The sixth World Telecommunication Policy Forum 2021 took place from 16 to 18 December. The event brought together policy-makers from around the world to discuss how to better harness emerging technologies to accelerate the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and tackle the world's most pressing challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
BDT Director Doreen Bogdan-Martin gave opening remarks to Working Group 1, and noted that the draft Opinions set for consideration were a ''result of a rigorous, consensus-driven and collaborative process.''
Referring to the Opinion that stated that, “a digital divide remains between certain segments of populations who can access, afford and adopt new and emerging telecommunication/ICTs, and those who cannot,'' Ms Bogdan-Martin emphasized the urgency of the work of the Forum. She also pointed out that it would serve as an important basis for the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) next year.
''We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to use the technologies and services at the heart of this Forum, combined with the power of multistakeholder partnership, to re-energize sustainable development and drive social and economic prosperity for all the world's people. Let's seize that opportunity with both hands," she urged.
