It was a great honour as a former Secretary General of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation to have been invited back to its 125th Anniversary celebrations and to serve as the Master of Ceremonies for its two day Ministerial Alliance. This was a great opportunity for governments, the private sector and civil society organisations involved in the use of digital tech across the Commonwealth to come together to reflect on the past and commit themselves to working together constructively for a better future. I was particularly pleased to have been described as “The Champion of Inclusion” in the celebratory book Signal to Sentience that was published to coincide with the event
The Ministerial Alliance gathering on 29th and 30th October focused on four main themes:
- AI Governance
- Affordable and Meaningful Connectivity: Closing the Commonwealth Digital Divide
- Partnerships
- Digital Trust, Internet Governance and Resilience
The event was graced by the presence of Baroness Lloyd of Effra CBE (UK Minister for Space, Cyber and Regulatory Reform) and by Doreen Bogdan Martin (Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union) who both congratulated the CTO on its anniversary, and also inspired those in the audience with up-beat aspirations for the future.
I’m so grateful to Ministers and Keynote Speakers for sticking closely to their allotted timings, and was glad that none of them had to be red-carded!
I came away from the event very tired, but also upbeat in the hope that by working closely together members of the Commonwealth can indeed share good practices, collaborate more effectively, and indeed ensure that digital tech is used wisely and inclusively across the Commonwealth in the years to come. My photos below catch just a glimpse of the event, including the final Awards Dinner and celebration.
