Thank you Mr. Chairman,
It is my honor to address this Plenipotentiary on behalf of the State of Israel. I wish to thank the government and the people of the Republic of Korea for their excellent hospitality. We recognize that the Republic of Korea plays a key role in developing ICT policies and is ranked first in the world on ICT indexes. We thank the ITU, under the outstanding leadership and vision of Secretary General Toure, for its important role in promoting international cooperation and designing the future direction of ICT and Information Society. We also thank the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning and Chairman Wonki Min for their wonderful work and dedication.
The rapid developments in the Digital Economy and hyper-connected societies continuously transform the world and our way of living. Today's challenges include Internet availability and access for all, fostering e-learning and e-business, promoting transparency for e-gov solutions, as well as cyber security. In all of the above areas, regulation and legislation lag behind technological advancement and should be addressed.
As a leading country in Innovation and ICT, Israel introduced in 2012 a first time ever UNGA (UN General Assembly) resolution on behalf of 100 co-sponsors entitled "Entrepreneurship for Development". This resolution promotes entrepreneurship and innovation in developing countries, which serves as a growth engine, creates jobs and empowers people, especially women and young people. This resolution is part of Israel's contribution to the global efforts to achieve the 4 main goals stipulated in the "Connect 2020" framework of the ITU and the objective of bridging the digital-divide as a major step towards establishing a truly global information society.
Towards this end, Israel will continue to share its experience and best practices in ICT capabilities and its success in building a vibrant Hi-Tech Economy through capacity-building and training programs in developing countries.
Mr. Chairman,
Today's information society creates not only opportunities but also new challenges. One such challenge, which Israel considers as most important, is the issue of Cyber Security.
Israel invests heavily in developing its cybersecurity oriented eco-system and its human capital in that field. There are currently several hundreds cyber security start-ups in Israel and many mature companies taking on this challenge.
Mr. Chairman,
Israel is a small country that enjoys an advanced ICT market and has a vibrant information society, with an advanced e-gov system and a dynamic market economy.
Our fixed and wireless markets are about to make the transition from a facility-based competition to a wholesale market, where the "legacy operators" will share their networks with others. This way, new players can compete and succeed thanks to their service offerings. By removing the last barrier to a competitive market, consumers will enjoy its benefits.
Recently, a license was issued to a new subsidiary of the "Electric Company" and private investors to deploy FTTH network to all households throughout Israel, using existing electricity infrastructure. This project is expected to enable ultra-fast broadband services for both uploading and downloading data throughput services.
Mr. Chairman,
Children are the future of the world and inclusion of ICT in early childhood education is an important tool for their advancement. The civil society in Israel is an important stakeholder in realization of advancement of children through ICT capabilities. One example is the work of the "SASA Setton Kav Or" Initiative, an educational enterprise which provides unique programming for hospitalized children in more than 150 educational centers in 35 general and psychiatric hospitals and in rehabilitation institutions throughout Israel. The program assists children maintain educational continuity; Integrate advanced learning technologies and assist children in coping with the difficulties and challenges of hospitalization.
Before I conclude, I wish to stress that Israel prefers not to respond to the Palestinian's statement, out of respect for the ITU, and in order not to politicize the work of the Union.
We reiterate that the only mechanism to discuss any question related to the telecommunication relations between Israel and the Palestinians is the "Joint Technical Committee" which was convened a number of times this year alone. We welcome the continuation of such meetings aimed at achieving constructive progress and fruitful results.
Finally, I wish all of us productive discussions on the important outstanding issues instrumental to the success of the PP-14 conference that will no doubt contribute to the future architecture of the ICT world.
Thank you Mr. Chairman.
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