MALAYSIA

STATEMENT BY H.E. m Dato’ Shaziman Abu Mansor
Deputy Minister of Energy, Water and Communications

Thank you Mr. Chairman, Mr. Secretary-General, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen.

On behalf of the Government of Malaysia, we would like to convey our gratitude to the Government of Turkey for hosting this significant conference and welcoming us with such wonderful hospitality. We also take this opportunity to congratulate you, Mr. Chairman, on your election and wish you every success in leading us over the next weeks of the Plenipotentiary.

In today’s rapidly changing environment, it is apparent that ITU should continue to play a greater developmental role especially in capacity building. Whilst traditional issues of bridging the digital divide must continue to receive attention, emerging issues arising from the phenomenal growth of digital technologies have brought radical changes to the way business and government functions are carried out.

The introduction of strategic and operational plans since 1990s has benefited ITU members, complementing the ongoing reform initiatives and the development of meaningful key performance indicators. The challenge is now for the Union to seek for new sources of income to fund its programmes and activities while strengthening the efficiency and transparency in the decision-making processes.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The outcomes of World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) have important implications on the future role of the ITU. The Tunis Agenda recognizes the specific role of ITU in implementing WSIS outcomes. ITU needs to adapt to the post-WSIS institutional landscape and work cohesively with other players. To attract new players in the multi-stakeholders environment, it is necessary that certain changes to the instrument of ITU are carried out accordingly.

There are still a number of pressing issues facing the developing countries in accelerating the achievement of Millennium Development Goals; many of which relate to access to ICT for further development. Although we live in a time of sophisticated technologies, there are still many nations unable to take advantage of these development tools, thus the “Digital Divide”. The digital divide is the new poverty of our era, and therefore a critical concern that must be addressed by the ITU with global cooperation.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Since its inception in 1957, Malaysia’s membership and participation in the ITU is of importance to us. Malaysia has been actively participating in all major activities of ITU. Malaysia has served the Council for several terms since 1973. In 2002, on its fourth term, Malaysia is priviledged to serve the Council as the Deputy Governor of the Finance Committee. In addition, the ITU Asia-Pacific Centre of Excellence for Rural Connectivity will soon be hosted in Malaysia. Aside from this, we are fortunate to have been asked to lead our fraternity in the region, as Chair of the APT Management Committee and as the founding Director of the ASEAN ICT Centre. This development is testimony of Malaysia’s commitment to international cooperation and understanding.

Recently, at the World Congress on IT 2006 held in Austin, Texas, Malaysia announced its initiative to establish and host the world’s first international public-private sector collaborative institution against cyber-terrorism, known as “International Multilateral Partnership against Cyber-Terrorism” or known as “IMPACT”. “IMPACT” will serve as a pioneer platform to facilitate the sharing of skills and best practices in combating cyber-crimes.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Malaysia would like to continue playing a leading role in the ITU. There is still much work to be done and Malaysia is committed to the cause of the Union. Based on its vast experiences in several global fora on ICT development, we are offering ourselves again to be a Council Member. In fact, we have decided to enhance our role in the ITU and are offering our expertise to the RRB also. We are very hopeful that our colleagues will continue to support Malaysia in our bid for the Council and RRB seats.

Thank you.