Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is with utmost joy and pleasure that I address this
august Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs)
whose aim it is to exchange views on how each one of us is working towards the
closing of the gap between the haves and have-nots especially at the beginning
of a new millennium. From the outset, let me express International
Telecommunication Union Secretary-General, Mr. Yoshio UTSUMI’s profound regret
for not being able to attend this historic and momentous event.
Notwithstanding, the Secretary-General sends his warm greetings and wishes us
all great success.
Let me begin by looking back at where we are coming
from before sharing with you ITU’s vision for the future. During the first
United Nations Conference for LDCs, the state of telecommunications as well as
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) was desperately poor.
Following what was dubbed, a lost decade, the situation at the second LDC
Conference had barely changed. I take pride in announcing that this Third
United Nations Conference is being held against the backdrop of an upturn in
telecommunication development in LDCs. During the course of this Conference,
delegates will receive an International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
publication on the state of telecommunications in LDCs. During the course of this
Conference, delegates will received an International Telecommunication Union
(ITU) publication on the state of telecommunications and ICTs in LDCs. Statistics
will show that, more than ten of these countries are now performing even better
than some non-LDCs in the low-income bracket. I must however, express a word of
caution by stating that the situation in some 20 LDCs remains poor with
teledensity of below 0.5 Main Lines (ML) per 100 inhabitants. Among the latter,
10 have suffered, to varying degrees; the traumas of civil strive resulting in
untold destruction of the telecommunications infrastructure and disruption of
telecommunications infrastructure development.
Mr. Chairman,
There is no doubt that, the telecommunications and
associated ICTs will be the driving force of the new economy. ITU’s response to
this reality is that, all LDCs must embrace these technologies for their
developmental needs. I am sure that we all concur that the telecommunication
sector is highly susceptible to globalization and that this phenomenon will
become increasingly inevitable. It is for this reason that ITU has increasingly
become more or less a chameleon organization in terms of environmental
adaptation. As the environment changes, so does ITU in terms of strategy and
structure. I am proud to say, ITU is one of the few UN Agencies to have a full-
fledged LDC Unit looking after the interests of LDCs. The ultimate goal of my
organization is to achieve universal access to ICTs by all especially by those
in least developed countries. ITU has
among its key targets to meet fully the demand for telecommunication services
in urban areas. This means virtually eliminating the waiting list for services
by the year 2005, which translates into an average urban Main Line density of
10 per 100 inhabitants. We are also working towards the attainment of a rural
Main Line density of 2 ML per 10,000 inhabitants by the year 2005. Admittedly,
this density would not yet amount to easy access to telecommunication services,
as suggested in the widely quoted Report of the Independent Commission for
World Wide Telecommunications Development otherwise known as the Missing Link
Report. It would however, be a bold move in that direction.
Excellencies and Distinguished Guests,
To help LDCs to adjust to the environment brought by globalization, ITU is actively involved in the reform and restructuring of the telecommunications sector of these countries so as to bring about liberalization and competition. With reforms in place, assistance is given to governments for the establishment of a strong and independent regulatory body to sustain a level playing field. Empirical evidence shows that, there tends to be an increase in the flow of foreign direct investment into the telecommunications sector of those countries that embrace reform.
ITU realizes that, alone only a little can be
achieved, but together, a lot of mileage can be covered. There is need for
unwavering political commitment by Member States, total involvement of the
private sector and unity of purpose by the whole United Nations family to
catapult LDCs to new heights of competitiveness. These countries must be
integrated into the world economy if the world is to achieve the so much
desired synergy and competitiveness. In order to assist those LDCs that
have this far remained behind, ITU’s
Telecommunication Development Bureau has now devised a new strategy of
directing and concentrating assistance to a handful of LDCs each year in order
to achieve greater impact. Round Table
Partnership (donor) meetings are convened each year to consolidate the ITU
assistance.
The ICTs and globalization offer technological
leap-frogging opportunities to LDCs resulting in spillover benefits to the rest
of the sectors. Mobile services and the Internet are the major successes.
However, applications such as telemedicine, tele-education and
e-business are multiplying the benefits of ICTs,
taking them even to rural and remote areas. As a result, this encourages the
extension of other socio-economic infrastructures into rural areas where the
majority of the people are.
Excellencies, let me take this opportunity to strongly
encourage your nation states to give deserving priority to the expansion and
modernization of telecommunication and ICT networks and services so that you do
not miss out on the benefits, which these services bring to your people in the
new economy – the information economy. ITU is much encouraged by signs of an
upturn everywhere in the domain of telecommunications. LDCs cannot afford not
to be part of this global wave as the outcome would be nothing but more
marginalization and exclusion. Indeed, as articulated by John Donne: No man
is an island, entire of itself; everyman is a piece of the continent, a part of
the main.
I thank you.