By:
Nana Appiah Acquaye
The
Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Doreen
Bogdan-Martin has held a series of high-level meetings in Vienna aimed at
strengthening international cooperation on digital innovation and emerging
technologies.

During
the visit, Bogdan-Martin met with the Chancellor of Austria, Christian Stocker,
as well as State Secretary in the Federal Chancellery Alexander Pröll and State
Secretary Michaela Schmidt. Discussions highlighted Austria’s long-standing
partnership with the ITU, which spans more than 160 years from the era of
telegraph communications to today’s developments in artificial intelligence,
lunar communications and quantum technologies.

The
ITU chief also met with leaders of United Nations agencies based in Vienna,
including Gerd Müller of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization
and Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The
meetings focused on strengthening collaboration to advance digital innovation
and the use of technology to support global development.
Bogdan-Martin
also engaged with the Francophone ambassadors’ group in Vienna ahead of the
upcoming ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2026, where she shared updates on the
ITU’s work in artificial intelligence and space communications.