HH the Emir to Inaugurate ITU ''Connect Arab Summit 2012'' on 5-7 March

Doha, February 22 (QNA) -HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani is to inaugurate ''Connect Arab Summit 2012'', the State of Qatar is to host on 5-7 March at the Doha Sheraton Hotel. The Summit , to be organised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the specialized agency of the United Nations for information and communication technologies (ICTs), in partnership with and the Arab League, aims to advance and update the telecommunications and Information technology in all the Arab countries with emphasis on the Least Developed Countries, revitalize such a sector for creating labor opportunities to the Arab youth, exploit the modern technologies for supporting the economies of the region and achieve comprehensive and sustainable development. The summit represents a key chance to cement ties of communication and cooperation between the Arab world leaders and the other concerned parties in the public and private sectors and the regional and international institutions to further enhance partnership between them, the matter which would help achieve a unified Arab vision and strategy for IT and contacts in the Arab world. This would help implement the various projects set for spreading communications networks and their services throughout the Arab world. With a focus on public-private partnership, the Summit will see the announcement of a number of important ICT-based development commitments by government and industry This important regional technology summit will also bring together leaders from countries right across the Arabic speaking world, including Heads of State and Government, Ministers, Heads of Regulatory Authorities, CEOs and other senior leaders from industry, regional and international organizations. The ITU Connect Arab Summit 2012 will witness a series of panel discussions and high-level round-table meetings on the main axes of issues tabled on the agenda. The axes include a focus of infrastructure and access, the center of confidence and security in the use of information technology and communications, the center of Arabic digital content and the focus of innovation as well as human capacity building. Journalists are invited to accredit now to attend ITU Connect Arab Summit, which takes place in Doha, Qatar from 5-7 March, 2012. ITU will also launch the 2012 edition of its ICT Arab Indicators report, providing the latest, most-up-to-date region-wide snapshot of ICT development. The ITU Connect Arab Summit is the third in the series of high-level regional ITU Connect events. Previous summits included ITU Connect Africa which was held in Kigali, Rwanda in 2007 and ITU Connect CIS, covering the Commonwealth of Independent States, which was held in Belarus in 2009. (QNA)