Opening remarks - VII Regular Meeting of the Assembly of CITEL

Opening remarks -  VII Regular Meeting of the Assembly of CITEL

13 March 2018, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Mr Andrés Ibarra, Minister of Modernization
Mr Fabricio Gómez, President Com CITEL
Mr Oscar León, Executive Secretary of CITEL
Mr Miguel de Godoy, President of Anacom

Excellences Ministers, Vice-ministers, Presidents of Regulators, Members of CITEL, Observers, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

It is an honour and a pleasure for me to be able to join you in Buenos Aires for the CITEL Assembly. I bring greetings from ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao and my fellow elected colleagues.

I would like to express my gratitude to the government and the people of Argentina for their warm and kind hospitality, congratulate the government of Argentina for their efforts in bringing the digital economy to all its citizens and for hosting so many major events including the ITU WTDC. I thank CITEL for giving me the opportunity to address you today.

CITEL’s Assembly this week and the ITU plenipotentiary conference in Dubai next October have much to celebrate considering all the improvements information and communication technologies have brought into people’s lives in the Americas and in the world.

But we still cannot shut our eyes to the fact that close to half of the planet’s population is not connected to the Internet. We must always pursue what we can do for the unconnected ones – we must face and overcome all the challenges to bring more people online.

As ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao said in the opening of the WTDC here in Buenos Aires last October, “digital inclusion can only be meaningful and effective if and when everyone feels empowered to use the technology – and when the technology is affordable, attractive and safe.”

The role of ICT in helping to achieve the United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs) is now widely recognized and ITU’s work is directly related to their achievement. Demands on the organization continue to grow but of course our resources are finite. This is why ITU elected officials, under the leadership of Houlin Zhao, are making every effort to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the organization in particular by adopting modern working methods and making use of our own technology. Avoidance of duplication of effort, concentration on our core competencies, and collaboration with other organizations will be key.

In this regard I would like to recognize the excellent collaboration with the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL) and its Executive Secretariat, focusing on the topics prioritized by the Permanent Consultative Committees of CITEL (PCC), strengthening capacity building, avoiding duplication and working together to advance the new initiatives for the Americas with the ICT alliance 2030.

Turning to the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference, this is the most important conference of ITU and where its members will discuss and make the decisions that will guide its work over the next four years. Definition of the ITU Strategic Plan, work priorities, budget, structure, elections of the Elected Officials, RRB and Council, are some of the topics that will be addressed at this important meeting of the members of the Union.

These discussions and decisions will determine how ITU can maximize its contribution to the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and determine how the organization can improve its work, where it should direct its efforts, and what are the challenges that it should be prepared to meet in the future. We will also report to the conference on the progress on the new headquarters building for ITU in Geneva, the largest project ever for ITU.

So let me close now by encouraging your attendance and participation in the Plenipotentiary conference. It promises to be a truly ground breaking event. And let us celebrate our shared achievements.

I wish you a very productive and enjoyable Assembly.

Thank you