25 years of women stepping up at ITU 

ITU Member States first adopted Resolution 70 – affirming their commitment to include a gender perspective in all of ITU’s work and activities – at the 1998 Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-98) in Minneapolis. Since then, women have achieved leadership positions in nearly every part of the organization, and a woman became ITU Secretary-General for the first time in January 2023.  

This timeline shows the names of the first women holding each leadership position in ITU’s statutory bodies and conferences. These trailblazers have paved the way for others. But so much remains to be done.  
Resolution 70 remains ITU’s guiding decision on gender equality. On the 25th anniversary of that key commitment, ITU Member States are urged to be proactive – and to nominate more women to leadership positions. 

  • 2022 First woman Secretary General of ITU Ms Doreen Bogdan-Martin (United States) Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-22) (Bucharest, 2022)

     
  • 2018 First woman Director of the Telecommunication
    Development Bureau (BDT)     Ms Doreen Bogdan-Martin (United States) Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-18) (Dubai, 2018) 
  • 2018 First woman Chair of the Telecommunication
    Development Advisory Group (TDAG)     Ms Roxanne McElvane Webber (United States) World Telecommunication Development
    Conference (WTDC-17)
    (Buenos Aires, 2017)
  • 2008 First woman Chair of the Radio Regulations Board (RRB) Ms Julie Napier Zoller (USA)




  • 2008 First woman Chair of the World Telecommunication
    Standardization Assembly (WTSA)     Ms Lyndall Shope-Mafole (South Africa) World Telecommunication Standardization
    Assembly (WTSA-08)
    (Johannesburg, 2008)     
  • 2006 First women elected to the Radio Regulations Board (RRB)  Ms Martine Limodin (France) and Ms Julie Napier Zoller (USA) Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-06) (Antalya, 2006)

     
  • 2006 First woman Chair of a World Telecommunication
    Development Conference (WTDC)     Dr Hessa Al Jaber (Qatar) World Telecommunication Development
    Conference (WTDC-06)
    (Doha, 2006)     
  • 2005 First woman chair of an ITU-T Study Group Ms Marie-Thérèse Alajouanine (France) ITU-T Study Group 2: Operational aspects of
    service provision, networks and performance






  • 2003 First woman Chair of an ITU-R Study Group Dr Veena Rawat (Canada) ITU-R Study Group 4: Satellite services
          
  • 2003 First woman Chair of a World Radiocommunication
    Conference (WRC)     Dr Veena Rawat (Canada) World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-03)
    (Geneva, 2003)     
  • 2002 First woman Chair of an ITU-D Study Group Ms Audrey Loridan-Baudrier (France) ITU-D Study Group 1: Telecommunication development
    strategies and policies     
  • 1999 First woman Chair of ITU Council Ms Lyndall Shope-Mafole (South Africa) ITU Council 1999