​Speech by Malcolm Johnson, ITU Deputy Secretary-General

Inauguration Speech, 15 January 2015
Geneva, Switzerland

Excellencies,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning and let me add my thanks to you for coming to our inauguration – and I wish you all an excellent 2015!

In taking over as Deputy Secretary-General, I am very pleased to support Mr Zhao's key words 'vision, action and harmony' – and of course I look forward to assisting him in meeting the challenges ahead, as well as embracing new opportunities over the next four years.

My first and perhaps most important task is to work with the senior management team on the implementation of the Plenipotentiary Conference Decision 5, Annex 2, which covers 'Measures for reducing expenses', so that we can present to our Council in May a balanced budget for the next biennium – covering the years 2016 and 2017.

There are clearly savings to be made by using the technology that ITU itself helped develop to improve efficiencies and processes and I am sure that with the help of the staff – we will be able to reduce our expenses significantly. I will also be seeking new revenue generation opportunities, and I am very much looking forward to embarking on these challenges.

These activities are very much part of the continuing need to increase transparency, openness and inclusiveness; to attract more industry members and academia; and to make ITU a more efficient organization that uses its finite resources to greatest effect – all of which I stressed during my election campaign last year.

This relates closely with a main focus of the United Nations this year, namely the setting of the post-2015 development agenda, with sustainable development goals at its core.

ICTs, and especially broadband, will be essential in delivering sustainable social and economic development, and needs to be recognized in the post-2015 development agenda at the Heads of State Summit in September.

So I would like to encourage you to help us ensure that ICTs and broadband are mainstreamed in the SDGs.

This is also important for the global response to climate change – where ICTs are essential for both adaptation and mitigation.

ITU continues to address 'smart' solutions that can increase energy efficiency – both in production and consumption – cutting costs as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

And I am very pleased to report that we intend ITU to become climate neutral during 2015 – reflecting our commitment to this important cause.

Achieving this will be a very fitting way of celebrating ITU's 150th anniversary – a celebration not only of the founding of ITU, but a celebration of the incredible engineering feat which is today's ICT and telecommunication ecosystem; the ecosystem which now underpins both societies and economies around the world.

This is the ecosystem paving the way towards an environmentally sustainable future – and it is a great privilege to be working in the UN agency at the heart of that ecosystem.

So let me close by thanking you all for your support, and we look forward to working ever more closely with you throughout the year.

Thank you