7 March 2011: The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is hosting high-level consultations on Digital Inclusion for Least Developed Countries (LDCs): Innovation, Growth, Sustainability, on 8-9 March 2011, in Geneva, Switzerland.

The consultations aim to address the developmental role played by information and communication technologies (ICTs). They are based on the recognition of the role ICTs play in promoting economic growth and sustainability while spurring innovation in many Least Developed Countries (LDCs). For example, new technologies, such as next-generation networks (NGN) and broadband, can act as catalysts in addressing extreme poverty, structural weaknesses of economies, climate change impacts, and the general vulnerabilities of LDCs that often expose them to immense infrastructure damage and loss of human life due to natural disasters. The consultations are being held in preparation for, and to provide inputs to, the fourth UN Conference on LDCs to be held in Istanbul, Turkey, from 9-13 May 2011. [ITU Press Release]