ITU global conference on telecom development starts in Africa

President of Rwanda Paul Kagame has inaugurated the global World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) at Kigali, a beautiful hilltop city located in the middle of Africa.

The WTDC is organized by the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) of the Geneva based UN specialized agency for Telecommunications, the ITU and is held every four years to consider development aspects relating to the telecommunication and ICT, in particular how to connect the remaining 2.9 billion unconnected persons on the earth. This year’s ITU WTDC is being hosted by the Government of Rwanda.

WTDC-22 is expected to set the strategies, objectives, and initiatives to support the development of telecom and provides future direction and guidance to the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D). WTDC’s main mandate is to support countries in connecting the unconnected. Promoting enabling regulations and policies is an important milestone of the WTDC, steering the world towards the goal of achieving universal connectivity.

WTDC builds and strengthens partnerships and sets the agenda and the guidelines for discussions that will happen in the following four-year cycle on the ITU Development Sector.

ITU-APT Foundation of India (IAFI) President Bharat Bhatia is in Rwanda to attend the conference as a part of the high-level Indian Government Delegation. Speaking after attending the WTDC opening ceremony, Bhatia said that this WTDC is unique in terms of special programs involving youth of the world in the WTDC activities. It is also heartening to note that a young ITU-APT Foundation student member from India, Ms. G Ihita of the IIIT Hyderabad, who is also attending the conference as a part of Generation Connect Global Youth Summit. As an active member of Generation Connect Youth, Ihita helped draft the youth declaration that was presented to President Kagame.

India will also host a reception this Tuesday to introduce Revathi as India’s Candidate for the global Radio Regulations Board (RRB) at ITU elections at the upcoming Plenipotentiary Conference PP-22 later this year, which is expected to elect candidates for secretary general, Deputy Secretary General, directors of the three ITU sectors as well as members of the RRB. India’s nominations to the RRB come after a gap of eight years.

CT Bureau