INMARSAT PLC 09 December 2014: Inmarsat has welcomed a report examining the role of telecommunications in driving sustainable development through the reuse of communications infrastructure designed to support communities in the event of a natural disaster.
The report was approved by the Advisory Board of the ITU's Smart Sustainable Development (SSD) initiative and published following a meeting in Doha, Qatar on 6 December. The ITU is the United Nations' specialized agency for information and communication technologies.
The report includes recommendations for a more integrated approach between governments, humanitarian agencies, the ITU and private sector. It calls for the improved sharing of information and for collective action to foster easier access to cost efficient and user-friendly IT and telecoms services in remote regions - particularly in areas which are prone to natural disasters.
Essential roleAndy Sukawaty, Inmarsat's Executive Chairman and a member of the SSD Advisory Board, commented: "Satellite has an essential role to play when it comes to the deployment of communications which reuse emergency communications infrastructure to help drive access to broadband for people living and working in remote communities.
"Inmarsat's broadband data and voice communication services are designed for maximum mobility and are accessible anywhere in the world. This, we believe, uniquely places us to support and contribute to the ITU's goals for sustainable development."
Cosmas Zavazava, Chief of Projects and Knowledge Management Department, International Telecommunication Union, said: "Since 2002, Inmarsat has been a staunch supporter of ITU's response effort in emergencies. We also share a commitment to serve humanity using appropriate information and communication for disaster risk reduction through the application of earth observation, information and communication systems."
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