Rwanda is scheduled to host the forthcoming World Telecommunication Development Conference in the capital Kigali, from 6 to 16 June 2022.
The conference will be held under the theme; “Connecting the unconnected to achieve sustainable development.”
WTDC is a unique opportunity to develop innovative approaches and new models of collaboration for connectivity and digital solutions in this final Decade of Action to achieve the SDGs .
President Paul Kagame on Friday received Doreen Bogdan-Martin, the Director of ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau for discussions on the upcoming World Telecommunication Development Conference that will be hosted in Kigali in June this year.
According to organisers, the WTDC will feature the Partner2Connect Digital Development Roundtable from 7 to 9 June. It will be preceded by the Generation Connect Global Youth Summit from 2 to 4 June.
Meanwhile, Inmarsat announced it will attend the Partner2Connect roundtable and that it will donate $1.2m of satellite airtime to Partner2Connect Coalition (P2C).
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This donation will help further the goal of ‘Connecting People Everywhere’, as the reliability of satellite communication technology continues to prove pivotal in disaster preparedness, recovery, and response.
The Partner2Connect Coalition is a multi-stakeholder alliance launched by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to foster connectivity and digital transformation, even in the hardest-to-connect communities.
Since its launch in late 2021, the P2C has been preparing to mobilise resources, through partnerships, to ensure meaningful connectivity to everyone everywhere, including the critical work to support people in developing nations faced with natural and man-made disasters, and the governments and humanitarian agencies working to connect them.
Donna Bethea-Murphy, Senior Vice President Global Regulatory, Inmarsat: “We’re thrilled to make this pledge and continue our partnership with the Partner2Connect Coalition, to help them achieve their goal to connect people everywhere. The pledge announced today will help ensure that our satellite technology can be used to achieve meaningful connectivity to everyone everywhere.”
Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau, added: “I thank Inmarsat for the generous contribution in support of ITU disaster relief efforts with a pledge through the Partner2Connect Digital Coalition.”
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“The Coalition is a game-changing opportunity for the ICT sector to take a holistic approach, catalyse new partnerships, and mobilise the resources needed to connect those who are still offline.”
“I am calling on all players to step up and help us connect those 2.9bn that are unconnected. We simply cannot wait for another pandemic. I welcome this pledge towards Partner2Connect and I look forward to welcoming many more soon so that we can truly ‘Partner2Connect the World’.”
