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Dr Hamadoun I. Touré, ITU Secretary-General speaks at the First Meeting of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development
The Broadband Commission for Digital Development in session, ITU headquarters, Geneva
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11 July 2010, Geneva, Switzerland
The first meeting of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development was held at ITU Headquarters on Sunday 11 July and co-hosted by ITU and UNESCO. The meeting was co-chaired by President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Carlos Slim Helú, Honorary Lifetime Chairman of Grupo Carso, and over 30 Commissioners were present, including heads of UN agencies and other international organizations, as well as leading lights from the private sector.
There was strong agreement at the meeting that broadband networks will be a transformational force for the 21st century, and that they will help accelerate progress towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals. Indeed, ubiquitous connectivity to broadband networks will be vital to the ongoing development of every nation worldwide.
The outcomes of the meeting will be used to create a report to the UN Secretary-General, Mr Ban Ki-moon, just ahead of the 2010 MDG Summit in New York in September.
Mr Carlos Slim Helú (right), Honorary Lifetime Chairman of Grupo Carso and Co-chair of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development, and Dr Hamadoun Touré (middle), ITU Secretary-General, welcome H.E. Mr Paul Kagame (left), President of Rwanda and Co-chair of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development. |