I have great pleasure in inviting your organisation to participate as observer to the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-06), to be held from 7 to 15 March 2006 at the Sheraton Convention Centre, Doha, at the kind invitation of the Government of Qatar.

World Telecommunication Development Conferences (WTDC) are convened in the period between two Plenipotentiary Conferences, generally every four years. Their aim is to provide a framework for the examination of issues, plans and programmes relating to telecommunication development, and to establish priorities for the work of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT).

In 2002, the World Telecommunication Development Conference launched an ambitious action plan aimed at narrowing the digital divide between developed and developing countries, urban and rural areas, and younger and older generations, at the same time incorporating a gender perspective.

WTDC-06 is an essential step in mobilizing the international community to meet the challenges presented by the advent of the global information society. The conference will be the culmination of a round of regional preparatory meetings that will end shortly before the holding of the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society, the results of which are likely to influence the direction that ITU's Telecommunication Development Sector will take in the future.

WTDC-06 will adopt a declaration, a strategic plan and an action plan that will lay the foundations for ITU's contribution to the building of a global information society that is open to all and that benefits all its members.

The agenda for WTDC-06, as approved by the Council at its 2004 session (Resolution 1228), is contained in Annex 1. However, at its 2005 session, the Coucil decided to propose a new agenda item, called "Questions relating to Private Sector".

A draft of the structure of the WTDC-06 is contained in Annex 2.

To assist with the preparations for this important event, please let me know as soon as possible, but in any event not later than 1 November 2005, whether you intend to participate and, if so, what your requirements will be regarding conference preparatory documents. You can register either by using the online procedure for participants, described in Annex 3, or by completing and returning the registration form contained in Annex 4.

Yours faithfully,

[signed]

Yoshio UTSUMI
Secretary-General

Annexes: 4