 Welcome to the ITU Playlist Potentiary Conference 2022 here in Bucharest, Romania. We've got the great pleasure of being joined in the studio today by Doreen Bogdan-Martin, who is the director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau for ITU and also Secretary-General Elect. First of all, congratulations, Doreen, on your new position. Thank you. Thank you, Max. Now, I'd like to start off by talking about the fact that you're going to be taking your position at the helm of ITU very soon. I'm sure it'll be there before we know it. What in your view is ITU's role in the world today? I think the role of the ITU has actually never been more important. Okay, we're 157 years old, but what we represent, connecting the unconnected, bringing digital technologies and applications to all the world's people, it's never mattered more. I think the pandemic demonstrated how much we rely on connectivity and how much digital undercuts every sector of the economy, so I think our role and our importance has never mattered more. Now, you're the first woman in 157 years to be elected as a leader of the ITU. How do you aim to promote gender equality? First, in the work of ITU and secondly, across a predominantly male-dominated industry such as the technology sector is. So being the first woman, of course, I'm very grateful, honored, humbled, but of course it also brings a big responsibility. I think all of us would like to see more women and girls engaged in the technology sector as a whole in the work of the ITU. And I think there's much that we can do, much that I can do as Secretary General of the ITU. Bringing more women into the workforce is critical, helping them grow professionally, strengthening our network of women so that we actually have more women participating in our conferences. We've hit just over 30% at this Plenty Potentiary Conference. I think we'd all like to see 50-50. And of course, how do we get there? I think we have to start younger, so strengthening our Girls in ICT Day program, which happens on the Thursday of the fourth month will also be another big priority so that we can expose young women and girls to opportunities in the tech sector. Now, I think it's fair to say that you've become known for mobilizing new inclusive public-private partnerships to drive global digital development. Will innovative partnerships for connectivity also define your approach as ITU Secretary General? Absolutely. Partnerships and collaboration was one of the key pillars that I ran on in my campaign, and of course, one of the big focus areas that I have had as BDT Director in my current function. With 2.7 billion people still not connected, the only way we're going to get there is if we can work together, if we collaborate, and if we build strong partnerships like our partner to connect effort. Let's talk about connectivity. What does universal and meaningful connectivity mean to you? And what do you think that you and ITU's other elected officials can do to make it happen? So it's no longer just about the connection. It's not just connecting you to the internet. It's about what you can do with that connectivity. So it means having the digital skills to be able to leverage and use that connectivity. It's about ensuring that that connectivity is actually trusted and safe, that it's affordable, and that it's empowering. So how can we get the needed applications and services out to those that can use it? How can we make sure that the content is relevant? How can we make sure that local languages are accommodated? It's the whole of what the digital ecosystem can bring that goes much beyond the actual connection. Now you talked about content being relevant. Let's talk about ITU being relevant. These are particularly challenging times for the international community. Do you think that ITU can remain relevant as a neutral forum for international cooperation to connect the world? Yes, we can. I think the beauty of the ITU being 193 member states, having close to 900 sector members, meaning the private sector, having 150-plus academic institutions, civil society, that sort of multi-stakeholder membership, partnership makes the ITU rich, makes the ITU meaningful, makes us relevant. What's great is that we all agree on one thing, at least one thing, many more, but that is the need to connect the unconnected, the need to bring connectivity to all. And it's that sort of shared vision where we can all unite and put aside our differences and find ways to connect the unconnected. What will your primary objectives be during your first 100 days in office? So I'd like to see an ITU that inspires, that includes, that innovates and to get there. I think we need a little bit of refreshing, a little bit of refining, a little bit of renewing to get there in my first 100 days. I would like to think about, I would say first and foremost, partnerships, meaningful strategic partnerships that are partnerships with staff, partnerships with member states that will involve, I would say, much listening as well as intensive dialogue. I would say the second focus to area would be on transforming delivery, trying to find ways that the ITU can be really the thought leader and reference point for the digital sector. So how can we work together to transform that delivery? And I would say the third focus or the third pillar would be ensuring that we're results-based, so linking our strategic and financial plans, the sectoral plans, making sure that we're results-based, accountable and transparent. And I would say kind of the overarching theme for those 100 days and beyond. And we hear it much at this plenipotentiary conference is being one ITU. Let's not talk about one ITU, but let's actually be one ITU, where the whole of the ITU comes together, the regions, the headquarters, the radio, the standards and the development, and that we actually serve as one, the international community. Dorian Bookton-Martin, look forward to catching up with you again. I'm sure we'll have plenty of opportunities over the 100 days and beyond. But thank you very much for joining us in the studio today and all the very best in the coming months and, of course, in January the 1st. Thank you. Thank you, Max.