There is no disputing that information and communication technologies (ICT) will fuel the global economy of the next few decades. But what role will ICTs play in helping the United Nations achieve its new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which follow and expand on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change by 2030?
ITU, as the UN’s specialized agency for ICTs, is forging a path forward on this critical issue. And ITU leadership was on display at the 2015 World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Symposium (WTIS‑15), held in Hiroshima, Japan.
“SDGs are about problems. ICTs are about solutions. None of the SDGs can be achieved without ICTs,” said Brahima Sanou, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau. “ICTs are about people. Our mission is to bring the power of ICTs to ordinary people wherever they live. It is a very noble mission. Let us not miss the opportunity.”
Distinguished government officials as well as leaders from the private sector, international organizations, and academia did not miss the opportunity in Hiroshima. They jumped straight into key ICT development issues in panel discussions, bilateral meetings, and ad hoc hallway discussions. They networked to share challenges, successes, failures — and how to take best practices back home to improve their day-to-day work so that the value of the Symposium could live on throughout the year.
Indeed, Japanese Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, Sanae Takaichi, stated that the discussions held at the Symposium would be reflected in the ICT Ministers’ Meeting at the G7 Summitin Takamatsu, Japan, 29-30 April 2016.
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