Page 137 - SAMENA Trends - September-October 2022

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

REGULATORY NEWS

Member States Elect Doreen Bogdan-Martin as ITU Secretary-General

Member States of the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) have
elected Doreen Bogdan-Martin of
the United States of America as the
organization's next Secretary-General.
Bogdan-Martin will be the first woman to
lead ITU, which was established in 1865
and became a United Nations specialized
agency in 1947. The election took place
during ITU's Plenipotentiary Conference
(PP-22) in Bucharest, Romania, with
representatives of Member States voting
during the meeting's morning session.
Bogdan-Martin won the position with 139
votes, out of 172 votes cast. "Whether it's
today's children or our children's children,
we need to provide them with a strong and
stable foundation for growth," Bogdan-
Martin said. “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." Ms. Bogdan-Martin has
held leadership positions in international
telecommunications policy for over two
decades. Throughout her career, she
has brokered innovative and visionary
partnerships with the private sector, developing countries. US President Joe and regional partnerships," adding that the
civil society, and other United Nations Biden, in a 20 September statement organization “must evolve and sometimes
agencies to accelerate digital inclusion and backing her candidacy, said: “Ms. Bogdan- break from old ways" to stay relevant.
connectivity. Bogdan-Martin will begin her Martin possesses the integrity, experience, Electing ITU's other top leaders
four-year term as ITU Secretary-General and vision necessary to transform the At the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference,
on 1 January 2023. The Secretary-General- digital landscape." As chief architect of Member States will also elect candidates
elect has pledged “to continue driving this ITU's development work in recent years, to the posts of Deputy Secretary-General,
institution to be innovative and increasingly Bogdan-Martin has emphasized the need Radiocommunication Bureau Director,
relevant for our Member States, better for digital transformation to achieve Telecommunication Standardization
positioning all of us to embrace the digital economic prosperity, job creation, skills Bureau Director, and Telecommunication
environment and make progress on development, gender equality, and socio- Development Bureau Director. The voting
achieving UN Sustainable Development economic inclusion, as well as to build for ITU's senior leadership will be followed
Goals and connecting the unconnected." circular economies, reduce climate impact, by elections for the 12-member Radio
Inclusive digital development and save lives. Her current term as Director Regulations Board and for regionally
Bogdan-Martin was endorsed by her of ITU's Telecommunication Development allocated Member State places on the
country's government as a candidate Bureau ends on 31 December 2022. 48-seat ITU Council, which governs ITU
to make the digital future inclusive and Among her campaign priorities, she said between quadrennial Plenipotentiary
accessible for everyone, especially in she would “lead ITU into a new era of global Conferences.

137 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2022