India signs Host Country Agreement with the International Telecommunication Union for establishment of Area Office & Innovation Center at New Delhi

What is the news?

India’s Union Minister of Communications and Secretary General of International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has signed the Host Country Agreement (HCA) for the establishment of an Area Office & Innovation Center of ITU in New Delhi.

What is the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)?

International Telecommunication Union(ITU) is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies – ICTs.

It was originally established in 1865 as the International Telegraph Union.It is one of the oldest international organizations in operations.

Members: It is open to all Member States of the United Nations. There are currently 193 Member States of the ITU.

India was a founding member of ITU.

HQ: Geneva, Switzerland

Area Office & Innovation Center of ITU in India

The Government of India and ITU have signed an agreement for setting up an Area Office and Innovation Centre for ITU in New Delhi.

The area office will serve South Asian countries namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India.

The office will help provide greater access and engagement to India and South Asian countries in global policy and standard formation in the field of telecommunication.

Moreover, the office will also have an innovation center which is expected to give impetus to research and development in telecommunication technologies in South Asia.

Source: This post is based on the article “India signs Host Country Agreement with the International Telecommunication Union for establishment of Area Office & Innovation Center at New Delhi” published in PIB on 4th Mar 2022.