Work Begins on the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-25)

 Universal, meaningful, and affordable connectivity for an inclusive and sustainable digital future

is the motto of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-25), which takes place from November 17 to 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, in the ultra-modern Baku Convention Center, organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations agency for telecommunications of which the Vatican City State is a member .

The goal of WTDC-25 is to serve as a catalyst for collaboration and knowledge-sharing, promoting innovation for a more inclusive digital future through a targeted strategic decision-making process in the telecommunications sector. Resolutions and recommendations will be adopted to define new policies and specific regulations to encourage investment and international cooperation. In addition to priorities, programs and specific projects policies will be established to guide the ITU’s work in this sector in the coming years.

These issues will be discussed by more than 160 delegations, with a total of 2,368 participants, including Ministers, Deputy Ministers, and Directors of state telecommunications regulatory agencies. Among them is the delegation of the Vatican City State, led by Sr. Raffaella Petrini, President of the Governorate, who will arrive in Baku for the final part of the conference.

On Sunday, November 16, the members of the Vatican Delegation attended the initial informal meetings that preceded all WTDC-25 proceedings. Earlier a Mass was celebrated at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Baku, built in 2006 and consecrated on  April 29, 2007 by Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, who at the time was Apostolic Nuncio to nearby Georgia.

Engineer Antonino Intersimone, Director of Telecommunications and Information Systems, is taking part in the most significant days of the conference, while Engineer Luigi Salimbeni, Deputy Director of the same Directorate, will participate for the entire event.

The Vatican Delegation also includes Monsignor Lucio Adrian Ruiz and Engineer Francesco Masci, respectively Secretary of the Dicastery for Communication and Director of the Technological Directorate of the same Dicastery.