Times Of Swaziland: KING MEETS THOSE WHO ‘CONNECT THE WORLD’

KING MEETS THOSE WHO ‘CONNECT THE WORLD’
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By King’s Office Correspondence  on 13/06/2019 00:51:00


GENEVA, SWTZERLAND –His Majesty the King yesterday met ‘the people who
connect the world’.
It is said that every time you make a phone call via mobile, access the Internet
or send an email, you are benefitting from the work of the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU).
The meeting took place at the offices of the ITU where he was hosted by its
Secretary General Houlin Zhao. Also present was Minister of ICT Princess
Sikhanyiso, Minister of Foreign Affairs Thuli Dladla and Minister of Labour and
Social Security Makhosi Vilakati.
Zhao briefed His Majesty about the work of ITU, which was founded in 1865, to
facilitate international connectivity in communications networks.
Improve
The organisation allocates global radio spectrum and satellite orbits, develops
the technical standards that ensure networks and technologies seamlessly
interconnect, and strives to improve access to ICTs in all communities
worldwide.
His Majesty appreciated the visit and commended the organisation for the work it
does in connecting the world.
He urged a continued close working relationship with the ICT sector in Eswatini
which aspires to provide a world class telecommunications infrastructure that
would facilitate the kingdom’s aspirations to attain developed status.
He noted that the world had evolved and was moving into the 4th industrial
revolution where connectivity that facilitates the success of telemedicine,
e-commerce, e-learning, and many other inventions that require a high level
telecommunications infrastructure.
According to its official website, ITU embodies principles of public-private
partnership, with its current membership of 193 countries and over 800
private-sector entities and academic institutions.
ITU membership represents a cross-section of the global ICT sector, from the
world’s largest vendors, manufacturers and telecom operators to small,
innovative players and SMEs working with new and emerging technologies, along
with leading R&D institutions and academia.
Founded on the principle of international cooperation between governments
(Member States) and the private sector (Sector Members, Associates and
Academia), ITU is the premier global forum through which parties work towards
consensus on a wide range of issues affecting the future direction of the ICT
industry. Originally founded in 1865 to promote cooperation among international
telegraphy networks of the day, ITU predates many other standardisation bodies
and its long and distinguished history contains a number of important
‘firsts’, such as the standardisation of the use of the Morse code and the
world’s first radio communication and fixed telecommunication networks.
Later in the day, His Majesty visited the headquarters of the World Trade
organisation (WTO) where he was received by the Director General Roberto
Azavedo.
They held various discussions on the work of the WTO and general trade issues
affecting the globe including Eswatini’s bid to host the Africa Continental
Free Trade Agreement (AfCTA) Secretariat. The primary purpose of the WTO is to
open trade for the benefit of all.
Fairness
The WTO chief said his organisation was willing to support capacitate the
kingdom on trade issues while His Majesty acknowledged the role of WTO in
ensuring fairness in trade as this had a huge bearing on the economies of
countries, particularly those of smaller size.
According to its official site, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) deals with
the rules of trade between nations.
It oversees WTO agreements that are negotiated and signed by the bulk of the
world’s trading nations and ratified in their parliaments to ensure that trade
flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible.