World Telecommunication Development Conference sets agenda to connect the world by 2015

The International Telecommunication Union's fourth World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-06) which met from 7 to 15 March at the Sheraton Convention Center in Doha, Qatar, attracted 969 participants, including 820 government delegates from 132 countries and 4 representatives from Palestine, 93 representatives of public and private companies from 31 countries and 14 from national telecommunication-related entities from nine countries, and 38 representatives from regional and international organizations. In addition, 241 media representatives from 22 countries registered with 139 covering the events on site.

Next Step Following WSIS Geneva and Tunis Convocations
From Geneva to Tunis to Doha, WSIS MeetingWTDC-06 was the first global development conference held in the wake of the World Summit on the Information Society, which met in Geneva in 2003 and concluded its deliberations in Tunis in November 2005. The Doha Action Plan takes on board several action lines set out by the Summit, specifically those related to information and communication infrastructure development, public policy and regulatory framework, capacity building, e-applications and radio spectrum management.

The Doha Declaration adopted by the World Telecommunication Development Conference, sets out a road map to implement the global objectives of harnessing the power of information and communication technologies (ICT) to accelerate the pace of development.

Work was conducted under the chairmanship of Dr Hessa Al-Jaber, Chairman of ictQatar. "What makes this conference different from any other is the breadth of the measures adopted and pertinence of the decisions taken," said Al-Jaber. "The conference agreed on a comprehensive package that will further improve access to the benefits of ICT" she said, adding "not only can we aspire to bridging the digital divide, but with the Doha Declaration and Action Plan, we now have the commitment and the tools to do so."