Telecommunication Development Advisory Group (TDAG) Working Group on Strategic and Operational Plans (SOP)
Welcoming Remarks
Doreen Bogdan-Martin
Director, ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau
4 October 2021
Good morning, good afternoon and good evening,
Buenos dias sra presidenta.
Thank you to all who have joined this session of the Working Group on Strategic and Operational Plans for the ITU-D.
It's always great to see you, even though it is virtual and I do look forward to seeing you physically soon and to being together in the same time zone.
This meeting follows the recent RDTP, and two busy weeks of ITU Council Working Groups and in particular the CWG on the Strategic and Financial plan.
I would especially like to emphasize the importance of alignment between the efforts of the TDAG Working Groups, and the Council Working Group for Strategic and Financial Plans, and we will be looking forward to seeing the D-Sector input into their process.
As we look ahead to the ITU Strategic Plan for 2024-2027, it is incredible to think about how much humanity has been through since we adopted our current strategy. We have all experienced radical changes to the way we work, study and even the way we maintain our human relationships. Many of the world's people have been confronted with hardships and forced to adapt in ways that were unimaginable when many of us came together at the last WTDC. We have been tested, tried, and have shown incredible resilience and today, our sector, ICTs, make a difference more than ever before.
As we build momentum towards the next ITU Strategic Plan, now is the moment to put forward how we would like our world to emerge from the COVID-19 crisis, and to recognize the opportunities of, and demand for, connectivity and digital technologies and how we can ensure that the remaining unconnected do not get further left behind.
Your input to the new Strategy and Addis Ababa Action Plan will be our opportunity, as the Development Sector, to advocate for the remaining part of humanity that is unconnected.
Your guidance through the D-Sector input to the new Strategic Plan and the Action Plan will provide key insights into how BDT should improve its products, services, positioning and value proposition to help connect the 3.7 billion people who are offline and build a better world.
Please be candid and forward-thinking with your inputs and as always, my team in the BDT Secretariat is ready to support your work and provide you with any needed clarifications.
I wish you a very productive session today.
Thank you.
