Minister of National Development Miklós Seszták represented Hungary at the annual meeting of information and communications technology ministers in Busan, South Korea, on 19 October, 2014. The ICT ministers of the 52 countries attending the event adopted a common statement on the future vision of the sector.

The strategic document says that development goals should place growth, inclusiveness, sustainability, innovation and partnership at the core. According to the Busan Statement, no one should be left behind in the pursuit of the vision of Broadband for All at the international level. Facilitating access to infocommunications will create new opportunities in employment, education, health and public services, and will address environmental and demographic challenges.

The ministers stated their intention to establish a common strategy to improve access to and the adoption of ICT. Developing countries could thus use the up-to-date technologies as a growth enabler, the benefits of which could be enjoyed by marginalised and vulnerable social groups (e.g. old persons, persons with disabilities, people with low incomes) as well.

The large-scale meeting was organised by the Government of South Korea one day before the starting day of this year’s Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). ITU is a global forum of international cooperation of outstanding singificance; it is the most important global institution of the United Nations in the field of infocummunications.

The organisation, to be 150 years old next year, has 193 member states, with Hungary being one of its founding members. At the Plenipotentiary Conference, member states are to adopt ITU’s strategic and financial plans for the next four years and elect the new senior officials and the members of the respective committees.

(Ministry of National Development Communications Department)