JULY 19, 2017
NEWS
Washington, DC, July 19 2017.
The International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO) is pleased to announce that its Director General and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Patrick Masambu, has been invited to be a Commissioner of the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development.
ITU and UNESCO set up the Broadband Commission for Digital Development in response to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s call to step-up UN efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The Commission was established in May 2010 with the aim of boosting the importance of broadband on the international policy agenda, and expanding broadband access in every country as key to accelerating progress towards national and international development targets. It defines practical ways in which countries — at all stages of development — can achieve this, in cooperation with the private sector.
Following adoption of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in September 2015, the Commission was re-launched as the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development to showcase and document the power of ICT and broadband-based technologies for sustainable development. It continues the work of and builds upon the legacy of its predecessor by bringing together a high-powered community, including top CEO and industry leaders, senior policymakers and government representatives, international agencies, academia and organizations concerned with development. Leaders in their field, they each believe strongly in a future based on broadband and offer rich insights and experience in how to deploy and use broadband networks and services to the benefit of communities and end-users. The Commission embraces a range of
different perspectives in a multi-stakeholder approach to promoting the roll-out of broadband, as well as providing a fresh approach to UN and business engagement.
In accepting the invitation of the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, Mr. Masambu expresses his commitment to fully supporting the Commission’s efforts. Mr. Patrick Masambu nominated Ms. Renata Brazil-David, ITSO’s Director of Legal Affairs, as his focal point for the Broadband Commission.
