Mali Retains ITU Top Post

Mali Retains ITU Top Post

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has elected Dr. Hamadoun Toure of Mali , for a second term in office as Secretary-General.

Dr. Toure was elected unopposed, with 151 votes, from the 157 countries in
attendance at the ongoing ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Guadalajara , Mexico .

Mr. Houlin Zhao of China was re-elected Deputy Secretary-General with 155 votes.

Dr. Touré has promised that he would place a special emphasis on broadband access and ensure that cyber security was high on everyone's agenda.

Promise of more broadband access
He said his dream was to ensure that every citizen on the planet could
connect, create and share information, in a safe and affordable manner.

He emphasised that he would encourage more private sector involvement through public-private partnerships, both within the ITU and in the field.

Dr. Touré was first elected to the post of ITU Secretary-General at ITU's 2006
Plenipotentiary Conference in Antalya , Turkey .

Building trust and security

Since taking office, he has placed particular emphasis on building trust and
security in ICT networks, harnessing the power of ICTs to help mitigate climate change, strengthening ITU's work in emergency communications, and fostering a global vision of broadband inclusion for all.

The ITU conference has estimated that there would be over five
billion mobile phone subscriptions at the end of 2010 and close to two billion
people using the internet.

Adoba/Yinka