TRA participates in WTDC Arab preparatory meeting in Cairo

The United Arab Emirates, represented by Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has taken part in the Arab Preparatory Meeting for the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) 2014, which will be held in the Dubai World Trade Centre from March 30th until April 10th. The Ministry of Communications and Information (MCIT) in Egypt hosted the meeting with the participation of 13 Arab states in addition to the General Secretariat of the Arab League and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU Arab Regional Office) and the Arab Information and Communication Technologies Organisation (Tunisia). The U.A.E. delegation was led by Nasser bin Hammad, Senior Manager, International Affairs at TRA, with the participation of a number of concerned bodies in the country. During the meeting, each of the Emirati, Egyptian, Omani, and Algerian Administrations submitted a number of working papers that shed light on many of the sectors' most topical issues in addition to the consideration of the latest research from the ITU Telecommunications Development Sector (ITU-D). These papers were discussed and reviewed by the participants and many of them were approved. The meeting comes as one of a series of important gatherings held in order to define a shared Arab vision regarding participation in this significant global event. "The U.A.E. prioritises the efforts of unifying the visions and positions of Arab countries and the regional ICT entities ahead of significant events of this nature. These meetings are critical in that they both strengthen and unify the region's interests on the global stage and, in turn, contribute to conveying our views on the future of the sector," commented Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim, TRA Director-General. "Hosting a global event of this significance for the first time in Dubai is a testament to the confidence entrusted in the U.A.E. by the ITU, its 193 member states and over 700 ITU sector members. Hosting this event proves once more the U.A.E.'s ability to organise key global ICT events and gatherings. We look forward to welcoming delegates, our colleagues from right across the world and representatives from both the public and private sector to this pivotal international forum," he added. With regards to the structure of the coming conference, Hammad clarified that the U.A.E. submitted eight working papers during the meeting. One of which highlighted the importance of Arab coordination when it comes to the conferences' committees and work teams. The head of the delegation stressed the importance of cooperation and unifying efforts between the Arab Group and the presidency of each team on the work of these committees and their respective roles during the conference. The Arab group supported the U.A.E.'s nomination of Nasser Al Marzouqi for the position of Vice Chairman at the second study committee for the period 2014-2018 and Major Mohamed Al Mazrouei for the position of Vice Chairman of the Advisory Group of the Telecommunication Development Sector for the period 2014-2018. In terms of logistics preparation, all the ITU requirements in preparation for the conference including logistics, organisation, protocol, and media are to be accomplished in collaboration with the concerned parties namely, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior, Dubai Police, the Public Administration of the Critical Infrastructure Protection authority and the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs.