A top United States official won the majority vote to head the United Nations’s leading agency for handling telecommunications and tech infrastructure standards.
Doreen Bogdan-Martin received 139 votes, easily beating out the Russian candidate, Rashid Ismailov, who had 25 votes. This will allow Bogdan-Martin to lead the International Telecommunication Union for the next four years and oversee the international standards for internet connections, 5G, and other technologies.
RUSSIAN SHIPS OBSERVED NEAR AREA THAT CAUSED NORD STREAM PIPELINE LEAKS
“The world is facing significant challenges — escalating conflicts, a climate crisis, food security, gender inequalities, and 2.7 billion people with no access to the internet,” Bogdan-Martin said after her victory, according to Politico. “I believe we, the ITU and our members, have an opportunity to make a transformational contribution.”
The race stood as a contrast between the more open version of the internet touted by the U.S. and the West and the heavily regulated, government-controlled version of the internet used by China, Russia, and other authoritarian states.
Bogdan-Martin will replace Houlin Zhao, who has overseen the agency since 2014, during which time awareness has grown about China’s efforts to surpass the U.S. technologically.
The elected candidate has worked with the ITU for several years. Bogdan-Martin has served as the director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau since 2019 and led the ITU’s Strategic Planning and Membership Department from 2008 to 2018.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
President Joe Biden praised Bogdan-Martin, noting how she possessed “the integrity, experience, and vision necessary to transform the digital landscape.”
Bogdan-Martin will take over her new role starting Jan. 1, 2023.
