At the Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-22) of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) held in Bucharest, Romania in September 2022, Doreen Bogdan-Martin was elected as the first woman to be the Secretary-General of the ITU (to view the full conference report on the PP-22: http://www.satellitemarkets.com/events/highlights-itu-plenipotentiary-conference-2022). The ITU is one of the oldest multilateral international organizations founded in 1865 and based in Geneva, Switzerland.
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| Doreen Bogdan-Martin |
Bogdan-Martin was the the Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) since January 2019. Bogdan-Martin has executed extensive reforms at the BDT, building a refocused, impact-driven Bureau. This includes upskilling BDT’s staff and adapting BDT’s technical assistance, tools, and expertise for the challenges of bridging the digital divide. She has put in place a Results-Based Management (RBM) system, improved internal accountability, and initiated a comprehensive review of reporting across BDT’s global network of offices.
Prior to her directorship of the BDT, she headed the ITU’s Strategic Planning & Membership Department from 2008-2018, where she directed global conferences, led member relations and communications, and oversaw the ITU’s relations with the UN. She was instrumental in creating the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, which she continues to manage as its Executive Director. She pioneered and oversees ITU’s ongoing contribution to the EQUALS Global Partnership for Gender Equality in the Digital Age, created the #BYND Youth Summit, and is leading ITU’s collaboration with UNICEF on the Giga project to connect all the world’s schools.
Before assuming her position as ITU Secretary--General in January 1st this year, Bogdan-Martin sat down with our Geneva-based correspondent, Roxana Dunnette and looked back on her distinguised civil service career and shared her views on the key issues facing the telecommunications sector and her plans as ITU Secretary-General.
Excepts of the interview follows:
Roxana Dunnette (RD): As the first woman leading one of the oldest UN agencies, I think everybody would like to know how do you feel and what is going to be different and new at ITU under your leadership?
Doreen Bogdan-Martin (DBM): I am excited, honored, humbled and I am really looking forward for the 1st of January. Under my leadership, I expect an inclusive, innovative ITU, with more creativity, and team spirit more impact on the ground with more projects and initiatives implemented.
RD: Your credo for years has been 'connect the unconnected'--some 2.7 billon people. Do you think is possible before 2030 to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals?
DBM: I sure hope so. The achievements of the development goals will require connectivity, each of the goal has a better chance to be met if we connect 2.7 billion people. It is technologically possible, we have the technology to do it, knowledge to do it, but there are challenges around cost, skills development, languages, security, etc. So we have to address these challenges to make it happen before 2030.
RD: Youth and Gender equality in the digital age is again one of your initiatives. In Bucharest at the Plenipotentiary conference there were young delegates from 'Connect Generation.' What is the ITU agenda to shape the next generation of experts and delegates?
DBM: It is important to have intergenerational discussions. We need to learn from young people and they need to learn from us. I look forward to implement ITU's Youth Strategy to bring young people into our work force, straightening the internship program. We need to have young people part of our deliberations with Member States and Sector Members.
I think this Plenipotentiary Conference having young delegates was great, we learned a lot and I hope to have more of them. We will continue to mentor them to understand how to prepare for PP, how to negotiate, how to take the microphone. That’s our future especially for our digital future. They are early adopters, they understand the technology better then we do. They are the future and they embrace the technologies faster.
You need women in ITU and you need women in design of applications, services and equipment.
We need to have that perspective.
In terms of how devices are created many women have differences. We need to bring them to the table also when it comes to policies and deliberations.
RD: What will be the ITU's role in shaping new international issues related with cyber security, artificial intelligence, environment, digital transformation and more?
DBM: Yes, it is very interesting and I think what’s terrific for ITU is that we have some good outcomes from this conference.
For the first time we have a resolution on artificial intelligence. We have a continuous strong mandate on cyber security having countries develop cyber strategies and we have two new resolutions on space one to look at geostationary and non –geostationary orbit satellites equitable access and one on UNSPACE 2030 launched last year.
The ITU has a clear role now as recognized by the plenipotentiary conference in implementing SPACE 2030 agenda and to make sure that the data collected by space satellites are used for peace, environment, early warning, monitoring.
It is positioned very well.
RD: No technology other then satellites can deliver content and provide connectivity to all locations .We are witnessing how we can rely on it in case of conflicts, natural disasters, displaced populations, etc. How is the ITU going to reinforce the use of satellites for peace, climate change impact, reduce space pollution, sustainable development?
DBM: First of all we have a close collaboration with the UN and outer space agencies. So when it comes to space debris they have more scope and mandate in that respect. The whole new fleet of satellites to be launched and existing systems provide tremendous opportunities for connectivity to unconnected and for helping when it comes to early warning, disaster risk reduction and much more.
We have just deployed people and equipment to Nicaragua. When disasters strike ITU and satellite community respond and provide equipment. We have a number of satellite entities that provide free satellite capacity in those situations.
We have signed the UN Crisis Connectivity Charter in 2019. The U.N Charter on Crisis Connectivity is a mechanism developed by EMEA Satellite Operators Association, and Global VSAT Forum in coordination with the UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs and the World Food Program. Emergency telecommunications cluster which improves the availability of satellite–based communications for humanitarians efforts and communities in times of crisis.
RD: What is the role of the ITU in data and information sharing, in building partnerships, in reinforcing the international cooperation in global governance of all Telecom/ICT activities?
DBM: We have with our new partner, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), a program for the exchange of letters on refugees connectivity and of course with UNICEF on school connectivity so it’s a lot to do with mapping when it come to data because ITU is the agency that collect ICT data.
We also have a broadband infrastructure mapping program to identify existing infrastructures. We are using Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) and other machine learning techniques to identify schools and see which ones are connected or are not connected and the ones not connected are the focus of our data program.
RD: Broadband Commission is also you!
DBM: Of course, I was heavily involved in the Broadband Commission. The Commission has recently come out with a new report on smart phones and devices and affordability.
I think it is going to be a good contribution to countries which are trying to figure out how to make smart phones more affordable either through recycling used phones, local manufacturing, reducing import duties and taxation. A lot of innovative work is done in the space of smart phones.
So the Commission will continue to follow up that report and we have a new group on small and medium enterprises in connectivity.
RD: A question to satisfy our 'Generation Connect' readers about the Metaverse and sustainability. A fully working virtual world or just in real time will require a far more capacity to transmit data between customers and networks that is currently available. A.I. functionality to combine different type of networks will be necessary. Who will pay for such a multilayered in infrastructure ant will it be available to everybody?
DBM: The World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos has set up a Metaverse Group and we work in between sessions. Some people are crazy about this and things are moving.
(Note: Defining and building the Metaverse is a WEF initiative working to define the parameters of an economically, viable, interoperable, safe and inclusive Metaverse focusing on two areas, governance and economic and social value creation. Ms. Bogdan-Martin is in the governace group.)
RD: Your wish?
DBM: That we build an inclusive trusted connected world.
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Roxana Dunnette is a correspondent of Satellite Executive Briefing based in Geneva, Switzerland. She is Executive Director, R&D MEDIA, Switzerland. She has had an extensive career in Broadcasting and media including senior management positions at Worldspace, CBS and PBS in New York and international telecommunications regulatory work at the UN in New York and ITU in Geneva as US government representative. She accomplished many development projects in Africa based on satellite technologies, broadcasting, Internet and accessibility. She can be reached at: roxanadunnette@gmail.com
