Overview
The Fifth ITU Connect Summit
The Connect Asia-Pacific Summit was the fifth in the ITU-led Connect Summits series, held on 18 November 2013. Jointly organised with the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand and the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) of Thailand, the summit brought together senior leaders from across the region to advance ICT development cooperation.
It was at this landmark gathering that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) announced their partnership to establish the ICTD-ASP — the ICT for Development in the Asia-Pacific Region platform.
Participation & Representation
The summit attracted approximately 625 participants from 37 ITU Asia-Pacific Member States, reflecting broad regional commitment to ICT-driven development. High-level representation included:
- 7 Heads of State or Government
- 30 Deputy Prime Ministers, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, and ambassadors
Significance for ICTD-ASP
The announcement of the ICTD-ASP partnership at the Connect Asia-Pacific Summit laid the foundation for a multi-stakeholder platform focused on project development and implementation, investment partnership and resource mobilisation, and information and knowledge sharing across the Asia-Pacific region. The summit's outcomes directly shaped the agenda for the ICTD-ASP launch event held in Manila in April 2014.