Regional Development Forum for Europe
Opening remarks of Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Director, Telecommunication Development, ITU
(by remote participation)
Good morning.
Ladies & gentlemen,
Welcome to this 1st virtual meeting Regional Development Forum, our RDF for Europe. Seems like yesterday when we all gathered in Rome.
I am very happy to see so many of our BDT partners, and supporters of our Regional Initiatives for Europe, on today's call.
I want to thank you all for your unwavering commitment to ITU's Development Sector, and most importantly, for your support to our activities that are advancing digital transformation across the 46 countries of the European region.
I am pleased that so many of you joined us for our TDAG web dialogue series and other virtual meetings over the past 11 long weeks when we started remote working arrangements.
Since we last met for the RDF in Rome, the world has changed beyond all recognition.
Right now, no one is sure what our post-COVID "new normal" will look like. And that post-COVID world still seems a long way off.
But in these uncertain times, I believe one thing remains more certain than ever: the vital importance of connectivity…. The importance of our mission at the ITU
As we know, the European Region is very diverse in terms of its ICT development -- embracing countries that lead the world in broadband connectivity, and countries that are still treading a long road to becoming highly connected, gigabit societies.
The COVID pandemic will undoubtedly prioritize and accelerate the region's digital transformation process, while highlighting gaps and areas where greater regional and international cooperation will be key, and where national support and technical assistance can play a critical role.
At an organizational level, I am pleased to be working very constructively with many of you to advance our own internal 'digital transformation' aiming to make BDT a:
more agile, fit-for-purpose organization better able to offer value to its partners;
deliver concrete, measurable results;
and generate maximum impact on the ground in advancing national, regional and global agendas,
and of course accelerating implementation of the WSIS Action Lines and progress towards the 17 SDGs.
In today's complex and challenging environment, it is clearer than ever that this work cannot be done alone.
Real progress will depend on broad, multistakeholder digital cooperation. Every actor in the digital ecosystem will have an important role to play.
This theme came across clearly in our joint UN/ITU webinar series on digital cooperation during COVID.
I want to also highlight the UN Sustainable Development Reform and what this has meant for ITU..
Our role in the Reforms has meant strengthening our coordination with UN Development Coordination Office in NY, UN Country Teams at the national level, and with the UN System for Europe and Central Asia at the regional level.
That is why it is a particular pleasure to be joined today by the Regional Director of the United Nations Development Coordination Office for Europe and Central Asia.
The recently established UN Digital Transformation Group for Europe and Central Asia we believe will provide great benefit in fostering the delivery of concrete projects that advance our shared development agenda.
Let me thank our UN partners for the trust you have placed in ITU. We have developed fruitful partnerships with many, from WHO, FAO, UN WOMEN, UNICEF, and others.
As you all know, the five Regional Initiatives adopted by the World Telecommunication Development Conference in 2017 remain our roadmap for delivering on the priorities of the region in the fields of ICT infrastructure; digitization; digital inclusion; cybersecurity; and innovation.
If you followed our RBM webinar sessions, We have connected those initiatives to our global programmes, our study groups work as well as the initiatives from other regions to synergize, maximize impact, and to drive forward a results based framework.
We have a number of concrete projects and activities that are already advancing our regional agenda for Europe.
For example:
· The ITU-WHO-EC Project to establish the European mHealth Innovation and Knowledge Hub, gathering a repository of national experiences on m-health to support countries and regions in setting up large-scale m-health programmes. We have already 20 institutions from across Europe that have joined this initiative.
· The ITU-Broadband Foundation project - signed virtually a few weeks ago -- on broadband investment mapping for South Eastern Europe, which will assist Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Ukraine in mapping broadband infrastructure and services; and
· The ITU-European Commission Accessible Europe platform, which is advancing the implementation of ICT accessibility, fostering innovation, and supporting countries in establishing enabling and inclusive environments.
None of these important initiatives could have been undertaken alone.
I want to thank our Regional Telecommunication Organization, the CEPT, and other partners including the European Commission, BEREC, the Eastern Partnership Network of Regulators for Electronic Communication, ENISA, the Regional Cooperation Council, and many others, for their collaboration and contribution to ITU's Regional Initiatives, and Europe's digital development agenda.
Your partnership is a strong endorsement of ITU as a valuable platform for cross-regional partnership, knowledge sharing, impact generation, and, most importantly, efforts to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, now less than ten years away.
Before I conclude I want to introduce to you 2 new faces in BDT, the Deputy Director Stephen Bureau, and the new regional Director for the CIS, based in Moscow Natalia Mochu both joining us for this meeting
With that I look forward to continuing our very fruitful work together, and I wish you rich and productive discussions today.
Thank you.
