PP-18 concludes in the UAEwith ITU Telecom strategyfor the next four years

Dubai:

Organised by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) and held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the first time, International Telecommunications Union’s (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-18) concluded, with a number of landmark decisions that contributed in drafting the future roadmap for global information and communications technology (ICT) sector.

Members, delegates and guest from over 180 countries convened at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) for a period of three weeks, wherein they discussed a total of 274 working papers, moved various resolutions, decided on proposal and elected the management of the ITU, with an overarching aim of making efforts to bridge the global digital divide.

As the 20^th edition of the conference officially concluded, the member states reaffirmed their commitment to the collective vision of a connected world, where information and communication technology (ICT) is a source of good and upliftment for everyone, everywhere and the mandate of ITU to realize this vision.

The conference has come out with a number of important resolutions,of which are: 

Big strides towards gender parity

PP-18 saw a number of breakthrough records towards gender parity including the election of the first woman to one of the five top management positions in the 153-year history of the organisation. Also, nearly 30 percent of the PP-18 participants were women, up from 20 percent at PP-14.

In addition to aforementioned, for the first time in the history of ITU’s Plenipotentiary Conferences, ITU Member States elected more women than men to Committee Chairs (four out of seven). They also elected three women to the Radio Regulations Board. It is notable that for the past four years, only two women served on the board, which approves the Rules of Procedure in the application of the Radio Regulations, the international treaty on the allocation and use of radio frequencies and the use of satellite orbits.

Important PP-18 decisions 

Harnessing new technologies as a source of good 

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – ITU Member States approved the Union’s strategic and financial plan, which sets the targets for 2020-2023, asserting ITU’s role in facilitating progress towards the implementation of the SDGs through ICTs. These targets are divided into five strategic goals: growth; inclusiveness; sustainability; innovation; and partnership.

Innovation – ITU Member States also passed a new resolution to promote an enabling environment for telecommunication/ICT-centric innovation by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Over-the-top services (OTTs)

A new resolution recognized the positive roles of OTTs in fostering socio-economic benefits and stated that mutual cooperation between OTTs and telecommunication operators can foster innovative, sustainable, viable business models.

Internet of Things (Iot) – ITU Member States resolved to promote investment in the development of the IoT, smart sustainable cities and communities to support the SDGs.

For everyone, everywhere 

Future networks for developing countries – ITU Member States resolved to continue ITU’s work related to the deployment of future ICT networks in developing countries. Future networks such as 5G are set to play a pivotal role in the digital economy. They will support applications such as smart homes and buildings, smart cities, 3D video, work and play in the cloud, remote medical surgery, virtual and augmented reality, and massive machine-to-machine communications for industry automation and self-driving cars.

Bridging the ‘standardization gap’ – ITU Member States resolved to promote the increased participation of developing countries in ITU’s standardization process so they can develop their digital economy faster. International standards, developed rapidly in line with the principles of global connectivity, openness, affordability, reliability, interoperability and security, are critical for generating confidence for investments in ICTs.

Gender equality – ITU Member States resolved to strengthen efforts to make progress on gender equality within ITU and in the ICT sector, e.g. by reviewing their respective policies and practices to ensure that recruitment, employment, training and advancement of women and men in the ICT sector are undertaken on a fair and equitable basis.

Accessibility – ITU has been instructed to share best practices implemented in favour of accessibility to telecommunications/ICTs for people with disabilities and people with specific needs and to promote the collection and analysis of statistical data on disabilities and accessibility that Member States can consider when preparing and designing their own public policies to promote accessibility.

Safeguarding people against the risks from ICT misuse 

Child online protection ITU Member States resolved for ITU’s Child Online Protection (COP) Initiative to work with Member States and partners to disseminate methodological frameworks for data production and statistics with the purpose of maximizing data comparison among countries.

Cybersecurity – ITU Member States resolved to strengthen the role of ITU in building confidence and security in the use of ICTs, such as by promoting a culture in which security is seen as a continuous and iterative process and by supporting the standard-setting activities of ITU. The number, severity and diversity of cyber-threats and -attacks have increased. They can compromise the availability, integrity and confidentiality of critical information and infrastructure. They can impact countries’ economic and social development.

Commenting on the conclusion of the Conference, Head of the UAE delegation, and the Director General of the TRA, H.E. Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, said, “I seize the opportunity to thank again the ITU for their valuable trust in the UAE, exemplified by convening the Plenipotentiary Conference in Dubai. I would also like to thank all the delegations for their attendance and active participation in the conference meetings. I would like to thank the Arab Group for their active and effective coordination before and during the conference.”

H.E. added, “Today, we conclude the 20^th Plenipotentiary Conference with one agenda, entitled “humanity”. An agenda that focuses on The UN Development Goals, hoping that by 2030, the aspirations of humanity for peace, stability, development and security would have been realized.”

H.E. Al Mansoori also thanked the TRA for relentless efforts and said, “You (TRA) have represented the UAE in the best way possible. Each one of you has been a distinguished ambassador of the country, for this, I thank you with all my heart, and I wish you all success.”

H.E. Majed Sultan Al Mesmar, Deputy Director General for Telecommunication Sector in TRA and Chairman of PP18 said, “Today we conclude the 20th Plenipotentiary Conference of ITU’s history, but we begin a four-year journey to implement and give life to all the decisions that we made here in Dubai. On this journey, we are determined to continue our efforts to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and strengthen the role of ICT in the service of all humanity.”

Talking about his journey as the PP-18 and thanking the delegates for this honor, H.E. Al Mesmar said, “I will be forever in debt to my country for granting me the privilege to represent the UAE in this high-level position. I hope that I have succeeded in my mission to meet this great honor. I want to thank ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao. Mr. Secretary-General, thank you for the trust you placed in me - and for your leadership. We are all happy to see you at the helm of our Union for another four years.”​

It is notable that Eng. Tariq Al Awadhi, Executive Director for Spectrum Management at the TRA, chaired the Arab Group, one of the member groups out of a total of five that proposed their technological contributions and accessed the state of ICT in their countries.

H.E. Eng. Al Awadhi, said, “The important proposals that the UAE submitted on behalf of the Arab group, are related to artificial intelligence (AI) applications and issues pertaining to the new technologies like the OTT (over the top), smart cities and big data. We discussed topics including the international regulations of the telecommunications sector to create new and unified ones, internet governance, IP addresses and electronic security.”

He added, “Also, the communication sectors and strategic policies to help the underdeveloped and less developed nations to boost their communications environment were pondered over along with a detailed study of the by-laws of the ITU.”

The delegates and guests, at one of the most important telecom events of the world, lauded the exceptional advancements that the UAE has made in terms of ICT and praising the way the Conference is being held by the TRA.

Ambassador Robert Strayer, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Cyber and International Communications, United States, said, “The UAE and the TRA have been gracious hosts. They handled the Conference very efficiently. Everything from the construction design (of the venue) to the arrangements made, were exceptional. As far as UAE’s ICT progress is concerned, there has been tremendous amount of progress especially in broadband expansion in this country. Also, the launch of KhalifaSat satellite on the first day of the Conference was a momentous point. It takes a lot of coordination and infrastructure to have a satellite as an alternative in communication. It is huge accomplishment. Emiratis are working hard to keep expanding their connectivity and have more resilience in the mode of communications.”

He added, “The UAE has the knowledge and the know-how and there is a lot that other countries can learn from the UAE about how they have achieved - one of the aims of ITU is to share the best practices so that others can develop. So in terms of UAE there are lessons learnt about where the challenges were and how to achieve the success. Dubai, in particular, is a focal point for a lot of trade and commerce. The trade is built on the tradition of having a good data connection around the world and good communications network. Dubai is an example of how digital economy can make a difference.”

Talking about his experience, V. Raghunandan, the Head of Indian Delegation and the Deputy Director General (International Relations), Ministry of Communications, Department of Telecommunications, said, “We know that the UAE has organised several events of this stature – we recognise the ability of the UAE to host big and important events. This event, however, was undoubtedly one of the best events of ITU. Overall, it is apparent that the UAE has used ICT as a tool for development. I must mention that the network coverage (mobile and internet) here, is better than anywhere in the world.”

Raghunandan also mentioned that India is proposing to set up a South Asia office of ITU in India. “Now that ITU local area office is coming to India, we will have an innovation centre with it – first time in ITU history. There UAE’s initiatives will help. We are looking at a partnership with UAE in the innovation centre, as UAE is also one of the supporters of our resolution,” he added.

Also, Ajarin Pattanapanchai, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, Thailand, said, “I came to UAE 10 years ago – and now when I come, I see tremendous progress here. This was one of the biggest meetings of ITU and arranging for it, in this flawless manner, is not an easy task to do. From transportation to ICT network, its speed and reach – UAE has emerged as an example for all (countries). It adopts the latest of technologies and it is exemplary in all senses.”

Talking about the Sudan-UAE relationship, Mohammed Mohammed Khair Elhaj, Director of International Relations at Telecommunications and Post Regulatory Authority (TPRA), Sudan, said, “ITU’s Plenipotentiary Conference is the highest policy making body in the union - all financial and operational plans are approved here along with member states. UAE is capable of handling it and has done it very nicely.”

“Sudan and UAE share very good relationship when it comes to ICT. In the matter of regulations, UAE is a very advanced country and we (Sudan) have mutual agreements in place. Overall, telecom in the UAE is very advanced and it is appreciable that the telecom operators work in harmony with the government and the UAE works with other regional countries like Sudan for collaborative efforts towards ICT progress,” he added.

The 20^th Plenipotentiary Conference, held in Dubai from 29^th October to 16^th November 2018, closed with the signing of the Final Acts. The Conference attracted more than 2300 participants from 180 countries this year, up from 171 countries in 2014.

-Ends-

© Press Release 2018