Doreen Bogdan-Martin of the United States has been elected to head the International Telecommunications Union. The agency is known as the ITU. It works to set international standards for the use of electromagnetic signals for radio, internet and television communications. Russia’s Rashid Ismailov was the only other candidate in a vote Thursday among the agency’s 193 member states. The election was held in Bucharest, Romania. The final vote count was 139 to 25. As many as 29 members chose not to vote. Bogdan-Martin has worked for the ITU for 29 years. She is the first woman to reach the position of secretary-general and the first American since the 1960s. She called the position “immensely important” and said it was an honor “for me and my country” to lead the organization. The job begins on January 1 and lasts for four years. Bogdan-Martin said she hopes her new job will be an “inspiration” to women. She said her goal is to “deliver affordable, trusted and meaningful connectivity to all.” She called it a dream she wants to make real. Universal connectivity is the idea of offering internet and communications technology to all people around the world. Before the election, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres asked voters to put “humanity’s progress” first, as 2.9 billion people do not have internet access.
