Egypt, represented by the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA), will partake in the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-17), convened in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on October 9-20, organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), through its Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT). WTDC-17 was preceded by six regional preparatory meetings, two in the last quarter of 2016 and four in the first quarter of 2017, starting in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), then Africa, Arab States, Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe.
The theme of WTDC-17 is "ICT for Sustainable Development Goals" - ICT4SDGs. Expected outcomes of WTDC-17 include a Declaration reinforcing the political support for the mission and strategic objectives of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D); an ITU-D contribution to the ITU Strategic Plan for 2020-2023; and an ITU-D Action Plan comprising regional initiatives, new and revised resolutions and recommendations to support the fulfilment of the Sector’s objectives, and new and revised Questions to be studied by ITU-D study groups.
NTRA participated in WTDCs during their sessions of 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, and held key positions in the Sector. During WTDCs, the presidents and vice presidents of ITU-D Study Groups are elected, as well as the posts officials of the Telecommunication Development Advisory Group (TDAG).
NTRA also participated in all WTDC Arab preparatory meetings, as well as the African preparatory meeting, which provided an opportunity to achieve a great deal of regional coordination and avoid a wide divergence of views and directions before the Conference, preparing joint regional contributions, whether Arab or African, that reflect Egypt’s significant issues.
World telecommunication development conferences (WTDCs) are convened in the period between two Plenipotentiary Conferences to consider topics, projects and programs relevant to telecommunication development. WTDCs set the strategies and objectives for the development of telecommunication/ICT, providing future direction and guidance to the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D).
Egypt is one of the oldest members in the ITU and has 16 sector members from the private sector in the union. It is also a founding member of the “Partners to Connect the World” initiative and it chairs the ITU Council Working Group on International Telecommunications Regulations (ITRs). Egypt is an active participant in the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) activities and it has succeeded in establishing the first regional subgroup in SG2. This, in turn, further enhances the regional presence of ITU and increases its involvement with developing countries in Africa and the Arab World.
Based in Geneva, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the leading United Nations agency for information and communication technologies with 191 member-states and more than 700 sector members and associates. ITU role is to enable the global growth and sustained development of ICT. In addition, ITU organizes international telecom events like WSIS and Telecom Africa.
