SAMENA Council Leaders' Summit 2023
Opening Remarks
Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin
15 May 2023
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am honored to be part of the opening of this summit as the new ITU SG alongside such distinguished speakers, and of course it's always an honor to come to Dubai, a second home for ITU having hosted and welcomed so many of our global and regional meetings.
I'm especially glad to see a focus on sustainable connectivity, which aligns perfectly with ITU's strategic objectives: universal meaningful connectivity and sustainable digital transformation.
This strong and crystal-clear mandate, set by ITU Member States at last year's Plenipotentiary Conference, was made for this moment.
Amid unprecedented technological change, we must not forget that 2.7 billion people worldwide are still offline, without access to vital services from healthcare, education, information – and most of these unconnected reside in the Global South.
On Wednesday this week, in two days' time, ITU will celebrate World Telecommunication and Information Society Day to mark the creation of the ITU in 1865, when 20 countries came together to sign the International Telegraph Convention.
From the telegraph, to the telephone to the Internet, bringing the benefits of communication technologies has always been at the core of our mission.
This year's celebration will focus on least developed countries – some of which are part of SAMENA.
Why this theme?
Because it's time for all of us to renew our collective commitment to the hardest-to-connect communities in LDCs and beyond.
Because today, it is technologically possible to connect everyone on this planet.
At our recent Plenipotentiary Conference, ITU Member States highlighted space as a key driver of connectivity and sustainable development. And it is great to see this in focus here.
Because space-based resources, from satellite orbits to spectrum, must be used equitably and sustainably – for the benefit of all.
Nowhere will this be more apparent than here in Dubai for our World Radiocommunication Conference at the end of this year.
It will be a major moment for sustainable connectivity.
WRC-23 will address critical connectivity issues, from allocating additional spectrum for 5G, to expanding satellite broadband.
In parallel, the world will come to Dubai for COP28, where ITU will highlight how digital can enable the transition to net zero emissions.
Future generations depend on us to climate-proof our industry right now, and the only way to do it is together.
We all have a stake in ensuring our shared digital future is universally, meaningfully connected – and economically and environmentally sustainable.
That's the cornerstone of Partner2Connect, a coalition led by ITU that has mobilized more than 620 pledges valued at nearly 30 billion US dollars so far.
Each pledge represents a concrete investment to connect the world's hardest-to-reach places and communities.
The success of initiatives like Partner2Connect depends on digital leaders like you.
Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen,
2023 marks the halfway point to deliver on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
ITU is organizing the first-ever SDG Digital Day on September 17 in New York, in advance of the SDG Summit, to showcase how digital technologies can rescue the SDGs… and make sustainable connectivity drive digital transformation in this decade of action.
Join us, and together we can build a secure, connected, and sustainable digital future for all.
Thank you.
