Activities

ITU is the only international organisation whose primary focus is communications.  Telecommunication operators make up ITU’s core constituency.  While today’s economy has witnessed a boom in Internet start-up companies – many of which have joined ITU -- traditional telecommunication operators remain the world’s most important Internet backbone providers and Internet Service Providers.  ITU has a unique opportunity to work with these key Internet players.

Moreover, one of the main purposes of ITU is to promote the extension of the benefits of the new ICTs to all the world’s inhabitants.  ITU is mandated to foster and offer technical assistance to developing countries and to promote the mobilisation of the material, human and financial resources needed to implement these goals.  Some of the countries that have become today’s leading global telecommunications players -- Malaysia, Korea and Singapore -- were beneficiaries of ITU technical co-operation programmes.  ITU’s mandate further includes promoting international co-operation and partnerships between our government Members and the growing number of private sector members who have joined ITU.  ITU Electronic Commerce for Developing Countries (EC-DC) programme, is a shining example of the benefits such partnerships bring to the world’s poorest economies.

The programmes on the left are Valletta Action Plan programmes aimed at closing the digital divide.