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 For the first time, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has
held its annual forum outside Geneva. Hong Kong was chosen as host of
Telecom World 2006, a prestigious global information and communication
technology (ICT) event that welcomed thousands of delegates from around
the world this month.
The Chief Executive, Mr. Donald Tsang, described it as a vote of confidence in Hong Kong’s expertise and China’s role in the
international arena, and said that the event “underlines Hong Kong’s
unique position as a global hub for ICT.” Pointing out that the Economist Intelligence Unit ranked Hong Kong 2nd in the Asia-Pacific
region this year in terms or e-readiness, he said that “ICT has boosted our productivity, generated economic gains and improved the quality of
life for Hong Kong people.”
This year, the ITU theme was “Living the Digital World”. About 700 exhibitors showcased their latest equipment, services or technologies
to an estimated 60,000 visitors. Along with this dynamic exhibition, a high-level forum was held, entitled “Shaping Our Future Digital Society”.
Speaking at this forum, the Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, Mr. Joseph W.P. Wong, outlined his views on government’s
role and responsibility in shaping a digital strategy. “In Hong Kong,” he said, “we have already set ourselves a goal in the Digital 21
Strategy to remove the digital divide in our own community and provide equal access of the
underprivileged and less prepared sectors of our population to the boundless and exciting world of the Internet.”
The Financial Secretary, Mr. Henry Tang, also spoke about the role of
governments in the digital world when he officiated at the opening of ICU at AsiaWorld-Expo.
Mr. Tang referred to the three types of digital divide identified by the United Nations ICT Task Force: access divide; usage divide; and
usage quality divide. “Investments by governments in education and training are absolutely necessary to enable one to utilize ICT properly
and turn information into knowledge.”
This kind of investment has paid off in Hong Kong where, he pointed out, “Today, one in three in Hong Kong’s labour force belongs to the
higher-skilled, professional and managerial group, and this group has
been growing at an annual rate of 4% a year.”
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