— The
first world development conference following the landmark World Summit on the
Information Society (WSIS) is due to open in six weeks in Doha, Qatar.
The purpose of the conference is to focus on development priorities in
telecommunications and agree on the programmes, projects and initiatives to
implement them. It will take into account the WSIS Geneva Plan of Action and
Tunis Agenda, which aim at bridging the digital divide. A key objective is to
promote international cooperation, regional initiatives and partnerships that
can sustain and strengthen telecommunication infrastructure and institutions in
developing countries. The Doha Action Plan will set out ways to implement these
goals over the next four years.
Over a thousand policy-makers and practitioners from government, the private
sector, international and regional organizations are expected to attend WTDC-06
to fast-track ITU’s objectives of bridging the Digital Divide in all its
dimensions — technical, societal and economic — and to harness the power of ICTs
for socio-economic development of the widest number of people, particularly the
world’s most deprived.
Following the opening ceremony on 7 March, the conference will focus on new
action lines for global and regional development of telecommunications and ICT,
the role of ITU in the post-WSIS paradigm and promoting new initiatives and
partnerships to give concrete shape to the global vision enunciated in the WSIS
process.
In addition to the adoption of a comprehensive strategy to achieve balanced
telecommunication development worldwide in cooperation with development partners
from both governments and private sector, the Conference will consider two new
global initiatives benefiting persons with disabilities, and telecommunications
for disaster prevention.
Several regional initiatives that have been tabled by countries through a
regional preparatory process are also being considered. They focus on:
Rural connectivity including broadband access
Regional Internet exchange points
Public Internet access in remote areas
Internationalization of domain names
Enhancement of regional roaming capabilities
Financial schemes to achieve universal service
objectives
Development of government portals to expand
E-government
Security and reliability of information and
communication technologies
Development of digital signatures and public keys
for E-commerce
E-Health and telemedicine for rural areas
Journalists are invited to accredit now for this event, which will take stock
of recent developments as well as lay down the road map for the next four years.
A press conference is planned for 6 March to launch the event.
online
accreditation form.
Pre-registered and unannounced journalists should proceed directly to the
Press Office (Room Al Dukhan), where they will be requested to present their
confirmation letter, together with their passport or ID card in order to receive
an official WTDC-06 Media badge or undergo the full accreditation process. In
the latter case, please ensure you have available the necessary supporting
documentation (see procedure).
Delegates Registration
The Conference is open to ITU Member States (see list
here)
and members of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (see list
here).
Registration to
the Conference can only be done through designated focal points. For more
information on registration, please click here or
contact the WTDC-06 Registration Service.
For further information, please contact:
Tel: +41 22 730 6039/+41 22 730 5192
Fax: +41 22 730 5933
Email Contact
This advisory is also
available in Arabic
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