Geneva, 19 February 2013 – Preparations for ITU’s upcoming
World Telecommunication Development Conference were launched in Chisinau,
Moldova with an assessment of ongoing implementation of the Hyderabad Plan of
Action forged at the last Conference in 2010 and the identification of priority
areas.
ITU’s World Telecommunication Development Conference 2014 (WTDC-14) will take
place in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt, 31 March – 11 April 2014. The gathering of
policy makers, regulators and experts from around the world will prepare a plan
of action for the next four years.
Appreciating the participation of countries of the CIS region, ITU
Secretary-General Hamadoun I. Touré noted in a message: “The World
Telecommunication Development Conference in 2014 will be an important landmark
for the future development and growth of telecommunications and ICT. Inputs from
the CIS region, which has witnessed great strides in connectivity over the past
decade, will provide a significant contribution to WTDC-14.”
Expressing his gratitude to ITU for choosing Moldova to host the meetings,
Minister of Information Technology and Communications of Moldova, Mr Pavel Filip
said, “The development of the telecommunication and ICT sector, as well the as
the information society as a whole, both in our country and the entire region,
have reached an advanced level. The ICT sector is one of the most significant
components of economic growth and is an effective instrument for improving the
living standards of our citizens. The measures realized by us are right in
general and correspond with the needs and expectations of the sector. As the ICT
sector develops dynamically, we will continue to improve our national policy in
the field.”
The Regional Preparatory Meeting kicked off yesterday with the Regional
Development Forum for the CIS, focusing on trends in the development of
telecommunication and information and communication technologies (ICT).
Discussions centred on an overview of efforts made by countries in the CIS
region to create a more dynamic ICT sector, including infrastructure building,
especially for broadband access; strengthening cybersecurity; and enhancing
capacity building.
Noting that the CIS Region is one of the most dynamic and fast moving regions
of the world in terms of ICT development, Brahima Sanou, Director of ITU’s
Telecommunication Development Bureau, said, “Now that the region has almost
achieved universal access to mobile communications, the next challenge is to
develop fixed and mobile broadband on the same scale. This will contribute to
sustainable development through timely service delivery for health, education,
banking, and business.”
Mr Sanou highlighted ITU initiatives on ‘m-Powering Development’ that seeks
to build partnerships to deliver ICT applications in education, health,
government, banking, environment, and business amongst others; and ‘Smart
Sustainable Development Model (SSDM)’ that aims to link emergency
telecommunication and sustainable development in order to optimize the use of
resources in the ICT sector. Noting that capacity building is one of the key
elements of work in ITU’s Telecommunication Development Sector, Mr Sanou said
that the ITU Academy is yet another initiative to work with academic
institutions to serve as a platform for sharing training modules and tool kits
around the world.
Countries of the CIS region welcomed the opportunity to contribute to the
preparations for the upcoming world conference. A series of regional meetings
will take place this year around the world to provide inputs to WTDC-14.
For more information, please contact:
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Sanjay Acharya
Chief, Media Relations and Public Information
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