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ITU Plenipotentiary Conference opens doors to leaders from
‘world’s most dynamic industry’
Korean President Geun-hye Park joins ITU Secretary-General
Dr Hamadoun I. Touré in welcoming 3,000 international delegates for
three weeks of intensive talks on future of global ICT sector
Busan, 20 October 2014 – ITU’s 19th ITU Plenipotentiary
Conference opened its doors to over 3,000 delegates and almost 600 local and
international media today in one of the world’s most wired cities, with Host
Country the Republic of Korea promising the most high-tech conference facilities
ever offered at a UN treaty-making event.
Hosted by Korea’s Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP), the
event takes place at Busan’s BEXCO exhibition and conference centre from 20
October - 7 November.
The Republic of Korea is widely recognized as the world’s most connected
country,
topping ITU’s ICT Development Index for the past four consecutive years.
ITU’s Plenipotentiary – so-called because of the full international
treaty-making power accorded the heads of participating government delegations –
is the world’s largest meeting of international policy makers from the
information and communication (ICT) sector.
Known informally as PP-14, this year’s conference welcomes participants from
some 175 ITU Member States, Sector Members and observer organizations, including
over 104 Ministers, 35 Deputy Ministers, and 67 ambassadors.
It is held every four years to set the strategic direction of ITU and to
develop policies and recommendations that address the evolving needs of the
Union’s members.
Issues on this year’s agenda include digital inclusion and broadband rollout,
broader international cooperation on ICT development, and new strategies to
encourage membership and strengthen multi-stakeholder participation. For the
first time, the conference will also try to reach international agreement on
establishment of new global ICT development goals and targets under a new
framework called ‘Connect 2020’.
Chairman-designate of the conference is MSIP Assistant Minister Wonki Min, a
distinguished ICT policy maker with more than 25 years’ experience crafting
Korea’s highly successful ICT development strategy. He will be formally
confirmed in his role at the opening plenary session this afternoon.
Speaking to delegates at this morning’s opening ceremony, ITU
Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun I. Touré noted that since he took office in
January 2007 the number of mobile cellular subscriptions worldwide has more than
doubled, from 2.7 billion to 6.9 billion. During the same period, the number of
Internet users has grown from 1.2 billion to an estimated 2.9 billion.
“This is not just a story of connectivity for connectivity’s sake – it is a
story of real human progress,” said Dr Touré, reminding delegates of the need to
take bold decisions that will help connect the billions who still remain
offline. “In ultra-connected environments like Busan it’s too easy to forget
that, for most of the world’s people, phones, smartphones and connected
computers are a lifeline, not a luxury. Connectivity brings healthcare,
education, employment, banking and improved governance, so over the course of
the next three weeks I hope you will take the time to dream, to imagine, to
innovate, and to create a bright, long-term future for the ICT sector.”
In her commemorative speech to delegates, President Park said:
“Telecommunications and ICT has been catalytic in the rapid development of the
Internet and mobile communications... We have reached an inflection point in the
hyper-connected digital revolution – a revolution defined by increased
connection, smarter connection, and faster connection.” President Park said she
welcomed the hosting of PP-14 because ITU is the “premier global policy-making
body for telecommunications and ICT”, a “pivot of international cooperation
which has made significant contributions to advance the economies and living
standards of its 193 Member States by developing technological standards in
telecommunications, and managing international radio-frequency spectrum and
satellite orbits”.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, himself a Korean national, joined the event
via video message, telling assembled delegates that “mobile phones have
connected people as never before. Broadband networks have made information
accessible, helping to bridge the digital divide, especially for women, youth
and people living with disabilities. ICTs are in short, among the keys to
achieving sustainable development. As we shape a new development agenda and
strive for a new agreement on climate change, let us continue to work together
to harness the power of technology to create and accessible and sustainable
future for all.”
Other high-ranking delegates present at this morning’s opening included
Korea’s Minister for Science, ICT and Future Planning, Yanghee Choi, and Mayor
of Busan Byung-soo Suh.
“We are about to enter an age of hyperconnectivity where cross-border
activities and connections become stronger than ever. In such a world, ICT
development is no longer an individual nation’s issue. And the fact remains that
there are still many who have little or no access to broadband or ICT… we look
forward to PP-14 not only discussing technological and industrial development,
but also collectively addressing the issue of expanding the infrastructure in
developing countries and creating the environment conducive to secure and sound
utilization of ICT,” said Mr Choi.
Mayor Suh reminded delegates that ITU “has a special bond with Busan”, having
chosen the city to host its ITU Telecom 2004 conference almost exactly a decade
ago. Yesterday, on the day before the opening of the conference, he presided
over
a symbolic tree-planting in Busan’s Bexco Park to
commemorate the historic event and symbolize the continued growth of Korea’s ICT
industry, and Busan’s position as an international hub. “Today, ICT has become
an intricate part of our lives…Everything, from industry to education, to homes
and much more, is converging with information and communications technology to
create new value. The world is changing into a society where people, things and
data can connect with one another anytime and anywhere. And yet we should remind
ourselves that there are still people not benefiting from such advanced
technologies. I believe that the ITU Plenipotentiary should provide a policy
vision to narrow the digital divide and help the underprivileged,” he said.
The high-level segment of the PP-14 opening ceremony concluded with a special
performance of traditional Korean dance by the National Dance Company of Korea.
Agenda & Elections
One of the principal tasks of PP-14 will be to determine ITU’s Strategic Plan
for 2016-2020 and the Financial Plan for the same period, which will provide the
resources needed to meet the goals and deliverables mandated by members.
Later in its first week, the conference will
elect the Union’s five top executives – the
Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General, and the Directors of the
Radiocommunication, Telecommunication Standardization and Telecommunication
Development Bureau – as well as other governing bodies of the Union, the ITU
Council and Radio Regulations Board.
Current Deputy-Secretary-General Houlin Zhao, a Chinese national and
respected telecoms engineer with over 30 years’ experience in the international
environment, will be confirmed as ITU’s next Secretary-General.
Five candidates are contesting the post of Deputy Secretary-General, and
three candidates are contesting the post of Director of ITU’s Telecommunication
Standardization Bureau. The current incumbent Directors of both the
Radiocommunication Bureau and the Telecommunication Development Bureau are
running unopposed for a second term of office.
There are 20 candidates for the 12 seats on the Radio Regulations Board, and
60 candidate countries for the 48 seats on ITU Council, the governing body which
oversees the running of the Union in between quadrennial Plenipotentiary
Conferences.
The
elections begin on the morning of 23 October.
For a
full
list of candidates and profiles, see
https://itunews.itu.int/en/5237-Electing-ITU-top-executives.note.aspx
Special Events
To complement the PP-14 discussions, host country the Republic of Korea is
also planning an extensive programme of tech-focused side events for delegates
and media, including a 5G forum, an exhibition of accessibility technology to
aid persons with disabilities, an e-health exhibition, an expo on cloud
computing and another on Big Data, and Korea’s annual Science & Creativity
Festival.
In addition, this year’s conference will also include a number of
ITU-organized side events and programmes, including the gender-focused GEM-TECH
Awards recognizing outstanding work in promoting gender equality using ICTs,
five topical
Connect 2020 side event sessions featuring debates between
experts from government and industry, the launch of ITU’s 150th anniversary
celebrations, and a
Young ICT Policy Leaders programme.
The ITU side event schedule kicks off with the
GEM-TECH Awards on 28 October at 9:30am KST, which will recognize
seven winning projects and role models from around the world, as well as
conferring five special Global Achiever Awards. A full list of finalists can be
found here.
The award ceremony will be followed by a lunchtime High-Level Dialogue from
13:00-14:00 KST around the topic of “Gender and ICTs: Why gender equality
matters and where do we stand today?”. Confirmed panellists include H.E. Omobola Johnson,
Minister of Communications, Nigeria; Engida Getachew, Deputy Director-General,
UNESCO; Ambassador Pamela Hamamoto, US Permanent Representative to UN in Geneva;
and leading international gender advocates from private industry and civil
society. The day-long gender theme will culminate in an invitation-only GEM-TECH
Gala Dinner at Busan’s prestigious APEC Nurimaru House.
Beginning the following day,
ITU’s Connect 2020 Roundtable programme comprises a series
of topical discussions with high-level panellists around the key themes of the
ITU Strategic Plan – growth, inclusion, sustainability, innovation and
monitoring:
- 29 October, 13:00-14:00 –
Which technologies will connect the next 1.5 billion users?
- 30 October, 13:00-14:00 –
Achieving full digital inclusion: feasible by 2020?
- 31 October, 13:00-14:00 –
Ensuring the long-term benefits of development: Managing growth in a sustainable
way
- 3 November, 13:00–14:00 –
Addressing the emerging innovation challenges in ICT-enabled markets
- 4 November, 13:00–14:00 –
Building a robust monitoring framework for the global ICT agenda
To celebrate 150 years since its founding in Paris in 1865, ITU will also use
PP-14 to officially launch its ‘ITU150’ campaign, with presentations on ITU’s
plans to celebrate its anniversary from January, along with a preview of the
programme of national celebrations planned by ITU’s global membership.
Finally, ITU’s Young ICT Policy Leaders (YIPL) programme – another innovation
for an ITU Plenipotentiary Conference – aims to develop the policy making skills
of tomorrow’s ICT professionals through a series of informal ‘Meet the Leader’
sessions with experienced PP delegates and private sector experts. Each national
delegation at PP-14 has been invited to nominate two young members of their
delegation (aged under 35) to participate in the programme, and the City of
Busan is also funding participation of 35 delegates from Least Developed
Countries, to ensure maximum global inclusion.
All side-event debates will be webcast – follow the discussions
remotely
here.
Follow @ITU and the hashtag #Plenipot14 for the latest updates. Go to
http://www.itu.int/pp14/social
social media channels.
Download images from the conference at
www.itu.int/pp14/photos.
View video material from the conference at
www.itu.int/pp14/videos.
Broadcast media can download HD video from the PP-14 virtual video
newsroom at:
http://www.itu.int/en/videos/Pages/default.aspx.
Follow the conference by webcast at
www.itu.int/pp14/webcast.
A wide range of background materials are available from the
PP-14 Newsroom.
Access the PP-14 Special Edition of ITU’s bimonthly magazine, ITU News,
here.
Information about ITU’s previous Plenipotentiary Conference, PP-10, can
be found on the
PP-10 Newsroom.
For more information, please contact the team onsite in Korea:
Media accreditation: |
Other media enquiries: |
Soraya ABINO QUINTANA
|
Sarah PARKES
Chief, Media Relations and Public Information, ITU
|
For Korean-speaking journalists:
Hayoung KIM
Korean Media Liaison, MSIP
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