BDT Director Doreen Bogdan-Martin delivered welcoming remarks to ITU and the United States Telecommunication Training Institute's (USTTI) jointly developed webinar on ''Building Disaster Resilience through Emergency T elecommunications.''
The event was aimed at highlighting the role of emergency telecommunications for disaster risk reduction and management, and provided the opportunity for attendees to hear experts and industry leaders discuss best practices for increasing ICT resilience and capacity for saving lives and limiting the impact of natural and manmade hazards including pandemics.
Highlighting the disastrous impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms Bogdan-Martin stated ''One thing that I believe should and must come out of this global health emergency is recognition by governments of the vital need to rapidly extend connectivity and promote more affordable access. At times like these, ICTs have proved themselves uniquely powerful tools, and we have a moral imperative to ensure that such tools are within reach of all.''
She noted that even before COVID-19 pandemic, disasters have been responsible for at least one million deaths each decade, and have left many millions more homeless. In 2019 alone, 396 disaster events that affected over 95 million people were recorded, and had an estimated annual impact of disaster events on the global economy exceeding 400 billion USD.
Ms Bogdan-Martin emphasized that National Emergency Telecommunication Plans (NETPs) and specific contingency plans are a key element in ensuring the continuity of communications during all phases of disaster management. The webinar featured further information on ITU's guidelines for developing NETPs, as they serve a vital role in promoting coordination across all levels of government, engaging national stakeholders to think through the lifecycle of a potential disaster, determining the required ICT capabilities for emergency response and recovery, and establishing a governance framework of roles and responsibilities.
ITU along with the UN Emergency Telecommunications Cluster has developed a Table-Top Simulation Guide which tests stakeholders' capacities, capabilities, processes, and technologies for disaster response and recovery operations, to ensure that NETPs are fit for purpose.
Mentioning that the current global health crisis has demonstrated the power and importance of international collaboration in strengthening global emergency response, Ms Bogdan-Martin invited both big and small organization ''to join with us and play their own unique and important role in supporting global efforts to build ICT infrastructure that connects communities everywhere, helps reduce risk and, most importantly of all, saves lives.''
