UAE hosts Arab League meeting to prepare for upcoming Plenipotentiary conference

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has hosted the Arab League task force responsible for the region's participation at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference 2014, which takes place every four years. ITU 2014 will be hosted in Busan, South Korea in October next year. The inaugural meeting was led by Nasser bin Hammad, Director of International Relations, and was attended by representatives from fifteen government agencies in the telecommunications sector in Arab countries, including representatives from each countries telecommunication agency. Additionally, the meeting was attended by delegates from the International Telecommunication Union, the Arab Network for Regulatory Authorities, the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the Secretariat of the Arab League. Mr. Wonki Min, President of the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2014, participated at the meeting as guest of honour. In his opening remarks, Mr. Min appreciated the strong international presence of the U.A.E. in the telecommunication industry and noted the distinctiveness of the preparations undertaken by the South Korean government to host this global event. At the side-lines of the meeting, Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim, Director-General of the TRA, held bilateral talks with Mr. Min and discussed matters related to the upcoming conference, coordinating the efforts for international cooperation and joint action required to stimulate future growth of the telecommunication industry. In his speech, Wonki Min said, "The International Telecommunications Union plays a vital leadership role in the development of the information and communication technology that reshapes the face of this world, whether it is the launch of the phone 120 years ago, or with regards to the digital era in which we live today. The International Telecommunications Union is the primary institution that provides guidance in strengthening connectivity across the world through the development of effective policies with the help of proposals submitted by countries at the event." In his opening remarks, Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim, Director-General of the TRA, emphasised the significance of Mr Min's presence at the Arab League pre-preparatory meeting. He also recognised the important role the task force played in the research and discussion phase of the ITU PP 14 that will enable the Arab League to put forward a strong performance at the event. Additionally, he highlighted that this step comes in line with the U.A.E.'s effort to build stronger ties with various international industry entities and government bodies around the future growth of the global telecommunication industry. Nasser bin Hammad, Director of International Relations and Chairman of the Arab league PP 14 pre-preparatory task force, said, "As a part of our inaugural meeting, the Arab League has reached a host of important decisions and has put forward preliminary recommendations for the upcoming event. This includes the coordination mechanism for the task force, methodology to be adopted while working with other regional groups and activating the participation if the leadership team in Asian, European and African groups." The meeting also covered a number of issues related to the development of a unified Arab vision aimed at strengthening the presence of the Arab region at high-profile global events such as the International Telecommunication Union conference. This move is aimed at raising the profile of the region by encouraging Arabs to work in leadership positions in the International Federation board, and to enable these Arab candidates to gain the support of the Arab League as per the coordination mechanism recently proposed by the United Arab Emirates. The three-day meeting concluded with a discussion of the work schedule for the second Arab league task force meeting, which will be hosted in Bahrain in May next year. The next meeting aims to discuss further vital details of the league's participation at the ITU PP 14.