International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in collaboration with the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross Organization (ARCO) organized the Regional Multi-stakeholder Workshop on the Role of Telecommunications/ICTs for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management for Arab Region, which took place in Riyadh-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from 26 to 28 November 2019. The workshop will be kindly hosted by the Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross Organization (ARCO).
The multi-stakeholder workshop aimed at paving the way for enhancing the use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) for disaster management in the region and address key questions related to the best use of ICTs for disaster risk reduction. It will also serve as a platform to exchange new experiences and best practices in the use of modern technologies for monitoring and early warning.
The purpose of the workshop was to:
1. Stimulate awareness in paving the way for enhancing the use of ICTs for disaster management in the region.
2. Address key questions related to the best use of ICTs for disaster risk reduction and management.
3. Serve as a platform to exchange new experiences and best practices in the use of modern technologies for monitoring and early warning.
4. Provide an opportunity for policy makers and other participants to debate and adopt concrete policies, strategies and plans on how ICTs support disaster risk reduction and management activities, contributing this way to the implementation of the Sendai Framework and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
5. Present ITU Emergency Telecommunications initiative/s and projects in the region.
The workshop targeted policy makers from Ministries of ICTs, disaster management organizations, the telecommunication regulatory authorities, red crescent and red cross organizations, private sector entities, United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations and other participants from humanitarian organizations, as well as academic institutions and media.
