The stage is set for WTDC-02

Welcome to this special issue of ITU News. As you know, ITU will organize the third World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-02) in Istanbul from 18 to 27 March 2002 at the kind invitation of the Government of Turkey. WTDCs are convened every four years.

On this occasion, we thought a special issue was the best way to give you, our readers, the context as well as the detail of what will be at the heart of the discussions in Istanbul. Before I continue, let me offer special thanks to all contributors for their in-depth analysis and invaluable insights into what is at stake.

The Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) has been preparing earnestly for WTDC-02, mainly through five Regional Preparatory Meetings which were held in Egypt, Bulgaria, Indonesia, Cameroon and Trinidad and Tobago. For the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D), it is time again to review the work done over the last four years and define future strategies and priorities.

There are lessons we in BDT have learned from implementing the activities and programmes of the last two WTDCs held in Buenos Aires in 1994 and in Valletta in 1998. One of these is that, no matter how hard we may work, there will always be changes in the environment. If we cannot anticipate all these changes, we should strive to adapt to them. It is for this reason that I hope that the conference will endeavour to be more adaptive, dynamic, creative, and flexible in conceiving the Plan of Action, which will be delivered at WTDC-02.

At the heart of the discussions WTDC-02 will consider, among other things:

• Regional development priorities and strategies formulated at the five Regional Preparatory Meetings.
• The main activities undertaken by ITU-D in the context of the Valletta Action Plan in the key areas of introducing new technologies, reforming and restructuring of the Member States' telecommunication sector, developing human resources, promoting universal access through rural telecommunication development, developing partnerships with the private sector, and putting in place the appropriate financial policies especially in respect of tariffs and accounting rates.
• Reports of ITU-D Study Groups in the strategies and policies domain (Study Group 1) and development and management domain (Study Group 2).
• The Special Programme for least developed countries (LDC).
• The report of the Telecommunication Development Advisory Group.
• Direct assistance and implementation of technical cooperation projects within the framework of agreements with UNDP and other financing sources.
  Proposals for reforming ITU-D.
• The results of the global symposia for regulators.
• The outcome of the follow-up workshops to the third World Telecommunication Policy Forum 2001 on the theme of "IP telephony".

Defining a new telecommunication development agenda

These are exciting times. The last four years since Valletta have been characterized not just by technological convergence, but also by "stakeholder" convergence. If we look around everywhere, there is enormous enthusiasm and unprecedented involvement in defining a new telecommunication development agenda by all our stakeholders, who range from our Member States, our Sector Members, the private sector, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, academia and the general public.

Never before have there been so many new players keenly interested in contributing to the development and promotion of information and communication technologies (ICT).

It is with these technological and "stake-holder" convergences in mind that the ITU Council determined that WTDC-02 will focus on the theme of "Bridging the Digital Divide". A high-level session on this theme is expected to attract quality participation from stakeholders in the sector.

The need to adapt to rapid technological change is critical if we are to be responsive to the needs of developing countries in a timely manner. The aim should be to manage the environment and not to be managed by it.

Regional Preparatory Meetings have highlighted the need for ITU to provide pertinent assistance to developing countries which have vigorously embarked on a crusade to drive the ICT agenda onto their national development plans. Increasingly, these countries are forging new relationships with the private sector. This is very important because continuously promoting public-private co-financing of infrastructure as a matter of national policy raises a significant management challenge for national, regional and local government units.

However, governments can develop and sustain successful public-private sector partnership only if capable institutions, effective policy frameworks, and clear operating systems are in place to manage each critical step of the project cycle. This is where the leadership's political will becomes the key ingredient. And I am proud to report that this ingredient is now a definite part of the mix, as leadership is left n no doubt that ICTs are a solution to socio-economic development.

Regional Preparatory Meetings have also re-emphasized BDT's role as a catalyst and matchmaker for potential partners and a tool for sustainable telecommunication development. Stakeholders' achievements are there to see. We have worked tirelessly together with governments, Sector Members, development partners and other ICT players to develop the telecommunication sector of developing countries, of LDCs, and of countries in special need whose telecommunication infrastructures were destroyed by war or civil strife. We have striven to provide assistance in the true spirit and letter of the Valletta Action Plan.

Anticipated outcome

Based on the review of regional priorities, and of the achievements of the previous four-year action plan, WTDC-02 will work towards adopting:

• The Istanbul Declaration, enshrining a shared vision of the future of telecommunications worldwide.
• A Strategic Plan for Bridging the Digital Divide.
• An Action Plan, which will establish the work programmes for implementing the Strategic Plan in the period 2003 to 2006.

I am confident that WTDC-02 will make a difference, and that its various outcomes will open a new chapter in our collaborative effort to create significant new digital opportunities for the greater benefit of our membership. I can assure you that BDT is up to this formidable challenge and I very much look forward to further discussing these issues with you at WTDC-02.

Hamadoun I. Touré
Director
ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau

This text is an extract from ITU News 2/2002