TELECOM LEADER'S SUMMIT KEY NOTE SPEECH: BRAHIMA SANOU, Director, ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau Thriving in today's digital economy: collaborative approaches and the role of the private sector Excellences, Distinguished participants, Ladies and gentlemen, all protocol observed. I am very happy to be with you today at the SAMENA Telecom Leaders' Summit 2018. I am also happy to see the diversity of stakeholders present here because the huge opportunities of the ICT sector in today's digital economy calls for new collaborative approaches across all sectors of life. We must work together to tap into these opportunities for business and development. It is my deep conviction that development without business is not sustainable and business without development is just not viable. The Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, are opening new avenues for business and development, such as e-health, e-education, e-agriculture, smart transport, just to mention a few. In today's digital world, ICTs are about streamlining government processes, bringing education and health to the people in need in order to create sustainability, inclusiveness and economic growth. Together we can accelerate progress towards a dignified life, prosperity and peace for everyone because sustainable development is a collective responsibility. The ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference, held in Buenos Aires in 2017, reaffirmed the key role of the private sector. By creating the Industry Advisory Group for Development Issues, the conference recognized the value of industry in supporting the development agenda of governments and regulators. We at ITU, and particularly the Development sector, are proud of building bridges amongst all the stakeholders. The Private Sector Chief Regulatory Officers (CRO) platform, under the abled chairmanship of Mr Bocar Ba, has put forward sound proposals and initiatives to enhance public-private collaboration. Bocar, thank you for your excellent work in bringing the private sector closer to ITU and streamlining the contribution of the private sector in the work of the ITU. Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to invite you to two important events: The Artificial Intelligence for Good Summit to be held in Geneva from 15 to 17 May 2018. And the Global Symposium for Regulators (GSR) to be held in Geneva from 9 to 12 July 2018. GSR offers a unique opportunity for networking between the private sector, regulators and policy makers at global level. I hope you will come to Geneva to enjoy these neutral platforms of knowledge sharing. Ladies and gentlemen: The theme of today's Summit will certainly inspire us as we thrive in today's digital economy to deliver the promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. I thank you. | 