Your Excellency, Mr Rashad Nabi oghlu Nabiyev, Minister of Digital Development and Transport,
Ms Doreen Bogdan-Martin, ITU Secretary General and the other Elected Officials,
Mr Sameddin Fakhraddin oghlu Asadov, Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Transport and Chair-Designate of the WTDC-25,
All the Ministers and other Heads of Delegation here present,
Ambassadors,
Distinguished delegates,
Dear friends,
A warm and sincere good morning to you all.
It is my profound honour to welcome you to the beautiful and historic city of Baku for World Telecommunication Development Communication, 2025 (WTDC-25). I extend my deepest gratitude to the Government and people of the Republic of Azerbaijan for their exceptional hospitality and for hosting this pivotal gathering.
We meet here at a moment of extraordinary transformation. The digital revolution is no longer on the horizon. It is here, reshaping every facet of our societies and economies. It holds the promise of bridging divides, empowering communities, and accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
In 2022 when we met in Kigali at our last World Telecommunication Development Conference, there were 2.7 billion people offline. Today, our statistics show that we have made significant progress with those offline dropping to 2.2 billion and 6 billion people enjoying the benefits of connectivity. But, this progress is neither automatic, nor assured.
We are gathered here precisely because this digital future is not yet a shared reality. The digital divide has morphed from a simple question of connectivity into a complex challenge of affordability, skills, relevance, and safety. While some nations are racing towards the frontiers of artificial intelligence and 6G, others are still struggling to ensure universal broadband access.
This conference, WTDC-25, is our collective opportunity to change that narrative.
Our task over the coming days is both critical and urgent. We are here to build upon the legacy of Kigali and to craft a new, ambitious blueprint for global digital development. The "Baku Declaration" and our new "Action Plan" must be bold, practical, and inclusive.
To guide our work, I see four interconnected pillars:
First, Connectivity with a Purpose. We must move beyond just building networks to ensuring they are meaningful. This means focusing on last-mile connectivity in rural and remote areas, but also on the applications that transform lives—digital health, online education, smart agriculture, and climate-resilient infrastructure. Connectivity is the foundation, but its purpose is human development.
Second, Building Digital Capabilities. A connected device is useless without the skills to use it safely and effectively. Our focus must be on massive digital literacy campaigns, supporting the development of local digital talent, and empowering SMEs, with a special emphasis on women, youth, and persons with disabilities. We cannot afford to leave anyone behind in the digital economy.
Equally important is to ensure that our regulators possess the skills they need to be agile, innovative, and flexible to respond effectively to industry needs.
Third, Fostering Trust and Security. As our world becomes more digital, it also becomes more vulnerable. Cybersecurity threats, online misinformation, and data privacy concerns are eroding trust. Our work must prioritize building resilient digital ecosystems where people feel safe to learn, transact, and communicate. Trust is the currency of the digital age.
And fourth, Forging Innovative Partnerships. The scale of the challenge is too great for any single government or organization to tackle alone. WTDC is a powerful platform for collaboration. I call upon the private sector to continue to drive innovation and investment, academia to bring research and foresight, and civil society to ensure our solutions are grounded in the needs of the people we serve. At this point, I would like to acknowledge and thank all our partners who have over the past three years supported our BDT4IMPACT journey by providing extra-budgetary funding to the tune of over 60 million USD to finance our projects across all the regions. These include governments, development banks, sister UN organizations, and other partners.
Distinguished delegates,
The world is watching. The decisions we make in this hall will resonate for years to come. They will determine whether digital technology becomes a great equalizer or a source of greater inequality.
Let us be ambitious in our vision.
Let us be pragmatic in our solutions.
Let us be united in our commitment to a digital future that is inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous for all.
I am confident that with the spirit of cooperation and shared purpose that defines our Union, we will rise to the occasion.
I wish you all a productive and successful conference.
Thank you.
Chaqur Rahmat!
