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  • 29 January 2016
    ITU’s GET-2016 Forum calls for multi-stakeholder cooperation and action to reduce the impact of natural disasters

    ITU's 2nd Global Forum on Emergency Telecommunications (GET-2016)  'Saving Lives' took place in Kuwait City, Kuwait from 26 to 28 January 2016.

    Over 500 participants ranging from government ministers and ICT regulators to national disaster management stakeholders, researchers, private sector companies, United Nations Agencies and NGOs attended the Forum which was organized by ITU, the UN specialized agency for telecommunications and ICTs, and hosted by the Government of Kuwait.

    At the Forum, Mr Brahima Sanou, Director of ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau launched two important new global initiatives, the ITU Network of Volunteers for Emergency Telecommunications and the Global Emergency Fund for Rapid Response. The initiatives underscore the importance of ICTs in disaster early warning and response and call for multi-stakeholder cooperation and action to reduce the impact of natural disasters.

    "Through these initiatives, we want to change the way telecommunications/ICT resources are deployed and used for disaster management, especially during the response phase", said Mr Sanou. "Whatever the nature of the disaster, telecommunications and ICT play a critical role in ensuring that humanitarian operations are coordinated and that victims have access to information that can save thousands if not millions of lives."

    GET-2016 provided an opportunity for policy makers and other participants to debate and adopt concrete strategies on how information and communication technologies can help implement the Sendai Declaration and Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and mitigate the effects of climate change in line with the Paris Agreement, adopted by the climate change conference in December 2015.

    The Forum featured a wide range of discussions focusing on trends and emerging technological innovations, financing mechanisms, case studies, challenges in deploying telecommunications/ICT for disaster response, climate change issues and the role of the private sector and other non-state stakeholders.

    Also taking place during the Forum was a Ministerial Roundtable which debated the role of information and communication technology (ICT) in disaster preparedness and effective response for sustainable development, and a Leaders' Dialogue on the topic of technology, regulatory and operational issues.

    A series of exhibits featuring solutions and the effective use of ICT in emergencies was unveiled during a special ceremony.

    The official opening was preceded, on 25 January, by two pre-events focusing on the Tampere Convention and the role of ICTs in Disaster Risk Reduction respectively.

    The next Global Forum on Emergency Telecommunications is planned for 2018.

    For more information about the event, visit the GET-2016 newsroom.