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PH Vows to Intensify Partnership with International Telecommunication Union

Geneva

Philippine Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Ivan John E. Uy (3rd from right) and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Secretary General Houlin Zhao (3rd from left) are joined by (from left) Philippine Mission to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva Second Secretary Jeff Valdez, DICT Undersecretary Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva Evan P. Garcia and DICT Head Executive Assistant Nicole Uy after their meeting at the ITU Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland on 14 September 2022. (Geneva PM photo)

GENEVA 23 September 2022 – Philippine Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Ivan John E. Uy personally conveyed to Secretary General Houlin Zhao of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) the Philippines’ commitment to enhancing its collaboration with the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technology (ICT).

In a meeting held at the ITU headquarters in Geneva, the recently-appointed Philippines ICT chief expressed his appreciation for the productive engagement of the ITU with the DICT. He also remarked that the various awards received by the DICT from the ITU – including the Information and Communication Infrastructure Prize for the FreeWifi4All Program for Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi awarded in May of this year – is a testament to the significant strides made by the Philippines in its digital transformation. Secretary Uy added that his team will focus heavily on expanding connectivity and enhancing access to government services in aid of social and economic development.

Secretary General Zhao remarked that the Philippines’ cooperation with ITU can serve as a model for other developing member states as he reaffirmed the Union’s willingness to continue providing technical assistance to DICT.

The two sides agreed to explore areas of future cooperation, including on customizable e-Governance software solutions that the Philippines can utilize free of charge. Secretary Uy also took the opportunity to extend an invitation to Secretary General Zhao to attend the ASEAN Telecommunications Ministerial Meeting hosted by the Philippines in December 2022 which the latter accepted. END

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