Forum: The Effective Use of ICTs for Disaster Management – Mauritius
3-5 March 2009

The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation is pursuing its series of Fora on The Effective Use of ICTs for Disaster Management. The forthcoming forum will be held in Port Louis Mauritius with the focus on the way ICTs can be used to meet the challenges faced by small island states like Mauritius and others like it in the Indian Ocean region.

This fifth Forum is being jointly organised with the Mauritian national ICT regulator, the Information and Communication Technologies Authority.

Amongst the high level speakers during the event will be experts from the ITU-D, the UN-Habitat, the European Commission and the CTO and the Indian Ocean Commission. The Mauritian Minister of Information and Communication Technology, the Honourable Asraf Ally Dulull will give the Keynote Address during the Introductory Session. He will be followed by speakers in the following Sessions: Session 2 - creating an Enabling Policy Environment, Session 3 - Creating an Encouraging Regulatory Framework, Session 4 - Preparedness, Best Practices, Guidance and Examples; Session 5 - Mitigation, Best Practices, Guidance and Examples; Session 6 - Relief, Best Practices, Guidance and Examples, Session 7- Recovery and Reconstruction and Session 8 - Building an Action Plan for Mauritius.

Some 80 delegates from ministries, parastatal organisations as well as ICT operators are expected to attend. They will be joined by representatives from regional organisations like CRASA and ARICEA as well as the Indian Ocean Commission.

The Forum will bring together the key players in Mauritius – an island which regularly has to tackle natural disasters like cyclones. All the four stages of the disaster management cycle will come under the spotlight ie preparedness, mitigation, relief and recovery and reconstruction.

The Forum will also serve as a platform for participants to develop practical tools for eventual use in disaster management strategies. It will culminate in an Action Plan for Mauritius.

Who should attend :

Public Sector: Policy Makers, Regulators, Universal Service/Access Fund Agencies, Development and Aid Agencies, Local Authorities, Emergency and Essential Services

Telco Operators : Fixed and mobile network operators, ISPs, mobile internet and web SPs

Public Broadcasters: i.e organisations with a role in keeping a public information flow about disasters

To Register as a sponsor, exhibitor or delegate please contact Ms Premila Tohooloo today at 230 2115333 or email ptohooloo@imail.icta.mu or Mr Lasantha De Alwis at 44 20 8834 1570 or email L.Dealwis@cto.int