×
  • Tech - News
  • Updated: September 29, 2022

ITU Elects First Female Technology Agency Secretary-General

ITU Elects First Female Technology Agency Secretary-General

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has chosen Doreen Bogdan-Martin of the USA as its new Secretary-General.

Bogdan-Martin became the first woman to lead the ITU after winning the position with 139 votes out of 172 cast, according to the organisation, which announced this on its website on Thursday.

ITU was founded in 1865, and in 1947 it was designated a UN specialised agency.

Representatives of the Member States cast their votes at the morning session of the Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-22) of the ITU in Bucharest, Romania.

​In order to make the digital future inclusive and accessible for everyone, particularly in developing nations, Bogdan-Martin was endorsed as a candidate by the government of her nation.

In a Sept. 20 statement endorsing her bid, US President Joe Biden stated: "Bogdan-Martin possesses the integrity, skills, and vision necessary to alter the digital world."

In her acceptance speech, Bogdan-Martin said that the world is facing serious problems such as growing conflicts, climate catastrophe, and food security and that it was necessary to give it a solid and stable base for progress.

The newly-elected Secretary-General promised to keep pushing the organisation to be progressive and more pertinent to the Member States during her four-year term, which will begin on January 1, 2023.

She also said that there would be a better positioning for all to embrace the digital environment and make progress on achieving UN SDGs and connecting the unconnected.

“Whether it’s today’s children or our children’s children, we need to provide them with a strong and stable foundation for growth.

“The world is facing significant challenges – escalating conflicts, a climate crisis, food security, gender inequalities, and 2.7 billion people with no access to the Internet.

“I believe we, the ITU and our members, have an opportunity to make a transformational contribution.

"Continuous innovation can and will be a key enabler to facilitate resolution of many of these issues.”

She had, however, spent more than 20 years in senior roles in international telecommunications policy.

Bogdan-Martin has facilitated creative and forward-thinking alliances with business, civil society, and other UN agencies throughout her career to hasten digital inclusion and connection.

Bogdan-Martin had emphasised the necessity of digital transformation to attain economic success while serving as Director of the ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau in recent years.

She also emphasised the need to construct circular economies, lessen climate effect, and save lives, as well as the development of skills, gender equality, and socioeconomic inclusion.

Her current tenure as the Telecommunication Development Bureau Director of the ITU expires on December 31.

Bogdan-Martin listed guiding the ITU into a new age of international and regional collaborations as one of her campaign pledges.

She continued by saying that in order for the organisation to remain relevant, it occasionally needs to change its practices.

Member States will choose candidates for the positions of Radio-Communication Bureau Director and Deputy Secretary-General at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference as well.

Directors of the Telecommunication Development Bureau and Telecommunication Standardization Bureau are the other positions.

Elections for the 12-member Radio Regulations Board and seats for Member States with regional representation on the 48-seat ITU Council will take place after the voting for the ITU's senior leadership.

In between quadrennial Plenipotentiary Conferences, this regulates the ITU.

Together with 193 Member States, the union serves as the UN's specialised body for information and communication technologies (ICTs).

Over 900 businesses, academic institutions, and international and regional organisations are members of the ITU.

Related Topics

Join our Telegram platform to get news update Join Now

0 Comment(s)

See this post in...

Notice

We have selected third parties to use cookies for technical purposes as specified in the Cookie Policy. Use the “Accept All” button to consent or “Customize” button to set your cookie tracking settings