Conversations begin at ITU Telecom World 2014
Vibrant opening ceremony opens doors to “Future in Focus”
Doha, 7 December 2014 – ITU Telecom World 2014 opened its doors today to a packed programme of conversations and debates on the theme “Future in Focus”. A spectacular Opening Ceremony at the Qatar National Convention Centre in Doha brought together a glittering line-up of high-level participants, including (in speaking order):
ü Chairman of the Board of Directors, Ooredoo Group, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Thani,
ü Prime Minister of Qatar Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani,
ü Minister of Information and Communications Technology, ictQATAR, Hessa Sultan Al Jaber,
ü ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun I. Touré,
Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Thani, Chairman of the Board of Directors Ooredoo Group took the opportunity to highlight the need for partnership and collaboration between the world’s key players, saying, “Amongst us are many of the world’s largest technology companies. We are joined by many high ranking government representatives, policy shapers, from across the region and the world, as well as a new generation of entrepreneurs and app-developers. Feel our power, our combined experience and know how. Together we can make the future happen sooner.”
“We are extremely proud to host a great number of telco corporations as an important hub,” said H.E. Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister of Qatar in his Opening Ceremony address. “To meet here and to debate is an opportunity to exchange ideas about new opportunities which can contribute to changing and transforming the world.”
“With the increasing interconnectivity between sectors, no one can work alone, as in the past,” said Dr Hessa Al Jaber, Minister of Information and Communications Technology (ictQATAR). “We must work together to help bring these technologies to the rest of the world.”
Highlighting the tremendous potential of technology as a tool for improving lives, ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun I. Touré noted in his opening address: “Never before in human history have so many developments in technology, in science and business come together with such tremendous potential to improve the lives of people everywhere. Never before have the challenges of ensuring that the changes happening are fair, equitable and ethical been so considerable.”
Organized by ITU, the United Nations Specialized Agency for ICTs, the event is hosted by the Government of Qatar, with the support of leading international communications company, Ooredoo.
The Opening Ceremony marked the beginning of an action packed few days of high-level debate, networking and knowledge-sharing, with theLeadership Summit on the futurelaunching the debate in the afternoon of 7 December.
The Forum will bring together the industry’s leading names who will explore three major scenarios of disruption, cross-sector partnerships and the intelligent future. Sessions will take a variety of formats from panel sessions, keynotes and high-level debates to global media-moderated Big Conversations.
Theshow floorhighlights technologies and investment opportunities through the presence of National and Thematic Pavilions and Industry Showcases. Top global players include Alcatel Lucent, Huawei, Intel, LS telcom, Nokia, Ooredoo and ZTE, along with countries from across the world such as Argentina, Azerbaijan, China, Nigeria and the Smart Africa Zone (Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and Rwanda).
Innovationwill be a core component of the event. The InnovationSpace will host the Lab, featuring state-of-the-art demos and technological, social and design innovations. The show floor is also home to the Young Innovators Competition finalists, young social entrepreneurs between ages 18 and 30 from around the world with innovative digital solutions with positive social impact.
ü Full highlights of each days discussions and key events are availablehere
ü See the full event programme click here
ü See the speaker line-up here
ü For a full set of background blogs on the event, including from Leadership Summit speakers, please visit our event blog