Last Updated on September 27, 2022, 5:32 AM AST by Anthony Morris
Konris Maynard, St Kitts and Nevis’ Minister of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT), will represent St Kitts and Nevis at the International Telecommunication Union Plenipotentiary Conference 2022.
He is accompanied by officials from the Ministry of ICT, including Permanent Secretary Cheryleann Pemberton, the E-Government Coordinator Sancho Duncan and the Network Coordinator Tristan Vasquez. Minister Maynard and his accompanying officials of the ICT Ministry are among the 65 delegates from 13 Caribbean countries who have united in support of Stephen Bereaux of the Bahamas.
Stephen Bereaux is vying to become the first Caribbean representative to sit at the highest managerial level of the ITU in the position of Director of the Telecommunications Development Bureau.
Each member state has one vote at the PP Conference.
The Caribbean’s strong presence at this year’s quadrennial Plenipot affords the Caribbean to have a stronger voice in the policy-shaping of the ITU to cater to the specific needs of the over 19 million Caribbean citizens and residents that we represent in the Caribbean Telecommunication Union (CTU) member states.
The CTU met in September in the Bahamas to prepare for this conference. At this time, ICT Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, Konris Maynard had also attended the meeting.
St Kitts and Nevis is also using this opportunity to have critical bilateral meetings with ICT Ministers and Ministries from the best practice countries across the globe as the nation lay the groundwork for their Digital Transformation and conversion to an E-Government.
The ITU is the oldest United Nations Agency, established in 1865. It is the UN’s specialized agency of Information and Communication Technologies. The ITU, among other things, allocates global radio spectrum and satellite orbits, develop technical standards and strives to improve access to ICTs in underserved communities worldwide.
Konris Maynard, St Kitts and Nevis’ Minister of Information Communication and Technology stated, “We all benefit from the work of the ITU every time we send an email, access the internet or make a mobile call.”
The Plenipotentiary Conference is the highest policy-making body of the ITU. The conference is held every four years to set the Union’s general policies, adopt four-year strategic and financial plans, and elect the organisation’s senior management team, the Member States of the Council, and the members of the Radio Regulations Board.
The ITU conference is being hosted at the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, Romania, the World’s largest civilian building with an administrative function, the World’s most expensive administrative building and the World’s heaviest building designed by 700 architects.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
