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Telecommunication
Development Sector |
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Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Europe
Region for WTDC-10 |
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Andorra la Vella, Andorra, 1-3 December 2009 |
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Document
RPM-EUR09/13(Rev.1)-E |
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13
December 2009 |
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Original: English
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Report by the Chairman |
Part I: RPM Proceedings
- Introduction
The ITU Regional Preparatory Meeting for Europe (RPM-EUR) was
organized by the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) of the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Andorra la Vella,
Andorra, 1-3 December 2009, at the kind invitation of the Government of
Andorra.
The objective of the RPM-EUR was to identify priorities, at the
regional level, for the development of telecommunications and
information and communication technologies (ICTs), taking into account
contributions made by Member States and Sector Members from the region.
The meeting arrived at a set of proposals on the priority issues for the
region to serve as a basis for the formulation of contributions to the
World Telecommunication Development Conference to be held in 2010
(WTDC-10) which will determine the future of activities of the ITU
Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) over the next four-year
period.
This report gives an account of the work and results of the meeting.
- Participation
The meeting was attended by forty-six participants representing 17
countries, 3 operating agencies, scientific/industrial organizations and
other entities dealing with telecommunications and 2 regional and
international organizations. The list of participants can be found
here.
- Meeting of Heads of Delegations
Following ITU’s long standing practice, the meeting of Heads of
Delegations recommended that the host country Andorra nominate the
Chairman of the RPM. Mr Jaume Salvat from Andorra was nominated as the
Chairman of the RPM. The meeting also agreed to propose two
Vice-Chairmen from France and Poland respectively.
The Heads of Delegations endorsed the proposed agenda and the time
management plan.
One contribution from WebForce International Federation, an ITU-D
Sector Member, was discussed at the Heads of Delegations meeting. The
document was seen as slightly controversial as it proposes solutions
that are not technology-neutral and even critical towards other
technologies in use. The Heads of Delegations proposed that the document
be considered by the RPM if revised to be more technology neutral and
with a link to more detailed information. The Heads of Delegation
meeting recommended that a meeting be organized with the WebForce
representative, the BDT Director and the Head of the French Delegation
to discuss the matter.
- Opening Ceremony
The Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT),
Mr Sami Al Basheer Al Morshid, welcomed all participants to the meeting
and thanked the host country for their excellent arrangements. He
emphasized the importance of the RPM for bringing to the attention of
BDT the issues, priorities and needs of European countries for ICT
development. He stated that discussions held here would provide input
for WTDC-10 which would shape the future of the ITU Development Sector’s
work in Europe and globally. The BDT Director highlighted that since the
last WTDC in 2006 the world has seen many changes including a financial
crisis that has affected all the world’s regions, countries, private
sector entities, and individuals. New telecommunications providers have
emerged as was clearly demonstrated at the recently concluded ITU World
Telecom 2009. New telecommunication networks, devices, and services have
emerged bringing better choice and new opportunities for all. It is,
therefore, of key importance that the ICT needs and priorities of all
regions of the world are reflected in the outcome of the 2010 WTDC in
the light of the changing environment.
Mr Al Basheer said that he was counting on contributions from and
continued support provided by European countries in implementing BDT
projects and initiatives. He noted that there is no contribution that is
too small when assisting countries with addressing the global issues
that they face. He noted further that these efforts are very appreciated
by the BDT and the recipient countries. Mr Al Basheer cited examples of
ITU’s successful work in Europe during the last few years, and requested
participants to express their views on where BDT should focus its
attention during the next four-year period for the region. The full text
of his speech is available
here.
ITU Deputy Secretary-General Mr Houlin Zhao thanked the Government of
Andorra for hosting the meeting. After highlighting the successful
outcome of a series of key ITU events having taken place in 2009, Mr Zhao
focused on the importance of ICTs in mitigating climate change. He
referred to ITU’s active role in formulating ICT standards that lead to
energy efficiency as well as in coordinating spectrum for climate
monitoring and disaster prediction, detection and relief. He added the
efforts deployed by ITU to ensure that the role of ICT is recognized in
the output document of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change,
to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark later in 2009. He encouraged European
countries to take up the opportunity offered by this RPM to assess how
the future development activities of ITU can best serve the interests of
members in the Region. The full text of his speech is available
here.
In his remarks, Andorra’s Minister of Territorial Planning,
Environment and Agriculture, Mr Vicenç Alay Ferrer, noted that it was a
pleasure for Andorra to host this ITU RPM for Europe and thanked ITU and
the European countries for trusting Andorra with the organization of the
event. In this regard he highlighted the need for European countries to
play an active role in the preparation for the WTDC-10.
Mr Alay further highlighted the importance of ICTs for job creation
and to increase the quality of life for citizens in countries around the
world. For Andorra, he continued, ICTs constitute a very important
component of national economic development. In this regard he expressed
the need for the same quality of service, at the same price, for all
parts of the country. ICTs and telecommunications need to be innovative,
affordable and available to all. In addition to boosting policies for
universal services, especially broadband, and intensifying capacity
building, he noted the need for administrations to play the role of an
effective facilitator when deploying ICTs, while keeping in mind the
need for building cybersecurity and protecting children online. In
closing, Mr Alay conveyed the message that Andorra remains committed to
continuing to contribute to the assistance and activities that ITU is
coordinating, to help developing countries deploy ICTs and related
services.
- Agenda and Time Management Plan
Following the recommendation made by the Heads of Delegations, Mr
Jaume Salvat, Chief Executive Officer of Servei de Telecomunicacions
d’Andorra, was nominated as Chairman of the RPM and Mr Richard Boidin
from France and Mrs Agnieska Zaborowska from Poland as Vice-Chairmen.
The nominations were unanimously endorsed by the participants.
The Chairman expressed his gratitude for his nomination and his
anticipation of a productive meeting. He also said he was looking
forward to the comments and contributions to the discussions over the
course of the three days.
The draft agenda ( Document
01 Rev1)
and the time management plan (Document DT01
Rev1) were endorsed by the meeting.
Mr Yury Grin, Deputy to the Director of BDT was introduced by the
Chairman as the Secretary of the meeting.
- ICT Development Status in the Region: Challenges and
Opportunities
BDT introduced
Document 8
entitled Information Society: Statistical Profiles 2009 – Europe
that presented an overview of current telecommunication/ICT trends,
highlighted ICT and broadband status in Europe, including the rapid
growth of mobile, and benchmarked telecommunication/ICT developments in
and outside the region. The new ICT Development Index (IDI) was also
introduced.
The meeting took note of Document 8 and thanked ITU for its excellent
work in preparing the report, highlighting that while Europe is leading
in ICT development there are still differences between countries in the
region and also within countries.
- Implementation of the Doha Action Plan
The following documents were presented by BDT:
Document 03: The document entitled
Report on Implementation of the Doha Action Plan –
Programmes, Study Groups, Activities and Initiatives in the Europe
Region
provided a status report on the implementation of the Doha Action Plan
in the Europe region. It included a summary of the various activities
undertaken by BDT in implementing WTDC-06 Programmes, Study Groups,
Activities and Special Initiatives during the last two and one half
years with a particular emphasis on the Europe region.
The meeting thanked the BDT for the report summarizing the main BDT
achievements in implementing the DAP activities and WTDC, WTSA and
Plenipotentiary resolutions, and noted that the report provides a good
framework for what BDT should be doing over the coming four years. The
meeting further noted that on the global level the focus and priorities
of the programmes, activities and initiatives seem to be accurate.
Document 04: The document entitled
Report on Implementation of the Doha Action Plan
(WSIS Implementation)
provided an overview of the activities undertaken by BDT within the
context of the WSIS Action Plan and relevant Action Lines. It underlined
ITU’s dual role as implementer and facilitator for a number of Action
Lines. In this regard, WSIS in 2005 identified ITU as the lead
moderator/facilitator for Action Lines C2 (information and communication
infrastructure), C5 (building confidence and security in the use of ICTs)
and, as from 2008, C6 (enabling environment) of the Tunis Agenda, and as
a potential partner for a number of other Actions Lines. Within this
framework, WTDC-06 adopted Resolution 30 (Rev. Doha, 2006) on the
Role of the Telecommunication Development Sector in implementing the
outcomes of the WSIS that recognizes ITU-D as a key partner in the
implementation of the WSIS outcomes in view of its core competences and
experiences. The document also provided a roadmap on ITU’s follow-up to
WSIS and invited inputs from the participants. Administrations were
encouraged to provide comments on the draft roadmap for Action Line C2
and activities undertaken.
The meeting took note of the document.
Document 02: The document entitled
Report on Implementation of the Doha Action Plan
(Resolution 17 – Regional Initiatives)
provided an overview of the implementation of the Regional Initiatives
as per Resolution 17 (Rev. Doha, 2006), within the ASP, AFR, AMS, CIS
and ARB regions. The participants were encouraged to support the
proposed regional initiatives resulting from other RPMs for the next
four year period and consider possible Regional Initiatives for the
Europe region.
The meeting thanked BDT for the useful document and expressed its
support for a regional focus for the implementation of projects, as this
has proven to be an efficient and cost effective approach. In this
regard the meeting also emphasised the need to work closely with
regional organizations to implement projects and initiatives in the
respective regions.
The meeting requested additional information on the implementation of
the Regional Initiatives. The administrations noted the usefulness of
this kind of detailed information, indicating the content of the
projects in question, progress on implementation, obstacles, possible
solutions, etc. to be able to benefit from lessons learned from the
implementation of these initiatives. In this respect, specific
evaluation/assessment reports would facilitate decision-making by donors
on further funding for such projects/regional initiatives.
The meeting also noted the need to have a good understanding of the
link between the different Resolutions, how they are implemented and how
this relates to the work undertaken by the different Study Groups. The
outputs of the different regional initiatives could serve as valuable
input to the Study Group questions.
In addition to funds for the projects from development banks and
regional organizations, it was noted that individual countries could
also be approached by BDT to fund projects as many of them may have
additional funds to support these.
Document 05: The document entitled
Summary of ITU-T Action Plan for WTSA-08
Resolutions (Johannesburg, 2008)
includes 17 Resolutions that relate to ITU-D activities. The
participants were asked to consider the content of these 17 WTSA
resolutions while preparing their proposals to WTDC-10.
The meeting took note of the document and requested ITU to pay
particular attention, while addressing the topics included in these 17
WTSA Resolutions, to the need to avoid duplication between Sectors’
activities.
Document 07: The document entitled
Report on Implementation of WTDC-06 Resolutions
(from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2009)
provided information on the implementation of WTDC-06 Resolutions
through Programmes, Study Groups, Activities and Special Initiatives and
in particular, on activities carried out for the implementation of each
Resolution.
The meeting took note of the document.
- Topics for BDT Future Work
Document 06: The purpose of the document entitled
A Fresh Look on ITU-D Activities
presented by BDT, at the request of TDAG, was to trigger discussion,
especially on programming of BDT activities and potential for
consolidation in preparation for the 2010 World Telecommunication
Development Conference (WTDC-10). The document proposes to consolidate
and cluster activities so that resources can be allocated in a more
efficient way. The BDT Director emphasized that the proposal in the
document was given as an example and members were invited to submit
further contributions as they deemed fit.
In addition, a presentation entitled A Brief Overview on the
WTDC-10 Preparations was delivered by BDT to provide an overview of
the outcomes of the RPMs held to date as well as the status of
preparations for WTDC-10.
The meeting thanked BDT for the information presented in Document 6
and the overview of the outcomes of the four previous RPMs. The meeting
generally supported the approach proposed in Document 6, emphasising
that the general idea of clustering the activities into Information and
Communication Infrastructure, ICT Applications, Enabling Environment and
Capacity Building was in line with the approach that European countries
have been discussing. For countries with special needs, least developed
countries (LDCs), small island developing states (SIDS), an approach
that opens up access to several different sources of funds, in addition
to the regular BDT budget, was seen to be a good one. Overall countries
expressed an interest in supporting and contributing to the activities
undertaken under this initiative.
The meeting also noted that the activities covered by the Study
Groups are of global nature and a very useful mechanism for countries to
contribute to and interact with other countries. In addition to
emphasising the need for Programmes and Study Groups to work together,
the meeting noted that this could now also be extended to include
Regional Initiatives. The meeting further encouraged European countries
to participate actively in the work of the Study Groups.
The meeting further elaborated on possible Regional Initiatives for
Europe emphasising that they should focus on sharing of information and
experiences with regards to the move from analogue to digital
broadcasting as well as ICT applications such as e-Health.
The meeting also encouraged ITU to find ways and means to better
serve private sector members in the activities of all three Sectors.
Document 10: The document entitled
Situation of Persons with Disabilities in Regard to
ICT Issues
was introduced by Bulgaria. The document is a proposal for a Regional
Initiative to:
Facilitate the creation of national and regional specialised
libraries/databases in order to provide large scale access via
Internet for blind people and people with visual impairment
problems;
Set up of pertinent facilities (hardware and software ),
training , implementation and execution; and,
Promote and foster widespread adoption of access services via
digital television.
Document 12: This document put forward by Romania
contains a proposal for a Regional Initiative on e-accessibility in
Central and Eastern Europe: Internet for blind and for persons with
visual impairment problems, in support of Document 10, submitted by
Bulgaria.
The meeting considered the contributions from Bulgaria and Romania
presented in Documents 10 and 12 together.
The meeting highlighted the importance of accessibility for older
people, persons with disabilities, children, especially marginalized
children, and other disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. To this end,
and in addition to the above, other examples to enable accessibility
were mentioned. The meeting also noted with appreciation the activities
of the ITU Joint Coordination Activity on Accessibility and Human
Factors (JCA-AHF).
In summarizing the discussions on this subject, the Chairman
emphasized the importance of accessibility for these groups in Europe,
and in particular the initiative presented in Documents 10 and 12.
Document 11: The document entitled Optimization of Bands I, II
and III for broadcasting (radio): what policy should Europe adopt for
analogue and digital radio broadcasting, had been submitted by the World
Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC). It notes that the allocation
of the spectrum resource "by apartment" causes problems for the
audiovisual industry and providers of culture, since such an arrangement
favours telecommunication operators (broadband) over service providers
(broadcast) to the detriment of community media. The document proposes a
broad approach to allocation on the basis of strategic choices with
respect cultural diversity and independence of the media.
The meeting decided not to consider Document 11 as a proposal to the
RPM as it was deemed to be outside the scope of the meeting.
- General Observations
The meeting also made the following general observations:
- it would be useful that BDT put together in a publication, or
make available on the BDT website, a collection of good practices
for managing ICT development projects. The resource would bring
attention to the challenges that countries and organizations have
come across when implementing projects in countries around the world
and would be useful for both governments and private sector
entities.
- the participants recalled that the programmes and activities
designed for developing countries should extend to countries with
economies in transition.
PART-II: Proposal for Future Work
from the Europe Region
After considering the introduction of documents and interventions,
the RPM-EUR identified the following as priority areas for programmes,
regional initiatives and Study Group Questions for the future work of
the ITU-D sector.
Priority Areas for Programmes
The participants to the RPM-EUR endorsed the prioritization of topics
suggested in document RPM-EUR09/06 and agreed that these topics, which
are global in nature, could be operationalized through programmes
supported by the following four modes of delivery: the creation of
tools, development of training materials, information dissemination
through workshops and seminars as well as direct assistance.
The proposed topics could be consolidated into programmes based on
the linkages or similarities between them, as follows:
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Programme 1
Information and communication infrastructure |
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Fixed, mobile, broadband
network development, including broadcast networks and
spectrum management, rural communications and emergency
telecommunication and disaster relief |
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Programme 2
Cybersecurity and ICT applications |
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Particular applications of the
use of ICTs, including, inter alia, e-government, e-health,
e-environment and climate change, etc, and promotion of
security and confidence in the use of ICT, including the
protection of youth and children |
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Programme 3
Enabling environment |
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Telecommunications/ICT policy
and regulatory matters, including ICT economics (market
analysis, cost modeling and tariffs) and statistics
(indicators, measuring the information society) |
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Programme
4
Capacity building and other initiatives |
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To facilitate access to
information and knowledge for all, in particular for the
engagement of women, youth and children, indigenous people
and communities living in underserved areas, and other
disadvantaged groups through e-inclusion and e-accessibility
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Addressing the unique needs of LDCs, SIDS and countries
in special need
Objective: Provision of special assistance to LDCs, SIDS and
countries in special need (countries emerging from war, struck by
natural disasters etc.) to meet their priority ICT requirements.
To achieve the above-mentioned objective, the following mechanisms
will be used:
- Special Programme for LDCs, SIDS and countries in special need
- Global Initiatives for LDCs, SIDS and countries in special need
European Regional Initiatives
The European Regional Initiatives are intended to address the
specific ICT priority areas through partnerships and resource
mobilization to implement small- medium- and large-scale projects. Under
each Regional Initiative, projects will be developed and implemented to
meet the region’s needs.
- E-accessibility in Central and Eastern Europe – Internet and
Digital Television – for blind people and people with visual
impairment problems (Documents 10 and 12)
Objective: To provide assistance to Member States in order to
provide e-accessibility (including internet and information access)
for blind people and people with visual impairment problems
Expected results
- Creation of national and regional specialised
libraries/databases in order to provide large scale access via
Internet for blind people and people with visual impairment
problems
- To set up pertinent facilities (hardware and software), and
implement training for users and instructors
- To promote and foster widespread adoption of access services
via Digital Television
- Digital broadcasting
Objective: To assist ITU Member States in Central and Eastern
Europe towards a smooth transition from analogue to digital
broadcasting, taking into account GE06 Agreement (digital
terrestrial broadcasting) as well as the work undertaken by relevant
European regional organizations and entities, to avoid duplication
of effort.
Expected results
- Overview of policy and regulatory frameworks for digital
terrestrial broadcasting including mobile television;
- Appropriate mechanism for the conversion from analogue to
digital archives
- Provision of assistance in the deployment of interactive
multimedia services and applications;
- Sharing the experiences gained through the implementation of
this initiative with broadcasters and service providers within
and outside the Region.
- E-applications, including e-health
Objective:
To share best practices in the
implementation of e-applications including e-health
Expected results:
- Faster and easier storage, transmission and access to
medical data and health-related information for healthcare
providers and professionals, citizens/patients, academics,
researchers, policy makers and others.
- Capacity building and improved delivery of healthcare
services, particularly in rural and remote areas.
- Reduction of operational and administrative costs in
implementing healthcare services.
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