ITU Addresses Burning ICT Issues in High-Level Meeting

Usually the High-Level Segment (HLS) meeting of the ITU - the Geneva, Switzerland-based United Nations leading agency for information and communication technologies that acts as the global focal point for its 191 Member States and more than 700 Sector Members - is an annual event that provides its Councilors with an opportunity to exchange views on issues of emerging trends in the ICT sector.

But this year's HLS segment meeting held over two days on November 12 and 13, was particularly notable for drawing attention and addressing two of the most burning issues in the cyberworld today: ensuring that the online world is a safe place to work and play, and the role ICT can play in the critical area of climate change.

ITU feels that climate change is emerging as a profound challenge because it is  transforming the face of the world. ITU believes that Information and communication technologies (ICTs) can play a critical role in combating climate change through mitigation of its effects and the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Not least is the fact that the growing use of ICTs contributes to global warming, For example, the many billions of mobile phones, often left to charge overnight. But moreover, ICTs are also a key part of the solution, in monitoring, mitigating and adapting to climate change.

But, points out the ITU, while ICT contributes around 2.5 percent of Green House Gas emissions, with 40 percent of this deriving from the energy requirements of personal computers and data monitors, plus a further 23 percent from data centers, it also has the potential to assist the remaining 97.5 percent of the global economy in reducing its emissions through such things as telework and teleconferencing.

Another area that ITU feels requires immediate attention is the alarming rate of the growth of crimes conducted online. While elders always warn children about whom to speak to and where to go in the world of bricks and mortor, too few are aware that children need to exercise a similar level of caution in the cyber world.

In this year's HLS meeting, ITU launched a new and "a significant" initiative to safeguard children, whom it considers the most vulnerable users of the Internet. Called the Child Online Protection (COP), this initiative brings together partners from all sectors of the international community with the aim of creating a safe and secure online experience for children everywhere. While the virtual world offers unlimited opportunities in many respects, it is also the hunting ground for cybercriminals and paedophiles.

According to ITU the world moves forward towards an all-inclusive information society it must also ensure that children everywhere can enjoy the benefits of ICTs while being protected from the risks posed by inappropriate use. And in that regard, "It is vitally important that children across the world can go online safely and ITU's Child Online Protection initiative is a significant step in that direction," says Rob Conway, CEO and Member of the Board of the GSMA.

COP has an impressive agenda (keep an eye out for an indepth analysis of this initiative in the feature section to be published soon) and aims to be a platform for global cooperation as well as to coordinate efforts behind protecting children online and make them more effective and accessible.

Underscoring its importance ITU also plans to hold the first World Congress on Child Online Protection in 2009 in Geneva.