CTO - Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation

The CTO is the largest and oldest Commonwealth membership organisation committed to using information and communication technologies (ICTs) appropriately and effectively for development (ICT4D).

The CTO seeks to work collaboratively with other Commonwealth bodies to build mutually beneficial synergies in the interests of its members. The CTO has a key role to play in leading ICT4D initiatives across the Commonwealth, and it is committed to working together with other Commonwealth entities to reduce overlap and replication of activities. The CTO welcomes the opportunity to offer Secretariat support to any Commonwealth ICT initiatives that reflect the needs and interests of its members.

The CTO adopts a broad definition of ‘development’.  While recognising the current dominant understanding of development, which interprets it largely as economic growth, the CTO also supports the use of ICTs to deliver social, cultural and political dimensions of development.  To this end, the CTO’s approach detailed in our current Strategic Plan can be summarised as encapsulating the four ‘e-s’ of emancipating, enriching, equalising and empowering.