ITU's 160 anniversary

Committed to connecting the world

BDT Director’s Corner

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Dr Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava - Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau​It is an honour to serve as Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) at a time of great challenges and opportunities. Today, the world is grappling with climate change, hunger, natural hazards, and epidemics, among others. Yet, more people are getting online, and the role of space has become even more important. An estimated 5.5 billion people are online. For the remaining 2.6 billion people that are still offline, we are doubling our efforts to get them online in the shortest time possible. How? We are applying a Results Based Management approach with a core focus on achieving results. Our processes, activities, products, and services contribute to the delivery of clearly stated expected accomplishments and objectives that bring impact to the people. We also recognize the importance of partnerships based on win-win outcomes that will help us achieve universal and meaningful connectivity by closing the digital divide, digital skills gap, and achieving inclusivity: Through continuous innovation, as requested by our Member States in the Kigali Action Plan, our work is greatly contributing to global efforts towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. To see the achievements that we are making, see our Impact Stories. I know that working together with industry and private sector, we will get there.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Dr Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava​​
Director, Telecommunication ​Development Bureau​
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Dr Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava​ took office as Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on 1 January 2023. Read biography

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Latest Bilaterals

Meeting with the Government of China
16 May 2025  Geneva, Switzerland
Bilateral Meeting
Meeting with the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity
16 May 2025  Geneva, Switzerland
Bilateral Meeting
Meeting with Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission
14 May 2025  Geneva, Switzerland
Bilateral Meeting
Meetign with Cyberlite Books
13 May 2025  Geneva, Switzerland
Bilateral Meeting
All B​ilaterals​​​​​

BDT Director's News

News, 25 April 2025
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Regional Development Forum for CIS (RDF-CIS) 2025 and the Regional Preparatory Meeting for WTDC-25 for CIS (RPM-CIS)
The Regional Preparatory Meeting (RPM) for the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was held from 24 to 25 April in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Participants at the meeting benefitted from detailed reporting on the ongoing implementation of the Kigali Action Plan and proposed the next Regional Initiatives and topics in the area of information and communication technology (ICT) development strategies in the CIS region for consideration by the next World Telecommunication Development Conference. 

The meeting was preceded by a Regional Development Forum (RDF) on 23 April. At the Regional Development Forum, discussed focusewd on results-oriented debates and impactful Partner2Connect Matchmaking Roundtables, the state of digital development and the implementation of the current Regional Initiatives. 

News, 24 April 2025
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan,and Nouakchott, Mauritania
The Global Celebration of International Girls in ICT Day 2025
The global celebration of International Girls in ICT Day was co-hosted by the CIS and the Arab States regions, featuring a live link between Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and Nouakchott, Mauritania, along with distinguished panellists from around the world, live streamed for global audience. 

In Bishkek, the event was organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Development and Innovative Technologies of the Kyrgyz Republic while, in Nouakchott, the celebration was held in cooperation with the Ministry of Digital Transition, Innovation, and Modernization of Administration of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.

Visual highlights and webcasts of the event are available at the Girls In ICT website
News, 13 March 2025
Global Youth Summit 2025

​​The ITU Global Youth Summit 2025 (GYS-25) took place in Varadero, Cuba, from 11-13 March 2025. The three-day event, organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and hosted by the Ministry of Communications of the Government of Cuba, set out to amplify youth voices on the tech-driven future. Participants from around the world between 18 and 25 years of age identified their priorities to ensure that information and communication technologies are safe, affordable and accessible.​​

News, 26 February 2025
Regional Development Forum for Europe (RDF-EUR) 2025 and the Regional Preparatory Meeting for WTDC-25 for Europe (RPM-EUR)

​​The Regional Preparatory Meeting (RPM) for Europe was held from 25 to 26 February in Budapest, Hungary. Participants at the meeting benefitted from detailed reporting on the ongoing implementation of the Kigali Action Plan, and proposed the Regional Initiatives in the area of information and communication technology (ICT) development strategies in the Europe region to be considered by the next ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-25), to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 17 to 28 November 2025.​​

News, 05 February 2025
Regional Development Forum for Arab States (RDF-ARB) 2025 and the Regional Preparatory Meeting for WTDC-25 for Arab States (RPM-ARB)

​The Regional Preparatory Meeting (RPM) for the Arab States was held 4-5 February in Amman, Jordan. Participants at the meeting assessed the ongoing implementation of the Kigali Action Plan and identified priority areas for information and communication technology (ICT) development strategies in the Arab region to be adopted at the next ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-25), to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan 17-28 November 2025.​

All Activities​​​​​​