Young Professionals from Intersputnik’s Member States at IAC 2023

Intersputnik, as an international organization, implements a programme to support young talents engaged in satellite communications and space technologies from its member states. This project is inspired by ITU initiatives aimed at active involvement of young individuals in the process of digital transformation and development of their fundamental competencies and skills in STEM and ICT. One of the programme's objectives is to get experts from Intersputnik member states involved in major industry events.

Intersputnik’s delegation at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2023), held from 2 to 6 October in Baku, Azerbaijan, was comprised of a joint team of young talents hailing from Belarus, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Russia, Somalia, and Viet Nam. Fellow professionals from member states across various continents seized the exceptional opportunity to attend in person the world's foremost space forum. The open discussions that took place at the event encompassed the most crucial aspects of the industry.

Throughout the years, Intersputnik has maintained a continuous commitment to involving talented young individuals from member states in the development of youth digital strategies and imparting them with technological and managerial skills related to satellite communications. This was a key item on the agenda at the annual NaSatTel 2023 conference virtually hosted by Intersputnik in June 2023. During the conference, Intersputnik arranged a "Digital Youth Far Beyond the Borders" roundtable discussion moderated by the representative of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector. At the event, young experts from Intersputnik member states discussed the role and place of youth in the process of digitizing the global economy and bridging the digital divide in various regions of the world.

Young people are the primary driving force behind digital transformation. They must have necessary skills to be efficient in the digital ecosystem. The ITU Generation Connect initiative, fully supported by Intersputnik, is aimed at expanding opportunities for young people all across the globe. ITU encourages governments, businesses, academic institutions, and other stakeholders to contribute to equipping young people with the necessary digital skills, which is one of the essential conditions for achieving UN Sustainable Development Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. The young professionals involved in shaping and implementing the digital transformation strategy as well as in achieving universal connectivity form a coalition of talented, proactive, and competent industry leaders of the future.

The young talents from Intersputnik member states strengthened the Organization’s fundamental principles with their strong contribution at the International Astronautical Congress in Baku. Those principles are based on open and mutually beneficial cooperation and joint actions taken in the context of initiatives by various international organisations aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals defined by the United Nations.