New regional commitment urges digital inclusion

Participating in today's "digital economy" driven by advances made in telecommunications and information and communication technologies (ICT) was once again recognized by countries as "an essential element for the promotion of economic growth, competitiveness and access to knowledge through information, contributing to the eradication of poverty and the integration of all countries”. With a renewed pledge to advance as a region in this area, Ministers and other authorities from OAS member states responsible for telecommunications adopted the Declaration of Santo Domingo at the Sixth Assembly of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL) on February 10 to 13, 2014 in the Dominican Republic.

“In Latin America, just one of every eight people has access to broadband, which moreover is slow and expensive. We cannot forget that 164 million people, or 28 percent of the population of Latin America and the Caribbean, live in conditions of poverty” said OAS Assistant Secretary General, Albert Ramdin, at the inauguration, who acknowledged that advancing digital inclusion holds the promise of facilitating the organization’s mission in the region.

The CITEL agenda - which seeks to promote telecommunications / ICT in the region - is now more than ever "closely linked to the pillars of the OAS" as recognized by Ambassador Ramdin. Undeniably, there is an increasing incidence of telecommunications in areas such as the promotion of democracy and democratic governance, through facilitating the provision of services and citizen participation, respect for human rights, by allowing previously marginalized groups to mobilize and be heard; citizen security, by enabling surveillance, monitoring and control mechanisms, and sustainable development with its strong impact on education, the productive and service sectors and early disaster response.

"This is the best time to strengthen the telecommunications sector, for its advancement contributes to present growth, and will support growth in the future" said newly elected President of the CITEL for the period 2014-2018, Gedeón Santos, President of the Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (lNDOTEL). Mr. Santos also emphasized the importance of strengthening partnerships and working towards "the combination of a responsible private sector, a committed State and an empowered society."

The telecommunications sector, with its constant innovation and large investments, is one of the sectors that more heavily relies on public-private partnerships to bring the benefits of ICTs to the entire population. Recognizing the importance of this relationship, the Assembly was preceded by a Strategic Dialogue, where senior government officials responsible for telecommunications and ICT were joined by representatives from the private sector, the technical Internet community, representatives of international organizations, civil society and academia. The dialogue, which subsequently fueled discussions by countries, allowed for the exchange of information, best practices, opinions and perspectives on the current situation and future development of broadband Internet in the Americas. Issues of regional interest were discussed, such as the creation of capacity related to the deployment and use of broadband infrastructure and the definition of regulatory frameworks that promote competition, investment, innovation and public- private partnerships.

“For a region that’s confronted with the challenge of inequality, access and inclusion must be an integral part of the development matrix for new and emerging technologies. ICTs are providing us with a tool that can help in efforts to reduce poverty, and address what has long been one of the most intractable challenges facing the Americas – the problem of inequality.” reflected Sherry Tross, OAS Executive Secretary for Integral Development when she addressed the over 230 participants gathered at the meeting and stressed the "importance of helping to build a common vision."

On this note, Mr. Houlin Zhao, Deputy Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said that although many of the statistics reveal that "the region of the Americas is more advanced than others, it is important to remember that disparities remain on broadband connectivity among member countries" he went on to say that "the next goal should be to reduce the disparities between those who are connected and those who are not and to provide affordable and equitable access to broadband for all citizens in the world."

At the closing of the Assembly, Mr. Santos said that the region "needs a robust CITEL, with leadership capacities, as an essential support of member states in designing and executing their telecommunications plans." An example of the type of support provided by CITEL is its work in strengthening the sector’s institutions, having trained over 2,900 people in the last 12 years with scholarships for on-site and online courses offered through the OAS by Regional Training Centers and other International Organizations.

Mr. Clovis Baptista, Executive Secretary of CITEL noted that much of the success of the Assembly was the consideration and approval of the basic working tools of CITEL through the establishment of a structure and strategies that will guide the work for the period 2014-2018, with the support and participation of all its members.