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Priority areas
It is of critical importance
to define the priority areas for telecommunication development in LDCs. This is
where the activities of BDT and its development partners should be focused
during the cycle 2007-2010. If all stakeholders adequately address these issues,
it is hoped that the major bottlenecks to development will be removed and the
countries will be geared to high growth of their networks. A general programme
of action is proposed below in the form of new priority areas.
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a)
Universal Access: To promote
universal, ubiquitous, equitable and affordable access to ICTs for all
people in both underserved rural and urban areas, in order to bridge the
digital divide and thereby create digital opportunities for all to
benefit from the potential offered by ICTs for social and economic
development. Assistance will be provided to countries in establishing
national mechanisms to achieve universal access in both underserved
rural and urban areas. It is also important to promote teleworking so as
to allow citizens in LDCs and SIDS to live in their societies and work
anywhere. The basic pillars of universal access in LDCs and SIDS should
include:
- rural telecommunication development;
- development of appropriate infrastructure and
introduction of new technologies and services;
- ICT policies and strategies;
- human resource development and training to
increase the capacity of LDCs and SIDS to innovate and to
participate fully in, and contribute to, the information society
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b)
Rehabilitation and reconstruction of telecommunication infrastructure
for countries in special need: Various world
telecommunication development conferences and ITU plenipotentiary
conferences have adopted a number of resolutions requiring that special
assistance be given to countries that are emerging from war, civil
strife and disasters, for purposes of reconstructing their
telecommunication infrastructure. Without concentrated assistance from
BDT and other partners, it would take decades to restore them to the
level of development they enjoyed prior to the disasters. Direct
assistance and bilateral and multilateral sources of financing will be
used for this purpose. |
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c) Emergency telecommunications:
This is a critical area for all countries, especially those with fragile
economies. Article 40 of the ITU Constitution addresses the "priority of
telecommunications concerning safety of life". The focus will be on:
- promoting technical cooperation and enhancing the capacity of
countries, particularly LDCs and SIDS, in utilizing ICT tools for
disaster early warning, preparedness, response and relief, including
the dissemination of understandable warnings to those at risk;
- identifying the activities in relevant organizations related to
the use of active and passive sensing space-based systems for the
purpose of disaster prediction, detection and mitigation
- promoting regional and international cooperation for easy access
to, and sharing of, information for disaster management, and
exploring modalities to facilitate participation of LDCs, SIDS and
countries with economies in transition
- participating in integrating ICT in standards-based monitoring
and worldwide early-warning systems linked to national and regional
networks and facilitating emergency disaster response all over the
world, particularly in high-risk regions
- ensuring that disaster resilient features are incorporated in
telecommunication networks and infrastructure
- making available to members ICT-based solutions, including
wireless and satellite-based technologies, to facilitate the
provision of medical and humanitarian assistance in disasters and
emergencies
- carrying out infrastructure damage assessments after disasters
strike, and assisting countries to reconstruct and rehabilitate
telecommunication infrastructure.
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