ITU Management team inauguration on 15 January
ITU pledges commitment to innovation as it celebrates 150th
anniversary
Geneva, 14 January 2015 – ITU’s new management, led by
Secretary-General Houlin Zhao, will be formally inaugurated tomorrow, 15 January
2015 in the presence of Permanent Representatives of Member States to the United
Nations Office at Geneva and Heads of UN agencies. The ceremony will take place
at 10:30 am in ITU’s Popov Hall, Tower Building. Webcast will
be available at:
www.itu.int/ibs/sg/20150115ambassadors/index.phtml.
Mr Houlin Zhao of the People’s Republic of China was elected
Secretary-General at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference last October in Busan,
Republic of Korea. He was previously ITU Deputy Secretary-General for two
four-year terms (2006-2014) and Director of the ITU Standardization Bureau for
another two terms (1998-2006).
Mr Malcolm Johnson of the United Kingdom was elected ITU Deputy
Secretary-General. He was previously the Director of the ITU Standardization
Bureau for two four-year terms.
Mr François Rancy and Mr Brahima Sanou were re-elected as Directors of the
Radiocommunication Bureau and Telecommunication Development Bureau respectively.
Mr Chaesub Lee from the Republic of Korea was elected Director of the ITU
Standardization Bureau.
ITU celebrates 150 years of innovation
The year 2015 marks the 150th anniversary of the International
Telecommunication Union.
“The remarkable history of ITU exemplifies its stellar role in connecting the
world to the most advanced and innovative means of communication, from the days
of the telegraph to the telephone, television, Internet and mobile broadband,
which now allows us to be in touch anytime, anywhere with friends, family,
colleagues and even things,” said Secretary-General Houlin Zhao. “ITU has
reaffirmed its reputation worldwide as one of the most resilient and relevant
organizations and continues its work as the specialized agency of the United
Nations, and its oldest member, dealing with state-of-the-art telecommunications
and information and communication technologies. Along with ITU’s diverse
membership, we look forward to addressing the challenges and opportunities
future innovations will bring to this technology and to ITU.”
Mr Zhao also paid tribute to the founding members of the Union and to the
communications experts who have dedicated their lives to connecting the world
ever since the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention in Paris
on 17 May 1865, which led to the creation of the International Telecommunication
Union. He said: “I am confident that ITU will be able to continue meeting the
challenges ahead as well as embracing the new opportunities delivered by the
changing ICT market place – backed by the deep knowledge and expertise of our
staff and membership, and our proven ability over 150 years to adapt, reform and
innovate so as to stay in tune with the market demands.”
World Telecommunication and Information Society Day marks this historic event
annually and is celebrated worldwide. A full day of events is planned this year
on 17 May, including an Awards Ceremony and a multimedia smart show. ITU Members
will also be celebrating this special 150th anniversary across the globe.
Throughout 2015, ITU will organize several events highlighting ICTs as the
drivers of innovation and sustainable development both at ITU headquarters in
Geneva and around the world.
In late January, ITU will co-organize a special session of the Broadband
Commission during the World Economic Forum in Davos, using the high profile
platform to promote innovative finance and investment models for the rollout of
global broadband.
In February, the theme is Youth and Innovation which is also the focus for
World Radio Day on 13 February. ITU will host a special event in Geneva and
partner with UNESCO, BBC, RTS, EBU, UN Radio and others to broadcast a 24-hour
worldwide event to mark the day.
Standards and Innovation is the theme for March with a special look at
Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) which will be highlighted at our Future
Networked Car event at the Geneva Motor Show.
April focuses on Girls and Women and Innovation. On 23 April, Girls in ICT
Day, ITU will launch a new programme, ‘Coding for Innovation’ to train young
girls to code.
ITU’s governing Council will meet 12-22 May and will be present during World
Telecommunication and Information Society Day, the climax of the 150th
anniversary celebrations. The WSIS Forum 25-29 May will mark the tenth
anniversary of the World Summit on the Information Society.
In June, a wide range of innovation opportunities will open as a result of
the switchover from analogue to digital broadcasting and special webinars will
discuss the benefits of the so-called Digital Dividend and new opportunities for
communications.
In July, ITU will specifically address accessibility for the 1 billion people
who live with some kind of disability. A series of blogs, webinars, and podcasts
and opinion pieces will highlight the importance of including persons with
special needs in ICT through accessible technology.
Innovation and bridging the digital divide will be drawn attention to in
August. World Humanitarian Day on 19 August will showcase ITU’s work to connect
the next 1.5 billion.
Navigation and safety at sea and in the air will feature in September and
will include ITU’s work in radar and satellite navigation as well as flight
tracking in real time. On 24 September, ITU will mark World Maritime Day to
showcase the ITU Radiocommunication Sector’s contributions to the world of
shipping.
Big Data and Innovation is the theme for October, exploring new areas such as
digital financial services, mobile money, and cloud computing for flight data
monitoring. On 13 October, International Disaster Risk Reduction Day, the focus
will be on emergency telecommunications. On 24 October, ITU will join the
international community in celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the founding of
the United Nations and explore the role of Big Data as a contributory factor in
achieving sustainable development.
The ITU World Radiocommunication Conference 2015, one of the most important
events on the ITU calendar and a key contributor to enabling innovation, will be
held 2-27 November. The Conference will review and revise the Radio Regulations,
the international treaty governing the use of radio-frequency spectrum and
satellite orbits to ensure reliable radio services are available everywhere and
at any time enabling people to live and travel safely while enjoying high
performance radiocommunications.
A video expert series will be released in November to highlight ITU’s
technical achievements and innovations. On World Television Day on 21 November,
ITU will explore how ICTs drive innovation in broadcasting.
December marks the end of the year of anniversary celebrations and we plan to
place a special emphasis on broadband and the important outcomes of WRC-15 and
how they drive innovation and lay the foundations for future innovation. The
World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Symposium (WTIS) that will take place in
December will review the level of ICT development worldwide, and the progress
made during the year.
Many ITU Members have come forth to lend their support to the 150th
anniversary celebrations and will be recognized during the events planned
throughout the year:
Gold partners are:
Ministry of Communications and High Technologies from Republic of Azerbaijan, Communications
and Information Technology Commission from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Telecommunications
Regulatory Authority (TRA) from United Arab Emirates
Silver partners are: The Telecommunications / ICT
Regulatory Body of Côte d'Ivoire (ARTCI),
Ministry of Communications from Ghana and Postal
and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) from Republic
of Zimbabwe
Bronze partners: Inmarsat
Global Limited; Close Joint-Stock Company
National Radio Technical Bureau; Huawei
Technologies Co. Ltd, OJSC
Rostelecom; Rohde
& Schwarz GmbH & Co KG; Telecommunications
Regulatory Agency from Central African Republic and NTT
Group
In order to join us as a partner, please contact
itu150@itu.int
For more information, please see
www.itu.int/en/150/Pages/default.aspx or contact:
Sanjay Acharya
Chief, Media Relations and Public Information, ITU
|
|
About ITU...