Recognizing WSIS Impacts

WTDC RESOLUTION 68 (Hyderabad, 2010)

Assistance to indigenous peoples within the activities of the Telecommunication Development Bureau in its related programmes

The World Telecommunication Development Conference (Hyderabad, 2010),

• considering
  • a) Resolution 46 (Doha, 2006) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference, on the role of information and communication technology (ICT) in promoting indigenous peoples in the information society, and the fact that the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) has a dedicated special initiative for assistance to indigenous peoples that is incorporated in the activities of its programmes in general, and in Programme 4 in particular;
  • b) that the Geneva Plan of Action and the Tunis Commitment of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) established that the attainment of their objectives with regard to indigenous peoples and communities is a priority;
  • c) that Article 16 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples states the following: “Indigenous peoples have the right to establish their own media in their own languages and to have access to all forms of non-indigenous media without discrimination”,
• recalling
  • that Article 41 of the aforementioned Declaration states that: “The organs and specialized agencies of the United Nations system and other intergovernmental organizations shall contribute to the full realization of the provisions of this Declaration through the mobilization, inter alia, of financial cooperation and technical assistance”,
• recognizing
  • a) that the Rapporteur Group of the Working Group on Development of Permanent Consultative Committee I (PCC.I) of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL) for developing ICTs in areas and groups with unattended needs or with specific issues, based on previous studies carried out by ITU and other international organizations, and in accordance with the principles established by WSIS, states that there are minimum conditions in the sphere of technology, capacity building, regulatory framework, self-sustainability and participation, and content development, which must be ensured to achieve ICT development in indigenous regions;
  • b) that the report by the rapporteur group shows that practices for each of the aforementioned domains are scattered throughout the region, and it is necessary to document and systematize these practices and develop materials and activities to train the administrations’ human resources in order to ensure that these conditions are met;
  • c) that, from the results of the Abya Yala Summit of Indigenous Peoples, held in Peru in May 2009, the rapporteur group has first-hand information that reflects the demand of these peoples for technical capacity-building programmes;
  • d) that the rapporteur group, in view of the problems of sustainability of telecommunication networks in remote communities on account of the lack of technical staff in those areas for their development and maintenance, has recommended local technical capacity building;
  • e) that ITU, through its centres of excellence, has played a major role in capacity building for Member States and Sector Members,
• resolves
  • 1 to reinforce the special initiative for indigenous peoples in all BDT programmes and in particular in Programme 4;
  • 2 to support digital inclusion of indigenous peoples in general, and in particular their participation in workshops, seminars, forums and training on ICT for social and economic development;
  • 3 to support, through the ITU Academy1, human-resource training programmes in the design and management of public policies aimed at the development of ICTs in remote and isolated areas, for groups with specific needs and for indigenous peoples, within available BDT funds and human resources;
  • 4 to support, through the ITU Academy, capacity building for indigenous peoples in the maintenance and development of ICTs;
  • 5 to incorporate, in this training, best practices, experience and knowledge that the indigenous peoples have developed on the matter and, where appropriate, include the participation of indigenous experts, in accordance with applicable ITU rules and regulations governing recruitment,
• instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau
  • to carry out the necessary actions to reinforce the implementation of the special initiative for indigenous peoples, establishing collaboration mechanisms with the Member States, other relevant regional and international organizations and cooperation agencies,
• invites
  • 1 Member States to provide the necessary facilities and information to allow the participation of members of indigenous peoples and communities in the activities provided for in this resolution;
  • 2 Sector Members to support the implementation of the activities provided for in this resolution.