ITU, GSMA & Internet Society Join Hands To Fight Ebola Through ICT

 

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the GSMA and the Internet Society (ISOC), have partnered to fight against Ebola. The three organizations are planning to increase the effectiveness of ICT, especially mobile communications and the Internet, for better preparedness, early warning and response.

Secretary General of the ITU, Dr Hamadoun I Touré said: “The ICT Sector is critical in dealing with the Ebola threat. ICTs are already being used by ITU and its partners to support awareness raising and emergency communications, and our immediate challenge is to ensure regulatory barriers are removed to facilitate deployment and use of telecommunications applications for the purpose of saving lives.”

Dr. Touré urged Ministers, Regulators, Ambassadors, and other delegates to ensure that all measures are taken to facilitate the effective deployment of ICTs for addressing the Ebola crisis while balancing this with the need to protect consumer privacy.

ITU has already deployed satellite terminals to support ongoing efforts and is currently developing new applications in close cooperation and coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO). The apps are being designed to improve awareness raising efforts, facilitate early warning alerts, report new cases of infection, and support coordination of humanitarian action at community, country and regional levels.

The GSMA has led in coordinating and standardizing the response of mobile operators in affected countries, and has collaborated with the WHO to develop the “Ebola Mobile Response Blueprint”, which provides critical guidance for operators and regulators on running effective and best practice public health campaigns leveraging mobile technology.

Director General of the GSMA, Anne Bouverot said: “The response effort to address the Ebola crisis is broad-ranging and complex, involving many different organizations globally. The mobile industry is committed to continuing to work closely with governments, international bodies and NGOs to utilize technology that will help address this outbreak, as well as deliver information to individuals in affected countries on symptoms, care and resources for this disease.”

ISOC has set up the Ebola TECH Response Group aimed at harnessing the expertise of its extensive tech community around the world to aid the emergency response.

Kathy Brown, CEO of ISOC said: “The spread of Ebola and the ravages that it is leaving behind in the affected countries in Africa are imprinting their mark on all of us and have a very personal impact on people in those communities and around the world. Like others, the ISOC community of staff, volunteers and members want to help. We have therefore come together to establish the Ebola TECH Response Group.”