Global forum on effective use of telecommunications/ICT for disaster management: saving lives

This document presents the event held on 10-12 December 2007 in Geneva, which brought together stakeholders in disaster management and seeked to launch a number of practical initiatives. These are aimed at providing universal access to telecommunications/ICT resources to national entities and their staff, United Nations Organizations, local and international NGOs involved in rescue and relief operations, and to victims of disasters, in a timely manner. The ITU Framework for Cooperation in Emergencies (IFCE) coordinated by a High Level Panel of Eminent Persons is the main initiative that seeks to deploy on-demand ICT applications and services anywhere-anytime in the immediate aftermath of a disaster thanks to the synergy built around its Technology, Finance, and Logistics Clusters.