ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao and His Holiness Pope Francis meet to discuss global importance of bridging the digital divide

His Holiness Pope Francis met ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao on September 1st, 2017, in the office of His Holiness for a private meeting on the global importance of bridging the digital divide. Vatican City has been a member of ITU since 1929 and has been an active participant in ITU processes ever since.

During the meeting, Secretary-General Zhao shared with His Holiness ITU's commitment in the development of Information and Communivcation Technologies (ICTs) to support the world's poorest, in particular those who remain unconnected, which is almost half of the world's population.

His Holiness expressed his support for Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and the role they can play in providing the world's poorest with access to health, education and economic resources. He also acknowledged the valuable role of ITU to bring ICT resources and new technologies to the world.

His Holiness is set to deliver a message during the forthcoming World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-17) which will be convened from 9th to 20th October 2017 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, his hometwon.

Source: ITU