Romania

On behalf of the host country, I want to express a warm welcome to all the delegates who are present here, in Romania, on this very special occasion. It is an honor and a privilege for us to organize the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2022 in a member state of the European Union for the first time in the last 30 years.

I must confess my special connection to the plenipotentiary conference, ever since I was the head of the Romanian regulator, ANCOM I supported the idea of hosting it in Romania and I believed in our capacity to deliver an impeccable event at the Palace of the Parliament.

I was happy to hear that more than 50 top-level representatives attended the Ministerial Round Table yesterday, an event that produced an important result, namely the Bucharest Declaration « Building a better digital future for all ».

From the late 19th century, when the telegraph and telephones were first introduced, to the present day, the ITU has been a global platform for cooperation in the field of communications, whether it is the management of satellite orbits and radio spectrum or standards in electronic communications. ITU was the first international organization to which Romania adhered, in full process of defining the national identity, since 1866.

We are in the middle of a digital revolution that enables and provides the means for the development of new industries and converged services such as smart vehicles, healthcare, smart cities and homes. How we live and use this technological advantage dictates the development of our economies and societies.

Digital technologies deliver great services to the humanity, but these technologies also generate fundamental ethical concerns. Precisely for this reason, UN member states must assess the risks generated by the improper use of digital and other emerging technologies on privacy, freedom of conscience, freedom of expression and freedom of movement.

At this turning point in technological development, we must not forget our essential duty to respect the human being, its fundamental rights and freedoms. Only fulfilling this duty allows us to protect the freedom and prosperity of future generations, in whose lives, the technologies we see today as emerging, will play a determining role.

Thanks to the coherent public policies led by MCID and ANCOM, Romania enjoys a very favorable environment for the development of electronic communications. We benefit from affordable and quality services. We pride ourselves on our specialist IT workforce. Romania occupies leading positions in all global statistics of digital development: 85% of fixed internet connections allow download speeds of at least 100 Mbps.

However, we are aware that our efforts to develop this area must continue. We consider the further development of digital public services, connectivity, cyber security and digital skills. To this end, we committed to spend 1.8 billion euros for Romania’s digital development, the most significant financial contribution included in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

The conference takes place in an international context marked by major challenges for the UN mandate: international peace and security, sustainable development and human rights. It is in the power of UN and ITU Member States to support and promote, through our activities, effective rules-based multilateralism. From this perspective, the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2022 provides the framework for adopting decisions based on the principles of international law, the foundation of the UN Charter.

We consider that our ITU membership is both a privilege and a responsibility, and I wish to reaffirm Romania’s commitment to achieving the objectives of the Connect 2030 agenda.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have the opportunity to make some important decisions on this occasion. Let’s work together and act in our interest. I wish you fruitful and constructive discussions for the next 3 weeks.