BDT Director's Corner: Activities

At ITU Telecom World 2019, we joined the Crisis Connectivity Charter, which is a mechanism created between the satellite industry and the wider humanitarian community to make satellite-based communications more readily available to humanitarians and affected communities in times of disaster. Joining this Charter will allow us not only to improve our coordination of response at times of crisis, but also improve our preparedness to respond, by engaging relevant national authorities to facilitate provision of communications equipment and training prior to disasters. In my remarks during the signing of the Charter, I reiterated that ITU has been a long-standing advocate for more effective use of technology in disaster relief efforts, and an important player in disaster response. I believe that this unique and outstanding initiative will put us in an even stronger position to collaborate with our members to provide vital communication services to disaster-hit areas. Read my speech​