SA is taking part in the International Telecommunications Union's (ITU) plenipotentiary conference, an event where the organisation's four-year strategic plan will be adopted.
Communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri led a South African delegation, which includes director-general Lyndall Shope-Mafole, senior officials from the department and representatives of South African companies, to the seven-day conference, under way until 11 November.
At the conference, member states will decide on the future role of the ITU, thus determining its ability to influence and affect the development of ICT worldwide, the department says.
Foundations
According to Department of Communications spokesman Zodumo Mbuli, the ITU lays the foundation for member countries to debate issues of concern and discuss means of narrowing the digital divide.
"One of the strategic issues for consideration will be the organisation's response to the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society, the second phase of which was concluded in Tunisia, in November last year," she says.
Mbuli adds that the key challenge the ITU faces is the need for greater efficiency within the global system of communication and information in the face of an increasing demand for interventions.
As a member of the organisation's executive committee, SA will use the platform to voice its concerns on the significance and challenges of universal access in developing and least developed countries, she says.
The conference will see the election of the senior management team of the organisation, members of the Radio Regulations Board and members of the executive council, the department says.
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