Dhaka, 3 February 1994


Telecommunication  Development Conference for developing 
countries of West and South Asia
Dhaka, 3-5 February 1994

Inaugural Address by Dr. Pekka Tarjanne
Secretary-General, International Telecommunication Union


Your Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests and Participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,


	I am honoured to have been invited by the Government of 
Bangladesh, to inaugurate this first Telecom Development Conference 
for the developing countries of West and South Asia here in Dhaka.  I 
would like to congratulate our hosts, the Chairman of the  Bangladesh  
Telegraph and Telecom Board and his dedicated team, for the excellent 
arrangements made by them for the Conference.

	I am very pleased to see that so many Representatives of the 
Telecom Administrations of the countries of West and South Asia and 
of some of the leading operators, manufacturers  and research and 
development laboratories are with us today.  The ITU feels privileged 
to be associated with this Conference where vital issues like policy, 
regulatory, organizational reforms, technology, network operations, 
customer services, finance, human resource development and human 
resource management will be discussed in the context of the situation 
pertaining to  the countries of West and South Asia, which are 
characterized by predominantly rural economies with vast manpower 
resource, higher population growth, lower per capita income, lower 
telephone density, lower per capita investment on telecom 
infrastructure and so on.  These  countries also share common goals 
of alleviation of poverty,  establishment of a strong base and 
infrastructure for development and improvement of the quality of life 
of their peoples.

	The development of telecommunication services has provided the 
basis for growth and development in many societies world-wide, 
including several fast-growing countries in Asia.  However, there are 
some striking differences with respect to the  availability of 
services in different countries, both world-wide and in this region 
of Asia.  As some of you may recall, during my opening address at the 
Asia Pacific Regional Development Conference held in May 1993 at 
Singapore, I  talked about the availability of advanced 
telecommunication facilities, the  vast manufacturing potential and 
inclination for trading as the ingredients of the economic prosperity 
of the Pacific rim countries which have six of the world's fastest 
growing telephone companies.
	However, striking disparities exist in other countries of the
Asia Pacific Region, and there is  reason to meet, analyze, share
experiences and evolve strategies for development of the telecom sector
to improve not only its supporting function to commerce, but also social
and other developmental functions.  The main goal for the ITU in 
assisting telecommunication development, is to bridge this gap and
allow utilization of benefits from improved telecom infrastructure to
those not able to do so at the moment.

	It is a pleasure to see this conference on telecom development 
for the developing countries of West and South Asia take place, for 
two reasons in particular.  It reveals the real concern you all have 
for the issue of telecom development in your respective countries, 
and the will to cooperate to achieve a common goal.  Secondly, this 
conference carries further the useful results achieved in the 
Regional Telecommunication Development Conference for Asia and the 
Pacific held in Singapore in May 1993, and its results could form an 
important input for innovative discussions to be held at the World 
Telecommunication Development Conference in Buenos Aires in March 
1994.

	The  restructuring of the ITU, resulting from the approval in 
December 1992 of its revised Constitution and Convention by the 
Additional Plenipotentiary Conference was a landmark  in the history 
of the ITU.  The new organization is intended to assist  Member 
Administrations and the ITU to adapt to meet the challenges of a 
rapidly changing telecom environment.  Besides the traditional 
activities of the ITU in the fields of "Standardization" and 
"Radiocommunication" sectors, the restructuring focused on the 
importance of the role of ITU in promoting development of 
telecommunication on a global basis, by according an equal status to 
the "Development" sector, within the ITU's structure. 

	The Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT), has the dual  
responsibility as a United Nations specialized agency and as an 
executing agency.  In this latter role, it implements projects under 
the United Nations development system or other funding arrangements 
so as to facilitate and enhance telecommunications development by 
offering, organizing and coordinating technical cooperation and 
assistance activities.  The BDT has the basic obligation to study and 
analyze the impact of the telecommunication sector on socio-economic 
development, to assist members to formulate suitable policies at the 
national, regional and international levels, to set development 
targets and establish time-frames for their realization and to 
promote the development of this sector so that it obtains its due 
share of resources in order to have overall balanced development.  
The BDT covers this large spectrum of activities through its 
Headquarters and Regional offices which are intended to improve the 
productivity, speed of response and efficiency of the BDT in dealing 
with the needs of the countries in the concerned region by being 
close to them.

	These steps, resulting from the 1992 Additional Plenipotentiary, 
were just a beginning.  Further policy issues are to be focused at 
the forthcoming Kyoto Plenipotentiary Conference in autumn this year.
The trends which are transforming telecommunication from an 
international government service into a competitive, global business 
opportunity will have a profound effect on ITU.  I will give you an 
abstract on strategic policies proposed to be adopted by ITU to 
respond to these challenges:

	First and foremost among the goals from the ITU's Constitution 
is the goal of fostering and facilitating the global development of 
telecommunications for the universal benefit of mankind.  This is a 
practical challenge of immense importance to the international 
community.  In the twenty-first century, economic, social and 
cultural development, as well as global peace and security, will 
depend on good communications.

	The mission of the ITU should be "to provide the products and 
services required by the global telecommunications community that are 
best provided by an international organization".
Carrying out this mission in the changing telecommunications 
environment will require the ITU to become an open organization, 
responsive to the needs of all members of the telecommunications 
community, client oriented, entrepreneurial and risk-taking in its 
behaviour.  The scope of the ITU would need to be enlarged, as 
information technology breaks down the barriers that exist between 
the telecommunications, broadcasting, computing, entertainment and 
publishing industries.

	Throughout human history, economic, social, cultural and 
political development have always depended on communications.  In 
today's information society, all these facets of human development 
increasingly depend on electronic telecommunication networks.  This 
is true in several areas.

	In the area of economic development, apart from being an 
important industry in its own right,  telecommunications contribute 
to increased productivity and increased job opportunities in all 
economic sectors.

	In optimizing the use of human resources, particularly through 
the decentralization of operations and the creation of "telework" 
opportunities, telecommunications is providing the opportunity to 
counteract the social displacement and disorder that characterize the 
industrial society.  This will also enable the reduction of economic 
migration between rural and urban areas, as well as between 
developing and developed countries.  In the future, 
telecommunications will hopefully help create more balanced social 
structures by providing job opportunities and an improved quality of 
life in all countries and regions of the world.

	In improving health care, telecommunication services are of 
major importance: from the monitoring and control of diseases on a 
regional and global basis to improving the availability of health 
care in rural areas by allowing local clinics to consult experts in 
urban hospitals on diagnostics.

	As  for the contribution to preserve and promote cultural 
heritage and overall education, the importance of radio and 
television is widely acknowledged.

	When it comes to preserving and enhancing the quality of the 
natural environment, telecommunications play a major role.  Remote 
sensing satellites and other measuring equipment are indispensable 
tools for monitoring the earth's atmosphere, coastal waters, 
agricultural crops and forests, man made pollutions, etc.
Telecommunications are providing an improved basis for the 
political life of our time.  The wave of political reforms, 
democratic movements and the struggle for human rights have all been 
helped by the real-time and world-wide coverage.  This spread of 
information and the coverage we have experienced, would not have been 
possible without advanced telecommunications.

	As we are approaching the twenty-first century, telecommunications
are becoming the single most important tool for human development.  In
fact, I believe that they are so important to the future of mankind that
access to basic telecommunications services should be recognized by
governments as a fundamental human right.

	The gap in telecommunication benefits between developed and 
developing countries has been a long-standing concern of the ITU.  
While significant progress has been made in some countries and 
regions of the world, in other areas the gap has remained or even 
increased.  The closing of this gap must remain an issue of primary 
strategic importance to the ITU.  But also, from the perspective of 
the individual's "right to communicate", in order to be able to 
participate in the economic, social, cultural and political life of 
the global information society, improvement of the provision of 
telecommunications services to the public should be seen as an 
important task common to people everywhere.  Given the central role 
that telecommunications will play in global development in the 
twenty-first century, there is a clear need for the industry, as well 
as for the operators and administrations, to recognize the 
responsibility they bear for the future welfare of mankind and to 
consider and preserve the ethical dimensions of telecommunications.
Among all the important topics to be discussed during this 
conference, I am sure that you will all have important contributions.  
On the other hand, there will be issues where the possibility to gain 
new information and the cooperation with administrations in similar 
situations will prove to be fruitful in further planning in your 
respective countries.

	I declare the Conference open and wish it every success.
	
	Thank you.