The Tribune

The Bahamas has succeeded in its first-ever bid to join the International Telecommunications Union's (ITU) council, gaining the votes of 162 out of 177 member states.

This nation will now be seated as one of 48 council members for a body that is the United Nations (UN) agency on information and communications technologies (ICTs).

The Bahamas will represent Region A, the Americas, along with Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, El Salvador, Mexico, Paraguay and the United States.

The Council elections took place during the second week of the ITU's Plenipotentiary Conference (ITU PP), which is currently underway in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The ITU PP is where its 193 member states meet once every four years to elect top executive officials and the 48 member states that will make up the Council.

The Bahamas' ballot was cast by its delegation, led by parliamentary secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, Pakesia Parker-Edgecombe. She also presented The Bahamas' policy statement on ICT during the first week of the conference.

Mrs Parker-Edgecombe outlined the Government's accomplishments in ICTs, and shared its proposed plans for further development of this sector. She told more than 1,500 delegates that the Government has introduced a Community Development Partnership Initiative, which aims to:

• Strengthen the use of smart technology by public institutions through facilitating increased access to broadband.

• Develop apps and websites to assist in the dissemination of critical information to the public, such as a national alert messaging system to be used during national disasters.

• Facilitate greater public online communication access through the establishment of strategic wi-fi hotspots throughout The Bahamas.

The ITU's goal is to promote innovation, accessibility and inclusion by setting rules and regulations governing international telecommunications. The Bahamas is officially represented at the ITU by the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA).

URCA delegates will be joined by minister of state for legal affairs, Elsworth Johnson, as the conference moves toward negotiation, agreement and signature of the final acts.