World Telecommunication Day.

International Telecommunication was founded in 1865 and such is the oldest Intergovernmental Organization. In 1947 it became a specialized agency of United Nation and now has a membership of 176 members countries. It is International Organization for the regulation in planning of Telecommunication World wide, for the establishment of equipment and system operating standards, for coordination and dissemination of information for planning and operation of Telecommunication Services, and for the promotion of Contribution of the Development Telecommunication Services.
World Telecommunication Day is celebrated every year on 17th May. 25th World Telecommunication Day will be celebrated on 17th May, 1993. This year Theme of the day has been adopted as \"Telecommunication and Human Development\". This theme reflects the increasingly important role played by Telecommunications in the development of human potential in harmony with our natural environment. In the area of economic development, as well as being an important industry in their own right, telecommunications contribute to increase productivity and increased job opportunities in all economic sectors.
Telecommunications also have an important effect on the nature and location of work. They help companies to optimize the use of human resources, particularly through the decentralization of operations and the creation of \"telework\" opportunities for people who might not otherwise be able to participate in the labour market. At the same time, telecommunications can potentially help to counteract the social displacement and disorder that characterize industrial society, by reducing economic migration between rural and urban areas, as well as between developing and developed countries. In the past, migrations of this kind were generally based on hopes for better living conditions. The reality was often something quite different crowded urban slums, inadequate health care and other social services, crime and strain on the social fabric of societies. In the future, telecommunications will hopefully help create more balanced social structures by providing job opportunities and an improved quality of life in all countries and regions of the world.
Telecommunications play an important role in improving health care. To-day radio telex and satellites are essential to the monitoring and control of many diseases on a regional and global basis. For example, telecommunication technologies played a crucial role in the eradication of smallpox. Telecommunications also help to make health care available in remote areas by linking rural clinics to major medical centres and allowing rural health care workers to consult medical experts in urban hospitals.
In the field of culture and education, the contributions of radio and television have been immense both in promoting basic literacy and in broadening the outlook and enriching the lives of listeners and viewers.
Telecommunications play an important role in preserving and enhancing the quality of the natural environment on which human development depends. Remote sensing satellites are indispensable tools for monitoring the earth\'s atmosphere, coastal waters, agricultural crops and forests. The data they gather enable us to identify the sources and effect of man-made pollution and deforestation as well as natural threats to the environment, so that we can better manage our planet\'s environment.
Telecommunications also have a very important effect on our political life. In recent years, a wave of democratic reform has swept the world, bringing about a new era of human rights and freedoms. This process has certainly been helped by the \"real-time\" coverage these events have received in both domestic and world-wide media, coverage which would not have been possible without advanced telecommunications.
(Contributed by: Pakistan Telecommunication Corporation, Islamabad).