Cristina Bueti
Symposium on
“ ICTs and Climate Change”
8-10 July 2009, Quito, Ecuador
www.itu.int/climate
International
Telecommunication
Union
Committed to Connecting the World
ITU & Climate Change
ITU is the leading United Nations
Agency for ICTs
Committed to Connecting the World-
Committed to Connecting it responsibly
ITU mandate on Climate Change
UN Secretary-
dates back in 1994 (Res. 35, Kyoto) General,
Ban Ki-moon:
Resolution 73 on CC approved at the "ITU is one of
the very
WTSA (Johannesburg, Oct. 2008) important
stakeholders
in the area of
Opinion 3, WTPF (April 2009) climate
change.“
ITU is co-facilitator in issues related
to WSIS Action Line C7: e-environment
ITU’s activities on climate change can be found at: www.itu.int/climate
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Committed to Connecting the World
ITU and Climate Change
The ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) manages the
detailed coordination and recording procedures for space systems and
earth stations, which are used for climate data collection and
environmental monitoring...
ITU's Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T)
develops standards that are used, for instance, in promoting energy
efficiency, safe disposal and recycling of telecommunication/ICT
equipment, and next-generation networks...
ITU's Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) works
on promoting a role for ICTs in the protection of the environment in
its e-Environment and e-Sustainability programmes…
The General Secretariat coordinates our efforts and for example has
been actively participating in the work of the UN Chief Executives
Board and its subsidiary bodies on developing a unified and
collaborative UN strategy to combat climate change, including a
matrix on activities of each agency and program.
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Committed to Connecting the World
TOWARD A NEW GLOBAL FRAMEWORK
2007 COP-13 in Bali launched process for negotiation of new Agreement
established AWGLCA (Ad Hoc Working Group on Long Term
Cooperative Action) to develop work program
2008 AWGLCA meetings
Bangkok (31 March–4 April)
Bonn (2-13 June)
Accra (21-27 August)
2009 Meeting of COP-14
Poznan, Poland (1-12 December)
2009 COP-15 meets and expected to conclude Agreement
Bonn (29 March-8 April)
Bonn (1-12 June)
Three further sessions will be held prior to Copenhagen: 10-14
August in Bonn (informal meeting); 28 September-9 October in
Bangkok and 2-6 November in Barcelona.
Copenhagen (7-18 December)
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Committed to Connecting the World
WTSA-08
Resolution 73 on Climate Change
Notes conclusion of GSS that ICT industry
can set an example by committing to
specific programs with objectives to
reduce overall GHG emissions
Recognizes that ICTs can make a substantial
contribution and be a major factor to mitigate
the effects of climate change, for example
through energy-efficient devices, applications and
networks
Resolves that CC is a high priority in ITU as part
of our contribution to UN processes and global efforts
to moderate climate change
Resolves to promote adoption of recommendations
to ensure greater energy efficient of ICT
devices and reduce GHG emissions in all sectors
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Committed to Connecting the World
High-Level Segment (HLS) of the ITU
Council 2008
HLS brought together Presidents of Burkina Faso and
Rwanda along with Ministers, regulators and heads of
UN agencies and focused on climate change &
cybersecurity. (12-13 November 2008)
Declaration of the ITU Secretary General on climate change:
“ITU is mainstreaming this major issue into its regular work programme. ITU is
undertaking important work on how ICTs can help prevent and avert climate
change. There is a strong role for ITU in standards for energy
efficiency of the ICT equipment on which our digital economy
depends. ITU has always taken the lead in setting high
standards for telecommunications and ICTs, and this is
another key area in which ITU can make a real difference.”
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Committed to Connecting the World
WTPF – Opinion 3
World Telecommunication and Policy Forum was held on 22-
24 April 2009 in Lisbon, Portugal
Lisbon Consensus - Opinion 3 “ICT and the Environment”
Invited:
– the ITU Secretary-General
a) to bring the content of Resolution 73 (WTSA-08) on
Information and communication technologies and climate change
to the attention of the ITU Council and take appropriate actions,
taking into consideration the United Nations commitment to lead
by example, to achieve climate-neutral status within three years;
b) to continue, within the mandate of the ITU, to cooperate
and collaborate with other entities within the UN in formulating
future international efforts for the effective addressing of climate
change, and to report the results of these efforts to the Council;
– The Deputy Secretary-General and the Directors of the
Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, the
Radiocommunication Bureau and the Telecommunication
Development Bureau
a) to continue to work together, and with relevant study
groups, to raise the awareness of these issues, especially in
developing countries, as work progresses in their respective
Sectors;
b) to promote liaison with other relevant organizations in
order to avoid duplication of work and to optimize the use of
resources.
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Committed to Connecting the World
ITU & Acting on Climate Change:
The UN System Delivering as One
ITU is contributing to the effort
of the UN system to “deliver
as one” to address climate
change and is taking the
necessary steps to deepen the
global understanding of the
relation between ICTs and
climate change.
"Acting on Climate Change: The
UN System Delivering as One"
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Committed to Connecting the World
Assisting Developing Countries
Develop guidelines, training materials and
toolkits on technology & policy aspects of
e-Environment applications
Assist developing countries in implementing
relevant ICT applications for environment
and sustainable development
I
Challenges and opportunities
NEED
ITU’s
HELP!
Awareness promotion
Work with international partners for
capacity building and coordinated
initiatives
Support developing countries for pilot
project implementation
Monitor and evaluate results; share best
practices with other countries
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Committed to Connecting the World
ICTs for e-Environment Report
Objective: Provide guidelines for developing
countries on the use of ICTs for better
management and protection of the
environment as a key part of their
development process, with particular focus on
climate change
Examines six areas of ICT use: Environmental
Observation, Analysis, Planning, Management
& Protection, ICT Mitigation and Capacity
Building
Recommendations for developing
countries:
Strengthen national analysis, planning
and implementation
Use existing and new financial mechanisms
Foster technology transfer
Promote best practices
Promote Public-Private partnerships
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Committed to Connecting the World
ICTs for e-Environment Report (cont.)
Building on these recommendations, ITU has
initiated a series of activities to assist decision-
makers in ITU Members States:
e-Environment Readiness Index: Methodology and
indicators for assessing a country’s level of e-
environment readiness
e-Environment toolkit: Practical guidelines for
assessing needs and establishing strategies for the
implementation of national e-environment master plans
Direct assistance to countries in need: Using the
developed tools to facilitate the deployment of
infrastructure and related ICT services
Capacity building: Workshops and training material to
assist Member States in the development of master
plans and the deployment of diverse ICT applications
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Committed to Connecting the World
Next Steps
Circulate the Toolkit draft report and
the EERI and obtain feedback
Support developing countries in
conducting e-Environment readiness
assessments
Aid selected countries in developing e-
Environment strategies and action
plans, in collaboration with partners
(see Annex)
Monitor and evaluate results
Share best practices with other
countries
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Committed to Connecting the World
“Climate Change is a global challenge that the
world cannot lose.”
Dr Hamadoun I. Touré
ITU Secretary-General, 13 November 2008
“Climate change is the defining challenge of our
era.
ITU‟s work to cut greenhouse gas emissions,
develop standards and use „e-environment‟
systems can speed up the global shift to a low-
carbon economy.
Ban Ki-moon
United Nations Secretary-General, 12 November
2008
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Committed to Connecting the World
More information
ITU Activities on Climate Change
http://www.itu.int/climate
or by contacting us at:
climate@itu.int
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Thank you for your attention!
International Telecommunication Union
cristina.bueti@itu.int
International
Telecommunication
Union