ITU Regional Development Forum for the Americas
25 May 2018, Lima, Peru
OPENING REMARKS
By
Mr. Brahima Sanou
Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT)
International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Excellency Mrs. Rosa Virginia Nakagawa Morales, Vice
Minister of Transports and Communications of Peru
Mr. Rafael Muente, President of OSIPTEL
Mr. Oscar León Suarez, Executive Secretary of CITEL
Mr. Bruno RAMOS, ITU Regional Director for Americas
Representatives of Regional Organizations and ITU Development Sector
Members;
Distinguished delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen;
Buenos dias
It is indeed my great pleasure to welcome you to the ITU Regional
Development Forum for the Americas.
On behalf of all the participants, the ITU and on my own behalf, I would
like to express our sincere gratitude to the Ministry of Transports and
Communications of Peru, and to you personally Vice Minister Nakagawa, for
hosting this Forum and for the kind hospitality extended to all of us.
Let me also wish Happy National Day to Argentina.
Distinguished participants,
This is the first ITU Regional Development Forum for the Americas after the
World Telecommunication Development Conference held in October 2017 in
Buenos Aires.
The purpose of this Forum is to present the proposed implementation of the
Buenos Aires Action Plan with particular emphasis on the Regional
Initiatives.
The Regional Initiatives have always been at the top of my priorities
because it is through their implementation that we make a difference on the
ground.
It is through their implementation that we can accelerate progress in all
sectors of life, including education, health, agriculture, energy,
transport, just to mention a few.
It is through their implementation that we can make our communities
smarter, that we can empower women, youth and people with disabilities.
It is through their implementation that we can save lives before and during
natural disasters and restore dignity to those who lost their properties.
It is therefore through their implementation that we can put a human face
to ICTs.
I am happy to note that the Regional Initiatives of Americas are well
thought to address your priorities in the region in terms of Emergency
Communications, Spectrum management, Broadband access, accessibility and
Digital economy.
I thank the ITU Council and particularly the Counselors of Americas for
allocating seed funds dedicated to the implementation of the Regional
Initiatives.
Let us all work together to implement the Regional Initiatives with the aim
of accelerating progress towards a dignified life, prosperity and peace for
everyone because sustainable development is a collective responsibility.
Distinguished delegates ladies and gentlemen
The ICT sector is evolving fast.
It is evolving very fast and it is evolving and integrating faster and
faster and no single entity can deal with them alone.
All the stakeholders of the ICT ecosystem need, more than ever, to
establish an inclusive, multi-stakeholder and collaborative dialogue in
order to tap into the full potential of ICTs for socio-economic
development.
Regional Development Forums are a perfect platform for such dialogue.
They are part of our efforts to strengthen the ITU regional presence and
regional accountability.
They are an excellent opportunity to share our views and to engage in
interactive discussions on regional priorities.
During this Forum the Regional Office for the Americas will present to you
the outlines of projects derived from the Regional Initiatives.
I encourage you to provide your feedback in order to align these projects
with your priorities and aspirations.
To conclude, I do welcome you once again to this Forum and wish you very
fruitful deliberations.
I thank you.
