ITU chief calls for equitable information sharing

By Alexander Villafania INQ7.net

THE HEAD of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is urging both its members and world leaders to implement strategies and policies that will help least developed countries strengthen their communications infrastructure.

In celebration of the World Telecommunications Day, ITU Secretary General Yoshio Utsumi also urged participants to the previous World Summit for the Information Society (WSIS) to reaffirm their commitment by joining in the second WSIS meeting in Tunis, Tunisia in November this year.

The World Telecommunication Day marked the 140th anniversary of ITU with the theme: " Creating an Equitable Information Society: Time for Action"

Utsumi stressed that the true test of an equitable information society is based on how today's latest communications tools can connect different cultures across geographic, economic and language divides.

"Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have the unique potential to bring enormous progress to the entire world in the next decade. To realize this potential, the international community requires strong leadership capable of implementing appropriate international policy and strategy and of providing smooth, effective and transparent global coordination," Utsumi said.

World Telecommunications Day 2005 also celebrated several milestones, among them an increase in global population coverage of landline (40 percent) and mobile phone subscriptions (20 percent) and an estimated 700 million Internet users worldwide, or 11 percent of the global population.

"These positive developments underline the value of telecommunications services for people in all societies and all cultures, worldwide. However, such statistics hide the fact that an enormous amount still needs to be done to improve access for the majority of the world’s population living in rural or remote areas," Utsumi said.

The ITU president said the forthcoming WSIS 2005 will try to address clear targets for connecting remote towns and community services such as libraries, hospitals, and schools through a 10-point Plan of Action endorsed by members of the first WSIS meeting in 2003.