UN ESCAP expert group meets in Colombo
A UN Regional Expert Consultation on Connecting Asia-Pacific’s
Digital Society for Resilient Development, would be held at the Taj
Samudra Hotel, Colombo, from September 5 to 6.
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the
Pacific (UN ESCAP and the ICT Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) are organising
the Consultative meeting. Initiated by UN ESCAP, in collaboration with
the UN Commission on International Trade Law (UN CITRAL), the two-day
consultation will bring together an impressive line-up of participants.
These would comprise local and international speakers, panelists and
moderators. The opening session on Wednesday, is scheduled to comprise,
besides a welcoming address and an opening address, an important keynote
address and a valuable address by the Guest of Honour.
In addition, the titles of subjects due to be discussed at the
sessions that would follow the inaugural plenary session, are indicative
of the rich exposure available at the consultation. Themes listed under
the head of session 1 (Wednesday) “Expanding regional broadband
connectivity,” include: “Broadband for risk mitigation and
socio-economic progress” and “ESCAP’s role in developing an
intergovernmental cooperation framework for regional connectivity.”
Similarly, the following titles of Session 2 entitled “ICT innovation
and resilience building,” are good pointers:
“Broadband for smarter knowledge-networked societies,” “Big data,
open innovation and knowledge-networked systems” and “Perspectives on
the near-future ICT evolutions.” Themes planned for Sessions 3-6
scheduled for Thursday entitled respectively “Promoting digital
inclusion,” “Establishing an enabling cross-border legal environment for
regional connectivity,” “The United Nations Convention on the Use of
Electronic Communications in International Contracts, 2005 – National
implementation” and “Building an enabling national and international
legal environment for electronic single windows and paperless trade,”
give a preview of the vistas of knowledge and experience that the
consultation is going to be enriched by. The objective of the
consultation is to devise ways and review best practices in using ICT
connectivity for the resilient development of the region. The
consultation will focus on several aspects of regional connectivity,
both in terms of infrastructure and the enabling legal environment.
The Consultative Meeting is organised as a preparatory meeting to
discuss and review the relevant strategies for adoption at the third
session of the Committee on Information and Communications Technology
(CICT). Currently Sri Lanka holds the UNESCAP's ICT Committee
chairmanship, Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga, having been
unanimously re-elected to the position since his first election to the
prestigious chair. (SJ)
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