WTDC-25: ITU member states define roadmap for digital opportunities
Baku, November 28, AZERTAC
The member states of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have agreed on a roadmap aimed at delivering universal internet access, as the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-25) wrapped up in Baku on Friday.
The conference, held over two weeks in partnership with the ITU, was a regional landmark, being the first to take place in the CIS region.
“As President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev emphasized in his address, Baku served as the platform where member states and partners reached agreements on practical decisions setting ITU’s development directions for the next four years. Working together with partners, Azerbaijan actively contributed to shaping these outcomes. The adoption of the Baku Declaration, which also refers to the COP29 Declaration on Green Digital Action, reflects our shared commitment to an inclusive and sustainable digital future,” said Rashad Nabiyev, Minister of Digital Development and Transport Rashad Nabiyev.
The resolutions adopted at the conference cover areas such as radio-frequency management, cybersecurity, digital inclusion, the application of information and communication technologies (ICT), innovation, and the use of digital technologies in remote regions.
The Baku Action Plan agreed at WTDC-25 sets the agenda for human-centred digital development driven by telecommunications and information and communication technologies with focus on the needs of developing countries, underserved communities and vulnerable populations. With an estimated 2.2 billion people worldwide still offline, the four-year plan spanning 2026 to 2029 supports efforts to advance universal, meaningful and affordable digital connectivity for an inclusive and sustainable digital future.
“WTDC-25 has brought us closer to our goal of making connectivity universal, meaningful and affordable for everyone, everywhere in this decade. The Baku Declaration and Action Plan is our roadmap towards human-centred digital development that leaves no one behind,” said Doreen Bogdan-Martin, ITU Secretary-General.
The Baku Action Plan includes regional initiatives, new and updated resolutions guiding ITU’s digital development efforts, and recommendations for the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D).
The document also outlines technical topics to be studied by expert groups and sets priorities for digital development across six regions, including infrastructure, digital skills, and inclusive services. It envisions building partnerships and mobilizing resources to meet regional needs.
“The Plan outlines the roadmap of action to bridge the remaining digital divides, while addressing the unique needs of Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States. We look forward to delivering tangible results and accelerating digital transformation by working with governments and regulators to create an enabling policy and regulatory framework that paves the way for industry and private sector to invest and contribute to our efforts to close infrastructural gaps so we may achieve meaningful connectivity and bring everyone online,” emphasized Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director of the ITU Development Bureau.
During the conference, ITU issued the Global Connectivity Report 2025, offering recommendations to accelerate progress toward universal and meaningful connectivity.
Several agreements were signed at WTDC-25, including a two-year project to enhance the sustainability of national Smart Villages and Smart Islands programmes in the Asia-Pacific region, which will serve as a model to enhance digital skills and access to digital services in rural and remote communities, directly benefitting seven countries and 3,000 people, and a project to promote capacity building and digital skills in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region. This project with Intersputnik will benefit 300 professionals in the field of satellite communications and broadcasting technologies.
With digital divides mirroring economic development challenges, WTDC-25 featured a High-Level Dialogue for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries, and Small Island Developing States, where countries in those groups shared their plans to expand broadband coverage, advance people-centred sustainable development and ensure a secure future for all.
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