ITU-D Study Group 2 Plenary Session 2018
Opening Ceremony
7 – 11 May 2018
Geneva Switzerland
Opening Speech
Brahima Sanou, Director,
ITU Telecommunication Development Sector
Mr Ahmad Reza Sharafat, Chairman of Study Group 2,
Vice-Chairmen of Study Group 2,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure for me to welcome you to this meeting of ITU-D Study Group 2.
This is the first meeting of ITU-D Study Group 2 for the 2018-2021 cycle and since the World Telecommunication Development Conference convened in Buenos Aires in October 2017.
I would like to welcome and congratulate Mr Ahmad Sharafat, in whom WTDC-17 reinstated trust and re-appointed as Chairman of Study Group 2, all Vice-Chairmen, and the candidates for rapporteur and vice-rapporteur positions in the study Questions.
I would also like to welcome all the participants, including those who are attending this meeting remotely.
Let me thank those who were involved in the work of the study groups in the preceding period, the vice-chairmen, the rapporteurs, co- rapporteurs and vice-rapporteurs for the immense amount of work that they have done, as was recognized by WTDC-17.
To date, the final reports have been downloaded close to a quarter of a million times!
I am also grateful to the membership for the many excellent candidates they have put forward for rapporteur and vice-rapporteur positions in the ITU-D study groups.
I would like to thank all those who expressed the willingness to be a rapporteur or vice-rapporteur. Thank you so much for all your support!
Ladies and Gentlemen,
This is a very exciting time for us all. We have adopted a new mandate for the Study Group under the theme 'ICT services and applications for the promotion of sustainable development', comprising seven (7) revised study Questions.
In this regard, this first meeting is an excellent opportunity for us to get off to a good start and deliver some concrete, high-quality, useful and timely deliverables for all the topics we will be considering.
WTDC-17 agreed on certain changes to the Sector's working methods.
For instance, the delivery of annual outputs, the holding of topical workshops together with the Question, and the reporting on synergies achieved through the work of the related study Questions, programmes, regional initiatives and projects, which will have an impact on the work of the ITU-D study groups.
This is an important point. The telecommunication/ICT sector is changing at a very rapid pace and we need to ensure that our working methods are adapted to meet the needs of the membership, while also ensuring that we are using our available resources effectively and efficiently.
The work of ITU-D study groups is crucial in accelerating the attainment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
We will continue to strengthen our collaboration with the UN system and other stakeholders on key SDGs where ICT can play a key role, including health, education, gender, agriculture, e-waste, emergency telecommunications, just to mention a few.
We will help accelerate digital transformation through innovation – in every country, community, school, and household.
E-education, e-health, e-agriculture, big data, cloud computing, and the development of the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence are offering huge opportunities for achieving sustainable development. The adoption of the SDGs has broadened our mission.
The meetings of the two study groups the previous week for Study Group 1 and this week for Study Group 2 mark an important milestone in preparing our work for this new study period.
These first meetings will look closely at the expected outcomes, identify methods for conducting work, and agree on detailed work plans, specifying possible annual deliverables, for each Question being studied.
This meeting will also appoint the rapporteurs and vice-rapporteurs for each Question.
This week, more specifically tomorrow Tuesday, we are pleased to have a panel session on Early Warning Systems (EWS) which will take place in conjunction with the Question 5/2 meeting.
I really encourage the holding of this kind of sessions to explore further the topics that are within the mandate of each Question.
Such topic sessions and workshops can be held here in Geneva together with study group and rapporteur group meetings, or hosted in the countries in accordance with the overarching Study Group work plan.
ITU-D study groups represent a unique neutral platform where experts gather to produce relevant tools, useful guidelines and resources for our membership. They generate innovative ideas and good practices for the benefit of all.
The study groups allow participants to be engaged in a continuous learning process, to keep abreast of technological developments in the areas agreed by the membership at the WTDC, to share information, and to find solutions to challenges faced by stakeholders active in these areas.
Enhanced mutual understanding of the issues and the creation of international and cross-cutting partnerships promote mutual learning.
In order to attain the four objectives of the ITU-D Strategic Plan, we need to ensure that the work of the study groups and the implementation of programmes and regional initiatives are coherent and interdependent in such a way as to achieve overall collaborations.
We are continuing to take steps to improve our work, and will continue to do so, in order to deliver better products and services to the membership.
We count on your active participation in these meetings and on your constructive input to this process.
You can rely on the determined and committed secretariat and topical focal points in headquarters and in the regions among the BDT staff to assist you in your work.
I wish you all an enjoyable and productive meeting.
