ITU has deployed emergency satellite phones and other communications equipment to Myanmar in the wake of severe flooding that has affected over 1 million people.
The UN agency has sent gear including Iridium satellite phones, Inmarsat satellite terminals and laptops to support rescue and relief coordination efforts.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) estimates that as of Monday the flooding had killed 103, destroyed more than 15,000 homes and affected over 1.1 million people.
According to U Myat Hein,” Myanmar's union minister for ICT, the equipment is expected to play a key role in disaster relief efforts.
“I am fully confident that through cooperation with international agencies like ITU, local governments and non-governmental organizations, we can mitigate the effect of the disaster, and recover quickly,” he said.
So far this year, ITU has deployed emergency telecom equipment to Nepal, Malawi, Vanuatu, The Federated States of Micronesia, Mozambique and now Myanmar.
In a statement, ITU said it considers emergency telecommunications an integral part of its post-2015 sustainable development agenda. Nearly ubiquitous mobile adoption and widespread internet adoption gives ICT a vast potential to support disaster management efforts.
Telecom equipment will empower communities to provide early warning signs and act as first responders when disaster strikes, the agency said.