Global Esports Federation, ITU to launch global dialogue on esports & sustainability

The Global Esports Federation partners with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to launch a global dialogue on esports as part of the AI for Good Global Summit — the United Nation’s leading platform to discuss inclusive AI.

On Wednesday, June 24, the “Global Dialogue on Esports” webinar will look to create the conditions necessary to establish international standards and guidelines for the esports ecosystem.

Global Esports Federation (GEF) reps Chester King, Melita Moore, and Koen Schobbers will join BBC “Click” presenter LJ Rich to discuss how esports can help connect people, help build a more inclusive future, and help achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

“Our world is highly diverse, but sport has extraordinary power to unite us” — Chaesub Lee

“Just as each team player makes a unique contribution to their team, the inclusive dialogue led by ITU and GEF will help new partners to build a common understanding of how they could each play to their strengths to make complementary contributions to the growth of the esports ecosystem,” said Chaesub Lee, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, in a statement.

“Our world is highly diverse, but sport has extraordinary power to unite us,” he added.

The webinar will explore the business and social dynamics underlying esports and the partnerships supporting its explosive growth.

The AI for Good series will showcase innovations in fields such as Artificial Intelligence; Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality; IMT-2020/5G; and the Internet of Things. It will also discuss actions required to support esports competitors and fans in enjoying these sports actively and sustainably.

“By joining ITU, the Global Esports Federation has signaled the intent of the esports industry to build its future on the reliability offered by international standards, in concert with the diverse ITU membership” — ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao

Being a new partner of the ITU, which is the specialized United Nations agency for information and communication technologies, the GEF “has signaled the intent of the esports industry to build its future on the reliability offered by international standards, in concert with the diverse ITU membership,” according to ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao.

The GEF has also highlighted its intention to propose new ITU standardization studies addressing the relationship between esports and ICT advances in fields such as AI, Big Data, 5G and IoT.

“This partnership allows us to develop a pathway together to foster more international collaboration between our respective communities” — GEF President Chris Chan

“We are honored to embark on this strategic partnership with the ITU in advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and further strengthening the GEF’s mission of convening the world’s esports ecosystem,” said GEF President Chris Chan, in a statement.

“This partnership allows us to develop a pathway together to foster more international collaboration between our respective communities.

“The future of esports continues to be bright, and we look forward to developing great collaborations with the ICT industry, elevating esports based on the traditions and values of sport and the principle of harnessing technology for good,” he added.

The AI for Good series is the leading action-oriented, global and inclusive United Nations platform on AI, and the Global Dialogue on Esports looks to carry on in that spirit of inclusivity and sustainability.

The AI for Good Summit is organized every year in Geneva by the ITU with XPRIZE Foundation in partnership with over 35 sister United Nations agencies, Switzerland and ACM. The goal is to identify practical applications of AI and scale those solutions for global impact.