Speech by Mr. Yoshio UTSUMI, Secretary-General, International Telecommunication Union

Excellencies,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure to be here this morning, to make these opening remarks at the African Regional Preparatory Conference for the World Summit on the Information Society.

Let me first extend my appreciation to the Government of Ghana, for hosting this critical preparatory conference. As always the beauty and the vibrance of the country and the warmth and hospitality of the people of Ghana, combine to create a most stimulating environment in which to conduct our work.

I wish to recognize the leading role played by the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the main organizers of this conference. The excellent turnout here today is a testimony to your collective efforts and hard work.

Only seven months ago, in Northern Africa, in Hammamet, the WSIS process made another stride towards building a development-oriented Information Society at the first preparatory committee meeting. Now, once again on African soil, we mark a significant milestone in the WSIS process, as this forum is crucial in preparing and positioning not only African nations but all member states for their effective participation in the second phase of the Summit.

In the aftermath of the tragedy brought about by the Tsunami disaster, every nation has spontaneously moved towards, what is in fact, the greatest demonstration of interdependence. This tragedy serves as a stirring reminder that the victims, who now suffer, are not just strangers of a foreign and far away world, they are our families and neighbours.

At the same time I personally regret why we were not able to save those victims by warning systems. The tsunami only attacked them hours after the earthquake.

We had plenty of time to warn them that the Tsunami was expected to come and we could have saved their lives if we had had an effective communication system and the will to utilise it.

Disaster prevention by monitoring systems is one of the items in the WSIS Plan of Action; we now realize how crucial information and communication technologies are in our activities. We must really realise what we agreed in Geneva.

The political leadership and commitment signified by African and other nations in the Geneva phase, have been documented and proclaimed to the world. The Geneva Phase laid a foundation by defining an inclusive, long-term vision and an approach to develop a more equitable and safe Information Society. Now is the time to start building on this foundation, by transforming our shared vision into reality. We are now here to move words into actions.

And most importantly, for action and implementation to actually take place, more resources are urgently needed. This regional conference should set the tone on this matter for the second Prepcom.

I see from the agenda that this conference is aimed at achieving solid results on this topic, as a workshop and a roundtable on Financial Mechanisms for ICT development have been planned.

It is also anticipated that there will be major new proposals and new areas of consensus and partnership resulting from this conference.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is encouraging to see the wide range of stakeholders present today, from Government, civil society, private sector, academia, local authorities, African regional institutions, development partners and international organisations.

he WSIS Plan of Action deals with a lot of cross-sectoral themes. I therefore would invite Governments to discuss widely, across their various ministries, the implementation and the possibilities of using ICT as a tool for sustainable socio-economic development across all sectors. All areas should be engaged in the WSIS process, not only the technical Ministries, like the Ministry of Communication, but also the Ministries of Education, Health, Culture, the Ministry of Interior, Home Affairs and many more.

It is very important that we do not only stress the multi-stakeholder character of the WSIS, but also the transverse character of its themes if we are to successfully create a development-oriented Information Society and achieve the Millennium Development Goals

Over the next three days, together you will forge a unity of purpose, and translate your commitments into tangible solutions to enable the benefits of the knowledge economy to permeate the entire region.

I urge all conference delegates to add their energies to this effort. Aim for practical outcomes. Set out clear, comprehensive, concrete implementation plans and formulate recommendations as to how these plans are to be executed.

The outcomes from Accra will constitute Africa's contribution to various WSIS preparatory and thematic meetings scheduled for 2005, leading up to the Tunis Summit.

We look forward to welcoming you in Geneva for the second preparatory committee meeting, which will take place two weeks from now, from 17 to 25 February, where will continue our work towards making Tunis a Summit of Solutions.

I remain confident that we can succeed in our objectives. It is vital for the world that we do.

Thank you.