Policy Statement
United Arab Emirates

Mr. Chairman,
Ministers, Excellencies and Heads of Delegations,
Honorable Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General and the Directors of the Bureau,
Distinguished Delegates,

It is an honor and a great pleasure to address this Conference on behalf of the Government of the United Arab Emirates. First of all, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to the Government of Mexico for hosting the supreme Conference of the ITU and welcoming us with their prominent warmth and courteousness to the, Mexican Pearl of the West, Guadalajara, the capital city of Jalisco. Mr. Chairman we would also like to wish you every success in leading all of us and steering the work of the Conference over the next three weeks.

Telecommunications and ICT have emerged over the years to be a fundamental necessity and a significant indicator of any country’s economic progress.  Developments in the Telecommunication and ICT sectors have provided an opportunity to build a just and equitable information society, in which the developing world is catching up to connect to a globally-connected, information-driven, knowledge-based society. Information and communications technologies are now widely accepted to be a basic building block of the nation, backbone of the national economy, a medium to improve access and an absolute necessity which completes individual life.

At the forefront of this is the UN Specialized Agency, the International Telecommunications Union whose mission is to connect the world, and to bring information and communications technology within reach of the entire world’s population. The ITU has also been playing a pivotal role in the development of state of the art information and communication technologies. Over the years, there have been several remarkable initiatives taken at the ITU for enhancing the image and highlighting the role of this specialized UN Agency. One such exclusive, unique and distinct initiative was the establishment of the ICT Exploratorium at the ITU. We, at the United Arab Emirates are very delighted to sponsor funds for this project and are honoured to be the Sole founding partner of the ICTE. The Government of the United Arab Emirates has always savoured its long-established association with the ITU. We remain committed and anticipate on enhancing this support and cooperation over the coming years.
 
In recognition of the important role of information and communications technologies in our lives, the Government of the United Arab Emirates has liberalized its telecommunications sector and introduced a competitive environment. Since then we have developed an ICT policy framework which promotes fair access to the domestic infrastructure, enhances the quality of services offered and protects the consumer interests and encourages innovation.

At the same time we are constantly issuing new regulations to meet the changing telecommunications regulatory landscape and support the evolution of new technologies and services with the ICT sector in our country.

As a result we have made numerous achievements that reflect the success of our policy; the UAE has the highest penetration of mobile telephone subscribers in the world with the current mobile penetration standing at 208%. Furthermore, the UAE is ranked second globally in terms of government’s vision in promoting the use of information and communication technologies.

Meanwhile we started a number of promising projects to enhance the ICT infrastructure, expand the access to it and promoting the flow of information; we have come a long way in transition from copper to fiber-optic. The UAE is currently at the forefront of fiber deployment in the region and the Fiber to the Home (FTTH) roll-out in the UAE will render Abu Dhabi as the first Capital City in the world with 100% fiber deployment by the end of this year. The FTTH network will introduce a new era of household communication and entertainment. In addition to faster access speeds, the FTTH network will offer benefits of convenience, enhanced coverage and it will provide direct benefits to the national economy.

The UAE is planning to launch its first Multi-Purpose Satellite System to cater for the satellite communication needs of the country and the region. And to guarantee a continuous growth to the telecommunications sector, we established an ICT fund aiming to provide funding and advisory services to develop innovation in the national ICT sector through research and education. 

Mr. Chairman,

The World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) specifically focused on building confidence and security in the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Cybersecurity and Child online Protection are also important topics at this Conference. Keeping in line with our commitments at WSIS, the TRA established the United Arab Emirates Computer Emergency Response Team (aeCERT) which is the cyber security coordination center in the UAE.

It is established to facilitate the detection, prevention and response of cyber security incidents on the Internet. The aeCERT is helping to build and promote a safer and secure cyber culture within the UAE, through educating internet users, from individuals to organizations, on matters relating to cyber safety, and supporting the telecommunications infrastructure as well as preserving information technology from security threats and crimes on the Internet.  Moreover we have launched awareness campaigns across the country on the Child Online Protection.
 
Distinguished Delegates,

The 2010 Plenipotentiary Conference will focus on many challenging issues ranging from the future strategic role of the ITU to the effectiveness of the Union. After 18 years since the adoption of a permanent Constitution and Convention of the ITU in 1992, we have reached a point where we are again focusing on stabilizing these basic instruments. This is just a mere indication of how much the telecommunications and ICT sectors have evolved over the past years. Moreover the challenges of adopting the Strategic and Financial Plans of the Union, internet related issues and the issues related to the Management and Functioning of the Union are some of the other topics which will be debated at the Conference.

Mr. Chairman,

We would like to state that the UAE Government and its delegation is fully committed to make sure that this Conference meets its objectives, formulates a strategy and set the path for the ITU which will enable the Union to meet the challenges of the future.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to invite all delegates to a Dinner Reception which is being held in honor of the UAE candidacy for the ITU Council and Radio Regulations Board on 5th October 2010 at the Hilton Hotel at 7:30PM.

I wish you all the best of luck and success and thank you all very much.