Breaking Live – Working hard to Build the Bahamas…
Busan, Korea – A delegation from the Bahamas headed by the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Sen. Allyson Maynard-Gibson is currently attending the Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Busan, Republic of Korea, which is scheduled to run from 20th October to 7th November.
The ITU is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies – ICTs and the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference is the key event at which ITU Member States (193 countries, including the Bahamas) decide on the future role of the organization, thereby determining the organization’s ability to influence and affect the development of information and communication technologies (ICTs) worldwide.
The Plenipotentiary Conference is the top policy-making body of the ITU. Held every four years, the Conference sets the Union’s general policies; adopts four-year strategic and financial plans; and elects the senior management team of the organization, the members of Council, and the members of the Radio Regulations Board.
A highlight of The Bahamas’ participation in the Conference was the Policy Statement address by the Head of Delegation to the Conference, Sen. Allyson Maynard-Gibson, outlining The Bahamas’ vision for ICT connectivity. (A video of the presentation can be obtained at http://www.itu.int/en/plenipotentiary/2014/statements/Pages/countries.aspx and the full text of the Policy Statement can be obtained athttp://www.itu.int/en/plenipotentiary/2014/statements/file/Pages/bahamas.aspx)
The Bahamas delegation is playing an active part in the deliberations and decisions at the Conference, particularly on key issues of importance to The Bahamas which include issues relating to developing enhanced ICTs access and capacity in developing states with vulnerable economies, fragile environments, and limited resource bases.
The Bahamas delegation is also working to encourage and support the inclusion of more ITU initiatives related to Consumer Protection and monitoring matters pertaining to the ITU’s work in relation to the Internet and International connectivity.
While at the Conference the delegation met with key officers of the ITU for discussions regarding the role the ITU can play in the development of ICT in The Bahamas, including meeting the outgoing Secretary General, Dr. Hamadoun Toure, the current Deputy Secretary General and new Secretary General elect, Mr. Houlin Zhao, the current Director of the ITU’s Telecommunications Standardisation Bureau and Deputy Secretary General elect, Mr. Malcolm Johnson, and the Director of ITU’s Telecommunications Development Bureau, Mr. Brahima Sanou.
The delegation also met with the delegations from various other regional and international delegations, including ongoing coordination with other delegations from the Caribbean region.
