Opening remarks by Doreen Bogdan-Martin
Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
to a press conference in the United Nations Office at Geneva
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Good afternoon to everyone here in Geneva, and to those that are joining us remotely. I'd heard about this new press room, but it's quite stunning – it's beautiful.
It is wonderful to have this opportunity to be able to share with you this afternoon the work of ITU and to help the public better understand the work that we do in what I would call a defining moment in terms of technology.
I think the best way to describe ITU is really to think about what makes global communications possible. I'm talking about the radio spectrum, about satellites, about standards, technology development policies — and all the things that we need to be able to make our digital lives possible.
So ITU (International Telecommunication Union) is the UN agency that's behind all this. And we've been around for a long time − Since 1865. From the telegraph, to the telephone, the television, to the Internet, and of course now AI.
We work on all the technologies that are actually transforming our world today, from AI (artificial intelligence) to the metaverse, to quantum computing. We tackle all of these big topics; from cybersecurity, to sustainability, and of course connectivity is really at the core of all of our work.
We have 193 Member States. They have given us a very strong mandate at our last what we call, PP (Plenipotentiary Conference), where I was elected.
We have these two big strategic goals. The first is universal connectivity, and the second is sustainable digital transformation. Those goals are ambitious − and those goals are bold. But we are firmly committed and dedicated to delivery on those goals.
I actually took office 14 months ago. I have been very busy. But as I said, those two goals of universal connectivity and sustainable digital transformation have been my number one priority.
What I've seen since my time so far in office is I've seen women who can't afford a smartphone. Women in countries where entry-level handsets can exceed 70 per cent of the average household's monthly income. I think it's appropriate to mention that, as tomorrow is International women's day.
Sticking with that theme, I'll mention something else: Women still account for a disproportionate and growing share of the global offline population, outnumbering men by some 20 per cent.
In Least Developed Countries, only 30 per cent of women have access to the Internet.
I've met with refugees, I've met with migrants, with displaced persons, who rely on this connectivity for their education, for their healthcare and for their livelihoods.
And I've experienced in my time as ITU Secretary-General, two worlds. I would say one: in high-income countries, where almost 90 per cent of the population is covered by a 5G network − and a much bigger and also poorer world, where service is nearly absent, and when available, it's not affordable.
The bottom line is that 2.6 billion people today are not connected. They have never ever connected to the Internet. And this is really one of the biggest challenges of our generation. And it comes at a time of both hope, and uncertainty.
Uncertainty because emerging technologies, like AI, can be used to erode trust in our elections, in our institutions, and it can threaten our jobs, our privacy, and I think also our very future.
It's also a world where we feel less safe − with more than 2200 cyberattacks each day.
But I think there's also a lot of hope in this world. And I recently came back from Mobile World Congress, which was held in Barcelona last week. I had the great honour of announcing USD 9 billion in commitments for accessible and affordable network connectivity through our Partner2Connect Digital Coalition.
That new commitment, in addition to previous commitments, it gets us to 46 billion - our target is 100 billion. I think that that new commitment really sends a message of hope to millions of people that are in need.
And the hope takes different forms.
The same technologies that can harm us, can also help us solve some of the world's most pressing challenges.
AI can help mitigate 10 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. I think that's quite exciting.
The SDG Digital Acceleration Agenda, that we launched a couple of months ago together with our partner UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), shows that digital solutions like AI can help to boost progress on things like climate change, education, poverty, healthcare, and frankly all of the United Nations (UN) 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
I think that's why digital is such an important part of the conversations that are taking place right here in Geneva − from the Human Rights Council, to discussions right now happening at ILO (International Labour Organization), in WHO (World Health Organization) and WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization). I won't name them all, but pretty much every organization here in Geneva, and elsewhere, is focusing on digital.
Digital is also going to be front and centre in the upcoming UN Conference on Small Island Developing States, on the Landlocked Developing Countries Summit that will follow that, and from the UN to the World Economic Forum, to the G7, to the G20. I think it's fair to say that digital is not just on top of the agenda, but Digital is the agenda.
I think this moment was made for ITU, and the next few months are going to be critical. In 199 days to be precise, the UN summit of the Future will kick off.
We also have the AI for Good Global Summit that ITU will be hosting in May. We have our World Summit on the Information Society +20 review, and of course ITU has its World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly, that also happens in November.
I think in our 160-year-old history we've learnt something very important and that is that great innovation opportunities often come with equally formidable challenges.
Whether it's ensuring that no one is left behind, or it's actually tackling climate change, which is a critical topic every day, to harnessing space as an engine of sustainable development, or striking a balance between innovation and regulation, when it comes to emerging technologies, ITU stands ready to address these pressing issues head-on, working with partners, and working with our multistakeholder membership.
And I think with that, I will pause and look forward to your questions.
Thank you.
