Keynote
Doreen Bogdan-Martin
Secretary-General, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
22nd Caribbean Ministerial Strategic ICT Seminar at
the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU)'s ICT Week 2024
[As prepared for delivery]
Honorable Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell,
Honorable Minister Meynard,
Honorable Minister Bacchus,
Secretary-General Taylor,
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
When United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited ITU in June, he encouraged us to “work together to build bridges."
That's why I'm so glad to be here with you in person to discuss “bridging technologies for a sustainable and inclusive future."
At the UN General Assembly in New York last week, and especially at the SDG Digital day during the summit of the future, I was able to catch a glimpse of that future, firsthand.
And I can tell you: our common future is digital.
Enshrined in the GDC — the Global Digital Compact — adopted just days ago by UN Member States — is “the birthright of the future" as the Honorable Minister from St. Kitts and Nevis called it in her national statement.
But how to understand the Global Digital Compact – and translate its promise into concrete action?
How do we make the GDC a lived reality for island nations − from St Kitts and Nevis all the way to Palau, which just became ITU's 194th Member State?
Think G-D-C. I would like to think it stands for: Guide. Develop. Collaborate.
Guide on how to use technology — including AI — safely and meaningfully by building digital skills, while prioritizing the needs of the most vulnerable, including children.
Develop resilient digital infrastructure in ways that promote universal, meaningful connectivity and sustainable digital transformation — ITU's two strategic goals.
Collaborate on investment within and across regions by leveraging key partnerships — like the one between ITU and the Caribbean Telecommunication Union, as well as with the private sector, to the fullest.
ITU is taking action in all three of these areas to support the implementation of the GDC in the Caribbean and beyond.
Let me share more.
GUIDE
The first GDC action area is “to guide". The word “skills" appears 10 times in the Global Digital Compact, and for good reason: to benefit from digital, one must know how to use it.
This is getting increasingly difficult, given the speed at which tech is racing ahead, especially when it comes to artificial intelligence.
This is partly why ITU launched the AI Skills Coalition at the UN Summit of the Future last week.
A big focus is to close the AI skills gap of IT professionals, especially in developing countries, by equipping them with skills to leverage AI for sustainable development and to establish solid governance frameworks.
The Global Digital Compact is also aimed at protecting the safety and human rights of the most vulnerable populations, including children.
ITU has been collaborating closely with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States to develop a Child Online Protection strategy and looks forward to supporting on implementation.
DEVELOP
For the second GDC action area— we must “Develop" resilient digital infrastructure.
One of the only initiatives explicitly referenced in the Global Digital Compact is Giga: the ITU-UNICEF initiative to connect every school on Earth to the Internet by 2030.
This is a testament to the success of Giga, now active in 34 countries, including in nine OECS members, as well as in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and nations across the Americas region.
The Caribbean region is also the focus of the Early Warnings for All initiative, where I'm pleased to report considerable progress.
More than half the world's countries now report having a multi-hazard early warning system – double since the baseline was set in 2015.
Still, progress is uneven.
The Caribbean faces significant gaps; and less than 50 per cent of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) report being covered.
That's why, in addition to leading the Communications pillar of Early Warnings for All, ITU provides technical assistance in developing National Emergency Telecommunications Plans, including right here in St. Kitts, to strengthen capacity, enhance national coordination, and build greater resilience in the face of climate change.
ITU also leverages AI for disaster connectivity mapping which provides near-real-time information on network status, helping assess which channels are available to disseminate warnings.
Our Disaster Connectivity Map has been activated more than 50 times in 30 countries, including in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, an unprecedented Category 5 storm that completely cut off communications in Grenada.
The science is clear: the frequency and severity of extreme weather and disasters will only increase unless we raise our climate ambition.
And the digital sector has a significant part to play.
That's why ITU launched Green Digital Action at COP28 last year.
COLLABORATE
Green Digital Action is all about keeping the digital sector accountable to the 1.5-degree target set out in the Paris Agreement – a target that SIDS depend on.
This brings me to the third GDC action area: C is for “Collaborate".
Ahead of COP29, ITU is calling on the entire global digital industry to collaborate by raising their climate ambitions even higher.
This will culminate in the first-ever Digitalization Day on 16 November.
That day, we hope to adopt a historic ministerial declaration; a testament to our collective efforts to harness digital for people and planet — and all 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
The Partner2Connect Digital Coalition is another example of the power of collaborative partnership when it comes to investing in meaningful connectivity.
Of a total 942 pledges, worth an estimated financial value of USD 51 billion, 15 per cent target at least one Small Island Developing State.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The future of Small Island Developing States, and of every Caribbean nation, is unequivocally digital.
A future where emerging technologies like AI (artificial intelligence) help island economies deliver resilient, inclusive prosperity to all, in line with the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS.
A future where every child benefits from the opportunity and choice brought by school connectivity.
A future where every patient can access healthcare.
A future where every small business has access to global markets.
A future where everyone is protected by life-saving early warning systems and resilient digital infrastructure.
2030 is around the corner, and the clock is ticking.
As we approach humanity's most pressing deadline, I urge you to think G-D-C.
We can and must Guide, Develop and Collaborate on this shared digital future together.
It's the only way to ensure technologies are deployed with all dimensions of sustainable development in mind: economic, social and, environmental.
The Summit of the Future and its Global Digital Compact have laid out a path forward.
It is up to us — those in leadership capacities — to start walking the talk.
You can count on me — and on ITU — not to “wait blindly for 2030."
With eyes and hearts open — we are with you every step of the way.
Lets go for gold!
