ITU’s first ICT•LEARN 2010 global forum opens in Busan
Busan, Korea, 30 November 2010 — Leaders in human capacity building, technical training and cognitive learning strategies gathered in Busan today for the opening of ITU’s first-ever ICT•LEARN, a new biennial global forum designed to build the skills and talents needed to nurture and fuel tomorrow’s broadband-enabled global economy.
The event, which takes place from 30 November-2 December, welcomes educational experts from national administrations, regulatory authorities, telecom operators and service providers, as well as executive training providers and telecommunication academies.
It is hosted by the Korea Communications Commission (KCC), and supported by Busan Metropolitan City and Australia’s Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE).
With the theme ‘Building Capabilities for a Broadband Economy’, the Forum will look at how information and communication technologies (ICTs) are revolutionizing learning and development, and enabling organizations and societies to close the information and knowledge gap.
It will also focus on the capacity-building challenges and opportunities presented by an emerging broadband-led global economy, and how governments and organizations can best exploit these opportunities to gain competitive advantage.
In opening remarks to delegates delivered on his behalf by Dr Eun-Ju Kim, Regional Director, Asia Pacific Office, Mr Sami Al Basheer Al Morshid, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau, said: “Our aim is not only to build broadband networks. It is also to enable a highly interconnected world of creativity, ideas and knowledge that can spread to everyone. To that end, broadband is fundamental to the global development agenda.”
The availability of broadband infrastructure is increasingly recognized as a powerful tool for transforming service delivery and promoting business competitiveness. But fully exploiting the potential benefits will also necessitate the development of new expertise and skills at different levels within organizations and across societies.
Mr Ki-Kwon Kim, Director General, Korea Communications Commission (KCC), emphasized the vital role ICTs will play in tomorrow’s high-speed economy. “ICTs are not just about technology or industry. Rather, they are a driving force behind every aspect of national development, including the economy, society and culture,” he said. “This forum provides a good chance to talk about broadband – a major driving force behind sustainable economic development – as an efficient means to achieve ICT development in developing nations and to reduce the digital divide.”
Busan’s Ambassador and Vice Mayor for International Affairs, Mr Seong-Taek Baek, said the metropolis was delighted to welcome ICT•LEARN, which reinforces the city’s growing reputation as a hub for major international events. “Since 2007, Pusan National University, a prestigious local tertiary institution, has hosted one of the six nodes of ITU’s Asia-Pacific Centre of Excellence. Busan Metropolitan City is supporting this event as part of our ongoing contribution to ITU’s efforts to spur the development and spread of ICT skills to all regions,” he said.
For more information, visit the ICT•LEARN webpage at: http://academy.itu.int/events/item/334 or contact:
In Geneva: Sarah Parkes, Chief, Media Relations & Public Information, pressinfo@itu.int, tel: +41 22 730 6039
In Busan: Robert Shaw, Head of Human Capacity Building, ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau, pressinfo@itu.int, tel: +41 79 217 3520
About ITU
ITU is the leading United Nations agency for information and communication technology. For over 145 years, ITU has coordinated the shared global use of the radio spectrum, promoted international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, worked to improve communication infrastructure in the developing world, and established the worldwide standards that foster seamless interconnection of a vast range of communications systems. From broadband networks to new-generation wireless technologies, aeronautical and maritime navigation, radio astronomy, satellite-based meteorology and converging fixed-mobile phone, Internet and broadcasting technologies, ITU is committed to connecting the world.
