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Mr. Chairman,
Dr. Touré,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
At the outset, allow me to thank the Portuguese government,
the co-organisers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and
Communications of Japan, the sponsoring companies and the ITU
for convening this high-level forum where we could exchange
views on changes in the telecommunication sector which will
shape the new converged landscape of the information and
communication technologies onwards. Next, I would like to
congratulate Dr. Touré personally and those of you who have
contributed actively to the elaboration of this valuable paper
and the six draft opinions.
In the light of Decision 9 (Antalya, 2006), the themes
considered in the report reaffirm the commitment of the Union to
connect the world by harmonization of various national, regional
and international visions. In general, the report unfolds a
profound understanding of telecommunication trends and arising
needs of our contemporary world. However, some areas such as
capacity-building regarding NGNs and IPv6, standards, confidence
and security, interconnection or even intellectual property
rights in the use of ICTs would necessitate deeper discussion
and hard work ahead.
Nowadays, overcoming the digital disparities between states
developing at different pace could be carried out mainly due to
the convergence of technology and services. Opportunities
provided by them could intensify positive phenomena and
processes of our society by offering various content
corresponding to present demands, thus contributing to the
achievement of key goals such as affordability; transparency,
accessibility and sustainability for a higher quality of life.
Undoubtedly, NGNs are the modern engine for economic
development. The report reflects both the policy and regulatory
issues concerning NGNs. It incorporates most of the aspects of
NGNs starting from the concept itself, anticipated benefits and
ending up on the technological uncertainties. Despite the
boosting approach in the draft opinion on NGNs, some concerns
regarding the legal certainty, regulatory predictability and
planning reliability are still outstanding and need further
clarification.
Irrespective of the global climate of crisis, the Forum
opinions on Internet-related public policy matters should
primarily encourage all stakeholders – governments, businesses
and citizens to grasp the opportunities provided by the Internet
and the converged environment with both hands and pursue them
with dedication and optimism.
Challenges of the economy could not restrict the needs of our
society; on the contrary, impediments set by them would
reinforce aspirations for recovery through the use of ubiquitous
ICT. Therefore, the emerging telecommunication policy and
regulatory issues draw the attention to planetary emergencies
such as clime change, cyber-insecurity, and threats for children
online, particularly emphasizing on the role of ICTs for
combating them. Definitely, peace in cyber space requires strong
international co-operation and vigorous participation in the
Global Cybersecurity Agenda’s activities.
Another issue of the report and the respective draft opinion
addresses the review of the International Telecommunication
Regulations which is designated to update the general principles
with view to the current innovative infusion of the ICT sector.
We highly appreciate it.
With a view of the afore-said, Bulgaria generally supports
the draft opinions since we deem that they underline the
dedication of the ITU to involve actively all stakeholders in
the technological evolution by enhancing the collaborative work,
especially for deploying new technology and facilitating the
adoption of IPv6 or benefiting from a more “green” world.
I would like to conclude my remarks by expressing my
conviction that the Forum will be characterized by robust
discussions crystallising into fruitful opinions on the current
ICT developments to the welfare of the ITU membership. So, I
wish all of us successful mutual work!
Thank you! |
