- Our sincere condolences
It is with great sadness that ITU announces that two ITU staff members, Ms Maygenet Abebe and Mr Marcelino Tayob, were on board the Ethiopian Airlines flight that was lost on 10 March 2019. We mourn their loss and the loss of the lives of United Nations staff members and everyone onboard that flight bound for Nairobi. ITU commends the quick response of the Government of Ethiopia and volunteers who have been working tirelessly to assist those in need.
Houlin Zhao, ITU Secretary-General
- PP18: State of the Union Address
29 October 2018, Dubai, UAE: Over the last four years, ITU has been at the forefront of this revolution. We’ve been working on issues ranging from artificial intelligence, smart cities, and digital currency to the Internet of Things, new television, and 5G standards. And we have facilitated ICT infrastructure development...
- PP-18 Opening Ceremony
29 October 2018, Dubai, UAE: We are proud to return to Dubai, where ITU has held major successful events in the past such as WTSA-12, ITU Telecom World 2012, WCIT-12, and WTDC-14. Thank you to the United Arab Emirates for hosting PP-18 and working with us to make it the greenest, and one of the most successful Plenipotentiary Conferences, in our history. Thank you for all you are doing for ICT in the Arab world, the region, and beyond...
- ITU Telecom World 2018: Opening Ceremony
10 September 2018, Durban, South Africa: ITU is honoured and proud today to bring one of our flagship events to a city, a country, and a continent on the cusp of a new digital era. I have fond memories of ITU Africa Telecom 98, which was held in Johannesburg. Twenty years later, we are very pleased to be back in South Africa and to be here in the magnificent city of Durban...
- ITU Council 2018: State of the Union Address
17 April 2018, Geneva, Switzerland: Welcome to the 2018 Session of ITU Council. It is our last Council before PP-18, the 20th Plenipotentiary Conference of our history. As we gather here today in Geneva and later this year in Dubai, our task is to ensure that ITU's activities, policies and strategies fully respond to today's digital transformation and pave the way for a bright future...
- ITU Council 2017: State of the Union Address
15 May 2017, Geneva, Switzerland: On behalf of my Elected colleagues and the ITU staff, I welcome you to the 2017 Session of ITU Council.I want to present our special welcome to those of you who are attending the Council for the first time. And to the Ministers and Vice Ministers who made time in their busy schedule to be here with us today...
- Global ICT Capacity Building Symposium #CBS2016
06 September 2016, Nairobi, Kenya: It is a pleasure for me to be here and I want to thank His Excellency, Mr. William Ruto, Deputy President of Kenya, for taking the time out of his busy programme to grace this event. I also want to thank the Ministers of ICT and Education of Kenya, and the Director General, Communications Authority of Kenya who worked hard to make sure that this event is successfully organized and held here in Nairobi...
- ITU Council 2016: State of the Union Address
25 May 2016, Geneva, Switzerland: It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the 2016 Session of ITU Council.2015 was a very important year for ITU and the UN. We celebrated our 150th anniversary and the 70th anniversary of the UN. It was a very successful year for the UN with the Paris Agreement at COP21, and the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals and the extension of the WSIS Forum at the UNGA...
- Global Symposium for Regulators 2016 (GSR-16): Opening Remarks
12 May 2016, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt: I would like to welcome all of you to the 2016 Global Symposium for Regulators.
I would like to start by thanking the Government of Egypt and the National Telecommunication Authority of Egypt (NTRA) for hosting this edition of GSR, held under the auspices of H.E. Abdel Fatah El Sisi, President of the Republic of Egypt. With GSR-16 we are celebrating our long standing cooperation...
- World 13th World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Symposium (WTIS-15) : Opening Ceremony : Opening Speech
30 November 2015, Hiroshima, Japan : It is my great pleasure to be here with you today to welcome you to the 13th World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Symposium. First of all, I would like to express my deep gratitude to the Government of Japan for hosting this important event. Japan has made every effort to make this event a success. Our host country is famous for its hospitality, which I have learnt is referred to as "Omotenashi"...
- World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15) : Closing Remarks
27 November 2015, Geneva, Switzerland : You have just completed a most intense four-week marathon of debate and discussions leading to many agreements. I am delighted to see that your hard work has been well rewarded, and that you have achieved excellent results that you can well be proud of and have once again demonstrated the key role that the ITU Radiocommunications Sector plays in global telecommunications and information technology...
- World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15) : Opening Remarks
02 November 2015, Geneva, Switzerland : It is a great pleasure and a privilege to address you this morning at the opening of the 2015 World Radiocommunication Conference.WRC-15 – like the Radiocommunication Assembly last week – represents an important landmark in the life of ITU's Radiocommunication Sector...
- Radiocommunication Assembly (RA-15): Opening Ceremony
26 October 2015, Geneva, Switzerland : It is a privilege and an honour to address you this morning at the opening of the 2015 Radiocommunication Assembly. As for the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15) that starts next week, the Radiocommunication Assembly represents a landmark in the life of the Radiocommunication Sector of the ITU...
- ITU Telecom World 2015: Opening remarks
12 October 2015, Budapest, Hungary: This has been a very exciting year for ITU, as we celebrate our 150th anniversary as the leading UN agency for information and communication technologies, or ICTs. 150 years of working together with our members to innovate and apply technology for the good of all the people of the world.Hungary is one of the ITU Founding Members. ITU highly appreciates the long-standing cooperation between Hungary and ITU over 150 years. ITU is very honoured to have this year’s ITU Telecom held in one part of its motherland...
- Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development : 2015 Launch Meeting : Opening Remarks
26 September 2015, New York, USA : I offer you a very warm welcome to the Yale Club, and would like to thank each and every one of you for joining us here today.This is a very exciting time for us, and for the UN, and UN Member States at large. Coinciding with the UN Summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda, we are gathered here today to launch the new Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development...
- Blog Article: ICTs for Sustainable Development #ICT4SDG
 23 September 2015: ITU has been at the forefront of advances in information and communication technologies (ICT) for
150 years, driven by one unifying goal – to connect the world. ICTs already empower billions of individuals around the world, and will be of critical importance as the global community meets to charter a new path for sustainable development in the 21st century.
- Blog Article: Digital Divide Progress Report - 15 Year Review
 26 August 2015: Information and communication technologies (ICT) have driven global development in an unprecedented way, providing huge opportunities for social and economic development. Billions of people enjoy access to ICTs thanks to technological progress, infrastructure deployment and falling prices.
- Blog Article: The Road to a Fully Accessible Future
 22 July 2015: For persons with disabilities (PwD), access to information and communication technology (ICT) is vital for their inclusion in modern society, enabling access to key public services such as healthcare and government services, access to the job market, communication and social integration. But this cannot be achieved unless ICTs are accessible.
- Blog Article: Fostering the future - why SMEs matter so much
 17 June 2015: This year marks
the 150th anniversary of the International Telecommunication Union. The oldest agency of the United Nations, it has grown steadily from its origins in the days of the telegraph through radio, television, satellite, mobile and Internet to today’s emerging technologies, encompassing a membership of 193 Member States and over 700 private sector entities, civil society and academic institutions.
- ITU and Industry: 150 years of partnership and collaboration
2 June 2015: Governments and industry have worked together in ITU since the earliest years of the Union. Incredibly, some of ITU’s longest-standing industry members have been participating to ITU fora without interruption since the late 1870s.
- ITU Council 2015 : Closing Remarks
21 May 2015, Geneva, Switzerland : We are coming to the close of the first Council after PP-14, and I am delighted by the great spirit of cooperation that has prevailed over the past week and a half.This Council has been very rich in content, and has achieved a great deal in a short space of time...
- #WSIS: A decade of ICTs for Development
 20 May 2015: 10 years ago, the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process was finalized in Tunis. This innovative meeting gathered governments, private sector, civil society and international organizations to agree a global blueprint for equitable access and ongoing development of information and communication technologies (ICTs). These principles have since shaped global efforts to harness technology to drive development and foster global innovation.
- ITU 150th Anniversary Ceremony : Welcome Address
17 May 2015, Geneva, Switzerland : Good afternoon and welcome to this celebration of ITU's 150th Anniversary!
On behalf of ITU Elected Officials and myself, l want to express my heartfelt appreciation to our Member States, represented here by Honorable Ministers, Ambassadors, Councilors or Head of Delegations of ITU Council, high-level Government Officials, private sector representatives, Heads of UN Agencies, Swiss Federal Authorities and Geneva Cantonal Authorities, and other dignitaries present here. I also warmly recognize the presence of our current and former Elected Officials...
- ITU Council 2015 : State of the Union Address
12 May 2015, Geneva, Switzerland : It gives me great pleasure to formally welcome you to the 2015 session of ITU Council.Let me offer a very warm welcome to our councillors, and especially to our new Council Members, which include Pakistan, Uganda and Tanzania, who have returned to Council after an absence; and Azerbaijan and Lithuania, who are joining Council for the first time...
- Message of ITU-Secretary-General Houlin Zhao for International Women's Day 2015
As Secretary-General of the UN agency responsible for helping connect the world to the power of information and communication technologies, I would like to see a picture of a world where young women embrace careers as ICT professionals, and leverage the power of ICTs to change the future – for themselves, and for those around them...
- ITU Child Online Protection : Safer Internet Day
10 February 2015, Geneva, Switzerland : Today, February 10, is Safer Internet Day. For the global community, this is important part of efforts to improve the safety and security of the digital tools we all rely on, each and every day...
- 150 years of innovating together
2 February 2015: The thematic calendar commences in February with the theme ‘youth and innovation’. There’s a lot to look forward to in 2015 as we celebrate an incredible landmark: ITU’s 150th anniversary. Since 1865, ITU has connected the world to the most advanced and innovative means of communication – from the days of the telegraph to the telephone, television, Internet and mobile broadband, which now allows us to be in touch anytime, anywhere with friends, family, colleagues and even things.
- ITU Secretary-General at the World Economic Forum, Davos
21-24 January 2015, Davos, Switzerland : ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao had a particularly busy agenda at this year's WEF session in Davos, Switzerland, leading a special session of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development alongside Commission co-Chair President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, and meeting with several Heads of State and CEOs, including the President of Estonia, His Excellency Toomas Hendrik Ilves ...
- ITU Management team inauguration
15 January 2015, Geneva : ITU's new management team, led by Secretary-General Houlin Zhao, was formally inaugurated on 15 January 2015 at ITU headquarters in Geneva in the presence of Permanent Representatives of Member States to the United Nations Office at Geneva and Heads of UN agencies...
- Interview with Houlin Zhao
My first task will be to convene the new management team. We have five elected officials at ITU, including three new and two re-elected officials...
- PP-14: Acceptance Speech
23 October 2014, Busan, Republic of Korea : I feel deeply moved that you have unanimously and enthusiastically elected me as the new Secretary General of the ITU, entrusting me the honour of leading our beloved organization for the next four years. I sincerely thank all of you for your confidence in me...
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