The 21st meeting of the Telecommunication Development Advisory Group (TDAG) was held from 16 to 18 March 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland.
The meeting reviewed preparations for the seventh ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-17), which will be held in the last quarter of 2017, the implementation of the ITU-D Strategic Plan and Operational Plan 2015, including regional initiatives, the ITU-D four-year rolling Operational Plan 2017-2020, and the contribution to the implementation of the WSIS Plan of Action, including the United Nations General Assembly Overall Review and the Sustainable Development Goals.
The meeting was officially opened by the ITU Secretary-General Mr Houlin Zhao.
Mr Zhao noted that this year's TDAG meeting was being held against a background of three major milestones adopted by the global community in 2015 including the Sendai Declaration and Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Paris Agreement on climate change.
In his opening statement, Mr Brahima Sanou said, "ICTs have undoubtedly become a crucial foundation upon which sustainable development can be achieved. The work of the Development Sector is therefore essential in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals."
Mr Sanou highlighted contributions made by the Telecommunication Development Bureau towards achieving the goals of sustainable development. These include: supporting countries to develop their e-agriculture strategies in close cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in an effort to end hunger; implementing the Be Healthy Be Mobile initiative in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) to help fight the growing burden on non-communicable diseases; contributing to achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls by taking a lead role in the global International Girls in ICT Day campaign; and promoting inclusive, equitable and lifelong learning opportunities for all by developing and delivering ICT-related courses to train young people and adults in ICT skills.
He noted that in an effort to foster innovation in the education sector and facilitate the use of mobile (UNESCO) recently held a joint Policy Forum where, for the first time, Ministers of Education and Telecommunications/ICTs gathered to examine the role that policies can play in advancing the digital learning revolution.
To promote decent work for all, the Development Sector is also providing online training to young people on ICT-enabled entrepreneurship and promoting the use of new and existing telecommunication technologies for enhanced trade. ITU Member States are also being assisted to build resilient infrastructure and enhance confidence and security in the use of ICTs.
Mr Sanou said the ITU-D Membership continues to grow and is becoming diverse as more and more non-traditional ICT players become join in.
"Our Membership is the engine that fuels our actions. No one can do this alone; we are all engaged to make our world more sustainable," he added.
During the meeting a new Correspondence Group on streamlining of the World Telecommunication Development Conference resolutions was established.
The meeting was preceded on 15 March by two meetings of Correspondence Group on Rules of Procedure, chaired by Ms Roxanne McElvane and the Correspondence Group on the Strategic Plan, Operational Plan and Declaration, chaired by Mr Fabio Bigi.
TDAG is chaired by Professor Vladimir Minkin.
Mr Sanou's Opening Speech
Mr Sanou's Closing Speech
