ITU Regional Office and Innovation Centre will catalyse ground breaking solutions: Kanaka Herath

State Technology Minister Kanaka Herath (second from right) at the ceremonial opening of International Telecommunication Union Regional Office and Innovation Centre in New Delhi

State Technology Minister Kanaka Herath at the ceremony

State Technology Minister Kanaka Herath with India Railways and Communications and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

The State Technology Minister Kanaka Herath recently said that the newly opened International Telecommunication Union Regional Office and Innovation Centre in New Delhi will help catalyse the development of ground breaking solutions.

He made these remarks while attending the opening of the Centre on the invitation by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The inauguration of the International Telecommunication Union Regional Office and Innovation Center was presided over by the Prime Minister Modi. Dignitaries, including ministers and heads of institutions from the South Asian region’s telecommunications and information technology sectors, along with scholars in the field, were in attendance.

State Minister Herath conveyed the warm congratulations of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, on the occasion of the inauguration of the International Telecommunication Union Regional Office and Innovation Centre.

“India has been an abiding ally of Sri Lanka for a considerable period of time, and its assistance during our economic crisis is remembered with deep appreciation. Sri Lanka is presently undergoing a process of digital transformation, and the “SL Unique DI” (Sri Lanka Unique Digital Identity Project) initiative has received significant support from India. Thanks to this project, the progress of digital transformation in Sri Lanka is being expedited,” Herath said.

“By 2030, all efforts to construct a digital economy that utilises modern technologies will have begun. As a first step, an international conference and exhibition will be conducted in Sri Lanka from October to November this year. I would like to invite the ministers of all the nations represented today, especially the Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union, to join in this international conference and exhibition, which is being organised with the assistance of the World Bank,” the State Minister said.

According to him, the International Telecommunication Union Regional Office and Innovation Centre in New Delhi is of international significance. Being the origin of invention in the South Asian region, this institution will undoubtedly serve as an essential launch pad for future discoveries boosted by digitalisation. It is also a centre for supporting South Asian technical and sustainable development.” State Minister Herath stated.

On this occasion, India Railways and Communications and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, and the International Telecommunication Union Secretary General Doreen Bogdan-Martin, represented that union and the countries of the South Asian region in telecommunications and information technology.

Technology Ministry Additional Secretary M.P.N.M. Wickramasinghe and Telecommunications Regulatory Commission Acting Director General R.G.H.K. Ranatunga also accompanied the State Minister as part of the Sri Lanka delegation.

The International Telecommunication Union, headquartered in Geneva, is a coalition of 193 member nations and 900 organisations, including multinational corporations, regional corporations and universities. This organisation is a specialised United Nations agency for international information and communication technologies.