The G7 ICT and Industry Multistakeholder Conference

In 2017, Italy has hosted the G7 Summit in Taormina on 26th and 27th of May. One working session of the Summit was based on innovation and on the digital and other technologies which are shaping a new way of producing goods and services, changing deeply education and the skills of people asked to adapt to this transformation and urging governments to react to absorb the impact on the labour market. Three key issues that the OECD defines as a consequence of the production revolution - the so called Next Production Revolution (NPR) and, in general, described as the 4th industrial revolution.

The digital economy is offering opportunities to increase competitiveness, a sustainable and inclusive growth and job creation but it is also challenging our economies and societies in a world that is increasingly digital and data-driven.

Integrating innovation and developing the capacity to adapt are processes which need to be monitored and planned accurately. Therefore, governments have to put in place policy frameworks to enable change, softening the effects of the new technologies on society, on the business community and on the Public Administration itself. Furthermore, as Internet connects everybody, its governance needs to be shared starting from clear, fair, inclusive and transparent principles for the global community and for every single citizen.

The Italian Ministry of Economic Development was in charge to organise the G7 ICT and Industry Ministerial Meeting specifically after the Taormina’s Summit, on 25-26 September 2017, to respond to the call of the G7 Leaders, in particular to the “G7 People-Centered Action Plan on Innovation, Skills and Labour” which outlines a set of policy recommendations to maximise the benefits of the NPR. To this end, the Italian Ministry of Economic Development, sharing the multistakeholder governance model, which implies full and active participation of the stakeholders to participate in the dialogue, decision making, and implementation of solutions to common problems or goals, has promoted the G7 ICT and Industry Multistakeholder Conference, as a side event, to discuss with all interested parties the main issues tackled by the ICT and Industry Ministers.

The Conference has gathered representatives and experts of civil society, industry, SMEs, academia, research centres and think tanks to reflect upon four crucial issues: