Mobile World Congress 2023
Keynote Address
''Delivering the Digital Decade''
Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin
27 February 2023
It's exciting to be here today – and to address this gathering during my first 100 days in office.
Having our UN agency on this stage sends a strong signal about the importance of digital cooperation at this moment in technology history.
ITU has a long history – a 158-year history of bringing governments, industry leaders and experts under one roof. We're a vital part of the engine that powers the Internet. We are the global platform for emerging technologies.
ITU's role is key to harmonizing the radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits, to developing global technical standards underpinning the digital world, and to promoting digital development in the Global South.
The digital cooperation ITU facilitates is needed more than ever.
I strongly believe we can't separate people from technology. I caught the technology bug early with the Apollo space program. And now humanity is returning to the Moon. The only limit is our imagination. When we set our minds on something – and bring the latest technology to the table – not even the sky is the limit.
The same is true when we look to deliver on the promise of this digital decade. And the best way to measure our success is to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). That's why the mobile industry, through GSMA, was the first industry to commit to the SDGs.
Halfway to 2030, I see three possible scenarios.
In the first one, digital technologies help put the SDGs back on track. Our industry enables the transition to net zero emissions across the economy. New paradigms like Web 3.0 become mainstream. It's inclusive – no more digital gender gap! It's affordable – and it is secure. Farmers. Teachers. Students. Doctors. Patients. Everyone has the digital skills they need to succeed. That's what universal
meaningful connectivity looks like.
The second scenario: We make some progress on the SDGs, but we're still falling short. Emerging technologies are going mainstream, but remain inaccessible to many. We're still playing catch up when it comes to closing the digital divide between developed and developing countries, urban and rural areas, men and women, young and older persons. It'll take hundreds of years to reach gender equality. That's what happens if we allow the status quo to continue.
The last scenario – the one we all want to avoid. We fail to rescue the SDGs. Development is stalled – or is going backwards. The climate crisis has overwhelmed us. Mistrust in technology is rampant. Gender equality is a distant dream. More and more people question the very value of connectivity.
So what can we do to challenge the status quo? How can we get closer to our goals? And how can we avoid the worst-case scenario?
I believe there are four actions we can take right now to drive progress.
The first one, is recognizing that finite resources, like radio frequency spectrum, and associate satellite orbits, are the building blocks of our advanced global communication systems for all humanity. They need to be shared equitably, responsibly, while avoiding harmful interference.
ITU's role is critical here, most notably through our World Radiocommunication Conferences. The next one will take place in the United Arab Emirates later this year. Its outcomes will shape digital development for this decade and well into the future.
The second action is to speak the same language – and by this I mean reaching consensus on global technical standards to manage the integration of new technologies like AI and the Internet of Things into your networks, to make them more connected, performant, efficient, sustainable, and accessible.
We will certainly hear more and more about 6G this week. And I'm pleased that the ITU Vision for 6G for 2030 and beyond – what we call “IMT-2030" – will be completed later this year, making for the first time energy efficiency and environmental sustainability part of the specifications for the new technology.
Our third action is to think innovatively about connectivity. Let's take school connectivity, something that's very close to my heart – with things like Giga, the ITU-UNICEF initiative to connect every school to the Internet by 2030. The data gathered while mapping and connecting schools have helped us reduce prices for school connectivity by up to 50%.
A couple of years ago, Brazil made school connectivity a requirement in its 5G auction. Parts of the proceeds were set aside to invest in school connectivity infrastructure. And that's what I mean by being innovative.
But we also need to think big and be bold. That's what the Partner2Connect Digital Coalition led by ITU is doing. The premise is simple: Some challenges are too big for any one player to face alone. And that's why ITU called on all stakeholders to connect the communities that are still left behind. And after just one year, we have almost 600 commitments worth about 30 billion USD. It's a good start, but it's not nearly enough. We need you – the mobile industry – to rise to the occasion. Step up and make a pledge.
The fourth and final action is to unite behind the SDGs. Failure is not an option. As the UN Secretary-General said just two weeks ago: “We need to make the SDGs real in the lives of people everywhere." When I spoke with him earlier this month in New York, he stressed the importance of digital technologies, and how ITU can be a pioneer and deliver on all things digital. And yes, there are risks – growing risks in this digital world. But what are the risks of inaction?
I was 21 on a year off after college here in Spain. That's when I discovered an abiding passion for technology, and how it can change the world. I made a promise to myself then – that I'd never stop advocating for technology as a force for good. I know that's something I share with all of you here in this room.
We have the power to change the world. The “we" is the mobile industry. It's the satellite industry. It's governments. It's researchers. It's ITU, a new ITU – inclusive, transformative, unified. It's all those who make digital transformation possible.
In September, there will be an SDG summit at the UN General Assembly. ITU will organize a Digital Day, to bring focus to digital technologies, to bring all players together, to feed input into the summit. This is our moment! It's in our power to shift the world on a sustainable and resilient path, and to leave no one behind. In fact, it's our responsibility.
At stake is the fate of the 2.7 billion people who remain offline, and all those who are struggling to stay online. At stake is humanity's relationship with technology, and our ability to keep this planet healthy for future generations. Nothing less than an open, free, and secure digital future for all.
That takes us back to the three possible scenarios I described at the beginning, and we all know which future we want.
So let's build it. Let's build it together. And let's build it now.
Thank you.
