ITU to hold symposium on ICTs, the environment and climate change

Accra, June 28, GNA - The Ministry of Communications and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) will host the Global Symposium on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), the Environment and Climate Change in Accra next month.

They would also host a Regional Seminar on Conformance and Interoperability Testing in Accra, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Communications on Tuesday.

It explained that 93Conformance Testing" measured how accurately a telecommunication product implemented a technical specification.

"The degree of compliance helps vendors and users to evaluate how the equipment will perform in the network where it will integrate with other network devices to an offered network service."

The statement said 93Interoperability Testing" measured if two or more products correctly implemented the technical specifications necessary to ensure successful integration supporting particular communication protocols.

"Conformance and interoperability testing are therefore important to identify the non-compliance of the equipment being tested, as defined by accepted standards in the industry, that may interfere in the quality of the network being provided."

The statement said high quality performing products available for commercial use would accelerate widespread deployment of the network technologies and their associated network services.

It said for service providers, conformance and interoperability testing were necessary to reduce the probability of errors being introduced during the network integration period, which could have an impact on commercial deployment schedules.

The statement said the Africa Regional Seminar was expected to bring together leading specialists in the communications industry, from top policy-makers to engineers, designers, planners, government officials, regulators, standards experts and others.

The Symposium on ICTs, the Environment and Climate Change would focus on the issue of ICTs, the environment and climate change in Africa and the needs of developing countries.

Topics to be discussed include mitigation and adaptation to climate change; e-waste; disaster planning; cost-effective ICT technologies; methodologies for the environmental impact assessment of ICTs; and challenges and opportunities in the transition to a green and resource efficient economy.

The statement said the symposium would identify goals, commitments and modalities of the ICT sector engagements to be developed in the process leading to the 2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP-17) to be held in Durban, South Africa in November 2011.

It would also develop a set of recommendations for action in relation to ICTs, the environment and climate change towards a green economy, as a contribution to the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD 2012 or Rio+20).

The Secretary General of the ITU, Dr. Hamadoun Toure said, 93Climate Change is a global challenge that the world cannot afford to lose."

The statement said Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), such as satellites, mobile phones or the Internet, played a key role to addressing the major challenges related with climate change and sustainable development.

It added that ICTs were fundamental to monitor climate change, mitigate and adapt to its effects and assist in the transition towards a green economy.

"By raising awareness of the role of ICTs, ITU is promoting transformative solutions that can ensure a sustainable future."