ISLAMABAD ( BMZ REPORT )
Presence of the Minister for IT Anusha Rehman who is in the Korean city of Busan to attend the global telecommunications top policy setting conference was widely acclaimed by the bevy of Ministers attending the moot. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference 2014 (PP-14) started in Busan, Republic of Korea on 20th October, 2014 and was inaugurated by Ms. Park Geun-hye President of the Republic of Korea. The Conference was attended by Ministers, dignitaries and members of telecom fraternity from across the world.
Pakistan delegation, headed by Ms. Anusha Rahman is also attending the conference. The Plenipotentiary Conference will set forth the strategic plan for policy making by the Union and will also elect the management of the Union for the next four years. The conference also discusses the matters pertaining to policy and development of ICT/Telecommunications on the global level. The Pakistani delegation also called upon Mr. Houlin Zhao, Deputy Secretary General, ITU in his office. During the meeting, the Minister briefed Deputy Secretary General about the recent developments and initiatives in telecommunications being taken in Pakistan. Minister also invited the Deputy Secretary General to visit Pakistan. The Deputy Secretary General appreciated the Minister for the steps and initiatives taken by the government for the promotion of telecommunications in Pakistan. Furthermore, Mr. Zhao accepted the invitation to visit Pakistan in the near future.
Apart from attending the Conference, on 20th October, 2014, Minister for IT held bilateral meetings with the Minister and Head of Delegations of various countries and organizations. These include meetings with Mr. Mohamed Jamil Ahmed Mulla, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ms. Zohra Derdouri, Minister of Post and Information and Communication Technologies, People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, Mr. Darcy Boyce, Minister – Responsible for Telecommunications, Barbados, Mr. Allan Ruiz, Vice Minister for Telecommunications, Costa Rica, Mr. Mohamed Al-Ghanim, Director General, Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, United Arab Emirates, Mr Daniel Sepulveda, Ambassador, Department of State, United States of America, Mr Thomas Wheeler, Chairman, Federal Communication Commission (FCC), U.S.A., and Ms. Malgorzata Olszewska, Secretary of State, Ministry of Administration And Digitization, Poland.
During the bilateral meetings, Minister for IT presented snapshot of the development of ICTs in Pakistan and expressed her intention for mutual cooperation between Pakistan and other countries in the field of ICTs. The Minister highlighted the vision of accelerated digitization, the GoP initiative for accelerated setup of technology parks, research and innovation centers, local manufacturing units. The Minister briefed about the possible areas of cooperation with other countries, and emphasized mutual cooperation between countries for the development of ICT for the betterment of mankind and for enhancing peace and prosperity among nations. In addition to the bilateral meetings, the Minister also held talks with Ministers and vice Ministers of countries on the sidelines of the conference. Her presence was widely acclaimed by the fellow ministers and telecoms sector delegates attending the conference and appreciated her plans that that are being rolled out to take socio economic benefits of increased broadband connectivity to the Pakistani masses also expected to be a precursor. The bilateral engagements are also expected to be precursor to growth of business and investment in the IT and Telecom sectors of the country. It is pertinent to mention that Minister for IT is also a finalist for the inaugural Gender Equality and Mainstreaming in Technology (GEM-Tech) Awards instituted by ITU from this year. The annual awards will be one of the premier awards dedicated to eminent women in the technology policy and practice arena. Her engagements will continue into coming days and are expected to yield significant results.