ITU supporting broadband development in the Americas
Meetings in Mexico City will bring together key actors to address the digital divide
Mexico City, 19 April 2012 – ITU’s Regional Development Forum for the Americas region is meeting in Mexico City this week to discuss the latest developments in broadband with CEOs and other board-level officials representing many of the world’s most dynamic ICT companies.
Government ministers and senior officials representing countries from across the Americas will address the implications of the latest developments in broadband infrastructure, policies and strategies in the Americas.
The Forum will also focus on the agenda for the Connect Americas Summit, which will be held in Panama City, 17-19 July, and which has the objective of mobilizing the human, financial and technical resources required to bridge information and communication technology (ICT) gaps in the region.
In a message to the Forum, ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré said, “The Americas exemplifies innovation and excellence, and this is what we are here to tap into so that everyone in this vast geographical area can benefit from the potential unleashed by ICTs.”
“We are in Mexico City to carefully examine national and regional policies to facilitate the roll out of broadband in order to connect people everywhere within the region,” said Brahima Sanou, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau. “The discussions here will pave the way for significant commitments in Panama City at the upcoming Connect Americas Summit in July.”
Representatives of ITU Sector Members, including leading ICT companies and international and regional organizations working in partnership with ITU, are meeting today to review how public-private partnerships could be better used to implement national ICT strategies.
Participants from both of these meetings will participate tomorrow in the first Preparatory Meeting for the Connect Americas Summit, an ambitious initiative aimed at connecting the unconnected across the region by the year 2015. The Summit seeks to mobilize the human, financial and technical resources required to close ICT gaps and promote region-wide digital inclusion. It will feature discussion panels and round table discussions focusing on the challenges posed to emerging and transition economies in harnessing the full potential of ICTs. Bold decisions and commitments are expected to meet these challenges.
The meetings in Mexico City are taking place at the Hotel Presidente Intercontinental, and are being organized by ITU in close collaboration with the Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes.
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.
