Five leadership positions in the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), 12 positions in the organization’s Radio Regulations Committee and another 48 positions in the ITU Council are to be filled for the next four years, after the elections that will take place these days at the Plenipotentiary Conference 2022 (PP-22), which will be held in Bucharest between September 26 and October 14, according to Agerpres.

Thus, at the 21st edition of the global conference, the management of the organization will be elected (the general secretary, the deputy general secretary, and the directors of the Bureaus of Radiocommunications, Standardization in Telecommunications and Development in Telecommunications). Also, elections will be held for the 12 seats in the Radio Regulations Committee and the 48 seats in the ITU Council.

On this topic, the president of PP-22 of ITU, Sabin Sarmas mentioned that the name of the new general secretary of the Union will be known on Thursday. „The first week is about the elections. There will be policy statements, with each individual minister to come and offer such „policy statements,” then, in the second week, after we have the elections that start on Thursday and end on Monday, we will focus more on resolutions. We will know the name of the general secretary [of the ITU, editor’s note] on Thursday, at noon. Later, the other four officials will be elected. All 193 ITU member countries vote. The majority decides, and the one with the most few votes leaves the competition,” said the official.

Doreen Bogdan-Martin, from the USA, and Rashid Ismailov from the Russian Federation are running for the highest management position within the ITU.

„I offer my candidacy as Secretary-General of ITU. I envision an organization at the forefront of global efforts to meet connectivity needs and expand digital opportunities for all people. I will work tirelessly to strengthen ITU as an increasingly forward-looking, factbased, impact-driven, results-focused, transparent, and responsive organization. We will be ‘fit4purpose’ to lead our Members into the digital future.,” wrote Bogdan-Martin, in her official candidacy brochure.

The portfolio of achievements of the candidate from the USA includes, among others: the launch of the design of the International Centre for Digital Innovation, the conception of a strategy for young people at the ITU level, of an inter-sectoral youth working group, the launch of the „Generation Connect Board” Programme, meant to stimulate the involvement of young people and the conceptualization of the „Global Youth Summit,” meant to improve coherence between the programmes so that they are oriented towards the future.

Doreen Bogdan-Martin has 30 years of experience in the field of information and communication, in the technology sector (ICT), government relations and multilateral organizations. She is married, has four children and speaks fluent French and Spanish. Educationally, she is a master’s student of the American University, School of International Services, in International Communication Policies, and a graduate of the University of Delaware. Since 2019, Bogdan-Martin is the head of the Telecommunications Development Office of ITU.

For his part, Rashid Ismailov pointed out in his presentation for the position of ITU Secretary General that on the list of priorities are: support centered on people, economy and digital society, reducing digital gaps and ensuring universal broadband access for all, managing the risks, challenges and opportunities resulting from the rapid growth of the telecommunications/ICT/development sector, establishing a favourable environment for innovation in the field to support the digital transformation of society, as well as strengthening cooperation between ITU and other stakeholders in supporting the organization’s strategic objectives.

„The world is changing at a breathtaking pace, and fast digital transformation is the new normal. It is having a profound impact on manufacturing, logistics, consumption, and lifestyles. As part of the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution, technologies and business models in the legacy industries are being constantly eroded and replaced by new ones. The Internet of Things, cloud computing, blockchain, artificial intelligence and big data are fundamentally transforming business and management,” Ismailov said in his candidacy presentation.

According to the data included in the CV, the candidate from the Russian Federation was born on November 2, 1965, in Baku (USSR), is married and has four children. He speaks seven languages fluently – English, Portuguese, Turkish, Italian, Spanish, German and French. In addition, he graduated from the Faculty of History of the Lomonosov State University in Moscow, with a degree in „Mathematical and computer methods in history” (1983-1988), as well as the Moscow State University of Mechanical Engineering, specializing in „Economy and Enterprise Management” (2004 – 2007).

Over 3,000 leaders and delegates from 193 countries gather in Bucharest, between September 26 and October 14, 2022, to establish the global direction of digital transformation and to elect the future leadership of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) – agency of the Organization of the United Nations (UN) for information and communication technology.

During the three weeks, at the 21st edition of the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-22), the delegations present will include representatives of all categories of ITU members – private companies, academic institutions and national, regional and international bodies involved in the organization’s activities regarding radio communications and standardization or promotion of digital transformation according to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Romania is the first country in the European Union (EU) to organize this large-scale event, and where the general policies of the ITU will be established, as well as the strategic and financial plans for the period 2024 – 2027, which cover the entire activity of the organization, but, primarily, key issues related to digital inclusion and bridging the digital divide, how best to leverage artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G and future to 6G networks, along with other new and emerging technologies.

Along with the National Regulatory Authority for Communications and Information Technology (ANCOM) and the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Tourism (MAT), partners in organizing the conference are: the Senate of Romania, the Chamber of Deputies, the General Secretariat of the Government, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitization, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Culture, the City Hall of Bucharest, the Special Telecommunications Service, the Protection and Security Service and the Romanian Television Company. AGERPRES is a media partner of the event.

The International Telecommunication Union is the international organization within the United Nations system specialized for information and communication technologies (ICT), which promotes innovation in this field, together with the 193 member states and with over 900 members from among companies, universities and organizations international and regional.

Established more than 150 years ago, the ITU is an intergovernmental organization whose main objective is to coordinate the safe use of the radio spectrum at the global level, promotes international cooperation in the assignment of satellite orbits, improve communications infrastructure in developing countries and establishing worldwide standards to encourage the seamless interconnection of a wide range of communications systems.

Agerpres