Recent activities

The ITU Secretary-General visited the Vatican and met up with Pope Francis to discuss building a more inclusive, connected and compassionate world where emerging tech and digital innovation bridge divides and serve the common good. ​​

The ITU Secretary-General met up with the World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director Cindy McCain to talk about strengthening ITU and WPF's joint work on emergency communications for humanitarian response and early warnings for all. 

At the UN climate conference (COP29), the ITU Secretary-General said we all have a role to play in our planet's future. "Incredible things can happen when the digital transition and green transition work together," she noted, citing ITU's Green Digital Action initiative.​​

At the opening of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA-24), the ITU Secretary-General said the global gathering called for bold action to strengthen international tech standards. "The growing hopes and fears surrounding digital and emerging tech like AI are calling on us to rise to this moment," she said, adding that standards would form "the bedrock of global digital governance."​​

The Global Standards Symposium (GSS-24) in New Delhi, India, highlighted pressing issues in global innovation, along with the need for global collaboration to harness the full potential of new tech. "To catalyse change, we all need to pull together for a future of digital innovation that benefits all," the ITU Secretary-General said.

Representatives of Geneva-based United Nations (UN) agencies came together at ITU Headquarters to identify ways to advance the new Global Digital Compact, recently adopted at the UN General Assembly. ITU will support its members in implementing the Compact and continue fostering multistakeholder cooperation to build a digital future for all, the ITU Secretary-General said.​​

In a keynote at the opening of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union's ICT Week 2024 hosted by St. Kitts and Nevis, the ITU Secretary-General told participants that ITU is taking action in key areas to support implementation of the Global Digital Compact in the Caribbean and beyond. They include guiding on how to use tech for good safely and meaningfully, developing resilient digital infrastructure, and collaborating on investment within and across regions.​

ITU stands ready to support the implementation of the Global Digital Compact, said ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin at the Summit of the Future in New York. In her plenary statement she deemed it a momentous day for digital and congratulated Member States for delivering the Pact for the Future, the Declaration on Future Generations, and the Global Digital Compact. ​​

At SDG Digital in New York, ITU and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) put a spotlight on global pledges and innovative solutions to accelerate progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The ITU Secretary-General said in her opening speech: "The commitments and solutions on display during the digital track of the UN Summit of the Future Action Days send a powerful message to the world that we will do what's necessary to rescue the SDGs and build a better digital future for all, now and for generations to come."​

At the Space Sustainability Forum the ITU Secretary-General outlined how ITU has over the decades become an essential part of the space endeavour. Virtually everything we do in space relies on radiocommunication. “Even the dark side of the Moon is protected from radio-frequency interference thanks to a visionary ITU decision taken in 1971," said the Secretary-General. Looking to the future, work is underway for the World Radiocommunication Conference 2027, whose agenda is largely space related. ​

​At the opening of ITU's annual Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group meeting, the Secretary-General noted the key role of standards in global governance discussions, underlining the importance of the upcoming World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA-24)​.​

​At the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in New York, the ITU Secretary-General noted the need for digital inclusion and innovation to put the Sustainable Development Goals back on track, adding in her statement that future generations deserve more than 17 per cent of a sustainable future. ​​

​Meaningful connectivity goes beyond infrastructure that connects schools and people to the Internet. It's also about being able to afford devices and data packages, having the skills to use tech in a beneficial way, and feeling safe online, said the ITU Secretary-General during the Giga Connectivity Forum at ITU headquarters from 8 to 10 July.​​

​​​The ITU Secretary-General thanked Uganda for hosting this year's Global Symposium for Regulators (GSR-24) in Kampala - at the heart of “the Pearl of Africa." Africans are taking full ownership of their digital future, she said in her opening remarks.​​

​​​​ITU and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) aim to strengthen their collaboration on smart industry and sustainable development. ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan Martin and UNIDO Director General Gerd Müller signed a Joint Declaration reinforcing the link between universal, meaningful connectivity and the new industrial revolution, particularly in relation to Sustainable Development Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.​​

​​​​The ITU Secretary-General welcomed António Guterres, Secretary-General of United Nations, to the ITU Council session in Geneva on 12 June. In her introductory speech she told councillors that we have a UN Secretary-General who speaks our language, who understands the opportunities and challenges ​of modern technology, and who has made digital a top priority.​​

​The ITU Secretary-General attended the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) Principals meeting and UN Chief Executives Board meeting in Santiago, Chile from 1-3 May. Prior to that, she met with Government of Chile officials on 30 April. She said it was great to meet with leading members of Chile's vibrant telecommunications sector to discuss equitable access to the benefits of digital tech. ​

The ITU Secretary-General delivered a keynote address at the Cybersecurity Fund Launch hosted by the United Nations International Computing Centre (UNICC). She says that “together we can build a universally open, secure and trustworthy digital ecosystem with our UN system and beyond.”

​The ITU Secretary-General along with a group of TU staff members made a visit to CERN – the European Organization for Nuclear Research − where they were given a tour. The SG is looking forward to working closely with CERN to advance science and tech for the benefit of humanity.

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The ITU Secretary-General invited UN communicators to ITU headquarters in Geneva to talk to them about the upcoming AI for Good Summit. The group discussed the benefits of AI and how it links to each of the Sustainable Development Goals.​

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Paying a visit to American University students in Washington, D.C., the ITU Secretary-General urged them not to take emerging tech or connectivity for granted in our digitally divided world. Young people must be at the table in the push for bold, forward-thinking policies so we can build an inclusive, safe and sustainable digital future for all, she added.​​

At the Satellite 2024 Conference and Exhibition in Washington D.C., the ITU Secretary-General addressed the future of the satellite industry – what's at stake, and ITU's role in it – universal, meaningful connectivity and sustainable digital transformation as her top priorities. She also delivered a keynote at the SATELLITE 2024 Awards Luncheon. ​

In Washington, D.C., the ITU Secretary-General exchanged views and insights with the U.S. ITU Association on progress and priorities in building a fit-for-future ITU.​​

ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin commended G7 ministers for reinforcing the critical role of international standards across the G7 Italy Declaration.

The world is witnessing an unprecedented acceleration of tech history, but solving development challenges in the age of artificial intelligence requires going beyond connectivity. The SG says that today's digital experience must be affordable, meaningful, and it must be safe.