Connect the Caribbean Initiative
OFFICIAL OPENING CEREMONY
CANTO 24th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Greetings from the Secretary General- Ms. Regenie F.Ch. Fräser Ballroom Hotel Torarica Paramaribo – Suriname 27 January 2008 |
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President of the Republic of Suriname, Honorable Ministers, Excellencies, CANTO Chairman & Board Members, Honorary Members, Partners and Sponsors, Distinguished Delegates, Invited Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen; As a national of Suriname I am delighted to be home and to welcome all our visiting guests to the Republic of Suriname. It is my hope that you will feel as at home as I do. I know you will enjoy the friendliness and the hospitality of the Surinamese people. Suriname is a true melting pot. The nine ethnic groups with their various traditions and beliefs have blended harmoniously to add richness to our way of life. Much like CANTO, our strength is in our diversity. As Secretary General of CANTO, it is indeed an honor, and my pleasure, to welcome you all to this the Opening Ceremony of CANTO’s 24th Annual General Meeting. We wish to thank our host and main sponsor TELESUR for their hospitality, their warm welcome and the tremendous work they have put into the staging of this event. A big thank you also to the various sponsors: NORTEL, Bahamas Telecommunications Company, Uniqa, Jinny Software Limited, Jhullian Graphics, Cerillion and Global Voice Group S.A., for their sponsorship. It is your support and partnership that has made this event possible. As we prepare for deliberations and decisions in this our 24th Annual General Meeting, PARTNERHIP is indeed the watch word. As CANTO embarks on its 24th year of operations, it remains focused on its mission: To facilitate the provision of innovative information and communication for the region’s economic and cultural development, as well as for the benefit of our members – through the sharing of knowledge and expertise and through co-ordination of strategic standpoints and policymaking. While we remain focused on our mission, we are very aware of the ever changing landscape in which we operate. To ensure the organization remains relevant it has to change with the times if it is to fulfill its mission, and we are changing. From a membership of nine regional operators in 1985, our membership now stands at One hundred and three. There are 43 active members, reflecting the diverse mix of regional operators; six of these are from Suriname. There are 60 affiliate members, comprising information technology companies, equipment suppliers, financial organizations and regulatory agencies. Our affiliate members are from eight countries across North America, South America and Europe. Today CANTO is recognized internationally as a major trade association in the telecommunication sector. We network with other organizations such as CTU, CARICOM, CITEL, IBC, CCAA and ITU. It is against this background of global partnerships that CANTO is seeking to leverage its position, skills and competencies in connecting the efforts of regional stakeholders and encouraging global partnership and joint working between agencies, to develop a framework for the “Connecting the Caribbean Initiative.” “Connecting the Caribbean Initiative”, is the Caribbean’s response to the “Connect the World Initiative”. Connect the World, is a partnership based initiative, which supports the achievement of the objective of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) to bridge the digital divide. To achieve this, WSIS has set specific targets to improve access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) globally, by 2015. In line with the framework of Connect the World, Connecting the Caribbean will function as a partnership to mobilize the human, financial and technical resources required to bridge major gaps in ICT infrastructure development, enabling a harmonized policy framework and developing relevant and affordable services and applications. We know that Investment in ICT will fuel economic growth in the region and help fast-track targets to achieve broader development goals. We can’t afford for our region to be left behind. On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, we will convene the first face to face meeting of stakeholders. We will:
The Connecting the Caribbean Initiative, will form a major part of CANTO’s focus for the next few years. Other areas of focus include:
As we continue to pursue our strategic initiatives for the next few years, CANTO will seek to exemplify its theme for this year - “Caribbean Unity through Connectivity.” Through the work of the five working committees CANTO has an ambitious work programme, covering a wide range of issues:
In closing, we call upon our members, and all our partners, including Governments, and Regulators to join with us as we play our part in the goal to achieve “Caribbean Unity through Connectivity.” I sincerely thank you all for your attention. Good Evening and God Bless You All. | |||||||||||||