YOUTH
FORUM
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Briefing Session
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Roberto BLOIS
Deputy Secretary-General
International Telecommunication Union
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Johannesburg, South Africa - 11 November 2001 (10h00)
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Slide 1
Dear Friends,
I would like to take this opportunity first to congratulate the Youth
Fellows. You represent Africa’s future, Africa’s hope. I am very happy to
welcome you to the Youth Forum at ITU Telecom Africa 2001.
Slide 2
Also on behalf of the Secretary-General, Mr. Yoshio Utsumi, who cannot be
here with us this morning but who sends his congratulations and regards.
Slide 3
Before I say a few words on the Youth Forum itself, I would like to introduce
our organization, the International Telecommunication Union, or ITU. The ITU is
one of the specialized agencies of the United Nations.
Slide 4
As you know, the purposes of the United Nations are to maintain international
peace and security; to develop friendly relations among nations; to cooperate in
solving international economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems; to
cooperate in promoting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Slide 5
The International Telecommunication Union is the specialized organization
dealing with telecommunications. The ITU has a long history, which goes back to
1865. On 17 May 1865, after two and a half months of negotiation, the first
International Telegraph Convention was signed in Paris by the 20 founding
members, and the International Telegraph Union (ITU) was established to keep
this initial agreement up to date.
Technology did not stop there.
Slide 6
Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone in 1876. In 1885 already, the
International Telegraph Union began to draw up international legislation
governing telephony. In 1896 wireless telegraphy was invented and it became
quickly an important tool for safety at sea and commercial purposes. The first
International Radiotelegraph Conference was held in 1906 in Berlin and it signed
the first International Radiotelegraph Convention. The annex to this Convention
contained the first regulations governing wireless telegraphy. These
regulations, which have since been expanded and revised by numerous radio
conferences, are now known as the Radio Regulations.
Slide 7
At the 1932 Madrid Conference, the Union decided to combine the International
Telegraph Convention of 1865 and the International Radiotelegraph Convention of
1906 to form the International Telecommunication Convention. It was also decided
to change the name of the Union to International Telecommunication Union. The
new name, which came into effect on 1 January 1934, was chosen to properly
reflect the full scope of the Union's responsibilities, which by this time
covered all forms of wireline and wireless communication.
Slide 8
In 1947, after the Second World War, ITU held a conference in Atlantic City
with the aim of developing and modernizing the organization. Under an agreement
with the newly created United Nations, it became a UN specialized agency, and
the headquarters of the organization were transferred in 1948 from Bern to
Geneva.
Slide 9
The year 1957 was marked by the launch of the first artificial satellite,
Sputnik-1, and the beginning of the space age. In 1963, the first geostationary
communications satellite (Syncom-1) was put into orbit. This was actually an
idea of the writer Arthur C. Clarke who published a paper in 1945 (Wireless
World, October 1945, pages 305-308), (Slide 10) where he described
how such satellites could be used for the transmission of information. Also in
1963, the ITU held a Conference for space communications in Geneva to allocate
frequencies to the various space communication services.
Slide 11
In 1992, allocations were made for the first time to serve the needs of a new
kind of space service using non-geostationary satellites, known as Global Mobile
Personal Communications by Satellite (GMPCS). The same year, spectrum was
identified for IMT-2000, the next-generation global standard for digital mobile
telephony developed by the ITU, and more commonly known as 3G. IMT-2000 will be
progressively implemented early in this new millennium, and it will harmonize
the incompatible mobile systems currently in use around the world. At the same
time it will provide a technical foundation for new, high-speed wireless devices
capable of handling voice, data and connection to information services and
entertainment.
Slide 12
Since the early sixties, the ITU has been actively promoting the development
of telecommunications in developing countries, mainly through projects financed
by the United Nations Development Programme. In 1989, the ITU Plenipotentiary
Conference established the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) to step up
efforts being made to improve communications in the developing regions of the
world.
(And the Director of the BDT Mr. Hamadoun Touré is sitting here
next to me. He will tell you some more about ITU’s development activities.)
Slide 13
Today, some 136 years after the first international convention, the
fundamental objectives of the ITU are still basically the same. In one sentence,
they are to bring information and communication services within easy reach of
all human beings; we call it universal access. One of the ways to promote
universal access is through the broad sharing of information, knowledge and
ideas. Today the Secretary General will announce the publication of the African
Telecommunication Indicators 2001, an ITU publication containing all the latest
updates on telecommunications in Africa, and there is some very good news there.
Slide 14
Another way to share information is through the World Telecommunication
Policy Forum (WTPF), an ad hoc meeting where members engage in broad, informal
discussions on global telecommunication policies and strategies. The first WTPF
was held in 1996 on the theme of global mobile personal communications by
satellite, the second in 1998, on trade in telecommunication services and the
third in March 2001 on the theme of Internet Protocol (IP) Telephony.
Slide 15
The next major event we are working on now will be the World Summit on the
Information Society, which will be held in Geneva in 2003 and Tunis in 2005. The
aim of this World Summit is to develop a common worldwide vision and
understanding of the Information Society – and to draw up a plan of action for
concerted development towards realizing this vision. The Summit will also
provide a unique opportunity to bring together the world community and to
develop a better understanding of this revolution and its impact.
Slide 16
We started organizing international telecommunication exhibitions in 1971 in
Geneva. The first African exhibition was in 1990, and in a few hours time you
will participate in the Opening Ceremony where President Thabo Mbeki / Deputy
President Mr. Jacob Zuma of the Republic of South Africa and the
Secretary-General of the ITU will open the fourth such event in Africa, the
second in South Africa.
(Note: 1990 Harare, 1994 Cairo, 1998 Jo’burg, 2001 Jo’burg)
Slide 17
When Africa Telecom last took place, in May 1998, there were barely two
million mobile subscribers on the whole African continent. By the end of next
month there will be nearly thirty million – nearly one and a half times the
number of fixed-line subscribers. The recent history of the development of
mobile communications in Africa is a great success story. Other indicators, such
as the total number of fixed lines and the growth of telecoms revenue, also
demonstrate a healthy growth. But much remains to be done especially for the
rural areas. The missing link is still a reality today.
Slide 18
That is why we have created our own special initiative at Africa 2001, the
ITU Pavilion, in Hall 5, around the theme of connecting the rural areas. At its
heart you will find a fully functional community telecentre, in order to focus
on applications and technologies for rural areas. And companies which represent
related technologies are cooperating to give a full overview of
telecommunication technologies and applications for rural areas.
Slide 19
Naturally, many more very interesting technologies and applications are on
display, and I hope you will take the time to visit all of the stands that our
exhibitors have built here for our visitors.
Slide 20
The other special initiative of the ITU in collaboration with the African
Telecommunication Union and with the South African Department of Communications
is this Youth Forum to which you have been invited. We are all very happy that
this dream is coming true, thanks also to the generous contribution of some of
our sponsors.
(State of Geneva, Boeing, Siemens, Alcatel, WorldSpace, Intelsat, Cable and
Wireless)
Slide 21
The purpose of this Youth Forum is for you to gain access to the world of the
information and communication technologies. You have sent us your essay on
Information and Communication technology: development opportunities and the role
of youth. An impartial committee has selected the most interesting essays, from
one young man and one young woman of each African country, and your essays will
be published in print, on the Web and on CD-ROM.
Slide 22
You will have the opportunity to visit the exhibition and to attend other
Forum sessions, and there will be four sessions especially for you. Finally, as
a group you will be invited to present your own conclusions and your ideas for
the future, at the Closing Session of the Forum on Friday.
During this programme, you will have the opportunity to consider how new
technologies could be used, exploring various visions of the future. You will
gain a better understanding of policies and regulations in our own countries as
well as in Africa. You will learn more about the ITU and regional
telecommunication organisations. And you will have an opportunity to think about
job perspectives in this exciting industry.
Slide 23
Of course, there will be also some time for a few side activities, which we
hope will make your stay with us more pleasant and will leave you with a good
impression of South Africa.
Slide 24
I sincerely hope this Youth Forum which we organize now for the first time
will remind you forever of the importance of telecommunications for the
development of the peoples of the world. Thank you, and have a great time here.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Introducing Mr. Jan Mutai
I would like now to turn to the Secretary-General of the African
Telecommunication Union who has advised us and helped us organize this Youth
Forum. Mr. Mutai has been Managing Director of the Kenya Posts and
Telecommunications Corporation (KPTC) and was elected Secretary-General of the
African Telecommunication Union. He is in a unique position to tell us what
telecommunications mean on the African continent.
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