Mr Secretary-General, Mr Deputy Secretary-General,

Your Excellencies,

Directors of the Bureaux, members of the Secretariat,

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear colleagues,

I am honored to represent the Romanian Government at the WTPF and to make my address to such a distinguished audience.

My name is Iulian POPESCU, I am the secretary of state of the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitalization of Romania.

I am proud to say that over the last 20 years, Romania developed one of the best mobile and fixed data infrastructures. Romania’s IT&C sector has experienced continuous growth over the last decade, with high performance in connectivity, cyber security, digital development, and with many companies specializing in software, therefore the theme of the WTPF – 21 is of great interest to us, raising the issue of policies to mobilize new and emerging telecoms/ICTs for sustainable development.

The last two years have been extremely eloquent in this regard, with the COVID -19 pandemic sweeping the planet, highlighting the importance of digitization and the need for global inclusion and I think it has made us realize that without digitization and inclusion we cannot function in a modern world.

The five draft opinions will form the basis of the WTPF-21 discussions on some topics that we consider very important, if not vital, to the future of the digital field – developing and deploying emerging technologies for sustainable development, affordable and secure connectivity, digital literacy skills and use of ICT’s for future pandemic and epidemic response. 

The WTPF does give us a unique opportunity to come together, to pause, to reflect, and to debate the emerging issues in telecoms and ICTs, and their significance for us all. Most importantly, it allows us to look at how we can connect the unconnected, which is at the heart of what ITU does.


The timing of this year’s WTPF, is particularly appropriate – as we stand at a ‘tipping point’ between a difficult situation which made us adapt and the things we need to do for the future.

As the host country of PP-22, we will strive to make this event a success and, as a representative of the Romanian Government, I assure you that I will do my utmost to encourage constructive discussions, teamwork, consensus, and a common approach. We are committed to making this conference a forum for collaboration on all the key issues that will shape the future architecture of ITU.

Distinguished delegates, thank you for the opportunity to address such a special audience today.