Etisalat and ITU host eGovernment and IP Symposium for Arab Region

Event held from 22nd-25th November at Etisalat Academy

Dubai, November 22, 2004: Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat), through its e-powerhouse eCompany, today teamed up with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to launch a high-powered regional symposium on eGovernment and Internet Protocol (IP) in Dubai.

Officials from Middle Eastern governments and multinational companies have come together for a four-day meeting from November 22 to 25 at the Etisalat Academy to discuss practical issues aimed at fostering the development of eGovernment in the region. The papers presented at this symposium will represent views and experiences from countries across the Arab region.

Mr. Mohammed Hassan Omran, Etisalat's President and CEO, in the keynote opening speech, welcomed the meeting as a pivotal moment for the region as it locks into the most advanced systems of eGovernment in the world. With the UAE an acknowledged leader in the sector, Mr. Omran said: "We welcome the opportunity to host this prestigious event in close collaboration with ITU.

There is much in our respective experiences we could benefit from sharing, e.g. best practices. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are transforming the global economy and society and we at Etisalat have been at the forefront in addressing the digital divide and its implications for the UAE."

Mr. Miloud Ameziane, Acting Head of the ITU Arab Region Office in Cairo, said: "ITU is committed to working with countries in the Arab region to realize our vision of a more inclusive information society. I am confident that this symposium will help us develop meaningful projects and timelines which will promote access to information, knowledge and communication technologies. We will adopt the Dubai Declaration at the end of this symposium."

Speaking on the occasion, Ahmad Abdulkarim Julfar, GM eCompany said, "We are committed toward providing citizens in the UAE a convenient access to transact with the government. eCompany has developed valuable intellectual capability based on its experience of working on eGovernment projects in the UAE and we would be happy to share and learn from experiences with our fellow participants from the region. From an IP perspective, the growing prevalence of Arabic character domain names stands to boost Internet adoption across the Arab region and we look forward to a meaningful discussion on this issue at the symposium."

-Ends-

Notes for editors
About ITU:
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), with more than 137 years of history, was founded in 1865. ITU is a global organization of 189 state-members and more than 650 sector-members. ITU is a partnership between governments and the private sector. It is responsible for regulation, standardization, coordination, spectrum management and development of international telecommunications as well as the harmonization of national policies.

The three Sectors of the Union - Radiocommunication (ITU-R), Telecommunication Standardization (ITU-T), and Telecommunication Development (ITU-D) - work today to build and shape tomorrow's networks and services. Their activities cover all aspects of telecommunication, from setting standards that facilitate seamless interworking of equipment and systems on a global basis to adopting operational procedures for the vast and growing array of wireless services and designing programmes to improve telecommunication infrastructure in the developing world.

ITU also organizes worldwide and regional exhibitions and forums bringing together the most influential representatives of government and the telecommunications industry to exchange ideas, knowledge and technology for the benefit of the global community, and in particular the developing world.

Press release issued by Public Relations Department - Etisalat

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