Policy Statement
Tonga

Mr. Chairman
The Secretary-General of the International Telecommunications Union
Your Excellencies
Distinguished Delegates
Ladies and Gentlemen
 
Today, at this Eighteenth Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union, it is indeed an exceptional honour for the Government of the Kingdom of Tonga, to be in the presence of the President and the esteemed Leadership of the ITU, and of the august national Leadership of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) offices of the nations of the world.
 
Mr. Chairman and Your Excellencies, from the South Pacific ocean, may I bring to you all, the kindest respects and greetings from the Government and the people of the Kingdom of Tonga, and also our earnest prayers that the deliberations of this most august Forum, will continue to enrich and enhance the lives of all people in the world.
At this point, may I also convey to the Government and the people of the United States of Mexico, and of this historical city of Guadalajara, Tonga’s sincere gratitude for your most hospitable hosting of our conference. After the privilege of witnessing the opening address of our Conference yesterday by the President of Mexico, His Excellency Mr. Felipe Calderon Honojosa, may I say that his most visionary ICT programme and achievements for the great nation of Mexico, has indeed added further inspirations to our conference, and may I ask the esteemed delegation of the Government of Mexico, to please convey our sincere   congratulations and gratitude to your Government and your people.
 
May I also take this opportunity to add Tonga’s congratulations to our fellow Island Nation of Timor Leste for having become the newest member of the ITU, and to wish you all the very best.
 
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, the World Summits on the Information Society (WSIS) in their declaration of the World’s ICT Principles and Plan of Action, had stated that they are committed to laying a solid foundation for building a truly global, inclusive, and development oriented broadband for all. As this esteemed conference is aware of, these are our universal commitments, and they are also consistent with our Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
 
I am also proud to add that last June, at the Pacific ICT Ministers Meeting hosted by Tonga under the auspices of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), they also adopted the ‘Framework for Action on ICT Development in the Pacific’. Based on the WSIS Declaration, this historical document also embraced the special emphases of the Pacific Nations and is indeed a milestone in the Pacific’s ICT roadmap for the future.
 
As Your Excellencies are aware, the incredible speed and advances in ICT Technology, as well as the proliferation of their production and availability, have dramatically advanced, simplified and cheapened communication between the whole Human Race. The whole world can now communicate with each other as never before, by Internet or by the more affordable mobile phones. Continents and Small Island Nations, urban and rural and remote areas, and the whole International Community, are now all able to routinely communicate. This has broadened and revolutionized the quality of life of the whole world, and these are indeed no small miracles for mankind!
 
At the same time, as noted earlier, whilst it is our duty to continue to actively and proactively promote the technological advances which have dramatically improved the lives of our people, we have also been tasked to establish the foundation, and promote the development, of an inclusive and development oriented broadband for all. In essence, this is a warning that we must ensure that the benefits of our ICT Technological Revolution do not sideline our humanity.
 
This is indeed a most important role. Firstly, it reminds us to give due consideration to the appropriate technologies and costs for both the rich and the poor, the Developed and Developing Nations, and to both the world population centres as well as the isolated nations. It also reminds us that technology is man’s tool and not his master, and that it must always be human friendly. Fortunately, Your Excellencies, I am certain that you will agree with me, that these are indeed the very principles which continuously inspire the hearts of our national leaders and administrators, such as your honoured presence here today. And thus we are indeed well equipped to also address this most important challenge.
 
Tonga’s ICT goal is: “To improve sector performance to ensure domestic and global connectivity throughout the Kingdom and to improve the quality of life, geographic coverage service, affordability, and access to new service application.”
 
In line with these objectives, may I note that within the first five years of implementing this policy, the tariff for almost all of the ICT services in Tonga dropped by more than 200 per cent. At the same time, the teledensity of mobile phones and Internet users also dramatically rose by 300 per cent. These statistics clearly testify that the benefits of ICT have indeed enriched the lives of the people of Tonga, and will continue to do so in the future.
 
Technically, all of these outcomes have been based on Tonga’s full dependence on satellite based communication. The Government of Tonga, however, is now in the course of negotiating for the construction of cable communication. When this is completed, Tonga will advance even further and will be able to enjoy the boundless benefits of ICT even more.   
 
Tonga however, would not have achieved these results without the help of the international community. In this regard, I would like to place on record our sincere gratitude for the most valuable assistance we have received from the Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT), the ITU regional office in Bangkok, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), among others, and also from our development partners.
 
In September 2009, to quote only one example, our most distant island of Niuatoputapu was hit by a deadly tsunami. Due to technical difficulties and limitations, both radio and telephone communication with this island were disrupted. Fortunately, due to the ITU’s disaster mitigation programme, equipment which they had sent and had been installed in this Island, enabled their telephone communication with the other islands of Tonga as well as their relatives overseas.
 
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, as brevity is the order of this most important World Conference, may I and my delegation, on behalf of the Government of the Kingdom of Tonga, now wish you Mr. Chairman, the Secretary General of the ITU and the Secretariat, the esteemed national delegations from the ITU Member States, and indeed the Government and the people of Mexico, a most successful outcome to our Conference and a safe journey home.
 
I thank you all for your kind indulgence.
 
Tu’a ‘ofa atu.