Kathmandu, November 13
Minister for Communications and Information Technology Dr Bikram Timilsina has said Nepal made meaningful and effective participation in the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference (ITU PP-26).
Speaking to journalists at Tribhuvan International Airport on Friday after returning from the conference in Doha, Qatar, he said Nepal presented its views on reducing the digital divide in developing countries and expanding access to technology through the use of emerging technologies.
He said discussions were also held on strengthening cooperation and partnerships with countries that have made significant progress in the information technology and telecommunications sectors, particularly in digital transformation.
“Although access to information technology should be expanding, it is shrinking due to various factors. Bilateral discussions were held on how to expand access to information technology,” he said.
Minister Timilsina said he held bilateral meetings and important discussions with ministers, ministers of state and deputy ministers from Malaysia, Estonia, Qatar, China, India and Russia, among other countries. He said the discussions focused on cooperation and partnerships in the information technology and telecommunications sectors in line with Nepal’s needs and interests.
The minister said the conference also held extensive discussions on ensuring uninterrupted communication services during disasters such as floods, landslides and earthquakes. During the conference, he delivered a policy statement on behalf of Nepal, emphasising the increasingly important role of communication services during disasters.
Timilsina stressed the need for targeted technical assistance, technology transfer and concessional financial support to prevent developing and least developed countries from falling behind in the digital transformation process.
He said that although global digital transformation was creating new opportunities, developing countries faced the risk of falling further behind due to unequal access to computing capacity, skilled human resources, investment and technology.
Pointing out that new forms of digital divide were emerging based not only on unequal digital access but also on access to emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and 5G, he emphasised that international cooperation was essential to ensure that the benefits of digital transformation reached all countries and communities equally.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has been working on global policymaking in the telecommunications sector. It has 194 member states.
—RSS
