits of this GSR conference. So let's talk a little bit about GSR 17. This is the first time that it's been held in this region and only the second time in the whole of the Americas. As an important member of ITU, how have you been feeling about the conference? How is the Bahamas done at hosting? I tell you, Bahamas is a tourism magnet. So you would say it's tourism by conferencing. That's number one. Everybody wants to come to Bahamas. Everybody, Bahamas is quite progressive in terms of its trust to development. And I think this has been evident. I was there when we were discussing the first time exploring the opportunity of doing it in the Bahamas. And the response was immediate, yes, we will do it. And I have been talking to delegates here. Everybody is so happy. The environment is great. And even the social events are very much welcoming. So we are very grateful to be here. And I know that the GSR so far is doing so well and it will be a success story. And we try to move from place to place and from region to region to give opportunities for all the regions to host. And we do the same actually with our world telecommunications indicator symposium. We might be coming back. I hope. We hope you come back. Absolutely. Thank you so much for coming so far, Mr. Cosmos Zava Zava. Thanks so much for chatting with us. Thank you. And enjoy the rest of the conference. I hope you get out to enjoy the Bahamas. Absolutely. Thank you very much.