BDT Director Doreen Bogdan-Martin participated in an engaging Regional Preparatory Meeting for the 2021 World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-21) in the Asia and Pacific region (RPM-ASP).
Regional Preparatory Meetings (RPMs) aim at engaging ITU membership in the preparations of the World Telecommunication Developm ent Conference 2021 (WTDC-21) in order to achieve regional coordination before the conference itself, including by identifying regional priorities for the development of telecommunications and ICTs. 261 stakeholders representing Member States, sector members, academia, civil society and other regional and international organizations participated in the RPM-ASP.
In her opening statement, Ms Bogdan-Martin thanked members for their support for the many activities that are advancing digital transformation across the 38 countries of the Asia and Pacific region. As the pandemic has revealed the crucial role of connectivity, she stated that ITU's mandate to ''connect the world'' is more important than ever before, and reaffirmed her belief that the next WTDC has the potential to be hailed as a landmark development conference in rewriting the global connectivity agenda.
The RPM-ASP saw the establishment of a Network of Women (NoW) in the Asia and Pacific region, which aims to provide a supportive community for women, empower women for larger responsibilities in their delegations, and bring out women's voices by improving the number of women taking up leadership roles. ''By creating a strong base for women within ITU-D, we help pave the way for greater participation by women in the digital sector at-large,'' said Ms Bogdan-Martin.
She noted with pleasure that the RPM-ASP had an impressive gender balance – as 46% of registered delegates at the RPM-ASP were women, all three Vice Chairs were women, and women comprised drafting group leadership – and expressed her hope for a continued trajectory.
The newly launched Generation Connect Asia Youth Group also presented the Youth Action Plan during the RPM. Ms Bogdan-Martin indicated her hope for a more pro-active engagement of young people to solve connectivity challenges, and said ''Young people are natural and enthusiastic adopters of digital technology, and a new generation of young digital natives is already defining and developing the digital platforms and services that are reshaping our world.''
As the event drew to a close, she commended the inclusive approach taken, which serves to strengthen efforts for digital development. She stated her conviction that collaborative work, as seen at the RPM, will ''deliver a WTDC outcome that is concrete, solution-driven, results-focused, and measurable.''
