Highlights from an ITU meeting held ahead of the fourth United Nations Conference on least developed countries (UNLDC-IV) that will take place in Istanbul, Turkey, from 9 to 13 May 2011. Towards the Istanbul Programme of Action Amid all the worthy goals and fine targets, what will really help the least developed countries to join the achievers? One effective way will be to boost progress towards the Millennium Development Goals through digital inclusion. These goals, which span all sectors, are to: eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality and empower women; reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability; and develop a global partnership for development, involving the private sector and civil society, that includes the sharing of benefits of information and communication technologies (ICT) with countries worldwide. ITU responds to disaster in Japan Earthquake and tsunami In the immediate aftermath of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan on 11 March 2011, ITU deployed satellite equipment to help reestablish communications vital for search and rescue operations in the disasteraffected areas. As this edition of ITU News was going to press, more than 27 000 people had been officially reported dead or missing. Most are from the three hardest hit prefectures of Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima, according to information on the website of Japan's national public broadcaster, NHK, on 4 April 2011.
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