Mr. Brahima Sanou, Director of the ITU's Telecommunication Bureau, was elected today to a second four-year term with 166 votes.
"I would like to convey my greatest gratitude to all ITU Member States for the confidence," Mr. Sanou said in his acceptance speech.
Mr. Sanou thanked the government of Burkina Faso and the African Union for supporting his candidature.
He also thanked ITU staff and in particular those working in the Development Bureau for their unswerving support over the past four years. He added, "the choice of continuity that has been made by the Member States is the recognition of your work that I had the honor of directing for the past 4 years. My re-election is the renewal of a commitment to deliver to Members. I am committing to this because I know I can count on a very dynamic team in the BDT".
Mr. Sanou has been Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) since January 2011, following his election at the Plenipotentiary Conference in Guadalajara, Mexico, in October 2010. As BDT Director, he is committed to promoting ICT as a major driving force for sustainable socio-economic development, bringing the unprecedented benefits of next-generation networks and services to remote and rural regions, least developed countries and persons with special needs in particular. He has placed particular emphasis on the mobilization of resources and knowledge-sharing through the forging of collaborative, cross-sector multi-stakeholder partnerships. Key elements include the m-Powering Development Initiative to deliver improved services such as healthcare, education and business over mobile platforms; the Smart Sustainable Development Model initiative, focused on optimizing resources for sustainable development and disaster management; and the ITU Academy, offering an integrated online resource for the provision of ICT education and training opportunities.
