In response to the election of Doreen Bogdan-Martin as Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) at the 2022 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Bucharest, Romania, the following statement can be attributed to Alan Davidson, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator:
"Today in Romania we witnessed history. I am pleased to join Secretary Raimondo in congratulating Doreen Bogdan-Martin on being elected Secretary General of the ITU. This is an extraordinary achievement and a moment worth celebrating. Doreen is the first woman to be elected Secretary General in the ITU’s 157-year history, and she will be the first American to serve in the role since 1965.
"This is not just a victory for Doreen but for all who care about open, free, interoperable, and secure communications technology. We are particularly grateful to see the breadth of support for Doreen’s election from around the world. Doreen earned that support over the course of her long ITU tenure by consistently demonstrating her ability to think big, build partnerships, and deliver on major development goals. President Biden and Congress have made a generational investment in closing the digital divide in America, and Doreen’s election will inspire similar hope for connecting the nearly 3 billion unconnected people around the world.
"Congratulations to Doreen on her historic election, and we look forward to working together on our shared goal of a more connected world."