While the results on who gets elected to the highest post of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) will be eagerly anticipated, there are other positions as important as Secretary-General on the line.
Aside from the top post, there will be real competition for Deputy Secretary-General, Director of Standardization, and Director of Development. The current Director of Radiocommunication Bureau, Mario Maniewicz, is the only competitor in his field and should be re-elected.
Meet the candidates and check out a brief overview of their plans for other ITU positions above. Click the names to read the brochure with the full proposals:
Deputy-Secretary General
Tomas Lamanauskas (Lithuania) – With a vast background in regulation and foreign experience, Lamanauskas’ priorities are partnerships for connectivity, sustainability, and a more modern internal management.
Chaesub Lee (Korea) – The current Director of Standardization, with 35 years of ITU experience, promises to focus on building a resilient global ICT ecosystem, enhancing ITU management, and strengthening coordination between ITU positions.
Gisa Fuatai Purcell (Samoa) – An ICT expert with experience in international collaboration, she aims to place attention on the least developed and developing nations while also committing to mobilizing resources for ITU.
Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (ITU-T)
Bilel Jamoussi (Tunisia) – An engineer and professor, Jamoussi has worked for the past 12 years in ITU’s standardization arena and promises to make ITU-T adaptable to develop standards, focusing on inclusion and transparency.
Seizo Onoe (Japan) – An engineer who has built a career in R&D at NTT Docomo, Onoe has been involved in standardization talks since 3G and has committed to enhancing processes and programs with diversity and inclusion.
Thomas Zielke (Germany) – With more diplomatic and political experience in the German government and abroad, Zielke wants to bring discussions on future technologies like AI and 6G to the spotlight at ITU-T.
Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (ITU-D)
Stephen Bereaux (Bahamas) – Currently working inside ITU’s Development Bureau, Bereaux has experience in regulations in Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago and aims to turn the focus on achieving a global, affordable internet by 2030.
Muhammadou M.O. Kah (Gambia) – A professor with ICT experience in the Gambia and abroad, Kah has proposed, among other ideas, efforts to ensure digital infrastructure for all and the digitalization of governments’ services.
Anusha Rahman Khan (Pakistan) – Khan was Pakistan’s Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunications between 2013 and 2018. Her brochure heavily emphasizes projects she led as a Minister, so expect more of that.
Jean Philémon Kissangou (Republic of Congo) – Kissangou aims to connect one-fifth of the unconnected people by 2030. Coming from academia with a focus on management and regulations, his other priorities are innovation, sustainability, and consumer protection.
Alexander Ntoko (Cameroon) – Since 2007 with ITU at the Development Bureau, Ntoko wants to establish ITU-D as the premier platform for ICT4D (development). He aims to do so by focusing on diversity, bridging the digital divide, and empowering youth.
Cosmas Zavazava (Zimbabwe) – Another current ITU-D member, Zavazava also has experience working at the government level. His goals include closing the digital gap, investments in infrastructure, innovation for digital transformation, and inclusiveness.
Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau (BR)
Mario Maniewicz (Uruguay) – The only South American running for a bureau, Maniewicz is the current Director and sole candidate. In this second term, he will aim to help governments better manage their spectrum resources and more mechanisms for discussion, among others.
