Minister of Innovation and National Development, the Hon. Sebastian J. D. Bastian, delivered The Bahamas’ national policy statement to the plenary of the International Telecommunication Union Plenipotentiary Conference 2026 (PP-26) on Tuesday, making the case for small island developing states as partners in solving the world’s hardest connectivity challenges.
Bastian built his address around the national motto, “Forward, Upward, Onward, Together,” setting out what The Bahamas has achieved since the last Plenipotentiary Conference, what it is doing now and where it is going next. Since PP-22, he said, The Bahamas has moved forward: more than 94 percent of Bahamians now have access to connectivity, and with ITU support the country has built its National Cybersecurity Strategy and national CIRT. Now it moves onward, with 5G spectrum assignments beginning in early 2027, the country’s first subsea cable framework to be published soon, and a National AI Committee to be established within weeks, with AI training for public officers and citizens.
“What is 94 percent coverage worth on the day the storm takes the network down?” Bastian asked the Conference. “In a nation of 700 islands and cays, we are only as connected as our farthest island, and only as resilient as our worst day.”
At this Conference, Bastian said, The Bahamas is leading proposals from the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL), the regional telecommunications body of the Americas, on Resolutions 30, 136 and 139, which seek to recognise coastal areas and territorial waters as underserved areas, strengthen disaster resilience and early warnings for all, and give small island developing states support that fits their circumstances. He also called for an ITU that is “efficient, accountable, and present in the regions it serves.”
“Small states do not ask to be carried. We are where the hardest problems in connectivity get solved first. If it works across 700 islands, it will work anywhere. That is why we belong at the table, helping to shape what comes next,” Bastian said.
The Minister closed by presenting Stephen Bereaux, The Bahamas’ candidate for ITU Deputy Secretary- General, ahead of Thursday’s election. If elected, Bereaux would be the first person from a small island
developing state to serve in the ITU’s elected leadership.
The Bahamas asserts that Bereaux’s years of experience at the ITU, where he has run the Union’s finance, human resources and procurement, led its transformation work and coordinated its regional offices, make him an ideal candidate to help the ITU deliver on its goals at a time when its agenda has never been bigger and its resources are limited. For The Bahamas, the Caribbean and small island developing states, his election would mean a voice in the ITU’s leadership that understands their realities first-hand.
“A vision is only as strong as the people you trust to execute it,” Bastian said. “The future of this Union will not be decided by the size of our nations. It will be decided by the quality of the people we choose to lead it. So let us choose well, and let us all move forward, upward, and onward together.”
Bahamas Endorses Doha Ministerial Declaration
The plenary address followed Sunday’s State of Qatar Ministerial Roundtable, where Bastian joined ministers from around the world and endorsed the Doha Ministerial Declaration on behalf of The Bahamas. The Declaration commits participating ministers to six priorities, including universal and meaningful connectivity, resilient digital infrastructure and responsible innovation, with particular attention to small island developing states.
At the roundtable, Bastian highlighted initiatives underway at home, including URCA’s satellite framework, rebates now available by law to providers that invest in emerging technologies, and The Bahamas’ offer to serve as an early pilot of the UN initiative using artificial intelligence for disaster risk reduction. He said the Declaration reflects the priorities small states set out in Nassau at WTPF-26 in September, and that The Bahamas has come to Doha to carry them forward.
“Two months ago, The Bahamas became the first small island developing state to host the World Telecommunication Policy Forum. What we heard in Nassau, this Declaration now affirms: small states are not only affected by the digital future, we can help shape it. We have come to Doha to make sure the rules written here reflect the realities of island nations, and that the Caribbean has a real voice in the decisions that will determine how our people are connected for years to come,” Bastian said.
Held every four years, the Plenipotentiary Conference is the ITU’s highest decision-making body, setting the Union’s strategy and budget for 2028 to 2031 and electing its leadership. The Bahamas is also supporting Jamaica’s CARICOM-endorsed bid for a seat on the 48-member ITU Council, maintaining a Caribbean voice in the Union’s governance as The Bahamas concludes two consecutive terms on the Council.
The Bahamas delegation brings together officials of the Ministry of Innovation and National Development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, and The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority. Over the course of the Conference, it is holding bilateral meetings with more than 40 countries and organisations, to build support for Bereaux’s candidacy and to advance partnerships on shared priorities ahead of Thursday’s elections.
