Your Excellency, Ms Patricia Perdomo, Vice Minister of ICT of Colombia,
All Ministers and Vice-Ministers present,
Mr Felipe Diaz, Commissioner and Executive Director at Communications Regulation Commission,
Mr Oscar Leon, Secretary General of CITEL,
Distinguished participants and partners,
Colleagues from the Americas region, and friends,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is a tremendous pleasure to join you here in beautiful Cartagena de Indias. I want to extend my deepest gratitude to the Government of Colombia and the Communication Regulatory Commission (CRC) for hosting us. Your hospitality sets the perfect stage for the critical conversations we will hold over these two days.
We are proud of our regulators as they create an enabling environment for private sector investment. We just returned from GSR-26.
We gather here under a theme that is both ambitious and essential: “Universal, meaningful, and affordable connectivity for an inclusive and sustainable digital future”.
This theme is not just a collection of words. It is the mandate given to us by the Member States at the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-25) in Baku last November. Just a few months ago, we adopted the Baku Action Plan, and today, this forum is about putting that plan into action for the Americas.
Colleagues, our mission is clear but urgent. Globally, over 2.2 billion people remain offline. While the Americas have made significant strides, we know that too many communities—from the remote Amazonian villages to the inner-city peripheries—still lack meaningful access.
Connectivity is no longer just about a signal. It is about quality. It is about resilience. And it must be affordable.
At the BDT, our vision remains "BDT for impact." We have moved from dialogue to delivery. In the last quarter of 2025 alone, we launched over 100 projects globally, valued at more than $100 million. We welcomed 55 new Sector Members, bringing fresh ideas and investment into our alliance.
But statistics matter less than stories. It matters that after Hurricane Melissa, we could dispatch satellite phones to restore vital links in Jamaica. It matters that we are training women in AI and ensuring that the digital divide does not become a gender divide.
Ladies and gentlemen,
For the Americas, the roadmap for the next four years is defined by five ambitious Regional Initiatives. These are our priorities, and they will guide our collective work:
1. Resilient Infrastructure: We must deploy infrastructure that withstands climate shocks. From the Caribbean SIDS to the Andean regions, our networks must be secure, sustainable, and available for disaster management.
2. Digital Inclusion and Skills: We need to close the usage gap. This means empowering indigenous communities, bridging the gender digital divide, and ensuring our youth have the skills for the AI-driven economy.
3. Innovative Digital Ecosystems: We will support digital government, e-commerce for MSMEs, and the ethical adoption of emerging technologies to drive local innovation.
4. Cyber Resilience: As we connect more, we must protect more. We will support national cybersecurity strategies and build capacity to ensure a safe digital environment for all.
5. Enabling Regulatory Frameworks: We need smart, forward-looking regulations that incentivize investment, level the playing field, and facilitate connectivity for unserved areas, including community networks.
Excellencies,
We are not here just to talk. We are here to match needs with solutions.
Within this RDF, we will hold matchmaking roundtables for the Partner2Connect Coalition. We have the pledges; now we need the implementation. I urge all of you—governments, private sector, and development banks—to use these two days to sign, to commit, and to launch.
As we meet, I am reminded that our work is woven into the larger UN agenda. From the SIDS4 conference in Antigua and Barbuda to the LLDC3 in Awaza, we are ensuring that digital transformation is recognized as the accelerator for all Sustainable Development Goals.
The BDT team, led by our Regional Office, is here to support you. We have the tools—from the ITU Academy to the Digital Transformation Centres. We have the expertise. And we have the will.
Let us leave Cartagena with concrete action plans. Let us ensure that by the time we meet again, every person in the Americas—regardless of where they live or who they are—can participate in the digital future.
Thank you, and I wish you a productive and inspiring forum.
