ITU's
SECRETARY-GENERAL'S MESSAGES
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20-22
June 2012
Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil
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Rio+20
is an
alternative name
given to the
2012 United
Nations
Conference on
Sustainable
Development
(UNCSD). Held to
mark of the 20th
anniversary of
the 1992 United
Nations
Conference on
Environment and
Development
(UNECD or Earth
Summit), Rio+20
will take place
in Rio de
Janeiro (Brazil)
on 20-22 June
2012. |
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LEADING BY
EXAMPLE
Message from ITU Secretary-General
to the
2012 United Nations Conference on
Sustainable Sustainable
Development
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 In the 21st
century, climate
change and
environmental
sustainability
are two of the
key challenges
facing our
global community.
They affect
every single
country
worldwide,
regardless of
geographical
location or
social and
economic context.
These challenges
are also
all-encompassing
because
addressing them
implies
completely
transforming the
way we live,
work, travel and
do business. It
implies shifting
our model of
development to a
greener, fairer
and more
sustainable
paradigm, to
ensure our
survival as a
species. To
achieve this
transformation
we will need to
draw on all our
knowledge and
understanding,
and mobilize the
political will
to turn
discussions and
negotiations
into agreements
and actions.
Unsustainable
development is
already
affecting food
production,
water supply,
disease
proliferation
and other
important areas.
The risks of
inaction are
real, and we do
not have time to
waste.
In this context,
information and
communication
technologies
(ICT) have a key
role in driving
the urgently
needed
transformation.
Today there is
no other
solution
offering such
great potential
to �decarbonize�
our economy,
make our use of
natural
resources more
efficient or
distribute
information in
real time to
improve
effectiveness.
With ICT
increasingly
integrated into
every aspect of
the modern
world, they
become a
positive force
for change and a
crucial element
in our everyday
lives.
The ICT sector
is leading by
example in this
transformation.
In the past few
years ICT
networks,
services and
applications
have been
redesigned to
embrace improved
energy
efficiency
criteria,
reducing the
environmental
footprint of the
ICT sector as a
whole. At the
same time the
ICT sector is
greening other
sectors of the
economy, such as
transport and
energy,
contributing to
a significant
abatement of
greenhouse gas
emissions. These
are initiatives
in which ITU is
playing a
pivotal role.
The world will
have two crucial
opportunities
over the coming
months to move
the sustainable
agenda forward:
the 17th
Conference of
the Parties
(COP-17) to the
United Nations
Framework
Convention on
Climate Change
(UNFCCC), taking
place in Durban,
South Africa,
from 28 November
to 9 December
2011, and the
United Nations
Conference on
Sustainable
Development
(Rio+20), that
will be held in
Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, in June
2012. Although
the outcomes of
these
conferences are
difficult to
predict, one
thing is very
clear: business
as usual is no
longer an option
if we want to
ensure the
future
livelihood of
our planet. The
future demands a
shift towards a
greener and more
sustainable
model of
development � a
shift that will
mean leveraging
the full
potential of
ICT.
ITU�s message to
these
conferences is
simple: ICT are
part of the
solution, a
solution that
can move the
agenda forward.
Let us ensure
that technology,
innovation and
information
systems will be
at the forefront
of our
strategies to
address climate
change.
The challenges
are enormous,
but so too are
the
opportunities.
By working
together we can
advance the
implementation
of new solutions
for a better
future.
Dr. Hamadoun Tour�
ITU Secretary-General
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