UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait elected to the International Telecommunication Union /ITU/ Council

The South Asia–Middle East–North Africa regions, SAMENA, Telecommunications Council, yesterday announced that 10 countries from the SAMENA region, were elected to the ITU Council, the governing body of the International Telecommunication Union, the United Nations specialised agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs). The ITU Council elections were held during the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2014 (PP-14), which is taking place in Busan, South Korea until 7th November. SAMENA region countries elected to the ITU Council include the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Turkey, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Nasser bin Hammad, Senior Manager, International Affairs at the UAE’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), was elected to the ITU Radio Regulations Board. "To have as many as 10 SAMENA countries on the ITU’s governing body is a great achievement that will ensure our collective voices are heard in the international ICT debates that shape global views and attitudes towards issues facing our industry," said Bocar BA, Chief Executive Officer, SAMENA Council. "The SAMENA region represents one of the world’s fastest growing economic regions and a greater decision-making role for SAMENA on the global telecommunications stage will allow us to more effectively pursue strategic goals and market opportunities, especially at a time when governments across the region are accelerating their digitisation efforts." "We extend our congratulations to all SAMENA countries elected to the ITU Council and we look forward to working closely with them to achieve our common goals. We also would like to congratulate Nasser bin Hammad for being officially elected to the prestigious ITU Radio Regulations Board," he added. - Emirates News Agency, WAM – http://www.wam.ae/en/news/economics/1395271978512.html