Participants at the Regional Preparatory Meeting (RPM) for
the Americas ended Friday in Asunción, Paraguay, with the meeting assessing the
ongoing implementation of the Dubai Action Plan adopted at ITU's last World
Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-14) and identified priority
areas for information and communication technology (ICT) development strategies
in the Americas, reports ITRealms.
Minister of Finance of the Republic of Paraguay, Mr Santiago
Peña, stressed the importance of technology to connect everyone in the country,
declaring "Information and communication technologies are key elements of
the National Development Plan 2013 to achieve inclusive growth."
For the Secretary-General of the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) Mr. Houlin Zhao said that 2017 is a very
important year for the ITU's Telecommunication Development Sector.
"The World Telecommunication Development Conference, to
be held later this year, will forge a global plan for telecommunication and ICT
development over the next four years. I am pleased to see that significant
efforts have been made to engage Members in the preparation of key documents of
the Conference," he said.
Also speaking, Ing. Teresita Palacios, President of the
National Telecommunication Commission (CONATEL), said that participants at the
just concluded regional preparatory meeting were renowned experts, pointing out
that the real protagonists of this meeting are the people - the people of the
Americas.
“We are all working towards achieving the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) through information and communication technologies,"
CONATEL boss said.
Five draft regional initiatives for the Americas region for
the years 2018-2021 were identified at the RPM for discussion and consideration
at the upcoming WTDC-17:
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Communications; Spectrum
Management and Transition to Digital Broadcasting; Deployment of Broadband
Infrastructure, especially in Rural and Neglected Areas, and Strengthening of
Broadband Access to Services and Applications; Accessibility and Affordability
for an Inclusive and Sustainable Americas Region; Development of the Digital Economy,
Smart Cities and Communities (SCC) & Internet of Things (IoT), promoting
innovation.
Equally speaking, Director of ITU's Telecommunication Development
Bureau, Brahima Sanou, said, every day ITU reaffirms the tremendous potential
of ICTs to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs.
"As we embrace a new ecosystem, our actions must go
beyond the ICT sector. The ITU's Development Sector will continue to be an
active player and facilitator of innovations for sustainable development,"
he said.
ITRealms recalls that the RPM for the Americas was preceded by
the Regional Development Forum (RDF).
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