Archived Newsroom • Media Advisory |
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UN statistics symposium to debate role of technology in sustainable global
development framework
Experts from industry, government and civil society to gather in Mexico City
for high-level discussion of post-2015 growth models
Geneva, 27 November, 2013 – ITU, the UN specialized agency
for information and communication technology (ICT), will convene its annual ICT
statistics conference in Mexico City from 4-6 December, welcoming around 300
leading global development and statistics experts to discuss new strategies to
leverage the catalytic power of technology to drive global socio-economic
advancement based on sound metrics.
The
World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Symposium (WTIS)
will be co-hosted by ITU and the Federal
Telecommunications Institute (IFT), Mexico’s telecommunications and broadcasting
regulator.
As the principal agency for collecting and disseminating a wide range of key
ICT statistics, ITU is widely recognized as the world’s most reliable and
impartial source of global data on the state of ICT infrastructure and
uptake worldwide. ITU figures are used extensively by UN organizations, leading
intergovernmental agencies, financial institutions like the World Bank, IMF, and
regional development banks, as well as private sector companies and ICT industry
analysts.
With ICT networks now an indispensable platform for service delivery across
every industry sector, accurate data on ICT penetration, pricing and access are
increasingly of interest not just to development agencies and consumers, but to
governments and the broader business community. ITU publishes the world’s most
comprehensive global ICT database, as well as an annual flagship report,
Measuring the Information Society (MIS).
This year’s WTIS will open with three High-Level Debates around key
priorities for the post-MDG global development agenda and the role of ICTs.
Confirmed speakers range from Mexico’s Secretary for Communications and
Transport, Gerardo Ruiz Esparza, and UN agency leaders like ITU
Secretary-General
Dr Hamadoun I. Touré, to experts from academia such as
Professor Jeffrey
Sachs (Earth Institute, Columbia University & Millennium Villages
project), figures from the telecoms sector including
Carlos Slim Helú
(Fundación Carlos Slim) and IFT President Gabriel Contreras Saldívar, respected
global analysts such as
Dr Sam Pitroda, the Director of ITU’s Telecommunication
Development Bureau,
Brahima Sanou, and many others. The full speaker programme
is available at www.itu.int/wtis/newsroom.
Journalists are encouraged to register now to attend Day One of this
important international event. Registration closes on Monday 2 December 18:00
CST.
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What:
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ITU World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Symposium
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When:
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4-6 December 2013.
Open to media on 4 December only.
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Where:
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Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Plaza Juárez #20, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City
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Why:
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Hear
and interview top speakers from Mexico’s
government and private sector,
as well as
the global ICT community
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Who:
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Experts from the global statistical community,
ICT analysts and ICT regulatory agencies,
government leaders and policymakers, C-level
executives from the private sector, and senior
figures from UN agencies.
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Media Information
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Registration is essential
Please contact:
angelina.mejia@ift.org.mx.
ITU statistics are available at
www.itu.int/ITU-D/statistics
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An Executive Summary of the MIS 2013 report, along with infographics and
a PowerPoint overview, are available at:
www.itu.int/go/mis2013
Follow the event on Twitter at: #ITUdata.
For more information, please visit the
event website
or
contact:
Media registration enquiries:
About ITU...