Agenda

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.

Cora Bay is the Country Engagement Lead of the GovStack Initiative at Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and an important member of the GovStack team. She has a diverse professional background, having previously worked with the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Washington and the Global Education Office at the University of New Mexico. Cora holds a Bachelor’s degree in Intercultural European and American Studies, Latin American Studies, and Business Economics from the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg. She also earned a Master’s degree in International Relations from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. In her current role, Cora leverages her extensive experience and academic background to drive international cooperation and digital transformation through the GovStack Initiative.

Yolanda Martínez currently works as International Telecommunications Union (ITU) overall lead for GovStack Initiative, helping governments accelerate the digitization of government services. In the public sector, Yolanda led the national digital strategy of Mexico, the digital government unit at the federal level, and the Zapopan digital city program at the local level. She has led several digital transformation initiatives in the private sector while at Deloitte Consulting. In the international arena, Yolanda led the Office of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Chile, collaborated with United Nations agencies and joined the OECD as a peer reviewer for the digital government strategies of various Latin American countries. Yolanda has been recognized by @political as one of the twenty most influential people globally in digital government. She holds a Ph.D. degree in information and knowledge society from the Open University of Catalonia (UOC).

Aparajita Dubey is currently the Senior Programme Associate at the National Institute of Urban Affairs, where she is actively engaged with the National Urban Digital Mission (NUDM) in India. She leads the knowledge management and program implementation tracks at the institute in New Delhi. Aparajita holds a Bachelor's in Architecture and Planning, an MSc in Resource Efficiency in Architecture and Planning from HafenCity University Hamburg, and a postgraduate diploma in Environmental Law. With a strong background in academia and architectural planning, she has previously served as a professor at various universities in India. In her current role, she supports governments in realizing digital transformations in the urban domain, addressing their specific needs.

Hani Eskandar is the Digital Services Senior Coordinator at the Digital Society Division of the Telecommunication Development Bureau of ITU. Mr. Eskandar is currently involved in providing assistance to several developing countries by advising on digital applications and services strategies and policies, assisting in implementing technical co-operation projects in areas of digital health, agriculture, governance and education. Mr. Eskandar has more than 25 years of extensive on-the-ground experience in the field of ICT for development where he, through working with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent in Switzerland and, UNDP, Ministry of ICT and other NGOs in Egypt, was involved in several development projects in the fields of Health, Education, Illiteracy Eradication, Community Development, SME development and Micro Credits.

Noémie Bürkl is the head of the Digitalisation Unit at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in Berlin since February 2023, leading digital innovation in the realm of economic development. With a rich background in international relations and policy, she previously served as the deputy head of division for Multilateral Policy, co-headed the German-Bilateral Cooperation at the German Embassy in Cairo, and contributed her expertise as a senior policy officer at the Federal Foreign Office and a technical program officer at the International Organization for Migration. Noémie's academic journey spans across continents, having studied International and European Relations in France and Canada, and completing a master’s degree in international economics and politics at Charles University in Prague. Her dedication to leveraging digital technologies for economic development and cooperation underscores her commitment to shaping a more connected and prosperous world.

Rupal Jain is an Electronics and Communication Engineer from the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Allahabad, India. She has been an integral part of India's digital revolution, working with the country's leading telecommunication service provider, Reliance Jio. Driven by her passion for implementing and leveraging emerging technologies for public service and governance, she transitioned to the public sector. Rupal has served as a Consultant for Frontier Technologies to the Government of India's premier policy think tank, NITI Aayog. She is a technology policy expert with a keen interest in digital public infrastructure, cybersecurity, and AI in governance. 

Yessenia Henríquez, a Computer Science Engineer, has 25 years of professional experience in digital solutions. She has significantly contributed to digital transformation in both governmental and private sectors. For the past 15 years, she has driven digital development and integration processes in Central America as an Information Systems Specialist at the General Secretariat of the Central American Regional Integration System (SG-SICA). In this role, she supports the implementation of the Regional Digital Strategy (SICA - ERDI) and contributes to the Regional Electronic Signature Unit (URFE-SICA).

Michelle Grell-Bereaux is the Policy and Delivery Consultant for National Digital ID at the Ministry of Economic Affairs in the Bahamas. She brings extensive experience in communications and digitization, having previously worked in the Office of the Prime Minister of the Bahamas. Michelle holds two Master’s degrees: one in Telecommunications Regulation and Policy and another in Electrical and Computer Engineering, both from the University of the West Indies. She is driven by a passion for creating meaningful impact through her work.