Special Initiatives

Private Sector

Partnership roundtables and colloquia to strengthen cooperation with the private sector have proved successful in mobilizing resources and facilitating partnerships for various initiatives, such as special actions for LDCs and human resources development. Building on this success, the Istanbul Action Plan has included special action to encourage more private sector entities to become ITU–D Members and to partner with telecommunication entities in developing countries — especially with those in LDCs — based on the principles of transparency and non-exclusivity to partnership opportunities and projects.

The Working Group of the Telecommunication Development Advisory Group dealing with private sector issues (which operated as a subgroup prior to WTDC–02) is to recommend ways of incorporating into the ITU–D strategy, programme design and project delivery private sector issues relevant to the membership. It can also propose changes to ITU–D processes, practices and projects to facilitate and encourage private sector support, cooperation and participation.

Gender

Norway’s pledge to fund the establishment of a gender unit in ITU–D has made it possible to include gender-based initiatives in each of the programmes of the Istanbul Action Plan. One of the conclusions of WTDC–02 is to request the upcoming Plenipotentiary Conference in Marrakesh to consider the establishment of an ITU Gender Unit with full-time professional gender expertise, so that gender mainstreaming for ITU as a whole is continued and sustained. ITU Member States are urged to submit proposals to the Marrakesh Conference to this end.

Youth

The Conference noted the extraordinary success of the Youth Forum launched at ITU AFRICA TELECOM 2001. It went on to consider the concerns expressed by the youth in the ITU AFRICA TELECOM 2001 Youth Forum Declaration on education, technology, promoting peace and development, investment, policy and regulation on developing a regional network. One of the needs expressed by the African youth was that ITU should continue to involve them in its major events. Recognizing the enthusiasm and the ideals that youth can bring to the telecommunication sector and their desire to create and work for a fair and better world, the Conference instructed BDT to seek appropriate means to integrate youth issues into its activities, including through programmes with emphasis on capacity building. Furthermore, ITU–D as a whole is to continue lending support to subsequent Youth Forums in order to promote the interests and capabilities of youth in ICTs as a means of linking ITU’s development efforts with the leaders of tomorrow.

Indigenous People

Considering that the cultural development of a country needs to recognize both majority and minority cultures within the population and that access to telecommunication systems by indigenous peoples has a particular set of issues associated with it, the Conference decided to include in the Istanbul Action Plan a special initiative aimed at creating among indigenous people awareness of the benefits of telecommunications. Particular attention will be paid to identifying the barriers to access to telecommunication systems and recommending ways to overcome them.