The US officials have said that the digitization efforts in Pakistan are admirable, and they are fully aware of the devastation of the flood in Pakistan and doing all possible efforts to help the Flood Affectees. This was stated by the high-level delegation of the United States led by Deputy Secretary of Communication, Mcclain Delaney during a sidelines meeting with Federal Minister of Information Technology and Telecommunication, Syed Amin-Ul- Haque, after the opening ceremony of the International Telecommunication Conference (ITU PP-22) in Bucharest, the historical capital of Romania. The Pakistani delegation included former IT Minister Ms. Anusha Rahman (Candidate for ITU BDT), Permanent Representative of Pakistan to UN in Geneva Mr. Khalil Hashmi, Pakistan Ambassador to Romania Dr. Zafar Iqbal, Member IC Ajmal Awan and Chief Executive Officer of Universal Service Fund Haaris Mahmood Chaudhary. Syed Amin-Ul-Haque informed the US delegation about the loss of lives and property caused by floods in Pakistan and the government's relief efforts. The meeting was also discussed about Digitalization, Connectivity and Policies related to IT and Telecom sector. The delegation appreciated the MOITT slogan” Affordable Connectivity and Smartphone for All”. Earlier, the Pakistani delegation led by Federal Minister IT and Telecommunication Syed Amin-Ul-Haque, participated in the opening ceremony of the ITU PP-22, in which Ministers and Heads of Missions of 186 member states of the world are participating. The Plenipotentiary Conference (PP), ITU’s highest policy-making body, meets once every four years to set the Union’s general policies, adopt the four-year strategic and financial plans, and elect the senior management team of the organization, the Member States of the Council and the members of the Radio Regulations Board. Talking about the ITU Conference IT Minister Syed Amin-Ul-Haque said; The theme of the conference is "Building a Better Digital Future for All" this conference held every 4 years, this time the venue is the historical Palace of Parliament building in Bucharest, Romania. In every four years, ITU brings together the brilliant minds of the world and gives them the chance to decide, what is the best way to make technology work for the benefit of all humankind. “Today, the power of technology is impressive; it connects people worldwide in ways we never imagined decades ago. Just remember that during the pandemic, technology was the only way we could keep in touch with each other” he added. On the other hand during the most important conference where the World leaders are under one roof, the meetings of Federal Minister IT Syed Amin-Ul-Haque with the delegations of 17 different countries are also going on USA, Japan, Turkey, Bahrain, Egypt, Azerbaijan etc. In these meetings, information technology and telecommunication and bilateral issues related to future digital projects were discussed. Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Syed Amin-Ul-Haque informed the delegations that; Pakistan is committed to work for affordable internet, universal and meaningful connectivity, and close global and regional cooperation. He said the government of Pakistan through its Universal Service Fund initiative is running is running diverse telecom infrastructure and services programs that are playing a pivotal role in providing high-speed Internet to un-served, underserved & hardest-to-connect communities. The subsidy driven programs are accelerating digital transformation and are empowering marginal communities to ease into digital ecosystem, with special emphasis on gender inclusivity, he added. During last four years we have contracted 79 new projects worth over 266 Million USD to provide coverage to 28 million people, he added. He said the government of Pakistan also intends to provide not only a conducive environment but to drive both the demand and supply sides of the ecosystem, hence creating an image of a globally competitive and prosperous country that provides a high quality of life for all its citizens. As part of our digital transformation journey, the government is targeting an ambitious slogan “Smartphone for All”. It is pursuing a multipronged implementation strategy. This will range from nascent policy interventions for creating a harmonized regulatory environment to digital awareness and skills development programs for harnessing a culture of indigenous research and innovation, he added. Moreover, for augmented, seamless and transparent delivery of government to government/business/citizen services, we are implementing a comprehensive smart government ecosystem, which is helping us to consolidate our resources and efforts for achieving the public service delivery, efficiently and effectively, Syed Amin Ul Haque said. The Federal Minister for IT said the government of Pakistan has a strong vision to empower talented youth of Pakistan by providing opportunities where they can embark on entrepreneurship as a career. For this purpose, Government is providing an enabling environment to talented youth by establishing tech-based National Incubation Centers(NIC), he said. *******
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