Communications and Information Technology Commission Organizes Meeting of the Arab Working Group Tasked with Preparations for the World Telecommunication Development Conference

The three-day third meeting of the Arab Working Group tasked with preparing for the World Telecommunication Development Conference began yesterday at the Commission's headquarters in Riyadh. The meeting was opened by His Excellency Dr. Abdulaziz bin Salem Al-Ruwais, Governor of the Communications and Information Technology Commission, with a speech welcoming the working group's members and wishing them success and the achievement of the objectives sought from this important preparatory meeting. It is worth noting that the Arab Working Group includes a number of representatives from Arab League member states specializing in telecommunications and IT, the General Secretariat of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, in addition to the Arab Regional Office of the International Telecommunication Union.

The meeting will discuss the documents and proposals submitted by Arab administrations for the World Telecommunication Development Conference, with the aim of unifying the positions of Arab League member states on the conference's topics in a manner that serves shared interests, enhances the provision of telecommunications services, and keeps pace with the latest technical trends. It will also discuss Arab region initiatives covering issues related to digital financial inclusion, matters related to trust and security in the use of telecommunications and IT, as well as the Internet of Things, smart cities, and big data. Other topics to be discussed include the draft declaration of the World Telecommunication Development Conference, the strategic plan for the telecommunications development sector, and a number of decisions related to telecommunications and IT development, including the draft new resolution on combating the counterfeiting of telecommunications and IT devices.

It is worth noting that the World Telecommunication Development Conference is one of the most important conferences of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) — the United Nations specialized agency for telecommunications and IT — during which strategies, objectives, projects, and programs related to telecommunications and information technology development are reviewed, and future directions and guidance are provided for the ITU's Telecommunication Development Sector.