From 25 to 28 July 2022, Dr Thomas Zielke participated in the 4th Arab States Preparatory Meeting in Abu Dhabi. The Arab Ministerial Council for information and communication technology established the Arab Working Group to prepare the Plenipotentiary Conference 2022 in Bucharest, Romania. The Working Group serves to exchange views and information on the general policies and decisions of ITU's Plenipotentiary. Besides, it aims to coordinate and develop common proposals. The group also coordinates with other regional groups. Dr Zielke met with Tariq Al Awadhi who chaired the meeting.

During the conference in Abu Dhabi, he had substantial discussions about various projects. He received a lot of positive feedback for his presentation as candidate for the position of Director Standardization at the International Telecommunications Union.

He stated: “The Arab world has expressed increasing interest in standardization issues. Many countries offer top-tier connectivity and innovative solutions, which I hope they could use to contribute to standardization at International Telecommunication Union even more. I thank the United Arab Emirates for their fantastic hospitality. One should not underestimate the potential for innovation in the Arab region. By working together, we can bring the world of standardization even closer together.