Ms. Doreen Bogdan-Martin and Mr. Tomas Lamanauskas have been chosen by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to serve as the Union’s Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General, respectively.
The ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2022 (PP-22), which takes place in Bucharest, Romania, from September 25 to October 14, 2022, included the elections among its goals.
The Minister of Communication and Digitalization, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, congratulated the newly elected officers and assured them of Ghana’s full cooperation and support.
She claimed that Ms. Bogdan-Martin had supported youth empowerment and gender digital inclusion over the years, and that was a worthy honor for her to hold the position of Organization leader for the first time in its 157-year history.
Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful gave Mr. Lamanauskas her warmest wishes and expressed her confidence that he would do everything in his power to support the General Secretary in ensuring that the ITU achieved inclusive global connectivity and underwent digital transformation for the benefit of all member states.
She promised him that Ghana would assist him fully in carrying out his duties.
The Deputy Secretary-General-elect, Mr. Tomas Lamanauskas, is the youngest person to hold this position. The fact that we already had a team of elected Secretary General and Deputy who were a lady and a young person is in fact supported by ITU resolutions on gender and youth inclusion.
She stated that the leadership of the departing ITU Secretary-General, Mr. Houlin Zhou, and his Deputy, Mr. Malcolm Johnsonl, for the years of service to the ITU, was appreciated by Ghana and all member states.
She wished him a “well-earned retirement.”
The Minister used the occasion to support the other candidates who ran for the seats but were unsuccessful, telling them: “You fought hard, better luck next time.” For the benefit of all ITU Member States, we aim to rely on your extensive knowledge.
The ITU Plenipotentiary Conference this year was the first to address gender equality.
The ITU wants to increase the percentage of female participation to at least 35 percent, from 22 percent in 2014 and 29 percent in 2018.
