The Emergency Telecommunications Side Event of the World Telecommunication Development Conference
(WTDC-17) took place on
13 October 2017,
12:05 - 12:50, at the Pacara room, Hilton Buenos Aires Hotel.
BACKGROUND
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) play an important role in facilitating the flow of vital information in a timely manner when disasters strike. Information is critical for government agencies and humanitarian actors for decision making processes, as well as for rapid response during emergencies. The importance of ICTs for disaster prevention, preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery was highlighted again during the hurricanes that hit several Caribbean islands and the United States in September 2017. ITU-D plays an important role in ensuring that its Member States benefit from the huge opportunities of ICTs. Supported by many partners, it delivers ICTs for development across all phases of disaster management. ITU-D's work is multi-hazard, multi-technology, and multi-stakeholder.
The side event held on the occasion of the
International Day for Disaster Reduction on 13 October 2017, also showcased the work of ITU-D in the area of emergency telecommunication deployment and its close cooperation with public and private sector partners. It presented the work of Members States and Sector Members to highlight the role of ICTs in disaster management, the importance of ICTs for early warning and monitoring systems, and new technological developments and tools used for monitoring, early warning and to respond and restore communication networks when disasters strike.
This side event was organized as a panel, featuring several short presentations followed by a discussion.
Watch the webcast of the event and read the
article published in the ITU News.
