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ITU releases Global Development Initiatives reports
M-Powering Development, Smart Sustainable Development Initiatives to
harness ICT solutions for development and disaster management
Doha, 9 December 2014 – The Advisory Boards of the ITU
m-Powering Development and Smart Sustainable Development Model Initiatives
released their first reports in Doha, Qatar, at an extraordinary meeting of each
of the Boards, which met on the eve of ITU Telecom World 2014 in session 7-10
December.
“These reports are the culmination of months of hard work by the Advisory
Boards and I commend them for their efforts,” said ITU Secretary-General
Hamadoun I. Touré. “The analysis and recommendations contained in these reports
will further drive efforts to harness the power of ICTs not only to empower
users but also to promote sustainable development now and in the future.”
The Advisory Boards also adopted Action Plans to guide the implementation of
the initiatives. The Action Plans identify areas critical to advancing the
initiatives, including advocacy and global dialogue, innovation and resource
mobilization.
Mr Brahima Sanou, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau,
noted that the agreed Action Plans “will help target key influencers and actors
to move the Initiatives forward.” He thanked the members of the two Advisory
Boards for their hard work and commitment and added that the newly-released
reports will help “raise awareness about the technological opportunities ahead
and highlight the challenges that we need to address in the future.”
The m-Powering Development Initiative report finds that technological
innovations and initiatives that use mobile phones can potentially bring
exponential benefits to entire communities and make a valuable contribution to
the global development agenda. It calls for the development of an enabling
regulatory environment for m-Powering initiatives where no citizen is excluded
by affordability, accessibility or availability issues. The Report also affirms
that mobile initiatives need to be addressed in a holistic manner to avoid a
vertical silo approach.
The report by the Smart Sustainable Development Model Initiative focuses on
the link between ICT for Development (ICT4D) with ICT for Disaster Management
(ICT4DM) and their role in sustainable development processes. ICTs can have a
profound effect on individuals, communities, and nations as specific
technological solutions can be utilized in all the phases of disaster
management, including disaster preparedness, reduction, mitigation and
post-disaster rehabilitation. However, without a favourable regulatory framework
within which to operate, the benefits that ICT can provide are significantly
reduced. The report urges governments to make telecommunication infrastructures
more resilient to disasters, especially in developing countries where they are
more susceptible to breakdown.
The Reports will soon be available online on webpages of the Initiatives:
The
Smart Sustainable Development Model Initiative (SSDM) is an
international, multi-stakeholder platform that seeks to link ICT for development
with ICT for disaster management in order to achieve sustainable development.
The
M-Powering Development Initiative seeks to leverage the
ubiquity of mobile technology beyond basic communications. Its objective is to
capitalize on the availability of mobile networks to strengthen economies and
offer new opportunities to improve health, education, governance, banking, sport
and commerce.
The next meetings of the Advisory Boards will take place in the second
quarter of 2015.
For more information, please contact:
Sanjay Acharya
Chief, Media Relations and Public Information
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Monica Albertini
Communication Officer,
Telecommunication Development Bureau
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