Dr Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava took office as Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on 1 January 2023.

With more than 30 years in telecommunications, including over 20 years in ITU’s Development Sector, Dr Zavazava has promoted and implemented impactful information and communication technology projects around the world.

Prior to his election as BDT Director, he served as ITU’s Chief of Partnerships for Digital Development, overseeing development-related projects, strategic partnerships, and resource mobilization between 2019 and 2022, while launching new initiatives that have boosted the engagement of industry, private-sector and academia members in ITU’s work.

Ms. Cristiana Flutur joined the National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) in 2012, as an expert in the Unit for International Relations and European Affairs. She has an active role in representing Romania in the ITU and other international foras.

In June 2019, she was appointed Director for International Affairs within ANCOM, managing the activity of three units which cover issues such as relationship with international and regional organisations, translations and bilateral cooperation, EU affairs, the organization of events and travels, respectively.

Ms. Flutur is the first woman to hold the position of chair of the Committee for ITU Policy (Com-ITU) and co-president of CEPT (The European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations), for a period of three years that started in June 2018. Furthermore, she has acted as European vice-chair of the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2018 (PP-18) and main coordinator for the European Common Proposals and Positions for PP-18.

Ms Flutur is an Economics graduate from the Faculty of Finance and Banking, Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies and holds a master’s degree from the same university in European Economics. She has an extensive experience in the public sector, in both national and international institutions.

Mrs Regina Fleur BESSOU, Corporate Lawyer, Expert in Digital Regulation, Gender Engineer, is the Officer of the Order of Merit in Telecommunications and Posts of Côte d’Ivoire, and:

– Technical Advisor to the Director General of the Telecommunications/ICT Regulatory Authority of Côte d’Ivoire (ARTCI)
– Chair of ITU development sector Study Group 1
– Vice-Chair of the Telecommunication Development Advisory Group (ITU)
– Africa Representative of the Network of Women in ITU-D (NoW in ITU-D)
– Chair of the African Preparatory Group of the African Telecommunication Union (ATU) for the upcoming ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference 2025
– Founder and Executive President of the International Network of Women Experts in Digital (RIFEN)

Mrs. BESSOU Assoumou Regina Fleur holds degrees in Legal, Administrative, and Fiscal Sciences, a specialized Master’s degree (BADGE) in Telecom/TIC Regulation, and expertise in Gender Engineering from the UNESCO/EFPOD Chair (Gender Audit option). She has been working in the telecommunications/ICT and postal sector since August 2001, accumulating 24 years of professional experience. She currently serves as the Technical Advisor to the Director General of the Telecommunications/ICT and Postal Regulatory Authority of Côte d’Ivoire (ARTCI). Mrs. BESSOU is the Chair of Study Group 1 in the Development Sector of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU-D), re-elected since the last World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) in 2021 in Kigali. She is the first African to hold this position. Additionally, she serves as Vice-Chair of the Telecommunication Development Advisory Group (TDAG) and Africa Representative in the steering committee of NoW4WTDC (Network of Women for ITU-D). She currently chairs the African Caucus preparing for WTDC-25, following her tenure as Vice-Chair of Study Group 1. Her regional contributions include guiding conference preparations and capacity-building for African experts in ITU leadership roles.

Caecilia Nyamutswa is a Coordinator and Champion for Africa Network of Women (NoW) in ITU-D.

Mrs. Nyamutswa is a lawyer. She works as the Director Legal for Services by the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe. She has vast experience in the practice of banking law and ICT law, having practiced law for 10 years and worked for large international and Zimbabwean financial institutions. She is the current Vice Chair for Africa, for the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) Inter-regional Preparatory Meetings. She chairs the African Telecommunications Union Ad Hoc Working Group on the ITU-Development Sector’s contribution to the ITU Strategic and Operational Plans.

Caecilia is current Co-Rapporteur for ITU -D Study Group 1 question 5/1, on Telecommunications/ICTs for Rural and Remote areas, for the 1018 to 2021 Study Period, which saw the publication by ITU of a comprehensive study paper prepared by the Rapporteur Group, on broadband development and connectivity solutions for rural and remote areas and the release of the final Report of the Question. The Report has critical information useful for bridging the Gender Digital Divide. She is also the Zimbabwe focal point for matters relating to TDAG, WSIS and WTDC and was Africa’s focal point on the International Telecommunications Regulations at the Plenipotentiary Conference in 2018.

Having coordinated the participation of Zimbabwean women in the ITU-D cybersecurity mentorship programme , her vision is to see a world where subject to addressing of historical gender differences and imbalances, employment of women in key ICT positions is gender blind.

Zeina is the Head of International Cooperation at OGERO Telecom.

She is the focal point with ITU and leading OGERO’s activities related to “Girl’s in ICT” and Women Empowerment as well as Child Online Protection. She is a member of the Network of Women in ITU-D Advisory Boardrepresenting the Arab Region.

She is the focal point with ESCWA on the National digital inclusion Policy for Lebanon.

Zeina is, currently, a member of the Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) for the UN IGF.

She heads the General Secretariat of the Lebanese IGF and its coordinator, and the representative of this initiative in the UN IGF NRIs.

Zeina is also member of the national committee for Children Online Safety within the Higher Council for Childhood and the Scientific Communication Coordinator for the Super Computer (High Performance Computing for Lebanon).

She was Vice Chair of ISOC Gender Group and recently chosen by “Missions Publiques” for their global fellowship program.

She is nominated Alternate Representative of Lebanon to ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC), and elected Vice-Chair of the GAC for the term ending March 2025.

Noha Gaafar, currently Expert of International Policies at the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) of Egypt, has around 20 years of experience in the telecom regulatory field.

She worked among different domains, since she has joined NTRA in 2002. She has gained good experience in the International domain of telecommunications through her work at the International Relations Department of NTRA for over 10 years (2008 – 2019).

As an expert at the Strategic Planning Sector, Noha drafted NTRA plan to become a fifth generation regulator (G5) according to the ITU regulatory Indexing.
She also served as Regional Cooperation Senior Manager starting 2014; managing cooperation activities with NTRA counterparts. In that capacity, Noha participated in the hosting and organization of two of the most important international events of telecommunications, GSR-16 and WRC-19, in 2016 and 2019 respectively, in addition to some other regional events. In 2010, she was assigned following up on NTRA development projects with the UNDP. Besides, she was in charge of managing a Twinning Project between NTRA, and the Italian and German regulators, launched under the European Commission Aid Programme. Prior to that she was assigned the file of Internet Governance in 2008; focusing on analyzing Internet political issues discussed within ICANN. She organized two Internet Governance workshops in cooperation with Diplo Foundation for NTRA experts in preparation for hosting IGF in 2010.

Before that, Noha had had worked in the Technical Affairs department for four years, where she participated in various international activities in relation to the ITU, and its Arab Regional Office, and followed up on NTRA regional activities in different entities such as ATU, COMESA, and ARICEA. Moreover, she witnessed the establishment of the Arab Regulators Network (AREGNET), after which she was appointed as NTRA focal point for some of the network projects in 2005. Hence, Noha has proficiency in organizing international and regional events, in addition to project management, and negotiation skills.

Noha holds a B.Sc. degree in Political Science from the Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University, since 2000.

She is engaged in telecommunication industry development research, broadband network, emergency telecommunication, satellite communication research etc.

Tupou’tuah Baravilala is a highly accomplished digital transformation leader, passionately committed to digital equity, cybersecurity, online safety and creating a more inclusive society. As the Director-General for Digital Government Transformation, Cybersecurity and Communications, Ms. Baravilala has extensive experience in helping bridge the digital divide in society through an ambitious effort to digitalise key government operations and services, in addition to progressively expanding meaningful connectivity to remote communities and strengthening cybersecurity legal frameworks.

With over 12 years of experience in the civil service, Ms. Baravilala has successfully deployed nation-wide connectivity, digital transformation, and cybersecurity programmes across different government agencies. She spearheaded the development of the digitalFIJI platform – a secure single sign-in portal granting access to an expanding range of e-government services. She oversaw the roll-out of digital tools to aid Fiji’s COVID-19 containment and recovery strategy. Ms. Baravilala led the creation of Fiji’s inaugural 2025-2030 National Digital Strategy and the 2025 National Privacy and Personal Data Protection Policy. Notably, in June 2024, Ms. Baravilala personally deposited Fiji’s accession documents to the Budapest Convention with the Council of Europe and in June 2025 signed the Second Additional Protocol to the Budapest Convention, on behalf of the nation. Ms. Baravilala is keenly interested in exploring the nexus between ICT, cyber policy, law and international relations.

Internationally recognised, Ms. Baravilala represents the Government as an expert and lead negotiator on cyber matters at prominent global bodies, including the United Nations, International Telecommunications Union, Council of Europe, and Asia-Pacific Telecommunity. She also chaired the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation Executive Committee when Fiji was Chair from 2018 to 2023 including chairing the drafting of the CTO Constitution. She is the Chair of the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity Policy and Regulatory Forum for the Pacific. She has also served as the Acting Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Communications for various periods.

Ms. Baravilala is a Bureau Member of the Council of Europe Cybercrime Committee. She is also a Board Director of the Telecommunications Authority of Fiji. She has also served as a company director on several boards in the infrastructure and telecommunications sectors. Ms. Baravilala is an Advisory Board member of the Women in Tech Fiji Chapter. In 2023, Ms. Baravilala was awarded the inaugural Women in Tech — Tech Policy Advocate Award. In 2019, Ms. Baravilala was awarded the Women in Business Public Manager of the Year and was also one of Fiji’s “30 under 30” honorees.

Sahiba Mazahir Hasanova was born in Kalbajar district of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

She received bachelor’s degree in the faculty of Telecommunication and radiocommunication and did master’s degree in Radiotechnology and Communication from the Azerbaijan Technical University.

She worked as a chief laboratory assistant, head of laboratory and lecturer at the Azerbaijan Technical University.

She also worked for Radio Television Broadcasting and Satellite Communication Production Unity.

She is an Expert in Satellite frequency coordination at the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

She is a highly qualified expert in spectrum management, as well as satellite and terrestrial services with solid academic background on radiocommunication.

She participates in the ITU meetings and satellite coordination meetings as the representative of the Azerbaijan Communication Administration. She is a Jury member of the Generation Connect Young Leadership Programme (GCYLP) of ITU in partnership with Huawei.

Sahiba Hasanova was vice-chairperson of ITU-R Study Group 4 (Satellite Services) and vice chair of the working group of WTDC-17 Plenary and WTDC-22 Plenary.

She is a member of the Frequency working Party of ITSO.

She was elected to the Radio Regulations Board in PP-18 for 2019-2022 years and was also re-elected RRB member in PP-22 for 2023-2026 years.

Currently she is a Board’s vice-chair and chair of its working group for RRB Rules of Procedures.

She is a first female RRB member from Region C (Eastern Europe and Northern Asia) of the ITU.

She participated at ITU Council, WTDC, WRC, RA, RCC and CEPT conferences and other high-level meetings and summits on behalf of the Azerbaijan Communications Administration. She has also participated in the Women’s Leadership Workshop on Empowering Women in Radiocommunications Negotiations during WRC-15.

Sahiba Hasanova was awarded Taraggi Medal (Medal of Progress) by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan for special contributions in the sphere of telecommunications in Azerbaijan and 2 honorary certificate by MTCHT.

She has also been awarded Medal by Regional Commonwealth in the Field of Communications (RCC) for her work for RCC region.

She was awarded Azerbaijani Women Award Diploma (AWITA) on Recognising the outstanding innovation achieved by women in the industry in Azerbaijan by Femmes Digitales.

She is engaged in scientific activities and has 9 published scientific articles and 2 tutorials.

Sahiba is a member of the Network of Women in ITU-D Advisory Board representing the CIS region.

Umida Rakhmatdjanovna Musayeva was born on February 1, 1975, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. She holds a degree in Telecommunication Engineering from the Tashkent University of Information Technologies named after Muhammad al-Khwarizmi (1996) and a Management degree from the Uzbek-Japanese Center (2007).

With more than 28 years of professional experience, she has held senior positions in the Agency of Communications and Informatization, the State Committee of Communications, and the Ministry for Development of Information Technologies and Communications. Since 2020, she has served as Head of the International Department, where she leads Uzbekistan’s cooperation with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Regional Commonwealth in the Field of Communications (RCC), the Universal Postal Union (UPU) and others.

She has led Uzbekistan’s participation in numerous international initiatives, including the establishment of ICT training centers, the promotion of inclusive digital access for women, youth, and people with disabilities, and the development of ICT infrastructure in rural areas. Ms. Musayeva implements these projects in close cooperation with multiple international organizations, such as ITU, JICA, and KOICA, and with partners worldwide. She has also served as Vice-Chair of several committees at ITU events and has actively represented Uzbekistan at major global and regional ICT conferences and forums. Moreover

Ms. Musayeva is fluent in Uzbek, Russian, and English, with working knowledge of French and basic proficiency in German.

 

Inga Rimkeviciene, Head of International and Public Relations at the Communications Regulatory Authority (RRT) of the Republic of Lithuania, has worked at the national communications regulator for more than 15 years. She participated in several EU projects in the field of electronic communications, and was a member of Standardization Technical Committee on Electromagnetic Compatibility (TK 8). Since 2018, she has been a member of the Lithuanian delegation at the main ITU events, including the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference (Dubai, 2018), ITU Council, GSR, others. Since 2019, Chair of the Steering Committee of ITU Europe Centres of Excellence. Since May 2020, the Chair of the CEPT Project Team on preparation to the WTDC-21 and the main coordinator of preparations of Europe for the WTDC. She is an active participant of the Network of Women (NoW) for Europe Region, member of the Advisory Board of the Network of Women in ITUD.

Michelle Grell Bereaux brings more than two decades of experience in ICT policy, telecommunications reform, digital transformation, and multistakeholder coordination in the Caribbean. She brings a multidisciplinary approach to leadership, anchored in technical expertise, policy insight, and a passion for empowering others. Her career has been guided by a simple conviction: that people-centred digital development can transform lives, particularly in small island developing states.

She currently serves as International Relations Advisor at the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) in The Bahamas, where she leads the organization’s engagement in regional and global ICT development processes. She is also responsible for developing a strategic and coordinated approach to URCA’s international representation and participation, ensuring that The Bahamas’ perspectives are effectively reflected in global ICT fora. Her work also reflects a strong commitment to amplifying The Bahamas’ and the wider Caribbean’s voicesin international ICT decision-making and expanding opportunities for women and young professionals to lead.

Previously, as Policy and Delivery Consultant with the Government of The Bahamas’ Digital Transformation Unit, Michelle led the development of the national digital ID strategy, roadmap, and stakeholder engagement framework, and coordinated ICT strategy and digital skills initiatives under an IDB-funded programme. As part of her professional development, she also participated in the Women in GovTech Challenge 2023–24, where her team’s prototype was selected as one of the top three and featured at WSIS+20 in 2024.

Michelle has contributed to major national reform efforts throughout her career. With the Economic Development Planning Unit, she supported the development of The Bahamas’ National Development Plan and early warning emergency communications initiatives. She played a pivotal advisory and coordination role on the Cellular Liberalization Task Force, helping open The Bahamas’ mobile market to competition. Her experience in the Caribbeanincludes serving as Senior Manager for Policy, Pricing, and Research at the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago, where she led strategic planning, regulatory development, and market reporting during a period of significant sector growth.

A former visiting faculty member of the PURC/World Bank International Training Program and a certified project manager, Michelle holds degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Communication Systems, and Telecommunications Policy and Regulation.

Representing the Americas region on the Network of Women in ITU-D Advisory Board, she is dedicated to advancing inclusion and strengthening professional development pathways for women and girls pursuing careers in the ICT and digital development sectors.