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Statement by The Honorable Andrew R
Yatilman
Secretary (Minister) of
Transportation, Communication, and Infrastructure
Federated States of Micronesia
Mr Chairman
Your Majesties, Excellencies,
Ministers, Heads of Delegations,
Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am most pleased to join the previous
speakers in thanking the Government of Tunisia for kindly
hosting the second phase of the World Summit on Information
Society and for providing excellent facilities and
arrangements for our meetings. We are indeed grateful to the
leaders and people of Tunisia for their warm hospitality and
generosity.
Let me seize the opportunity to also convey
President Joseph Urusemal's greetings and best wishes for
the success of the Summit. We extend our sincere gratitude
to Secretary-General Annan for his leadership and invaluable
support of the WSIS process. Many individuals and
organizations put in long hours and energies in the work
that brought us to where we are today. We cannot name
everyone, but with your indulgence we would like to pay
special recognition to the contributions of the ITU, UNESCO
and all the officers and staff of the WSIS Secretariat
itself.
Excellencies and Delegates,
We mislead none in saying that the road that
brought us to Tunis has been a long, bumpy, and arduous one.
There were serious obstacles, and I am inclined to think
that there are remaining difficulties that lie ahead for all
of us.
We were never under any illusion that the
task left behind after the first phase of the Summit in
Geneva would be easy; but the fact that many of the
obstacles were resolved has renewed our high hopes in the
collective commitment to the visions that were endorsed two
years ago in Geneva. With such determination and a sense of
enlightened duty, I am confident that we will be able to
overcome any remaining difficulties that may test our
resolve in the days ahead. The source of my confidence is
the overwhelming belief in the ultimate benefits that are
likely to be derived from an Information Society that is
truly development-focused, person-oriented, inclusive, and
open.
It goes without saying that it would be a
grand error on our part if we succumb to the difficulties
that may test our resolve from time to time and loose sight
of the noble task for which we have been entrusted to carry
out. Our task is to bridge the digital and development
divides for the singular purpose of improving the quality of
life for all of humanity. Failing that important task, we
would in effect encourage the worsening of the digital and
development divides which, in the eye of my country, would
in the end become the common and serious plaque for everyone
in the 21st century.
Excellencies and Delegates,
My Government has been taking an active
interest in the WSIS process since the convening of the ITU
Conference of the Plenipotentiary Delegates in Minneapolis
in 1998. Our active interest stems from the fact that the
Federated States of Micronesia is a Small Island Developing
State whose small population is scattered on many islands
that spread over a large sea area.
Like many other SIDS, my country has unique
needs in our nation-building endeavors that we believe
strongly can be mitigated and remedied by ICTs.
Through appropriate ICT applications, we
would have the opportunity, for instance, to improve the
delivery of health care to our people, advance our
educational system, improve the environment of private
business and trade, and reduce the costs of communication.
It goes without saying that the development
of a solid ICT infrastructure is a priority development
issue for my country. I am pleased to note that the FSM has
taken steps to formulate its national ICT plan and is now in
the process of laying a fiber optic cable to bring greater
bandwidth and broadband connectivity. We shall be grateful
for any assistance that our friends and supporters can
extend to us, considering that the development of a solid
ICT infrastructure and appropriate ICT applications are, in
a real sense, part and parcel of our nation-building
efforts.
It is in this light, Ladies and Gentlemen,
that my Delegation comes to Tunis with one important
message, or request rather. We must not be satisfied with
mere expression of principles. Indeed, we must move beyond
slogans and arguments about semantics. Mere expression of
lofty principles is meaningless if those principles are not
translated into real actions. My Delegation joins others in
calling upon all of us that, after Tunis, we move headlong
to the stage where the promises and principles must be
translated into concrete actions.
Thank you.
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