Connecting the Unconnected: Doreen Bogdan-Martin

0:00One of the things I have always been focused on and it's core to ITU's mission is to make sure that we connect the unconnected. We still have a third of the world that has never, ever connected to the Internet. We have to make sure that that third actually gets connected and can participate in this incredibly exciting digital time. That's Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary General of the International Telecommunications Union. For more than 160 years, from the era of the telegraph to the age of AI, the ITU has helped keep the world connected. Today, that mission carries new urgency. Doreen's work to connect the unconnected is at the center of a defining challenge of our time.

0:46What's at stake is not just connectivity. It's access to education, health care, jobs, and even safety in moments of crisis. In this episode, we talk about how to close that gap, how global partnerships can scale AI for good, and why the future of technology depends on who we connect next. Doreen Bogdan-Martin, up next on Tools and Weapons. Doreen, thank you for joining. It's great to get together. You and I have known each other a long time. We've worked on common issues for a long time. you lead this critical international, really global organization from this very tall building in Geneva, Switzerland, the International Telecommunications Union, or ITU.

1:38But there's probably a lot of people who are watching or listening to this that are not familiar with the ITU or, frankly, why it is so important in the world today. Can you just help us start a little bit by describing the organization that you have now been leading for several years. Yeah, well, first, great to be here. Nice to see you, Brad. So the ITU, the International Telecommunications Union, was actually established back in 1865. We were created by 20 European countries. It was all about standards, about interoperability and getting the signal to pass from one country to another. And obviously, since then, we have evolved from the telephone, the television, the radio, satellites, and now it's all about AI.

2:33But I think maybe just to simplify it. Every time you make a phone call, every time you send an email, you send a text message, every time you stream a video, that is thanks to the work of the ITU. It is a fascinating thing to think about because I think especially people in the tech sector or people who just love to use technology every day, always think about these things really from the perspective of, say, a device or the app or the technology itself. But the point you're making, I think, is critical. You can't communicate with the rest of the world unless the world as a whole is operating mostly metaphorically, but also literally on the same wavelength or frequency, so to speak.

3:24So you need this kind of international organization to bring the world together. Remind us, how many governments or countries are members of the ITU today? So we have 194. We have one more than the United Nations because we have the Vatican as a member state, which is a great story if we had more time. But we also have private sector members, which is quite different from the rest of the system. We have more than a thousand private sector members that are part of the ITU. And of course, Microsoft is one of our proud partners. We have academic institutions as well, civil society and the technical community.

4:08So the world can only learn together and talk together and share information together by coming together. And we'll talk more about that. But before we turn to that, I just want to ask for a moment about your journey. What took you from where you began to the leader of this organization? So I started focused on satellite connectivity. I was working in the U.S. Department of Commerce and then working on some privatization competition things in Latin America. And then I came to the ITU on a detachment more than 30 years ago. Most of my career was focused on development, so helping countries put in place their ICT regulators like the FCC in the U.S., helping countries to introduce competition, helping countries to advance their digital development.

5:10Then I became the chief of strategy and then the leader of our development sector and now the ITU secretary general. In a sense, it's almost the kind of career that was always preparing you to do what you do today, working with countries and governments around the world, putting in place the building blocks for all of the pieces of telecommunications or technology that you deal with now. You've been leading the ITU now. In fact, this will be a year when you'll have the opportunity, I think most of us hope and believe, to be reelected. You've been at the center of what's been going on on a global basis around technology and AI.

5:51As you look at where things are going, what are the trends that jump out to you? And are there trends that you think people may not yet fully be appreciating in terms of their importance? Well, obviously, artificial intelligence is a huge one. And we're seeing the kind of pace and the changes happening in all things AI that it literally makes our head spin. But it's exciting. And I think we all want to make sure that it advances responsibly and that it doesn't cause deeper divisions or divides. One of the things I have always been focused on, and it's core to ITU's mission, is to make sure that we connect the unconnected.

6:45We still have a third of the world that has never, ever connected to the Internet. And so when we look at what's happening around us, whether it's artificial intelligence, whether it's the new constellations of low-Earth orbiting satellite systems, we have to make sure that that third that's not connected actually gets connected and can participate in this incredibly exciting digital time. let's if we could pull the thread on that a little bit i mean one of the things that i always appreciate about you doreen is you travel the world where the world is coming together that talk about these issues you are there but what i also appreciate is you go to the places and meet and see people who are disconnected or have been disconnected and then you do see what it means for connectivity to arrive.

7:42I think by definition, everybody who's listening or watching to this is connected to the global telecommunications network. Can you put us for a moment in the shoes of people who are not, how their lives are different, how their daily lives change once connectivity reaches them? Take, for example, a refugee. And so a couple of months ago, I was in Chad in a refugee camp, in the Farchana refugee camp. And I was together with GSMA and with UNHCR. And we went out to this camp where we visited a connectivity center. So it was kind of like a relatively small computer center with maybe 20 or so PCs.

8:34And around each computer station, you had probably eight young people. And they were all trying to get around the screens and walking around talking to them and looking at what they were doing on their screens. Many of them were trying to take classes. Some of them were doing, they were trying to do drawings. Some of them were learning foreign languages. But it was incredible because these people, these refugees that have essentially lost everything, have an opportunity through this ICT center to have a sort of digital lifeline. It gives them access to digital finance and mobile money. It gives them access to continue their learnings.

9:21learnings. It can give them access to healthcare solutions, access to their families, their friends. I mean, it's life changing. And when you go to a place that has absolutely nothing, and you see what this small computer center brings, that's what makes you want to do more. And that's why I'm so committed, well, to ITU's work, but also to working with partners like yourselves. Because I think if we all come together and we share that passion about the need to help people through connectivity, we can make a huge difference. I couldn't agree more. And I've always just so appreciated your commitment and your passion for what it means to change people's lives by connecting them to the world.

10:03And as you just point out, you know, it's a path to education, to health care. I think you literally do change the trajectory of people's lives and give them hope about their opportunities for a better future. And it is stunning when we still think of the billions of people that don't live with this as part of their lives today. And your work on this, you know, this inspiring and invigorating and bringing partners together to pursue this mission, obviously predated your leadership of the ITU itself. Tell us a little bit about the kinds of programs you've been nurturing both before you took over the leadership role and what you've been able to do by leading the ITU.

10:50We have 2.2 billion unconnected. And so we've been doing some work to understand what's needed to connect the unconnected. And so we've come up with some estimates that get us to around 2.8 trillion to connect the unconnected by 2030. And that 2.8 trillion is largely infrastructure, but it's also policy linked and it's linked to capacity building. And we know... This is$2.8 trillion to be invested? Yes, exactly. Okay. And we know it's not going to happen just like that. It has to happen through partnerships. We have to have the investment community engaged. So we've come up with this digital infrastructure investment initiative.

11:35We now have an accelerator that we launched at the Financing for Development Conference last year. But what we have been working on before I became secretary general is something called Partner to Connect. And the mission and objective of Partner to Connect is to connect the hardest to connect. And so we came up with this construction where it's not just about getting people access. It's making sure that once you get the connection, they can actually like adopt it, use it. And so you have to build in the skilling piece. And then the third part is linked to value creation. You want to see that people are so empowered that they can create their own businesses and their own essentially digital lifelines.

12:22One of the things I find so interesting and important about this, and it's reflected in the words that you use, partner to connect. I think most people think of the United Nations as a place where governments convene. And I'll just say, and companies and nonprofit organizations and journalists all sit around the edges and watch. But you have put this role of public-private partnerships in the center of this effort to connect the unconnected. Has that been an easy message to persuade people to support? Or have you had to overcome sort of misconceptions or preconceptions to build this broader coalition to work together?

13:11I think on the one hand, I've been fortunate simply because of the ITU construct. If you look at the UN side, and we're part of the UN family, I think that the UN and this Secretary General in particular has understood the importance of digital since before the pandemic even with some of his digital cooperation efforts. And we've been pushing and pushing and working together and trying to do things differently. We started this digital at UNGA series, trying to put digital technologies and digital issues in the spotlight. And I think by doing things differently, by having different constructs of events, not just speeches, I think member states are so excited about it.

14:04And they don't want to just hear speeches. They want to see solutions. And the good thing about artificial intelligence is that there are so many solutions out there. You and I saw that in front of us in Delhi where, like, there were thousands of solutions, which is so exciting. And so I think this is an opportunity as the United Nations goes through this whole reform process and the UN80, and we're looking at efficiencies and mandates and all these things. This is an incredible opportunity to see how we can better embrace technology, how we can use technology to deliver our respective missions.

14:42You've long been focused on bringing connectivity to people. And you've also, in more recent years, really become a champion, a real leader for this whole notion of AI for good. Tell us a little bit about the idea, and then we can talk a little bit about how you're putting it into action. Obviously, connectivity and AI are absolutely linked. And I think you say yourself, Brad, that connectivity is the on-ramp, I've heard you say. So we got to get that connectivity in there. And so back in 2017, we came up with this idea to have a summit with UN partners and our private sector member states and to focus on how artificial intelligence can be used for education, for health care, for agriculture, for life under the sea, for space, etc.

15:41But on the UN side, what's been interesting is that the number of UN agencies, funds, programs, offices that are engaged in artificial intelligence are actually more than 50. And we put together this UN AI hub, and we actually have more than 900 real use cases showing how across the system we're using AI, whether it's with your colleague Juan on our early warnings for all, which is another project and initiative that I absolutely love. or if it's something in agriculture, healthcare, working with Tedros and others. But it's incredible what's happening across the system. And that has led this platform to demonstrate good to grow and grow.

16:29And just to say this year will be quite unique because we're hosting this global dialogue on AI governance just before we kick off the AI for Good Summit. And so I think bringing those communities together is going to be quite exciting. Why don't we talk about the AI for good piece first? You'll bring the world to Geneva for that conversation, that summit. When you think about ensuring that AI can be used in more ways to address for good the problems of the world, if you could fix one thing or have one advance that comes out of this year's conversation about that, what would you like it to be?

17:12It's got to be about scaling solutions. And I think the challenge is there's so many good solutions, like the early warnings for all that I just mentioned. And so we have to find more ways to scale these solutions. And by bringing everyone together and showcasing what works and making sure that these solutions actually address the development challenges on the ground, I think we can make tremendous progress. Let's talk about the early warning for all. Tell us a little bit about it, how it works. What is it that excites you about it? Well, first of all, it's a partnership. And it addresses a specific need.

17:56With more and more kind of natural disasters and other kinds of hazards, the UN Secretary General declared that all countries have to have an early warning system in place by the end of 2027. What's also exciting is technologically it can be done and it can be done relatively quickly. But countries are kind of slow to put in place their strategies and to put in place the system. And one of the interesting things that we've come up with, thanks to the support of your team, is an ability to use artificial intelligence to look at what they're calling like cold spots. So looking at spaces where there is no connectivity.

18:43If a disaster is about to happen or has happened, how can we target and understand where those unconnected populations may be? And that ultimately helps us to prepare, if it's before a disaster or afterwards, to be able to target better and be more responsive when it comes to humanitarian efforts that might be needed. I think it is a fascinating opportunity for the world. And I think it was in Dubai with the U.N. Secretary General at the COP event a few years ago when it was first unveiled and launched. And you're right, Microsoft has been a partner and a supporter since day one. I think at one level, and it's something that people in some parts of the world take for granted, if there is a natural disaster, you save lives by letting people know right away, including if there's a hurricane coming or other incidents that people need to be rescued from.

19:49And you're right. I mean, data and AI is a game changer. AI offers greater predictive analytics and ability to know more in advance when a crisis may be coming. But it really does go back to your point about connectivity. You can't warn people unless you can reach them. And one of the favorite things I've liked about what we've been able to do through Microsoft's AI for Good Lab, as you point out, is get a map of the world, better work with you all and ITU and others to know where people lack connectivity, and then overlay that, say, areas like flood zones, where there is a greater need for people to likely to be warned on some kind of more frequent basis in the future.

20:35And you put that AI and data and connectivity together, and you suddenly have an ability to save people in times of distress, reach them and the like. So I think it is just a great example of what you just described. There's hundreds or thousands of these great scenarios. And you're right. How do we scale? That is just a profoundly important question. You also referenced this other part of the conversation that will take place in Geneva in July, this global dialogue on AI governance. When you think of the hard issues that are going to be on the table in Geneva, can you tell us about two or three that people may be hearing about but should be thinking more about than they are now?

21:24Well, I think the big issue is linked to regulation, right? There's a lot of different views about different approaches. Should we be heavy handed? Should we be focused on the risk? Or should we be focused more on innovative approaches? And so it's kind of a balancing act to try to find the construct that can help us to advance in a way as a global community to ensure that AI benefits humanity. And obviously, a lot of them have to do with capacity gaps, with infrastructure gaps. But I think that one of the trickiest ones is linked to the regulatory piece and how that gets navigated. And certainly here we are entering the middle of 2026.

22:14And I think as AI continues to advance, it's a time when people are recognizing that if it's not managed well in some appropriate way, we do face new risks, say, around cybersecurity, which I think has been the issue so far this year that has probably grabbed more headlines than we might have predicted when the year began. Do you sense that a more common awareness of some of these risks might help bring people closer together towards some action to address it? Definitely, there's a need and I would say a desire, a thirst for this kind of information. I think countries all want to be at the table.

23:01And so I do think that the dialogue is important. Building awareness around the key issues is really important. I also think looking to the principles in different initiatives, including the Trusted Tech Alliance, I think that's also quite helpful for countries to understand, you know, why have this group of companies come together? What are they advocating for? And I would say actually on the ITU front, many of the things that that alliance is advocating for are things that we are firmly behind already and advancing on some of our standards work with many of the companies that are part of that effort.

23:40When you refer to the Trusted Tech Alliance, as you know, because I was involved in, as was Microsoft, and it has brought together a number of what I'll call global leading companies from the world of technology from multiple countries. to really stand up and speak up for the purpose of having common principles, high standards, a sense of responsibility, and perhaps above all, an ability to do what the ITU has long championed, use technology across borders to keep people together. So we're trying to fill a niche, if you will. From your vantage point, leading the ITU, how do you look at what we're trying to do through the Trusted Tech Alliance because it fits squarely into your vision of multi-stakeholderism.

24:30No, it does. It does. And I think that the principles that you're advocating for, as I said, are principles that we're advocating for. And some of that is being kind of driven by our standards work. We have this effort with ISO, with IEC on multimedia authentication, on provenance, on deep fakes. And a lot of what you're pushing for are things that we've been trying to push for as well. Doreen, tell us a little bit, what is probably harder about leading a global organization like the ITU than most people might assume? I think the hardest thing is trying to find consensus, especially these days, you know, trying to bring countries together and find a common path forward.

25:30It's more and more challenging. And so from my perspective, also, you know, internally trying to bring teams together, it's not easy. But we got to keep pushing. I think we have to bring our whole selves to the position and bring lots of energy and remain optimistic. I'm an optimist. What gives you that sense of optimism? What gives me the optimism is seeing how digital solutions impact people that don't have much and how digital technologies can be life-changing. And so that drives me. And I see how when you push forward changes, when you push forward different kinds of projects and initiatives, they can make a huge difference.

26:22And when you think about that optimism, which I fundamentally think of as your commitment to the mission of the ITU, among other things, and then put it in the context of these difficulties that you describe, are there any particular leadership lessons or techniques that you have found can make a difference in helping to build the kind of consensus you need to move forward? Well, I would consider myself a collaborative leader. I mean, that's my approach. I like to work with teams. I am a pretty good listener, but also have lots of ideas. My colleagues tell me I have too many ideas. But, you know, I think being collaborative and bringing people together, you always get a better outcome than just forging ahead without having the team with you.

27:20And so why don't we for a moment just unpack what it takes to be a collaborative leader? I think you captured some of it, which is you have to be a good listener. But can you say a little bit more about what you might feel you need to bring into a meeting, a conversation, to bring that sense of collaboration to life? Well, I think it's also important to recognize that if you have that collaborative approach, that the outcome is a collective outcome as well. And so we often have conversations about the I versus the we. I'm definitely a we kind of person. And I think that's appreciated by colleagues or by countries that, you know, were being inclusive, I would say.

28:10I also think it's fascinating because, as you said, you have lots of ideas. Other people tell you you have lots of ideas. I might resemble that remark to some degree, I have to admit. But as you also said, the key to collaboration is to build something that reflects everyone's ideas. So I suspect part of what you find is that you've got to be willing to compromise. You may start with a vision, but if it's not a vision that reflects everybody's ideas, as we like to say, you know, if you want to go fast, go by yourself. But if you want to go far, you've got to put together a group. And is that one way to think about the job of being secretary general of the ITU?

28:55Well, I kind of like to go fast and far at the same time. So how do you do both together? I mean, I think you can. Maybe you don't get as far as you'd like to, but I think you have to. It's about compromise, and you need the team with you. You can't go it alone. but you also need to move fast. We don't want to break too many things while we're moving fast. But in this industry, in this time, and especially with UN system changes and reforms and member state demands, we've got to be out there. We've got to demonstrate that we can get it done, that we have the expertise, that we have the membership constituency we need, and that we can deliver.

29:40And in effect, you, I think, need to speak lots of different languages, not only in the literal sense within the United Nations, usually with the help of translators or interpreters or now to some degree AI, so everybody can understand each other. But I do think that one of the things that makes your role interesting and you so successful in it is you can tune in with a business person, you can tune in with an NGO, you can tune in with somebody who comes from a career in the public service or from the global north or the global south. How do you do that as well as you do? Well, I think that's the fun part.

30:19I love that part, like having discussions with government leaders or corporate leaders like yourself. I mean, that's where you learn things and that's where you can make better decisions. I think the other constituent group that totally excites me is working with young people. And in the ITU, especially in my current and previous role, I've launched some big initiatives on youth. And I have this young professionals program. And I just love being with young people because when it comes to what we do, really no one knows it better than they do. They are all digital natives. They don't remember what it was like not to have a mobile phone or, you know, computer.

31:02And I find it fascinating to get their perspectives. And so I regularly tune in and engage with young people. I have a youth advisory group, and it really helps me understand. And I'm often, like, amazed at how much more they know than I know. And if you were to think of one or two things that you've heard from the youth advisory group that you don't hear in other settings, and in particular, think about things that might surprise, say, folks who are not part of the youth advisory group, what comes to mind? Well, they actually think the ITU is cool. I love that. I ask others, people think we're like these old engineers and we're bureaucratic.

31:49And these young people are so excited. I mean, I'm excited, but these young people are really genuinely excited. And they're pushing us and pushing me to do more interesting in terms of young people, more interesting things on social media, more interesting things in terms of team events. I started an ITU band when I became secretary general. Wait a second. What is an ITU band? I have to interrupt you there. Tell us what that is. They're called the ITU Connections. I'm not part of it, but I actually, I had this idea because we have so much talent, artistic, musical talent in the ITU, that they should come together and perform in front of staff as a kind of a, you know, staff motivation.