BDT Director Doreen Bogdan-Martin took part in GSMA's Mobile World Congress 2021 (MWC-21), in Barcelona, Spain.
In adjustment to the ''new normal'' brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, MWC-21 took place in a hybrid format, with both in-person and virtual participation of attendees.
On the first day of MWC-21, Ms Bogdan-Martin took part in a panel discussion on ''Bridging the Digital Gap.'' She explained that bringing meaningful connectivity will not only require addressing an infrastructure challenge, but also a ''demand'' challenge. There is an urgent need to simultaneously find solutions to barriers such as digital skills, affordability, accessibility, content, languages, gender sensitivity and online safety.
Distinguished panelists included Ms Claire Sibthorpe, Head of Connected Women, Connected Society and Assistive Tech, GSMA; Mr Amrit Heer, Head of Business of Europe and Middle East, Parallel Wireless; Ms Afke Schaart, SVP Global Government Affairs, Huawei; Mr Julio Linares Lopez of Telefonica, Member of the Board of Telefonica Companies, Telefonica Group, and the panel was moderated by Mr Peter Garich, Head, GSMA Intelligence, GSMA.
Ms Bogdan-Martin delivered a keynote address at the Ministerial Programme session on ''Making Inclusion the New Normal,'' on 29 June, the second day of MWC-21. Her three main messages were that (1) inclusive connectivity is a global imperative (2) inclusive partnerships must be our new baseline (3) and inclusive access to digital services is our only realistic path to achieving the SDGs.
Emphasizing that the cost of exclusion is greater than the USD 430 billion cost it would take to connect the unconnected, Ms Bogdan-Martin pointed to the need for digital partnerships to expand connectivity.
In this regard, she announced that ITU is launching the Partner2Connect Digital Coalition, which is a multi-stakeholder alliance to foster meaningful connectivity and digital transformation in the hardest-to-connect communities, including Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries, and Small Island Developing States.
Ms Bogdan-Martin also engaged multiple representatives of ITU member states and public sector members through a series of bilateral meetings throughout the conference.
Read about the BDT Director's reflections and first-hand experiences at MWC-21 in her blog piece here!
