The Secretary General, Dr Hamodoun Toure;
ITU Member States and Associates;
Distinguished guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
When the ITU was founded in Paris in 1865 as the International Telegraph Union, none of its founding visionaries ever contemplated the magnitude of impact to the extent the Union has managed to transform the complexion of ICTs and the lives of people during these 150 years of its existence. As we look back and celebrate its 150th anniversary we should always remember that the Union's phenomenal achievements bear undisputed testimony to the accomplishments that can be made to humanity if institutions are governed well and run for the purposes for which they were created. An examination of the Union's make-up or nature then and now; its modus operand then and now, lays bare perfect public-private partnership at work reveals that the Union is unique in many ways, apart from being a unifier. We learn that currently, ITU has a membership of about 193 countries and 700 private institutions!!
Zimbabwe has been a member of the ITU since its independence in 1980. As a country, we take great pride and cherish our very fruitful association with the oldest intergovernmental agency of the United Nations. In recent years Zimbabwe has received technical assistance from the Union which includes Disaster Management Equipment, Spectrum Management Training and cost modelling training among other benefits. We seize this opportunity to pledge our unwavering support to the commendable work of the union in towards enabling, ensuring and enhancing the accessibility, availability and adaptability of telecommunication services at a global level.
This is evidenced by the evolution of communications technology over the past one and half centuries (150 years), which has been phenomenal. The International Telecommunications Union has played a critical role in this evolution. In Zimbabwe 150 years ago, long distance communication was by way of fire or smoke signals, messenger services and to a great extent the of beating drums but now we have phones, SMS, instant messaging and the internet. The advancement in the speed and variety of human communications has been an important tool for social and economic development and inclusion. Technology has changed the way we learn, work, travel, bank, trade, vote - you name it all Life has become much more simpler!
We also take special note of the ITU efforts in bridging the digital divide by offering the platform and opportunities for developing countries to participate in global telecommunication issues. This is notwithstanding the fact that more still needs to be done to help developing countries catch up in the technological blaze. As a country, we genuinely appreciate the efforts of the ITU in empowering the nations of the world to fully exploit the benefits of technological innovation.
Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to end by saluting the sterling work done by the out-going Secretary General, Dr Hamodoun Toure and his team during his 8-year tenure at the helm of Union.
Long Live ITU! |
