From Kigali to Baku: Digital development for a better life

By Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, ITU

Technology has become a driving force for resilience, inclusion, and sustainable development across the globe – with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) at the forefront.

ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) has been instrumental in ensuring that these benefits reach every community.

Our work empowers people with the necessary connectivity, skills, and opportunities to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital world.

The Kigali Action Plan – adopted at our last World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) – showed the way forward for the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D). And its impact tells an inspiring story of collaboration, innovation, and results. 

For the last three years, the Kigali Action Plan has been our compass, guiding us forward in the global journey towards universal and meaningful connectivity. Through this plan we have promoted innovation and inclusion while forging partnerships to drive digital transformation for everyone, everywhere.

Around the world, we have delivered valuable projects on every continent, with a clear purpose: “BDT for Impact” is more than a slogan. It means putting people at the heart of digital transformation, ensuring that technology serves not just profit but people, planet, and prosperity.

At WTDC-25 in Baku, Azerbaijan, taking place from 17 to 28 November, I have presented some key achievements in our various projects and initiatives implemented under the WTDC-22 outcomes, from bridging the infrastructure gap and ensuring life-saving disaster alerts to strengthening digital skills development, fostering an enabling policy and regulatory environment, narrowing the digital gender gap, and much more.

I was pleased to share that since January 2023, we have signed over 200 partnership agreements, launched 78 new digital development projects, and attracted over USD 60 million in support. In this same period, we have welcomed 126 new ITU-D Sector Members.

All of this would not be possible without the unwavering support of our members, partners and key stakeholders – and of course, the hard work, dedication and commitment of our staff.

Our new estimates show that 6 billion people are online worldwide. Yet challenges remain, with 2.2 billion people offline.

As I said in my opening speech, we have gathered at WTDC-25 precisely because the digital future is not yet a shared reality. If anything, the digital divide has morphed from a simple question of connectivity into a complex challenge of affordability, skills, relevance, and safety.

While some nations race towards the frontiers of artificial intelligence (AI) and 6G, others still struggle to achieve universal broadband access.

WTDC-25 is our collective opportunity to change that narrative. We are now set to build upon the legacy of Kigali and to craft a new, ambitious blueprint for global digital development.

The Baku Declaration and the Baku Action Plan must be bold, practical, and inclusive. And above all, people must be at the centre.