ITU Regional Meetings Lay Groundwork for WTDC in 2014

ITU Regional Meetings Lay Groundwork for WTDC in 2014

Broadcasting and telecommunication experts from across the Asia-Pacific met in Cambodia from 29 April to 2 May 2013 to prepare for next year’s World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-14).

More than 170 delegates from 31 countries attended the Asia-Pacific Regional Development Forum (RDF) and the Regional Preparatory Meeting (RPM) for next year’s WTDC-14.

The meetings in Phnom Penh were organised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as part of its preparations for WTDC-14 and were launched by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

At the opening session of RDF on 29 April, the Director of the ITU’s Development Bureau, Mr Brahima Sanou, outlined the ITU’s development efforts around the world and underlined the importance of equal broadband access to all. The Secretary General of the ITU, Dr Hamadoun Touré, also addressed the meeting.

The RDF, with the theme “Asia-Pacific: Smartly Digital”, provided a platform for delegates from the telecommunication and information technology sector and beyond to address the key challenges and opportunities for sustainable, inclusive, innovative and creative development in the Asia-Pacific region. Outcomes of the forum will serve as an input to the preparatory process of the overall review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+10).

Then the three-day RPM on WTDC-14 from 30 April to 2 May 2013 provided a forum to engage the ITU members in the WTDC process and to consider, at the regional level, appropriate development strategies and priority areas that need to be addressed to foster the development of telecommunication and information sectors.

The meeting was concluded at a set of proposals on the priority issues for the region that will serve as a basis for the formulation of contributions for WTDC-2014 in Egypt. The outcomes of the RPM-ASP will also provide a basis for the regional input to the overall review of the implementation of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+10).