38TH Assembly of Parties of ITSO
Washington DC 13 -15 June 2018
Opening remarks by
Brahima Sanou
Director, ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT)
Chairman of the Assembly of Parties of ITSO, HEM Nikolay Nikiforov
Director General of ITSO, Patrick Masambu
Honorable Ministers, Ambassadors and High dignitaries here present
Distinguished delegates
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is indeed a great pleasure for me to say few words on behalf of the ITU at this opening ceremony.
I am here today to mention and commend the great work that the Telecommunication Development Bureau of the ITU, is doing together with ITSO.
My presence here today is also to recognize the contribution of ITSO, and the satellite industry at large, to the work of the ITU.
As we all commit to use ICTs for accelerating the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals, we should continue to work together to build an ICT infrastructure that provides full connectivity and achieves affordability to the bottom of the pyramid of our communities.
We should therefore talk about ONE ICT infrastructure, a term that encompasses optical fiber, satellite constellations, mobile infrastructure and other new technologies.
Affordability, through technology neutral connectivity and access, must be our primary goal.
By improving affordability, we will trigger mass and massive digital transformation that will accelerate the attainment of the SDGs.
I would like to single out today one particular role of Satellite communications.
I am sure that you all agree with me that natural disasters are one of the biggest challenges of our time.
Too many lives are lost due to natural disasters. Too many families and communities are impacted.
In 2016 alone, 569 million people worldwide were affected by natural disasters.
The economic cost of natural disasters is estimated to be more than $400 billion US dollars per year.
It is a fact that when natural disasters strike, they generally destroy or disrupt terrestrial networks, leaving sometimes satellite as the only communication option to save lives and restore dignity.
The satellite industry is therefore in a unique position to serve both development and disaster management.
Upon assuming office as Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau in 2011, I established the Smart Sustainable Development Model (SSDM) initiative.
The aim of the initiative is to link ICT for Development and ICT for Disaster Management as a way of optimizing the use of resources.
Naturally, the membership of the Advisory Board of this initiative is predominantly from the satellite industry.
Looking to the future, one can safely say that satellite communication will become more and more important as we adopt emerging technologies for development.
The extended use of the Internet of Things through the use of sensors in very remote areas to monitor floods, drought, earthquakes, hurricanes and typhoons, will rely mostly on satellite communications.
I am very pleased to mention and pay tribute to the strong partnership between ITU and ITSO.
ITSO supports our capacity building programme on satellite communications where we look at technical, policy and regulatory issues.
ITSO and satellite operators are key partners of ITU in our broadband connectivity project for the Pacific Islands.
Owing to the success of this partnership in the Pacific, we are planning to implement a similar project in the Caribbean.
I would like to seize the opportunity of this Assembly to express my gratitude to the satellite operators who are partnering with ITU to deploy emergency telecommunications equipment to many countries in the aftermath of disasters.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The ITU considers ITSO and its membership as a true and key partner in our journey of providing connectivity and affordability.
We have an important and noble role to play in the digital economy.
Let us play it well together.
Thank you.
