Video summary
The ITU Future Innovators podcast episode features a conversation between host Denola and Ray, a Youth Officer at the ITU New York Liaison Office, who serves as a vital bridge connecting Geneva headquarters with the United Nations community in New York. Although small in size, the office operates like a startup to handle diverse tasks ranging from advocacy to supporting high-level UN events such as the Commission on the Status of Women and ECOSOC youth forums. Ray explains that their primary mission is to introduce ITU's role within the UN system to rotating diplomatic staff and permanent missions, ensuring that young people across the globe are aware of digital development opportunities and how they can contribute to global solutions.
A central theme of the discussion highlights the critical need to connect two billion offline individuals, particularly in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Ray emphasizes that young people are the future generation capable of shaping local economies and societies if they have access to technology, digital skills, and leadership opportunities. The conversation underscores the importance of platforms like the ECOSOC Youth Forum and networks such as YANED—the UN-wide network for youth engagement—which bring together governments, NGOs, private sectors, academia, and young people to foster collaboration rather than relying on single organizations to solve complex global challenges alone.
Ray shares his personal journey from starting as an intern in Geneva seven years ago to becoming a key figure leading initiatives like the ITU Young Professional Program officers cohort. He attributes much of his success to mentorship from women in tech and supportive supervisors who provided him with opportunities to grow, noting that innovation is at the heart of ITU's identity despite it being one of the oldest UN agencies. The dialogue also addresses practical advice for young professionals entering this field, such as seeking out various platforms to speak up without needing to be an expert immediately, managing expectations through proactive communication rather than overcommitting tasks, and overcoming imposter syndrome by remembering that failure is a natural part of growth in a dynamic international environment.
Looking toward the future, Ray expresses excitement about expanding ITU's presence within the broader UN system beyond just New York and connecting with more colleagues from diverse backgrounds to tackle new challenges together. He describes his work as inherently international, collaborative, and innovative, reflecting the agency's bold mission to connect the unconnected world. The episode concludes with a message of encouragement for young people aspiring to join organizations like ITU, reminding them that they can make an impact by staying proactive, trying new things, being kind, and maintaining confidence even when facing daunting institutions or high-pressure situations on global stages.
Read the full video transcript
[music]
>> Hello everyone and welcome to today's
episode [music]
of the ITU Future Innovators podcast. My
name is Denola and I'm Youth Officer at
ITU and today we have [music] a very
special guest with us. Ray, do you want
to say hello, introduce yourself and
also share a bit about the work of the
ITU New York office?
>> Of course. Um
it's great to be here and thank you for
having me.
My name is Ray and I work at the ITU New
York Liaison office. Our headquarters is
in Geneva, Switzerland. So we have a
small Liaison office in New York. We
serve as a bridge to connect New York
and Geneva to bring our perspective and
our expertise to the UN community in New
York.
>> Thank you so much, Ray. So can you just
share with us how the New York office
contributes to ITU's overall work with
and for young people across the world?
>> Our office actually we are small office.
We always joke about that we have like a
startup. We kind of do everything, not
like in the headquarters. We of course
we contribute we are
the the majority of our work it's about
advocacy to letting people know who we
are and what we do. For example, you
know, um
um the permanent missions they all have
a
a mission in New York. So every four or
five years all these diplomatic staff
they change. So we need to constantly
keeping up with, you know, updating
getting connected with all these focal
point to letting them know what is ITU,
what do we do, what what is our role in
the UN system and what are our latest
projects and what are what are the
partnership we have with your country.
So this is one of the the major thing we
do in New York and then of course in New
York um secretariat there's so many
events. Each month there's high-level
events on different topics. Um let's say
in March we have CSW which is a
Commission on the Status of a woman.
It's on gender equality and in April,
it's about youth empowerment. So, we
have ECOSOC youth from ECOSOC. It's
economic and social council. So, each
month we have some events. So, whenever
the UNHQ, they need something to
support, so we will contribute our
perspective. For example, like ITU, we
are the UN agency for tech. So, we will
bring our expertise and perspective to
the high-level dialogue.
>> Mhm. No, it's awesome and it's so great
to have, you know, a young colleague
who's actually, you know, really
influencing the work that we're doing
across the UN system, but also with and
for young people across the world. So,
this year the theme for International
Youth Day is different contexts, common
aspirations. And it will be focusing on
global solidarity, shared challenges,
and youth innovation. This theme this
year especially is going to highlight,
you know, young people in LDCs, LLDCs,
and SIDS. Um and I would just love to
know what you think is ITU's role when
it comes to helping to connect young
people, you know, across countries and
across communities. What do you think is
is our role as ITU?
>> So, you know,
from the ITU's facts and figures, so 2.2
billion people still offline. There's
majority of them they are in LDCs,
LLDCs, and SIDS. And we all know they
also have like a large population of
young people. So,
digital technology, we know they are now
they're everywhere. They can be
especially the AI now it's shaping the
world. But like I mentioned the 2.2
billion people still never ever connect
to the internet. So, how can they be
part of this digital transformation?
Especially the young people cuz they are
the future. They're the future
generation. They will change the world.
So, they need to be empowered. So, they
need to get on the they need to get on
the technology. They need to know how to
use it.
They need to have access. They They to
know the skills. They need to have the
leadership skills. So they can shape the
local economy, the local community, and
also the their country and the society.
So definitely I think uh
ITU plays a bigger role. We are
connecting the world. So we are
connecting the youth, connecting
everyone, connecting IODCs, IODC seats.
So make sure everybody can be part of
this digital transformation.
>> And you know, earlier you mentioned the
ECOSOC Youth Forum. And this year we
worked very closely together as we
coordinated ITU's participation um in
this year's ECOSOC Youth Forum in New
York. I'm so curious to know what was
your biggest takeaway from that
experience.
>> Yeah, first of all, so we are so glad to
have you with with us in New York last
month.
And it was it was amazing. So the ECOSOC
Youth Forum, the most important part I
think it's it's a platform they're
providing for the youth. Cuz the young
people, personally I'm a young people,
so we have the energy, we have the
skills, we have the tools, we have
everything.
But the only thing we lack it's a
platform. So we need to we need a
platform like a like a global platform
just like the ECOSOC Youth Forum. So we
can speak up, make our voice heard, so
letting the world know what we are what
what what we want, what is our demand,
what what what is the better world
um for us. One of the biggest takeaway
for me is collaboration. So no single
organization can do it alone.
So it has to come together. So that's
the another amazing part, the magic the
magical part about the
about the ECOSOC Youth Youth Forum. And
also the the UN nature. So we're
bringing governments, NGOs, private
sectors, academia, everybody together.
And also of course youth youth groups.
So we all can sit together to talk, to
share our perspectives, ideas, to see
how can we have a better world for
everyone, for youth.
>> Yeah, I know. I completely agree. While
being there um at the forum, it was so
incredible to see young people from
across the world taking the floor um and
youth stakeholders as well sharing what
they felt were the biggest issues for in
you know global discussion. And I love
this point that you're making around
collaboration because uh as you remember
right after the ECOSOC Youth Forum ITU
actually began our mandate as the new
co-chairs of YANED. So for those who
don't know, YANED is a UN-wide um
network for um for youth engagement and
youth development. And um
it's quite an important role that that
we're taking on over the course of the
the next year. So what do you think is
the importance of this sort of networks
and platforms um
and convening of um organizations? What
do you think is the importance of this
sort of networks and platforms for
pushing the conversation forward when it
comes to youth engagement?
>> That's a that's a very great question
and uh we are so glad to be the the the
new co-chair of the YANED this year. So
like you said, it's a platform the
network it's definitely very important.
It shows the UN's commitment. So we
brings all the UN system together to
discuss cuz
youth this topic it's intersectional.
It's everybody doing it not just ITU. So
the whole UN system has a role to play.
So it's good to see everybody comes
together in this network and then we
bring our each own's expertise and um
and also
the
having the continuity continuity so we
can keep the momentum going instead of
just the one event somewhere here and
there. But if we have the network so we
can keep the you know keep the ball keep
the keep the ball rolling.
>> Yeah.
>> And um
and uh ITU as the co-chair this year so
we can bring our
uh unique perspective from the digital
agency. So we can bring this to the
uh to the whole network.
Like I said in digital and the use now
it's uh it's it's everywhere. Mhm. So
so it's definitely very important.
>> Yeah, no, absolutely. Um youth and
digital development definitely, I think,
is right at the heart of the Youth 2030
agenda. And it's so important for us to
continue flying that flag to make sure
that we're creating awareness and to
make sure that youth digital development
is on top of of the agenda when we when
we are discussing our road to 2030. So,
I'm so curious to know um
I'm sure
young people from across the world
sometimes reach out to you and also
would be
curious to know from your perspective
what advice you have for them um
to engage in this our digital
development world or uh international
development world. Um
maybe you can share a bit about how you
came into the UN system. Um any tips and
tricks or advice you have for young
people that want to be the next Ray.
>> [laughter]
>> Definitely, I'm happy to answer these
questions. So, 7 years ago I started as
an intern with uh with ITU here right in
Geneva. I was
lucky enough after the internship and
then then I joined another um
international NGO here also in Geneva
working on digital issues. And then
after years and I was uh also again
lucky enough to be back in ITU.
>> Mhm.
>> Um in terms of advice I definitely have
a lot to say. When I was an intern I got
helped so much. Everybody was very kind
to me and they giving me so much advice.
And so for me now at this position, I
would say uh first of all um seeking for
opportunities. Like we talked about
ECOSOC Youth Forum. There are many many
other youth um
platforms, communities to speak. You
don't have to have all the expertise you
need. Especially now with the AI, you
can with the help and then you can, you
know, contribute to the conversation
that you care about the most. So, that's
one. Everyone has a role to play.
Find your role.
Just see what you can do. Don't Don't be
afraid you are not an expert.
>> It's so interesting that this is a
7-year journey. You know, you started in
as an intern and you've risen um since.
So, um I'm so curious to know
what are the key things or maybe who are
the key people that have shaped your
career because um
I'm sure it takes, you know, a village
to be able to um you know,
jump around in your career,
[clears throat] try different things,
and also to be able to do meaningful
work. So, for you, what were the key
things that have sort of helped you on
your journey as the incredible
professional that you are today in ITU?
>> Thank you, Dinah Lot. Actually, this is
a very great question. So, I don't
remember probably a couple of years ago
at the
Commission on Status of Women, that's a
UN platform for gender equality. I wrote
a post on my LinkedIn about I was
reflecting, "Oh, I was I'm so lucky to
be here." And then
um and then I'm try trying to think
about like who helped me in in my past a
couple of years. So, it happens to be
all women in tech. I I did my grad
graduate study in the UK um for
gender study.
So, and that's how I joined ITU after my
my my school as a intern as an intern at
the Equals Global Partnership working on
a tech and gender issue. And then after
that, I got so much help from other
women in tech around me, my old
supervisors, my current of supervisor,
and also your current of supervisor,
Silvia, as well.
>> [laughter]
>> So, they helped me so much shaping my
career, give me advice, give me
opportunities, and to learn, to grow. To
learn, to grow.
>> No, it must be such a full circle moment
for you to sort of have joined working
on Equals and now getting to um you
know, represent ITU and platforms such
as CSW Um
and I can definitely relate to you
because I did my master's thesis around
issues of women and
and empowerment and leadership
and and so on. So what would you say is
the most exciting thing about working in
ITU for you?
>> We are the oldest agency in the UN
system.
>> Yes.
>> We hunt for new things.
We love trying new things.
You know innovation because you know
innovation is definitely
very very important.
>> We just welcomed
last year our very first cohort of YPPs
the ITU Young Professional Program
Officers and we're in the process of
preparing to welcome hopefully soon
a second cohort. So it's really
interesting to see how ITU
is really an employer of choice for
young talent young professionals. So
hearing your story of how you started
off as an intern and and now you know
leading and implementing such important
work at ITU I think it's such a good
case study of how ITU could really be a
wonderful place to kick off your career.
So what would you say
maybe you can give us a couple of career
highlights so far that you've had at
ITU?
>> The first one popping to my mind was
definitely the first time speaking at
the UN HQ UN headquarters in New York.
>> That's amazing.
>> Yeah that was a couple of years ago at
the science technology innovation forum
um
where I organized I was
the main person organizing a AI for good
lab
>> Oh cool.
>> which
brings together a lot of UN entities to
showcase what they are doing on AI
for member states for the for the world
for good AI for good.
So I got to be at the opening and then
you know with some ambassadors moderated
the the opening segment that was
definitely one of the highlights. I was
very nervous, just like now a little
bit.
>> [laughter]
>> This is my first time doing a podcast.
I'm sure this is one of my
>> to the UN headquarters [laughter]
in New York?
>> This is definitely one of my career
highlights as well, to get to share my
experience my my
my personal experience to to everyone.
Thank you, yeah.
>> Oh, no. Thank you so much for for being
here.
One of the initiatives that that we've
kicked off this year at ITU is a reverse
mentoring initiative where
senior colleagues are being mentored by
younger colleagues. And I would just
love to know from from your perspective,
you know, starting off as an intern and
growing in ITU
what is your
advice for young colleagues on how, you
know, they can manage up. We are just
experiencing at the point of recording
this podcast the ITU Youth Leadership
Week, the very first one. And one of the
key topics we're talking about is
managing up. And in this dynamic UN
environment and in ITU, what would be
your advice for young colleagues
who want to learn how to manage up and
how they can engage with senior
colleagues, not just in ITU, but across
the UN system?
>> Definitely, I think managing up it's
it's one of the
the terms I have been hearing a lot,
also from my my friends, my college
friends, and then we talk about a lot
because we are all young professionals.
Um
We are we are young professionals, so we
definitely have a lot of struggles at
work about stress, about time
management, about everything. And also,
of course, managing up and how do you
manage the expectations? So, I think um
whenever you get some task from your
boss, try to manage their expectation.
>> Yeah.
>> Don't just say yes to everything.
Cuz you're not a Superman. You're not
you're not a Superwoman.
>> If you could go back in time
>> Yeah.
>> and I don't know if you can recall Ray
first day of Ray's internship at ITU and
Ray now. If you could say anything to
that Ray on the first day of his
internship at ITU, what would you say?
>> Be proactive.
>> Mhm.
>> Just uh
try new things. My internship was
amazing.
>> Mhm.
>> Yes. I still feel like I can do more.
So, if I can go back to, you know, time
travel and talk to
the uh the younger me 7 years ago, just
try to do more things.
>> Mhm.
>> And uh learn.
>> Mhm.
>> And uh
be kind. Oh, no, maybe be kind.
>> [laughter]
>> Yes.
>> No, that that's a really, really good um
advice.
>> So, now So, now it's my turn.
>> Okay. Ask me anything.
>> If you you can travel back to your first
day as I at I at the ITU, what would you
say to your old self, younger self?
>> Yeah.
>> [laughter]
>> Thanks so much for for asking me um as
well. I think if I could
go back in time to my first day at ITU,
I would just say to myself, "Just calm
down." I was very, very nervous um and
really excited because for me I was
previously in the private sector
um and
it was my first time working in the UN
system. So, I was quite nervous. I
didn't know what to expect, but it was
also a dream for me to work in the UN
one day. So, um
it felt like a dream come true, but it
also felt quite overwhelming. And I
think um
a lot of young um
young colleagues, young people
experience, of course, imposter syndrome
where you think, "Am I supposed to be
here?" I think also being in an
institution that's
over 160 years old, it could feel
daunting for for for young people. If
you could um sort of give
maybe some some tips and tricks as to
how to deal with this, it'll be great to
hear because, you know, you've spoken at
the UN in New York. You've um spoken on
the biggest stages, represented ITU in
high-level meetings, and you're a young
colleague, and you've had this
experience. How, if you ever experienced
imposter syndrome, maybe you can share,
but also, how do you deal with those
moments as a young colleague? How do you
rise to that occasion? Do you have any
tips and tricks to to share with us?
>> Um, what you said was totally I agree
with, like, calm down. I remember the
moment when I sitting at the podium,
and then I my my brain just shut down. I
don't know what to say. And then I
remind myself,
if you fail, it's fine. You have then
you have time to grow. This is your
first time. If you cannot, you know, if
you cannot make it good, it's still
fine. So, after that, I had a deep
breath, and then I just uh
went for it. It was great.
>> [laughter]
>> Yeah, I think that's really good advice.
Just take a deep breath and then just go
for it. Um, you know, thank you so much
for for for sharing that. So, I don't
know if um you also want to um highlight
um maybe any colleagues or anyone that
have been um a key part of your journey
in ITU. I know
there's so many to count,
>> [laughter]
>> and I know um to be able to um to
implement our work, we rely on so many
colleagues, so many mentors. But, if
there is any um one colleague in
particular that maybe you would like to
give a shout-out to um in this time,
please share.
>> I definitely would be my current
supervisor. I hate to be cliché.
>> [laughter]
>> It's definitely my my current
supervisor. Uh I have been working with
her since 2021, since I moved to New
York with uh with my current role.
She has been super super helpful, and
also giving me so much um opportunities
to learn, to grow, and even sometimes
it's totally new to me, and then she
gave me the total confidence in me.
>> I would also probably say um my manager
as as well. She really um as you say,
puts a lot of confidence in me to be
able to try new new things and to also
be able to implement work that we feel
is really meaningful and I think it's so
important when you feel so supported in
in this way.
If you were to describe your work in
ITU?
>> Okay. First one definitely
international.
>> Mhm.
>> You have colleagues from everywhere.
Probably if I
if I
stayed at home working a corporate job,
I mean it's
also great but
um
essentially you want it's like a great
platform like international platform so
you get to meet a lot of people from so
many different backgrounds, to know
their culture. So the second one would
be collaborative.
>> Mhm.
>> No one can do one job alone.
>> Absolutely.
>> So you need to work with your colleagues
especially in this very very important
topic. ITU's mission is
connecting the unconnected. This is
definitely a very bold
can be meant to the world. So it
involves not just the ITU staffs and
also all our ITU members and our
partners so we all need to come together
to
to connect the world.
>> Mhm.
>> Collaborative.
The third one would be
uh innovative.
>> Mhm.
>> You need always think about new ways to
make things uh
go faster.
>> I guess we could round off with saying
what's next for Ray. What are you
looking forward to in your career at
ITU? Are there any um
new challenges that you want to tackle?
Are there any new um
ideas that you want to implement? Um
what's next for Ray?
>> The New York office is quite small. We
run we operate like a startup.
But our
uh but our objective is very big. It's a
promoting ITU's
presence in New York.
And not just in New York to the broader
UN system.
>> Mhm.
>> I I look forward to connect with more
colleagues from different parts of the
world, from different offices, entities,
agencies, and all our member states, our
partners, members
to do more good things together.
>> Thank you so much, Rey. This was such a
great conversation. It's lovely to hear
your journey in ITU, your aspirations
for the future, and also the incredible
work that you're doing with and for
young people across the world.
Hopefully, [music] we'll have many more
conversations in future. Thank you.
>> It was great to talk to you. Thank you
for having me.
>> Thank you.
>> [music]