ITU Council opens with common vision on ICTs fostering
sustainable socio-economic growth and development
Aboubakar Zourmba appointed Chairman of ITU Council 2014
Geneva, 6 May 2014 – ITU’s governing Council opened its
annual session this morning. Among other matters, Councillors will look into
preparations for the upcoming ITU Plenipotentiary Conference that will take
place in Busan, Republic of Korea this autumn. Key discussions in the coming
days will centre on the strategic and financial plans of the Union, which aim to
provide a comprehensive and concrete framework to achieve ITU’s strategic goals
and its mission to connect the world.
In his State of the Union address delivered at the opening of the Council
session, ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun I. Touré said, “The Strategic and
Financial Plans will determine the roadmap for us to play our role in ensuring
that ICTs foster inclusive and sustainable socio-economic growth and development
in a truly interconnected world.” He added that the Strategic Plan, which is
fully aligned and linked to the Financial plan, represents “the better world we
want to see; our core focus as an organization; and the common beliefs it is
grounded upon”.
Secretary-General Touré reminded delegates that ITU, the oldest specialized
agency of the United Nations, will celebrate its 150th anniversary next year.
“We stand on the threshold of a bright and extraordinary future, delivered by
the power of information and communication technologies,” Dr Touré said. “After
almost 150 years of steady sailing as an organization, I am confident that we
are continuing to move in the right direction.”
Mr Aboubakar Zourmba, Assistant Director General of the Telecommunications
Regulatory Board (ART) of Cameroon, was appointed Chairman of ITU Council 2014.
Pointing to the digital divide, Mr Zourmba said that while traditional
telephones could be used by anyone, mobile devices are in essence powerful
computers which cannot be easily accessed by those who are unable to read and
write; this is a major concern that should be addressed by ITU studies to solve
this problem.
Apart from the strategic and financial plans for ITU, Council will address
several key issues, such as Internet-related activities and public policy
issues, cybersecurity and child online protection, accessibility for persons
with disabilities, gender mainstreaming, conformance and interoperability as
well as preparations for upcoming events such as the World Summit on the
Information Society ten-year follow up event (WSIS+10), 10-13 June 2014 in
Geneva, ITU Telecom World, 7-10 December in Doha, Qatar, and the World
Radiocommunication Conference, 2-27 November 2015.
Delegates from 48 countries representing the ITU Membership of 193 States
will attend the Council session, which runs until 15 May. The Council meeting
will be followed on 16 May with the celebration of World Telecommunication and
Information Society Day, marking the 149th anniversary of the establishment of
ITU on 17 May 1865.
For more information, please
contact:
Sanjay Acharya
Chief, Media Relations and Public Information
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