IGF 2025 - Day 3 - Workshop Room 2 - WS #460 Building Digital Policy for Sustainable E-Waste Management

>> SABA TIKU BEYENE: Good morning everybody. Welcome to the session on building digital policy for sustainable e‑waste management here at the IGF 2025. My name is Saba, former MAC member as well currently serving at junior advisor at the African UN. Will be moderator at this session.

So this session, we will be discussing the urgency of e‑waste management and policy implications. Explore digital global framework such as ITUs or international telecommunication, UN EPR principles, as well as different national legislations promoting sustainable e‑waste management within states.

We shall also explore the role of different actors including policymakers, IC device producers, civil society, and the individual users in fostering sustainability as well.

Our distinguished speakers of course will share their best practices from diverse regions on how to innovations can support e‑waste reduction as well as supply economic principle and real world impacts.

So saying this, let's quickly meet our speakers and I will ask each one of them to previously introduce themselves will start with online, online speaker if they are joined.

First we have Emmanuel.

So I will go ahead with our onsite speaker. First start with Athenese Bahizire from Africa.

>>ATHENESE BAHIZIRE: I am currently MAC member and I used to be a MAC member for three years before and I focus mainly on for solutions in applications. Thank you.

>> SABA TIKU BEYENE: Thank you so much. Thank you for joining us. We have Jasmine.

>> JASMINE: Thank you for having me here. Jasmine from Hong Kong, personal passion in sustainable consumption and intercepting with the internet. So I'm here and now currently I am convenor Hong IGF. Former project leader equal internet invest initiative.

Reason that I'm being here is to bring up HR perspective, good case practice, and also how my former research experience given insight from border, sustainable carbon footprint measurements, methodology into e‑waste. That's why I'm here. Thank you.

>> SABA TIKU BEYENE: Thank you very much.

>> OUSSAMA ELMERRAHI: Thank you. Hi everyone. Currently US ambassador for the National Society and I work in the digital infrastructure. I help medium and large‑size companies with infrastructure, with business intelligence, and also WSIS sustainability and deeply engaged with sustainability.

I work with diverse industry Fintech and currently AgriBIT, helping industries manage energy monitoring and work as well as with production. Thank you.

>> SABA TIKU BEYENE: Glad you are here. I will give the floor to online moderator and Rapporteur to briefly introduce themselves.

>> QURRA TUL AIN NISAR: Thank so much. My name is Qurra Tulain Nisar, Democratic Republic of Congo. I will be helping with online moderation and happy to be here. Thank you.

>> SABA TIKU BEYENE: Thank you. We have Dina, online moderator. Are you with us? Dina, are you with us? Dina? Okay. We can proceed for now. Thank you.

All right. Thank you to all of you. Now dive deeply into our discussion. Invite each of our speakers to respond to questions which is tied to area of expertise.

So you have X amount, five minutes to have space for Q&A and audience interaction starting with Oussama, building engagement in digital policy throughout the e‑waste.

What role do you really think that the technicals companies, manufacturers can play in reducing e‑waste and how can those digital policies kind of incentivize sustainable design, recycling and reuse, the opportunities.

OUSSAMA ELMERRAHI: E‑waste is a very interesting talk because from the end, represents key challenges especially in the developing countries at the same time, it does represent opportunities in the same time. So with proper actions, we can easily turn the challenge into opportunity and profit for some.

In order to be able to handle e‑waste, you need to start with awareness and then we need to have capacity‑building for the right people that are going to handle e‑waste. Then we need to incentivize legislation or policies that would encourage, corporate producing electronics to do the post‑implementation support and recycle or to change or to dismantle properly their goods.

And finally, we need to have clear regulations would be respected in the ways they are going to handle the e‑waste.

I will give you, for example, in Egypt, my country, Egypt one of the major producers of e‑waste annually in Africa with estimated 370,000 tons and projected to increase rapid technical adoption and shorter life cycle.

Generally this sector really dominated by an informal site. Large portion of e‑waste managed by former sector, garbage dealers, waste collectors, et cetera, while they do recover some valuable material involving food and safe methods. Example, open burning or acid leach leading to severe environmental pollution and health risks for working and surrounding communities.

We had legislation 2020, law 2020, for the e‑waste as hazardous waste and specific writing guideline for collection, recycling disposal, supervise factories under environment. And also, we have input restrictions input used, electronic older than five years old, completely prohibited petition e‑waste.

Egypt is also member of Basel Convention, controls movement of space including e‑waste. The fact is we have limited formal infrastructure. Despite regulations, formal collection and recycling of infrastructure remains limited. Small percent generated e‑waste is formally collected and recycled, majority ending up uncontrolled landfill or being informally processed.

Huge awareness gap. Lack of public awareness among Egyptian households, proper e‑waste disposal, recycling process. Many consumers' electronics or dispose them with regular trash. There is, from another perspective, emerging initiatives. Some initiatives are such small use app to incentivize e‑waste collection and facilitate proper dismantling. We need to build tool sustainability and people centered e‑waste management system initiative. Regulation and policies needed to focus on key areas. So strengthening and enforcing extensive good use responsibilities, EPR is very important to implement, oversee it, EPR scheme, legally manufacturing and reporters and retailers take the responsibility for that electronic products including collection, take back, recycling and disposal.

Need to have more producers responsibility, organizations, PRO, encourage them establishment, PROs that would collect and manage e‑waste. We need to have more equal design incentives. Provide incentives like tax breaks, preferential market access. Manufacture design product, upgradable, easily recycled, minimize material and promote more.

Need to formalize former sector. Need capacity‑building and guidance, informal collector and recyclers, environmental management practices, health and safety proposed and business gifts. We need to access technology and finance for safety, dismantle and material recovery and provide financial support or microloans to upgrade their cooperation corporation. We need fair labor practices. Establishing resolution to prevent child labor and insure fair work conditions and wages within the informal e‑waste sector.

Also, probably we need formal links between the informal collection networks and informal recycling facility ensuring seamless and efficient flow of e‑waste.

Of course, we need to encourage advanced recycling facilities logistics and transportation mostly promoting consumer awareness and behavior change. Public education complaints are extremely important, using various media to educate consumers about environmental and health risks of improper e‑waste management and guides them to do properly the disposal of the e‑waste.

Finally, we need to foster recycle economy to repair and use ecosystem material recovery and reintroduction, public procurement and we need to stand and monitoring and report data collection of e‑waste influence.

I think I will stop here. I hope that I have given enough information for the time being. Thank you very much.

>> SABA TIKU BEYENE: Thank you very much, Oussama, for that very good intervention especially, for example, experience as well as Egypt, much appreciated. Go ahead to Jasmine. As we all know, multi‑stakeholder is IGF and I wanted to ask based on your experience over the years, can you tell us how multi‑stakeholder collaboration can really drive effective implementation of circular economy principles when it comes to digital technologies production as well as production.

>> JASMINE: Actually, the implementation come with a timeline that you need to have firstly. Emissions policy cohesion. Second, come into encouraging the industry leaders, perfect civil society, to have innovative and sustainable designs. Implementation on how to, make sure when you launch equal design product, to really put e‑waste ‑‑ sorry, electronic devices in order to be more, higher responsibility to stuff from the concept when you design the product itself.

Starts from how do you improve circular economy and model and mindset about the package after you launch the electronic product. Also about how do you do logistic. How do you make sure your collection is efficient and recycling process is closing a loop from production to e‑waste management. Echoing what you mentioned previously, a lot of generated UA is not publicly being recycled and putting the circle that close to the loop of the circular economy.

Add to the context, policy cohesion really needs multistakeholder approach platform that government can have proper and sufficient consultation with academia, civil society and, also, businesses who are like designing their electronic products. So one example that I would like to share is STEP initiative, something E‑waste platform initialed by the UN to foster research and pilot projects.

One example having this kind of policy level like what you have mentioned previously, as well about beyond expanding the EP. Scheme, eco design regulations, it's something more about the right‑to‑repair legislation. It is to empower consumers and independent repair shops to fix the device and give them second life, expand life span, how the industry itself are when they produce, design a product, could have more interaction with the academia, do the research on how to make sure that product itself is ecofriendly, this can be a collaboration are the staff network as well. Design some kind of new business model. Of course, you guys may know about the PS model, product service model, about devices, self‑selling them.

In that way, from the beginning, we can already reduce consumption of electronic devices and services so that is how we can make sure that we could do like harmless environments and business setting, I think something that some business have been done in the certain level about kickback and training programs, integrity programs, iPhone, something like that, and about refurbishment and manufacturing. Kind of restoring product, like new condition, something like that.

And lastly, back to what I mentioned as well on the logistic level and recycling collection, logistics network itself of how we can make sure manufacturer retail and logistical product could have closer collaborations. I think something that is initiative have been done, such as HR in Hong Kong doing something collaboration with us, enterprise recycle, one of the startup and social enterprise to recycle the plastic in Hong Kong.

So this kind of multi‑stakeholder collaboration could really have been put for five, six years, put in practice in the beginning. Not easy. See start‑up society come together not just reducing e‑waste, but also planning more local environment opportunities, like a win‑win situation. That is the time line just mentioned. Also some cases, according to different stage, I could share here. So I'll give the floor back. 

>> SABA TIKU BEYENE: Thank you very much, Jasmine, for that. Wonderful intervention. Also for mentioning about the multi‑stakeholder initiatives and how industry can support this kind of strengthen this.

Also mentioned some examples coming from Hong Kong and will, yes, as you say, need more locally environmental opportunities. So I will now go ahead with our interventions from the online speakers. We have Thelma from Smart Africa give you the floor to first briefly introduce yourself to the floor, and then I will go ahead with my question, which is from Smart Africa perspective as a leading international transition in the digital space.

What best practices from different regions can really inform the development of globally aligned digital policies when it comes to e‑waste management, and how can this be adopted to local context? Over to you.

>> THELMA QUAYE: Thank you. Thank you very much. Once again, my apologies. I joined in the beginning.

By way of introduction, Thelma Quaye and Smart Africa. I lead digital infrastructure, digital skills, as well as gender matters.

Maybe for the purpose of those who did not know, Smart Africa panel of organizations and Africa's really focus is on building single digital market through multi‑stakeholder approach. We have membership of about 40 countries, over 60 sectors. We bring that fine mix of public and private sector towards data development.

So to the question, I think start for the first time. First time I saw a refurbished shop which was not black market, you could get all sort of devices refurbished according to how old it is. Thought really good idea because at that time, we were grappling with how do we process e‑waste, especially phones, that is before everyone now, and then we throw away every now and then because are not good quality, cheap, and then people are always having to replace it.

So after that, really decided we need to give thoughts to e‑waste. If you think about it, also helps in terms of inclusivity and sustainable digital systems. Include about inclusivity, not only about gender, all around in terms of leading those who cannot afford even those.

One of our flagship projects, for context, what we do is we usually take projects according to different markets led by country, but usually had a Pan‑African approach.

So one of our flagship projects called Affordable Devices For All led by the Congo For us, good opportunity to make sure we are thinking e‑waste one as sustainable approach, but also through inclusivity. From the very beginning of that project, we embedded circular economy approach shows that affordability income, cost of sustainability.

He added end‑of‑life management and I believe it was at the same time that ITU was also developing a document on end‑of‑life management which we adopted. That is this would be a future concern but design from the beginning.

Permit me to share three best practices question from our region that we believe can inform global alliance digital policies on e‑waste and how we can adopt them to our realities.

For me, number one, ensure we embed e‑waste in digital access strategies. Countries have broadband strategies, digital strategies, digital strategies, one of the many portions of that strategies should be sure that countries are including recovery recycling and refurbishment in any of sort of plan and strategies. In this case, then becomes a policy issue and we are able to carry it forward and sustainable.

For me, number 2, really critical, is also to promote refurbishment and reuse. Just like my experience in Romania. This allows us to create secondary market for our devices, that is one, but it also generates jobs which one of our biggest problems of our government in Africa. It also helps us to reduce imports, keeps value within our economy.

Device second life should happen locally, should generate economic value, should generate jobs, but not end up in a landfill.

Finally, it's to strengthen regulation and reharmonization. Very important especially because of the way we have a lot of people crisscrossing our boarders. Nigeria service for e‑waste framework, for me, one key example, how manufactures can be held accountable for the full life cycles of a device.

Life cycle manufacturer, your job doesn't end when you have sold the device, for instance. So I think that is something that really talks about how manufacturers need to be held accountable. Need to follow through to the end of this device, even if it changes.

And another example I would like to share is original one where East African Community Organization EACO, leading efforts to harmonize cause for the e‑waste rules and what does that? Creates environment for coordination and also creates what key in Africa often overlooked in global frameworks for us is the importance of adopting to look at repair economy driving other countries.

No device that you will not have somebody who can repair in Africa. Technician and skill is not a problem to be solved, but how do we extreme upscale it, solve it so we formalize it becomes part of whole value chain of device as well as e‑waste.

Then second, for me, importance or look up context is investing in citizen awareness. I think over the past decade, invested in a lot of teaching people how to use device, economic value, how to use it to improve their lives.

Have we taught them how to care for it, extend its life, dispose of responsibly? How many of us do not have three other devices laying idly in our homes? I think that is something that we also need to focus on in terms of citizen awareness.

So as I conclude, for us, we are already building the models that locally ground on we believe global relevance. Smart Africa, thinking longterm thinking, sustainability, and this ranges from devices, connectivity to data governance and beyond, design for sustainable from the start. E‑waste not just manageable, but transformative for all of us.

Thank you very much for the time and I'll be here if there is any fireworks.

>> SABA TIKU BEYENE: Thank you very much, Thelma, for your interventions. You mentioned some of the examples, listening device by Congo as well as some of the initiatives in Romania. Also, some of the best practice, which is first to ensure embedded EU into accessible and promoting reuse, which can also generate jobs as well as economic growth, strengthening close regional collaboration which is important. Thank you again for that.

Now go ahead and give the floor to our online speaker, Emmanuel. Thank you very much for joining, first, like to briefly introduce yourself and reflect upon given from your experience working, working within the ITU, which is international telecommunications union.

We know that ITU making a lot of effort to address e‑waste, so how can governments as well as regulatory bodies strengthen the digital policies such as extended producers possibility or EPR and right to repair and to ensure sustainable e‑waste management? Over to you.

>> EMMANUEL NIYIKORA: Thank you so much. Good morning everyone. Sorry. Apologies for joining bit late. Got confused at the time for that, and I'm able to be part of this very interesting discussion.

My name is called Emmanuel Niyikora. I'm a program officer at ITU, regional office for Africa based in Senegal ITU office that covers West Africa, but in my work streams also work on programs that addresses the issues of e‑waste, especially extended producer responsibility efforts with countries. And I also coordinate capacities development, youth‑related activities at ITU.

So ITU, I think, has been introduced by Saba, ITU is United Nations specialized agency for digital technologies‑driven organization. We have over 194 members states and also plus a thousand sector academia and international organization member states.

So when it comes to e‑waste, e‑waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams globally for this one. I think we all know with growing technology, according to global e‑waste monitor, we're coordinating generating over 62 million tons annually in e‑waste. So when we look at we have 22%, which is formally collected and recycled, so which means remaining 78 remain unimagined resulting in polluting our air, water, and land, accusing severe health risk in the process.

So we know uptick of mobile phones and laptops, so behind every discarded phone and laptops, laptop hidden cost, ask ourselves, when we discard our phones and laptops, where they go.

I think most of us we don't know what happens after we discard our phone and laptops, so that is a problem that we need to address. So this unaddressed growth of e‑waste poses a significant risk to our environment. Also presents opportunity to transition from traditional circle economy products are designed, used, and recycled more sustainably.

So that is where they did the ITU, has been working with countries to call extended producer responsibility frameworks and policies. So we've been working with countries like Rwanda and Zambia to develop this extended producer responsibility workstreams.

Also, now have initiating project that is focusing on international connections bringing countries together to strengthen their e‑waste regulatory frameworks. Interesting way, would countries in Africa, Nigeria, South Africa, and other countries like Columbia, India, that we work together to each of this. This is part of group Global South Corporation products, promote best practice, produce responsibility, sustainable financing, and engagement strategies for e‑waste management study to us in Africa.

Study brings toolkit and Derichebourg Recycling Company to run what is being done there. Sharing this one and this involving police toolkit, toolkit for extended producer ability. Aims to keep Africa as industry stakeholders. Involves police, public and industry stakeholders so with the tools to be inclusive in the environment areas, sound economy area, valuable economy system. This issue aligns with the work of ITU, work of ITU on hitting circular economy for electronics.

This is I could share for ITU. So extended producer responsibility aims to give this responsibility to the producers right from when the design of the product, not really, but in the government, to take responsibility of e‑waste management so it should be effective efforts and giving responsibility to the producers right from the design to take into account the recycling and disposal of e‑waste. So this way, gets again circular economy, creates jobs. Of course, we know that when you have the responsibility to producer, sometimes it ends up coming to the consumers, why this policy needs again consecutive efforts between different public organizations, public institutions and private producer.

>> SABA TIKU BEYENE: Thank you so much. I would have to cut you because I'm already over time.

>> EMMANUEL NIYIKORA: Also mention involvement with youth. Working to support youth initiatives to support efforts of recycle economy and recycling of use of the product. That was my final contribution. Thank you. Back to you.

>> SABA TIKU BEYENE: Thank you very much for that wonderful presentation. Also mentions examples from different countries from the region as well as efforts done by the ITU who want to address that e‑waste management as well as talking about circle economy.

Give the floor last a peek around. Q&A, any comment from the audience online.

Oussama, from your experience working in the private sector, how do you think that different technologies such as AI, as well as IOT and digital products, can support monitoring enforcement innovation of e‑waste policies across industries.

Over to you.

>> OUSSAMA ELMERRAHI: Thank you. Are you talking about e‑waste policy extended responsibility of the producer. We mainly focus on legislations, stakeholder engagement, and sustainable goal. Really ask very important questions. What systems do we actually have to make this policy work?

For me, perspective, digital professional, different technologies, are essential tools to translate these policies into measurable and scalable action.

Let me give you a simple truth. We can't manage what we can't measure right now. The global e‑waste system is mostly blind. We talked about global waste monitor. World generates over 62 million matrix of e‑waste. Less than 20% is collected and recycled which means that we have millions of tons of devices of batteries of toxic components that are not accounted for.

And here comes exactly the role of AI, IOT and digital products passports. Let's talk about AI. AI can help us automate our sorting in the recycling facilities. Could help us also with the predicting which materials we can, for example, recover.

Also, we can help us forecast products' failure before it's happened.

Also, it can help us predict and analyze the patterns of the global waste management. Give policymakers real ability to act with provision rather guesswork. Second IOT devices embedded with sensors and have the capacity, in fact, to track their own user environmental exposure and, for example, we have great example with smart bins. That is good. Tell us and track if the bins are full. They could tell us what type of e‑waste we have inside of them.

I had the cool experience we were selling over hundreds of IOT sensors in our production sites in over 160 machines and with technology, monitor realtime impacts of each machine.

And lastly, maybe the most transformative tool in this e‑waste problem would be the digital products passport. DPP, simply digital identity of a device, which can provide us with information about the materials of this product, could provide us with the history of repair of this product. Owner shop and, most importantly, instruction could empower not only recyclers and manufacturers, could help the users to make smarter decisions about their products, ones that are not used.

And we see EU, European union, making great efforts and mandating for extra devices and tech side starting from 2027. Already that's my problem here. Want to make an impact. We should go further and we should enterprise this tool across all borders other technologies, other creating silos rather than data‑sharing solutions.

Lastly, I would mention we should not, must not overlook data responsibility, because with increasing traceability, we need clear rules about private about ownership and accessibility all under the umbrella of digital governance practice.

Back to you. 

>> SABA TIKU BEYENE: Thank you very much. You said one powerful word, which is we can't manage what we can't measure. Of course, thank you very much for mentioning about the digital products. Passport product is not overlooking responsibilities focusing in that data privacy and data governance. Thank you for your interventions.

Since we have only a few minutes left, I will give the floor to QA or any comment from the floor. Of course, if you are joining us online, online moderator will bring your questions to the floor.

Okay, I see one question from onsite. Yes. Briefly introduce yourself and ask a question. Thank you. Thank you.

>> LEANDERO: Coming from NGO, but also member of ITU, study group 5, western 7, about circular economy. Sensibly chain. End of the year, but still expert.

I wanted to comment that got ITU, also the ITUR, sorry, ITUT, developer standards. Standards publicly available that talk about different aspects of not only e‑waste, but also circular economy.

Find, for instance, one recommendation that provides guidelines for national legislation regarding e‑waste in the publication process of e‑waste collection standard, which standards are important because when it comes to develop legislation, important certain harmonization across different countries, especially because electronics supply chain is global, then is global problem. And we need global, but also local regional solutions to make sure that it doesn't get worse.

And I recommend you to look at the L series of recommendations, which you will find, including one recommendation about DPR, but the problem is sort of hard that I think it's not enough only to come up with legislation regulation, but we need to act. Encouragement to explore other different ways to deal with the problem that is becoming bigger and bigger as we go.

Practical terms, for instance, couple of examples. You were talking about the DPP. In my activities side of it, since I was working on standards on DPP ITU, we are also working with civil society organizations to develop open source implementation of digital possible electronics. We have reuse.

Find code we are developing because without open source implementations, we cannot really ensure that all of this, more medium‑size and tiny organizations, innovating, need code, data to produce this information. Digitalization formalization of formal sector. Nobody in the area will be able to go from about 80% of products that disappear when they become waste to the opposite because in the end, environmental problem.

Also encouragement to look at the opportunities to work on the right to repair in different regions. For instance, part of the right to repair EU, but encouraged different communities to create regional actors. In the end, local problem is local. Local organizations are different. Important to create environment where innovation can find community multi‑stakeholder community that can guide them to make sure that they are successful because problem deserves solutions.

Thank you.

>> SABA TIKU BEYENE: Thank you very much for that comment. Did we have any questions online?

>> ATHANASE BAHIZIRE: Request from Nicholas here says, rapid progress in most country and reality that many existing IUTC devices cannot be adopted due to firmware and hardware limitation. Government and regulators prepare for imminent wave of graphical obsolete devices to secure life handling and enforcement on the EPR. 

>> SABA TIKU BEYENE: Thank you very much. Anyone would like to reflect? Quickly reflect.

>> JASMINE: On‑site response. You sharing work helping set by the ITU, I think good your resources for national governments, regional alliance and even grassroots community, they have been care about e‑waste.

Actually look into it and thing is how I think some also mention, it's about localizing the global problem, make sure we are able to adopt and create, design something that fits into the community.

People may have different human behavior, different density, different language. How do the people bring the people great global resources back to the local. I think so.

One thing I think something that is my community have been doing, trying to references to some global standards and trying to implement challenges because it is about what we haven't mentioned more about consumer behavior and mindset.

How would people be incentivized to really reducing their own e‑waste like, but such as choosing some product that in the ending of the life cycle, creating less waste, or like really do trade in or like really to recycle their devices been using.

In Hong Kong, we have recycling branches or 18 districts, but we know that problem is Hong Kong people are always overtime work and then open hour of this office kind of clash to business hour.

We cannot recycle weekday, so everyone have to rush to recycle in a weekend. That create some kind of logistic problem. Being smartly involved, Hong Kong government trying to have some flexible hours on some mobile stations so not just physical store. Have a track to go different district BC office, CBD area, to cater to people really want to recycling during the office hour or lunch break. 

>> SABA TIKU BEYENE: Thank you for your reflections. Since we only have five minutes, I would like to maybe ask each panelist to share final key takeaways or share upon the comment that we made from our on‑site participants. Something actionable in just 30 seconds or one minute maximum. Start with onsite.

Once again, private sector Africa, especially if I'm talking to developing countries, e‑waste management is a real opportunity. Why? Because first of all, it can be bankable. E‑waste can be considered bankable projects. And thus, what is required for countries is to search for existing success stories of bankable projects imagining e‑waste and build those and replicate in own countries.

One thing very important for all countries to work on e‑waste is the fact that e‑waste reply to many of the SDGs. I'll just name our number SDG and then you can name it, because there are too many.

SDGs 12. Target 12.4, 12.5. SDG targets 3.9. SDG 6 targets 6.3. SDG 8 targets 8.8. SDG 11 targets 11.6. SDG 14, 15 and 13. And environmentally, SDG 4, 9 and 17.

Any country working on the SDGs and having a plan to achieve, this is quite important to take into consideration and to encourage having bankable projects in this area and to create proper awareness for the different stakeholders with that regard.

Thank you very much, Saba. 

>>JASMINE: One takeaway, considering how many devices you have, and also considering what kind of more ecofriendly design product you could have, think about how you could do more and waste less in your own personal capacity. I think that is my call to action from my side.

>> QURRA TUL AIN NISAR: Government should invest in digital infrastructure, not just in policies. We can make the e‑waste traceable.

Second, we need, like we say, to make these global centers national standards for the product passports to make you compliant and innovation in a global scale.

Lastly, I believe that we should stop receiving data an afterthought. In fact, data is not for just transparency, but foundation of accountability as well for a key circular economy. Thank you.

>> SABA TIKU BEYENE: Thank you very much, emmanuel and Thelma. 

>> THELMA QUAYE: Should I go?

>> SABA TIKU BEYENE: Sure.

>> THELMA QUAYE: So thank you very much for the opportunity and I think that best plan and help me to summarize what they have said, to say, if you want truly global digital future, we need to build one where sustainability is not an afterthought. It has to be sustainably by design. And we need to be our own architect.

And when it comes to e‑waste, it's opportunity for great opportunity to create to drive innovation and show what circular economies can look like.

>> SABA TIKU BEYENE: Thank you very much.

>> EMMANUEL NIYIKORA: Thank you so much. I'll say accessible by design and it has to be concerted approach by private and public consultations.

So in terms of when we are building EPR extended producer responsibility policies, we need to involve everyone, including youth, then to bring innovation. That is important to bring youth active in this space solution now to e‑waste, our solution now. We need to bring in innovation and talk innovation. We need to support the youth innovations in this space. That's my contribution. Then public and private bridging policies, applying policies. Africa, we know what comes in.

>> SABA TIKU BEYENE: Absolutely. Thank very much. We're over time. Like to say yes, thank you so much to all of our speakers onsite and online. Also to our Rapporteur, online moderator, for joining us and staying with us.

Requirement will be posting the key summaries as well as takeaways on the IGF website site. Feel free to agree to the agenda and read and refer to it. That's all. Thank you.

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