ITU Global Forum Acts to Strengthen Emergency Response

The Global Forum on "Effective Use of Telecommunications/ICT for Disaster Management: Saving Lives" closed Wednesday, having launched two initiatives, the ITU Framework for Cooperation in Emergencies and the ITU Network of Volunteers for Emergency Telecommunications.

Two new publications on emergency telecommunications were also issued:

• Compendium of ITU's Work in Emergency Telecommunications, comprising work of the three Sectors of ITU: Telecommunication Standardization, Radiocommunication and Telecommunication Development
• ITU Handbook on Best Practice on Emergency Telecommunications, a publication of the ITU Development Bureau based on a study of 12 countries
  

The Forum discussed policy, regulation, technology, finance and deployment of last-mile, multi-hazard communications systems. The Forum comprised plenary sessions, panel discussions, a ministerial round table, a private sector CEO round table, a workshop on remote sensing, thematic sessions, and an exhibition of telecommunication/ICT state-of-the-art solutions, including technologies for remote sensing.