African leaders to speak at ITU meeting

Presidents Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso and Paul Kagame of Rwanda are among those scheduled to speak at the International Telecommunication Union's high-level meeting on ICT, climate change and cybersecurity Nov. 12 at ITU Headquarters in Geneva.

The ITU Council 2008 High-Level Segment (HLS) is designed to provide ministers and councillors with an opportunity to exchange views on emerging trends in the sector and on issues of strategic importance to the union, according to the union.

Highlighted topics include "Combating Climate Change through ICT," "Adapting to Climate Change: The Role of Emergency Telecommunications" and "ITU Global Cybersecurity Agenda: Towards an International Roadmap."

Some 25 ministers, leading policy makers, regulators and U.N. agencies are expected to attend the HLS, and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is scheduled to deliver a video message.