2021 Telecommunication Development Advisory Group (TDAG) Meeting
Closing Remarks
Doreen Bogdan-Martin
Director, ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau
12 November 2021
Madam Chair,
TDAG vice chairs,
Distinguished colleagues,
We come to the close of an intense week, and the close of our last TDAG before WTDC.
I want to thank you again for participating. A special thanks to our early risers and those that spent late evenings depending on your time zones. I understand that with the 600 plus days of COVID we have caused many of you to be eternally jetlagged due to the time zone issues.
As the SG noted earlier this week, you have really demonstrated your dedication to our mission to bring connectivity to the billions who remain unconnected.
As we conclude this TDAG, indeed we can be proud of the progress we have made already towards the WTDC.
In this meeting we had 300 delegates who connected at some point, representing Member States, sector members, academia, regional organizations and other agencies, including from the UN.
We leave this meeting going forward to WTDC with some solid base documents.
We have a draft Addis Ababa Declaration, a draft zero Addis Ababa Action Plan, a proposal for the ITU-D Thematic Priorities, Regional Initiatives, Study Group Questions, among other documents that provide the membership a good basis to make further refinements in their conference submissions as well as the conference itself.
TDAG has also produced inputs into the ITU Strategic Plan which will form the basis for transformational, impactful participation by ITU-D and BDT in the achievement of ITU's mandate.
I urge delegates to also participate in the process being undertaken at the Council Working Group on the Strategic and Financial Plans to help to ensure that the plans for the entire Union are well aligned with our vision for the Development sector.
I am sure that through good cooperation and collaboration, we will succeed to extend the reach of meaningful connectivity to every corner of the world.
It's that cooperation and collaboration that are the guiding principles of the Partner2Connect initiative.
We count on you as our members, both government and private sector - to come forward with concrete connectivity pledges and commitments that we can showcase to the world at our upcoming WTDC.
Partner2Connect is an opportunity to engage potential partners on all fronts to help us implement our connectivity vision at faster pace.
We believe that this will be a gamechanger for us and we look forward to working with all of you to convert national plans into pledges, among others. Collectively, we can truly build a global plan – as partners – to connect the world.
We also look forward to an inclusive WTDC. With active engagement by our youth in Generation Connect as well as the Network of Women.
As mentioned by the Secretary General at the opening, we will communicate with the membership by the agreed date of 6 December 2021 regards the venue details
As I conclude, I would like to express my deep appreciation to the TDAG for the constant guidance and strategic direction that you give to me as Director and the whole BDT team.
Let me also offer my special thanks to you, Madam Chair, for your leadership and commitment to the TDAG.
Thank you and your vice-chairs, a big thanks to our two study group chairs and their teams and all the TDAG Working Groups, for your dedication to the work of the sector.
I would also like to thank our interpreters, our IT team, our technicians, and our captioners, for all your valuable work.
To the BDT team, the whole team from HQ and the field, including colleagues from other sectors.
Of course it was great to have our Regional Directors here at HQ with us for this important meeting, birthday celebrations included.
At BDT we are working to represent and ''Be that Digital Transformation'' our members need.
To all of you, our members, thank you for your continued collaborative spirit.
It's not a goodbye till next June – I hope to continue to see you at our Partner2Connect events in the lead up to WTDC.
WTPF is around the corner and I hope to see those of you who will attend in person.
Together, and only together, can we ensure that we make WTDC the game-changing moment for connectivity and a landmark event for digital development.
Let's join hands to revitalize the global connectivity agenda.
As we heard from our distinguished delegate of Canada yesterday, “If not now, when?"
One of our delegates, Mr. Dolgion, Foreign Policy Advisor of Mongolia's Prime Minister, who is clearly a John Lennon fan quoted, “A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality."
So let's dream together to make universal, meaningful connectivity a reality.
A reality that leaves no one offline.
