Regional Preparatory Meeting for CIS
Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic
9-11 November 2016
Mr Brahima Sanou,
Director of the ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau
Opening speech
Mr Sharshembiev, Chairman of the State Committee of Information Technologies and Communications,
Mr Mukhitdinov, Director General of the RCC Executive Committee,
Representatives of ITU Sector Members
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen
It is a great pleasure to be here in Bishkek, to the first Regional Preparatory Meeting for the next World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-17), which will take place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 9 to 20 October 2017 under the theme of ICT④SDGs.
I am grateful to the Kyrgyz Republic for its kind and generous hospitality. Kyrgyzstan has a rich history as a transit point on the Silk Road.
It is therefore fitting that the Kyrgyz Republic is the host of the first of a series of six regional preparatory meetings that will take us across the world to help identify priorities in each region.
I look forward to the next WTDC, when we will review our results and accomplishments and define our way forward with new and innovative ways to meet our objectives and accelerate the attainment of the SDGs.
The format of the preparation of WTDC-17 is based on enhanced membership engagement. Significant efforts are under way to engage our Members at early stage in the preparation the key output documents of WTDC-17.
Preliminary drafts of the ITU-D Contribution to the ITU Strategic Plan for 2020-2023, the ITU-D Action Plan and the WTDC-17 Declaration have already been prepared and discussed at the Telecommunication Development Advisory Group (TDAG) and its Correspondence Group meetings in April 2015 and March 2016. These preliminary draft documents were then open for consultation and comments by ITU members until the end of June of this year.
All three preliminary drafts are submitted to you at this RPM and will be submitted to the next RPMs for further input.
A general review of the Resolutions of previous conferences is being conducted by the Correspondence Group on Streamlining Resolutions, created at TDAG-16. The relevant report, which provides information on the work of the Correspondence Group and the way forward, will be reviewed and discussed at this RPM.
The Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, have presented us with a tremendous opportunity to reaffirm that ICTs are at the core of the engine that fuels every area of our life. They are at the very foundation of development and they are key to the achievements envisioned in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Let me recognize the presence in this room of Prof. Vladimir Minkin, Chairman of Telecommunication Development Advisory Group and Mrs. Roxanne Webber McAlvane, Chair, ITU-D Study Group 1.
Dear representatives of the membership
Although the United Nations General Assembly adopted the 17 SDGs and the related 169 targets after the adoption of the Dubai Action Plan, the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) started mainstreaming them into its work from the last quarter of 2015. The mapping on how our work contributes to the achievement of the SDGs in contained in Annex 3 of the Report on the Implementation of the Dubai Action Plan.
My priority is the implementation of the Dubai Action Plan, with an emphasis on the Regional Initiatives. The Report submitted to you in document 2 provides an overview of the main outcomes of the BDT activities during the years 2015-2017 and highlights the link between results achieved, in line with Result Based Management principles.
The report also details the implementation of the Regional Initiatives. For the CIS region, we will hear, during these three days, the positive impact that the Initiatives have had on people's lives.
The Regional Initiatives in the CIS region tell a great success story. The activities in support of online child protection and persons with disabilities; the work done on capacity building, broadband access and building confidence and security in the use of ICTs have improved the lives of many people.
I am glad to report that only two years have passed since WTDC-14 and the CIS region has already implemented the majority of its Regional Initiatives. In this regard, I would like to thank all the Administrations of the region for their commitment and dedication which led to this success. I would also like to thank the Area Office in Moscow for the great work done under the very abled direction and commitment of Mr. Orozobek Kaiykov. Dear Oroz, I am very proud of you.
I am also pleased to inform you that in 2015 the regional initiative on renewable energy, adopted at WTDC-10, was implemented. A system was set-up to supply electric power to rural telecommunication network facilities in the Republic of Uzbekistan using renewable energy sources. Congratulations!
Ladies and gentlemen
The Regional Development Forum for the CIS region, which was held yesterday, was an opportunity to hear from various stakeholders about the ICT sector in the region. The Forum was a great success and I would like to thank everyone for their active participation and invaluable contributions. The Summary of the Discussions is brought to your attention in Information document
During this RPM let us embrace the opportunity to formulate our contribution in support of the WTDC – and beyond - inspired by the world we want to see tomorrow.
I thank you.
