The 3rd Global Forum on Emergency Telecommunications (GET-19) - Innovating together to save lives: using technologies in disaster management, organized by the International Telecommunication Union and hosted by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority of Mauritius (ICTA) will take place from 6 to 8 March 2019, in Balaclava, Mauritius.
This event comes at a time when natural hazards are having devastating impacts on people and economies across the globe. At the same time, incredible growth in ICT networks and services and innovation in technologies open doors to opportunities for saving lives and limiting the impact of disasters. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has also helped raise awareness of the importance of disaster risk reduction and management. Of the 17 goals for sustainable development established by the United Nations, Goals 1, 2, 11 and 13 make reference to the need of nations and communities to address the challenges of disasters.
The theme of GET-19 - Innovating together to save lives: using technologies in disaster management - highlights the role of information and communication technology (ICT) networks and services in disaster risk reduction and management, and saving lives.
Discussions will focus on disaster risk reduction strategies, national emergency telecommunication planning and policies, resilient infrastructure, and national coordination. The event will also highlight the importance of early-warning and monitoring systems and showcase and demonstrate the role of new technologies such as big data, Internet of Things, robotics, and Artificial Intelligence in detecting, monitoring and predicting disasters as well as their applications in the immediate aftermath of disasters.
The Forum will highlight the needs and opportunities of partnerships and cooperation and address challenges and opportunities for ICTs in the humanitarian context. GET-19 will discuss how humanitarian organizations can leverage technology to prepare and respond more effectively and to help victims of conflict or humanitarian crises. It will help present existing, and shape new partnerships between the ICT sector, governments and the humanitarian community.
GET-19 brings together ICT ministers, heads of national ICT regulatory authorities, chief executive officers from the ICT industry, heads of United Nations organizations, other senior level participants and representatives from non- governmental organizations, humanitarian organizations, development banks, regional disaster management organizations, academia and media.
BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS
TABLE TOP EXERCISE
INVITATION LETTERS
Disruptive technologies and their use in disaster risk reduction and management
Draft for comments ITU Global Guidelines to Develop NETP (in pdf format)
Draft concept note on Partnerships for Saving Lives – Disaster Connectivity Map (in pdf format)
Caribbean 2017 Hurricane Season, an evidence-based assessment of the early warning system, by WMO-CREWS (in pdf format)
ITU-R activity for emergency and disaster relief communications
ITU-T work on emergency telecommunications
WEBCAST AND REMOTE PARTICIPATION
Remote Participation
LIVE! Webcast
Webcast Archive
MEDIA
GET-19 newsroom
QUICK LINKS
Emergency Telecommunications Homepage
ITU Disaster Response
Events
Publications
Projects
Partnering for Disaster Reduction
ICTs for Disaster Management
Big Data
Tampere Convention
Study Group Question on Emergency Telecommunications
ITU Resolutions
