BDT Director Doreen Bogdan-Martin delivered a keynote address at the Tallinn Digital Summit in Estonia on “The Digital Imperative: Why a Fully Connected Planet Needs to be Our New Normal".
She congratulated Estonia's digital success story, and noted the importance accorded to digital innovation within the country.
The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the vital role of digital technology as an enabler of social and economic development. Ms Bogdan-Martin further urged for it to be viewed as ''the foundation stone upon which economic and social resiliency will be built, and around which we have the chance to shape a more equitable, prosperous, and sustainable future.''
To this end, she outlined action areas towards a fully connected planet, including: infrastructure deployment, regulatory and structural reform, and digital skills development.
She noted the importance of collaborative approaches. One example is ITU's work with Estonia, Germany's GIZ and the Digital Impact Alliance, to take a Whole-of-Government approach to accelerating the digitization of government services.
Ms Bogdan-Martin urged universal connectivity to be every nation's new benchmark. ''Digital IS our new normal, but for all of us to benefit fully, we need everyone to benefit equally,'' she said.
Read the BDT Director's full speech here.
