UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited International Telecommunication Union (ITU) headquarters recently during his visit to Geneva in connection with the high-level ECOSOC meeting and the Global Compact Leaders Summit. He brought a clear message of support to ITU, which he termed "one of the most powerful organisations in the UN system". He also emphasised the need for connectivity, without which "the whole world would be in darkness" and we would continue to live in a medieval age without the means of communication. He said the work of ITU will act as a catalyst in reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) by 2015, and pointed to ITU's work in bridging the digital divide, enhancing cyber-security and strengthening emergency communications for disaster prevention and relief.
Dr Hamadoun Touré, secretary-general of ITU, welcomed Ban Ki-moon to ITU, hailing it as an historic visit - the first to ITU by a UN secretary-general. Appreciating the importance accorded by Ban Ki-moon to the role of information and communication technologies (ICT) in world development, Dr Touré said that the first priority for ITU is to close the digital divide by 2015, in line with the UN's Millennium Development Goals. "If ITU does not meet the MDG, then no one else will - because ICT is a tool for everyone," said Dr Touré. Applauding the UN secretary-general's support for ITU's mission, Dr Touré added, "Together we can help the world to communicate. If we do this, the world will be a better place."
Earlier, Dr Touré laid out the framework for bridging the digital divide and his vision for achieving cyber-peace. He called for all partners to engage in cyber-security and for a global approach to emergency communications to enhance disaster preparedness and relief.
Ban Ki-moon has also given his full support to the Connect Africa initiative, spearheaded by ITU and the Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID). The Connect Africa Summit will take place in Kigali, Rwanda, 29-30 October 2007 under the high patronage of president Paul Kagame of Rwanda and the chairman of the African Union, president John Kufour of Ghana. Ban Ki-moon said that the initiative would help overcome the serious problem of the digital divide, which "is hampering the smooth and balanced development of our international community".
Ban Ki-moon stressed the importance of the ongoing reform process within the UN system to make it a more efficient and effective organisation. "ITU is very well advanced in terms of reforms, but as a UN organisation we still need to overcome negative perceptions," said the UN Secretary-General. "We need to have a determined will to change positively."
The UN secretary-general praised ITU for joining hands with other agencies to make a better future. "I hope we will work together to make this world more prosperous, more secure, more harmonious, and more developed through ICT," he said.
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