The Regional Development Forum (RDF) for Europe was organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) with the support of the National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) of Romania. The Forum was held remotely on 26 May 2020 and was held back to back with the CEPT Committee for ITU Policies (Com-ITU) meeting, also taking place remotely from 27 to 29 May 2020.
Regional Development Forums provide an opportunity for high-level dialogue between the International Telecommunication Union and European decision-makers of ITU Member States and Sector Members as well as other stakeholders. They serve as a platform for assessing strategic orientations that may have an impact on BDT's regional work plan in between World Telecommunication Development Conferences (WTDCs) and provide additional guidance on actions of other sectors in Europe.
In this context, RDF-EUR reports on the implementation of the activities of the Buenos Aires Action Plan. Particular emphasis is given to the Regional Initiatives approved by WTDC-17, providing all stakeholders with an opportunity to discuss implementation plans, to announce commitments and to exchange experiences and best practices. RDF also addresses, from a regional perspective, the activities related to the Telecommunication Development Advisory Group (TDAG), ITU-D Study Groups, Membership, Partnerships, ITU Centres of Excellence, as well as regional contributions to the implementation of WSIS Action Lines and Sustainable Development Goals.
The RDF resulted in an updated implementation plan for the ITU Regional Initiatives for Europe. Thus, all stakeholders contributing to the implementation of the ITU Regional Initiatives for Europe or being interested in doing so in the future were kindly invited to provide their written input by 15 May 2020 to eurregion@itu.int using the RDF Contributions Template available at the RDF website. All submissions were presented during the meeting and will serve as a basis for discussions on implementation plan for the ITU Regional Initiatives for Europe.
RDFs are open to all stakeholders willing to strengthen cooperation and partnerships among telecommunication/ICT policy-makers, regulators, industry, academia, regional and international development agencies and organizations on specific regional telecommunication and ICT matters.
