ITU 2024 priorities 07 March 2024
/
2:43
/
MP4
/
314.5 MB

Edited News | ITU

ITU 2024 priorities 07 March 2024

STORYLINE

Only 30 per cent of women globally have access to the Internet, says ITU

Women still account for a disproportionate and growing share of the global offline population – with only 30 per cent having access to the internet in the least developed countries. This according to the first female Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Doreen Bogdan-Martin, who spoke to reporters in Geneva on the eve of International Women’s Day (8 March).

“I've seen women who can't afford a smartphone, women in countries where entry level handsets can exceed 70 per cent of average household monthly incomes,” said Ms. Bogdan- Martin during a briefing at the United Nations in Geneva on ITU’s global priorities for 2024 - which include narrowing this gender gap in internet access.

“Women still account for a disproportionate and growing share of the global offline population, outnumbering men by some 20 per cent in least developed countries. Only 30 per cent of women have access to the Internet,” she said.

For 2024, ITU Member States have set two clear strategic goals for the Union going forward: universal connectivity and sustainable digital transformation.

After 14 months at the helm of ITU, Ms. Bogdan-Martin said that she had "experienced in my time as ITU Secretary-General two worlds, … one in high income countries where almost 90 per cent of the population is covered by a 5G network and a much bigger and also poorer world where service is nearly absent and when available, it's not affordable.”

Turning to the fight against climate change, ITU’s Secretary-General stressed that Artificial Intelligence (AI) can mitigate 10 per cent of greenhouse gas emission by 2030. Digital solutions such as AI can help to boost progress on climate change, education and poverty, she said.

“There are incredible opportunities that we can leverage from AI in general, from generative AI,” she said. “But there are risks and we need to be able to manage and mitigate the risks. It's a challenge to find how to balance between regulating and stifling innovation. And that's the current debate that we're seeing, not just here in Geneva, but I think globally.”

According to ITU, 2.6 billion people today are not connected, and they have never been connected to the Internet. For Ms. Bogdan-Martin “this is really one of the biggest challenges of our generation.”

“My biggest fear and what keeps me up at night is the 2.6 billion people that are not connected and I say that because if you're not part of the digital world, then you're not part of the AI world. And I do think we have to close that gap and in parallel find ways to make AI safer.”

-ends-

STORY: ITU

TRT: 2:43”

SOURCE: UNTV CH

RESTRICTIONS: NONE

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

ASPECT RATIO: 16:9

DATELINE: 7 March 2024 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

  1. Exterior medium shot: UN flag alley
  2. Wide shot: speakers at the press conference
  3. SOUNDBITE (English) – Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU): “I've seen women who can't afford a smartphone, women in countries where entry level handsets can exceed 70 per cent, 70 pe cent of average household monthly incomes.”
  4. Wide shot: press room with journalists
  5. SOUNDBITE (English) – Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU): “Women still account for a disproportionate and growing share of the global offline population, outnumbering men by some 20 per cent. In the least developed countries only 30% of women have access to the Internet.”
  6. Wide shot: podium with speaker and photographer
  7. SOUNDBITE (English) – Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU): “I've experienced in my time as ITU Secretary-General two worlds: I would say one in high income countries where almost 90 per cent of the population is covered by a 5G network and a much bigger and also poorer world where service is nearly absent and when available, it's not affordable.”
  8. Medium shot: speaker at the podium, filmed from behind
  9. SOUNDBITE (English) – Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU): “There are incredible opportunities that we can leverage from AI in general, from generative AI. But there are risks and we need to be able to manage and mitigate the risks. It's a challenge to find how to balance between regulating and stifling innovation. And that's the current debate that we're seeing, not just here in Geneva, but I think globally.”
  10. Medium shot: speaker at the podium with photographer
  11. SOUNDBITE (English) – Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU): “My biggest fear and what keeps me up at night is the 2.6 billion people that are not connected and I say that because if you're not part of the digital world, then you're not part of the AI world. And I do think we have to close that gap and in parallel find ways to make AI safer.”
  12. Close up: journalist listening
  13. Close up: journalist listening
  14. Medium shot: camera people and photographer in press room
  15. Medium shot: press room with journalists
  16. Wide shot: press briefing room with journalists
  17. Wide shot: press briefing room with journalists and speakers at the podium


Audio Files 1
Download ITU 2024 priorities 07 March 2024 (Edited Story)
Download

Similar Stories

Widespread starvation in Gaza – IPC, UN Women 29 July 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | UNWOMEN

Widespread starvation in Gaza – IPC, UN Women 29 July 2025 ENG FRA

Aid agencies echoed wider warnings of growing signs of widespread starvation in Gaza on Tuesday, as UN-partnered international food security experts released their most dire assessment yet of the situation in the wartorn enclave.

Sudan displaced return – IOM, UNDP, UNHCR 25 July 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | IOM , UNDP , UNHCR

Sudan displaced return – IOM, UNDP, UNHCR 25 July 2025 ENG FRA

Sudan: urgent help needed as more than 1.3 million war-displaced people begin to return home

As conflict rages on across parts of Sudan, pockets of relative safety have emerged in the past four month, spurring more than one million internally displaced Sudanese to make their way home, says the International Organization for Migration (IOM). A further 320,000 cross-border refugees have come back to Sudan since last year, mainly from Egypt and South Sudan, to assess the current situation before deciding to return to their country for good.

Gaza crisis update UNRWA – WHO 22 July 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | UNRWA , WHO

Gaza crisis update UNRWA – WHO 22 July 2025 ENG FRA

Gaza: SOS messages describe people fainting from hunger; UN health worker detained

Worrying alerts from United Nations staff in Gaza who have been fainting from hunger and exhaustion over the past 48 hours have increased fears for people’s survival in the devastated enclave, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.

Funding cuts impact on aid access - UNHCR Dominique Hyde - 18 July 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | UNHCR , UNOG

Funding cuts impact on aid access - UNHCR Dominique Hyde - 18 July 2025 ENG FRA

Over 11.6 million refugees risk losing aid access due to funding cuts, says UNHCR

Approximately one in three refugees and other vulnerable individuals normally supported by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) are expected to lose out from funding cuts, it said on Friday.

UN Human Rights Ravina Shamdasani on opening mission in Bangladesh

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

UN Human Rights Ravina Shamdasani on opening mission in Bangladesh ENG FRA

Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, made the following announcement on the Office’s opening of a new mission in Bangladesh.

UN Human Rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani on returns of Afghans

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

UN Human Rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani on returns of Afghans ENG FRA

The surge in the number of Afghans forced or compelled to return to Afghanistan this year is creating a multi-layered human rights crisis requiring the urgent attention of the international community,” UN Human Rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said on Friday.  

UN Human Rights Office Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani on violence in Suweida, Syria

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN Human Rights Office Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani on violence in Suweida, Syria ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday called for accountability and justice for the killings and other gross human rights violations and abuses in the southern city of Suweida. 

Syria Sweida violence OHCHR – UNHCR 18 July 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNHCR

Syria Sweida violence OHCHR – UNHCR 18 July 2025 ENG FRA

Syria: hundreds killed in Sweida, ‘widespread’ violations as civilians flee for their lives

Amid violent clashes in southern Syria’s Sweida governorate, a picture of grave human rights abuses and rising humanitarian needs is emerging by the hour, the UN said on Friday.

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Liz Throssell on Ukraine

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Liz Throssell on Ukraine ENG

At the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva the UN Human Rights Spokesperson Liz Throssell made the following statement on the latest number of civilian casualties in Ukraine.

UN Human Rights Briefing on West Bank

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN Human Rights Briefing on West Bank ENG FRA

The UN Human Rights Office on Tuesday called for investigations into hundreds of killings of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank by Israeli security forces and settlers, warning against ongoing forced mass displacement of the Palestinian population.

Gaza And Occupied West Bank Update - OHCHR, UNRWA  15 July 2025

1

1

2

Edited News | OHCHR , UNRWA

Gaza And Occupied West Bank Update - OHCHR, UNRWA 15 July 2025 ENG FRA

Nearly 900 people have been killed in Gaza in recent weeks trying to fetch food, with most deaths linked to private aid hubs run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Tuesday.

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani on escalating gang violence  in Haiti

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani on escalating gang violence in Haiti ENG FRA

The United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) and the UN Human Rights Office have today released a report detailing the evolution of violent gang incidents beyond the capital Port-au-Prince since October 2024 up to June 2025, and the resulting loss of life and mass displacement.