Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 8 / Trend H.Valiyev /
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) approved the recommendations and suggestions in addressing the problem of digital divide through regional cooperation, a source in the telecommunications market told Trend on Monday.
The recommendations state the importance of the role of the Eurasian Connectivity Alliance - EuraCA and the construction of the Trans-Eurasian Information Super Highway (TASIM), which is an important element in connecting the European and Asian continents.
TASIM project was presented at a meeting of experts on the Asian Information Superhighway and the Regional Connectivity, which took place at the initiative of ESCAP in the Philippines on September 24-25. The main purpose of consultations was to obtain recommendations of industry experts.
"Most of the fiber-optic routes connecting Asia with Europe and the United States, are laid on the seabed. These routes are the most prone to accidents, which may be caused by natural disasters, as well as by fishing boats. Losses are estimated at billions of dollars. Asian countries highly appreciated the importance of TASIM, which is able to guarantee an uninterrupted connection between Europe and Asia," the expert said.
The TASIM project, acting as a platform to facilitate international cooperation and sustainable development in the use of ICT, has repeatedly received the support of the UN.
This year at the 98th plenary session of General Assembly's 67th session UN General Assembly passed a resolution supporting the initiative of Azerbaijan on the establishment of a Eurasian Alliance (Eurasian Connectivity Alliance - EuraCA) and construction of a Trans-Eurasian Information Super Highway (TASIM). The following countries joined the resolution as co-authors: Israel, Turkey, Georgia, Belarus, Moldavia, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
This initiative envisages enhancing trans-regional cooperation in information and communications technology, help Governments respond better to the needs and challenges of that sector, attract strong private sector interest and facilitate knowledge-sharing in this sphere.
Earlier the UN adopted two resolutions on the TASIM project. TASIM is a regionally significant project aimed at laying trans-national fibre-optic lines covering Eurasian countries from Western Europe to Eastern Asia.
The project envisages the creation of a major transit line from the German city of Frankfurt to Chinese Hong Kong. The network that brings together the biggest information exchange centres of Europe and Asia will run through the territories of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Georgia, China and Kazakhstan to Germany. An alternative north transit communication line will be laid through Russia, Ukraine and Poland.
Currently, the TASIM project includes such countries as Russia (Rostelecom), Kazakhstan (KazTransCom), Turkey (TurkTelecom) and China (ChinaTelecom), as well as Azerbaijani Azertelekom.
The project is aimed at reducing poverty and accelerating economic growth. It may also play a leading role in the region's development.
The TASIM project is meant to connect 20 countries. Its realisation will allow eliminating the 'information gap' between Western Europe and countries of the Pacific Basin.