The UAE has has won the membership of the International Telecommunication Union Council for the third time in a row.

The elections witnessed strong competition from 18 countries on 13 memberships reserved for the Asia region out of 48 memberships that constitute the ITU Council globally, said a statement.

Nasser Bin Hammad, senior manager international affairs at the TRA also won the membership of the ITU Radio Regulations Board, one of the most important bodies at the International Telecommunication Union, adding another milestone for the UAE delegation participating in the three-week Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) taking place in Busan, South Korea.

Hamad is the first figure from the GCC to win this position from 20 candidates, who represented different regions and competed on 12 seats constituting the entire board while six candidates representing the Asia region competed on three seats reserved for this region.
 
Mohamad Ahmad Al-Qamzi, chairman of TRA board of directors, said: “On behalf of the TRA management and staff,  I am honoured to offer my sincere congratulations to Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, on the great achievements attained by the UAE during its participation in the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference.

“We at the TRA will continue working and intensifying efforts to consolidate the UAE's prominent stature within the ICT and Mobile Government international scene.”
 
“These two achievements are very significant since the International Telecommunication Union is one of the most prestigious international organisations in charge of developing the ICT sector, which is the most dynamic sector in today’s knowledge based economy, relying heavily on digital data and smart cities,” he said.

“Naming our country in these two important positions comes in recognition of the high stature achieved by the UAE within the knowledge economy arena, which comes in compliance with the directives of our wise leadership and in line with the national vision and our commitment to maintain the prestigious position of the UAE on the ICT international map,” he added.
 
In addition to these two accomplishments, the UAE will also be the official host of the 20th Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunications Union in 2018 with the consent of ITU member states.

The Radio Regulation Board which belongs to the Radio Communication Sector (ITU-R) of the International Telecommunication Union, one of the largest ITU sectors, is considered one of the high-level councils within the Union, where the election of its members takes place at the Union’s Plenipotentiary Conference, held once every four years, said the statement.

Once elected, members of the Council have no bias towards any other management in the Union, making its outcome of activities, resolutions and performance highly objective, it added. - TradeArabia News Service