Archived Newsroom • Press Release |
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Harnessing ICTs to save lives: emergency
telecommunications in disaster management
ITU’s Second Global Forum on Emergency Telecommunications opens in Kuwait
City
Kuwait City, 26 January 2016 – The
Second Global Forum on Emergency Telecommunications: Saving Lives opened
today in Kuwait City, welcoming leaders from
government, business, academia, non-governmental organizations and the United
Nations family.
The Forum provides an opportunity for policy makers and other participants to
debate and adopt concrete strategies on how information and communication
technologies can help implement the
Sendai Declaration and Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030,
achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and mitigate the effects of
climate change in line with the
Paris
Agreement, adopted by the climate change conference in December 2015.
“This Forum is all about bringing thought-leaders under one roof to find a
way of mobilizing new technologies to not only save lives, but improve people’s
lives,” said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao. “ITU’s vision to provide
disaster-affected communities, first responders, governments, and entities
involved in disaster management with appropriate, timely and reliable
telecommunications resources will continue to grow.”
Organized by ITU, the UN specialized agency for telecommunications and ICTs,
the event is hosted by the Government of Kuwait and brings together delegates
from all over the world, ranging from government ministers and ICT regulators to
national disaster management stakeholders, researchers, private sector
companies, the UN and NGOs.
“The State of Kuwait is very proud to host this important event,” said Sheikh
Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and
Acting Minister of Electricity and Water of Kuwait. “The United Nations
Humanitarian Leadership Award was presented to the Amir of Kuwait in 2014 in
recognition of the role of Kuwait in humanitarian actions, and I am very pleased
that GET-2016 takes place during the 10th anniversary of our Amir’s coronation.”
GET-2016 will feature a wide range of discussions focusing on trends and
emerging technological innovations, financing mechanisms, case studies,
challenges in deploying telecommunications/ICT for disaster response, climate
change issues and the role of the private sector and other non-state
stakeholders.
“This three-day event provides a unique opportunity to explore the role of
telecommunications/ICT in mitigating and responding to disasters,” said Brahima
Sanou, Director of the ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau. “During this
Forum, we want to launch concrete programmes that will change the way
telecommunications/ICT resources are deployed and used for disaster management,
especially during the response phase.”
This morning’s opening ceremony was followed by a Ministerial Roundtable on
better preparedness and effective response for sustainable development, and a
Leaders’ Dialogue on the topic of technology, regulatory and operational issues.
A series of exhibits featuring solutions and the effective use of ICT in
emergencies was unveiled during a special ceremony.
The official opening was preceded, on 25 January, by two pre-events focusing
on the
Tampere Convention
and the role of ICTs in Disaster Risk Reduction respectively.
Watch live and archived webcasts of key sessions
here.
Follow the event on Twitter at: #ITUGET2016
Visit the GET-2016 Newsroom
here.
For more information, please contact:
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Onsite in Kuwait: |
At ITU Geneva headquarters: |
Monica Albertini
Communication Officer, BDT
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Sarah Parkes
Chief, Media Relations and Public Information, ITU
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