Discussion of this report from the Director of the Telecommunication
Standardization Bureau (TSB) had started near the end of the Council
session on Tuesday. It deals with ways to promote the use of Internet
protocol version 6 (IPv6), to overcome the impending dearth of Internet
addresses in the current IPv4. Also, it seeks to avoid the inequalities
in allocating address space (between developing countries and developed
countries) that have been experienced in IPv4. Discussions focused on
whether ITU should itself distribute IPv6 addresses to Member States.
Assisting developing countries The report notes that WTSA-08 Resolution 64 instructs the Director of
TSB, in collaboration with the Director of the Telecommunication
Development Bureau (BDT), to initiate a project to assist developing
countries by such activities as promoting awareness of the importance of
IPv6 deployment and facilitating joint training workshops.
WTSA Resolution 64 was discussed during the January 2009 meeting of
ITU-T Study Group 3. Participants stated that many developing countries
requested that TSB become an additional registry for IP addresses, so
that countries could choose to obtain them directly from ITU. External
consultants were asked by TSB to carry out studies on this and other
IPv6 allocation issues.
One resulting proposal is for ITU to obtain a block of IPv6 addresses
and make an allocation plan to distribute them in a block to
participating ITU Member States. This would be similar to what is
currently done by ITU for telephone numbering resources and for spectrum
and satellite orbits and other registry functions. This could be
implemented in co-existence with the existing regional Internet
registries (RIR) and IPv6 address management mechanisms.
Discussions with ICANN, RIPE-NCC
A delegation from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers (ICANN) visited ITU in May 2009 and the Director of the R�seaux
IP Europ�ens Network Coordination Centre (RIPE NCC) visited in July
2009. (RIPE NCC is the RIR for Europe, the
Middle East and
parts of Central
Asia.) ITU was welcomed to work with the RIRs to help developing
countries by raising awareness and building human resources. In
addition, it was suggested that ITU draft a proposal on reserving blocks
of IPv6 addresses taking into consideration the future needs of
developing countries, and that all the five RIRs� could submit it to
ICANN for adoption as a global policy. These reserved blocks would then
be managed by the RIRs and the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority
(IANA).
Recommendations
Document 29 recommends that the Director of TSB, in collaboration with
the Director of BDT, convenes a group (open to the membership of ITU-T
and ITU-D) to work on implementing WTSA-08 Resolution 64. Among the
group�s tasks would be to draft a policy proposal for reserving a large
block of IPv6 addresses for developing countries, and to look at ways to
ensure equitable access. It would also study further the possibility of
ITU becoming another Internet Registry, and (in that case) propose
policies and procedures for ITU to manage a reserved IPv6 block.
Proposal from the Syrian Arab Republic (Document 66)
This document said that there should be immediate implementation of the
item in Resolution 64 of WTSA-08 telling the TSB and BDT Directors to
carry out a joint project to help developing countries. It also supports
the recommendation for ITU becoming a Registry of IPv6 addresses.
Council debate There was general agreement that a smooth transition is needed to IPv6,
and that ensuring equitable access to addresses is a serious issue.
Councillors representing developing countries expressed support for the
documents, several noting in particular the need for training and
information on adopting IPv6. They felt that this, as well as ITU
possibly becoming a registry, are within the Union�s mandate to help
Member States.
However, councillors from the United States, Canada and others
emphasized that countries should be encouraged to work within the
existing RIR framework, rather than a �parallel system� being created
with unknown financial implications for the Union. They also stressed
the importance of ITU�s collaboration with other international and
Internet organizations (echoing an Opinion adopted at the WTPF in Lisbon
in April). ITU should concentrate on capacity building, they said,
rather than directly managing Internet address space.
TSB Director Malcolm Johnson assured the Council that ITU is in
regular contact with other relevant organizations and collaborates with
them on IPv6 (and other) issues. He said that useful workshops had
already been held (in Ghana and Fiji) with participation by other
organizations. Also, a Project to Promote IPv6 Infrastructure Deployment
is being developed now by TSB and BDT, with several countries being
considered for pilot projects.
The Council noted documents 29 and 66, and agreed that a working
group be established.
This report, given on behalf of the Secretary-General, summarized
ITU�s activities and initiatives in relation to Resolution 130 (Rev.
Antalya 2006), ITU�s role as sole facilitator for WSIS Action Line C5
and other decisions by the membership on strengthening the role of ITU
in promoting cybersecurity. It covers technical measures and
standardization, as well as organizational structures such as the IMPACT
centre in Malaysia.
ITU and cybersecurity
Building confidence in the use of ICT
Once again, there were two main viewpoints within the Council.
Canada, while agreeing that ITU has �a critical role to play� in
capacity-building, cited Opinion 4 from the WTPF in April, and said the
key issue is ITU�s collaboration with other agencies. The councillor
also expressed doubts about ITU�s involvement in cybercrime legislation,
as in the production of toolkits by BDT. This view was echoed by the
United States and Germany, whose councillor said that work on the
European Convention on Cybercrime (open to countries worldwide) should
not be duplicated.
Many developing country representatives, however, said they fully
support all the activities listed in the document. The South African
councillor summed up the position by explaining that BDT offers guidance
on making laws and regulations on cybersecurity � but governments have
the final choice, and BDT does not make law itself. ITU�s role in
leading international efforts against the global threat was also much
appreciated by many speakers. �We lend our voice to the chorus of
support for the work of ITU,� said Trinidad and Tobago, on behalf of the
Caribbean area as a whole.
The Secretary-General intervened to say he was surprised that some
councillors were questioning activities that had been repeatedly
requested by the ITU membership at such events as WTSA and WTDC. ITU
�should shine� in this area of international cooperation, he said, and
is, in fact, active in this regard. The Director of BDT also asserted
that ITU has a clear mandate under WSIS Action Line C5 to help Member
States with cybersecurity, especially those that lack the human and
other resources to develop regulations and infrastructure. An example is
the IMPACT initiative, and he said that, so far 40 States have joined it
(including developed countries). The Director of TSB added that much
support was being given on technical issues and standardization.
At the end of the debate, Council endorsed the report.
Draft Resolution on creating a safer Internet environment for children (Document 68)
This joint contribution from Egypt and Syria was warmly welcomed by the
Council. In introducing it, the councillor from Egypt said that
protecting children online represents �the future of all our countries,�
and ITU is the obvious and best body to lead a coordinated global
effort.
The draft Council resolution invites the Secretary-General �to liaise
with other United Nations agencies and entities concerned with this
issue, in order to develop a global repository with useful and updated
information, statistics and tools concerning child online protection�.
It also instructs him, with the Director of BDT, to organize strategic
dialogues providing a platform for all stakeholders, and it proposes the
establishment of �a working group of concerned ITU Member States
representing the different regions, to exchange views and promote and
work on the subject�.
A few minor corrections to the text were noted, and the draft
resolution was adopted. Egypt was approved to chair the working group.
Report on bridging the digital divide (Document 54)
The Council considered an annual report by the Secretary-General on
bridging the digital divide. Programmes undertaken by BDT in this regard
include e-strategies and ICT applications; emergency telecommunications,
and least developed countries and small island developing States. The
report mentions the specific areas of assistance with regulation,
infrastructure development, spectrum management, the transition to
digital broadcasting, statistical information, and standardization. It
also points to the capacity-building work undertaken at ITU Regional
Development Forums and through the ITU Academy, as well as the major
initiatives under Connect the World and the framework of WSIS.
Pakistan noted in particular that the ITU Academy is �a step in the
right direction�. Comments from Saudi Arabia and Ghana called for
funding to be secured for the project to assist developing and least
developed countries to move from analogue to digital broadcasting, and
for further capacity-building activities to be organized to help bridge
the standardization gap.
The report, summarizing ITU�s objectives, achievements and
initiatives on climate change, was introduced by ITU Deputy
Secretary-General Houlin Zhao, who chairs a special Climate Change and
Emergency Telecommunications Taskforce created by ITU to coordinate
activities across the Union�s Sectors.
Mr Zhao said ITU has been active in the area of climate change since
1994 and the adoption of Resolution 35 (on �Telecommunications Support
for the Protection of the Environment�) at the Kyoto Plenipotentiary
Conference. Since then, ITU has been involved in activities relating to
adaptation to climate change, emergency telecommunications, monitoring
of the climate and mitigation through the adoption of standards for more
energy-efficient ICT services and products. It also cooperates with
several other organizations in this field.
Councillors expressed their support for this very important work by ITU.
It is in line with promoting sustainable development too, said Burkina
Faso. The Philippines� representative said his support came especially
because of his country�s suffering under the effects of climate change:
more than 100 people were recently killed there in typhoons. He greatly
appreciates ITU�s pilot project in his country on an early-warning
system for cyclones.
ICT and climate change
Potential benefits
Several additional points were raised. The United States and the
Republic of Korea said that smart electricity grids are becoming an
increasingly important area of technology, and global standards are
needed. The TSB Director later confirmed that smart grids had been a
topic at the last meeting of the Global Standards Collaboration, which
he had chaired, and it is planned that work will begin in ITU-T study
groups.
ITU�s increasing use of teleconferencing and virtual meetings was also
praised. France described the virtual workshop on climate change in
September as �a major symbolic event�. Its host, the Republic of Korea,
confirmed the event�s success, saying that some 600 people had
participated remotely from around the world. The issue of recycling and
dealing with the growing mountains of obsolete ICT equipment (�e-waste�)
was brought up by Canada.
Including ICT at Copenhagen
ICT has a major role to play in reducing greenhouse-gas emissions in all
industrial sectors � but this message is not getting through to those
compiling the negotiating documents for the meeting in Copenhagen in
December 2009 that will try to find a successor to the Kyoto Protocol on
climate change. The TSB Director explained that two documents on this
topic had been submitted by ITU to preparatory meetings ahead of
Copenhagen; however, the reference to the important role of ICT had not
yet been finalized in drafts. He said ITU would try again, at the next
talks in Barcelona on 2-6 November. Meanwhile, he urged councillors to
explain the issue to their governments and urge them to support ITU�s
request.
Algeria pointed out that, in most countries, ICT is usually dealt
with by ministers of telecommunications, while climate change is handled
by ministers of the environment. This leads to difficulties in informing
the right people. Mr Zhao asked councillors to brief all the appropriate
ministries in their home countries about the value of ICT as tools to
tackle climate change.
The report was endorsed by the Council. In addition, the Council
agreed on a Decision that the role of ICT in combating climate change
should be included in the Copenhagen documents.
Draft Resolution on including ICT at Copenhagen (Document 64)
The Syrian Arab Republic introduced this document, which has been
endorsed by the Arab States. The draft Council resolution says that
addressing climate change is one of ITU�s �top priorities� and because
of the efficacy of ICT as a tool in this effort, the Secretary-General
and the Directors of the Bureaux should �actively participate in the
preparation of the UN Climate Change Conference 2009 (COP/CMP) in
Copenhagen and provide information on ITU�s role in combating climate
change�. Furthermore, there should be free access to ITU publications
and reports on ICT relevant to climate change.
It invites administrations to provide information and proposals related
to the role of telecommunications and ICT in mitigating climate change
�for incorporation in a new UN Agreement at the Conference of the
Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and
the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol�.
France asked about the budgetary implications of free access to
certain ITU publications, but overall expressed its support for the
resolution, along with many other councillors. The United States also
wished to stress the important role of ITU in collaborating with other
organizations, such as the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Such
collaboration �represents the strength of ITU,� the councillor said. The
TSB Director confirmed that this is happening; for example, at the
climate talks in Barcelona in November, ITU is holding a side event
jointly with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD).
Tunisia summarized the issue of combating climate change by stating
that �we cannot build an information society without technology that
respects the environment�. ITU must be strongly supported by Member
States in getting this message delivered at Copenhagen.
The Council duly adopted the resolution.
Report of the Management and Budget Group (Document 17)
The Chairman of the Council, Haruna Iddrisu, presented this document in
his capacity as Chairman of the Management and Budget Group (MBG). The
purpose of the MBG is to provide guidance to the Elected Officials on
implementation of ITU�s strategic and operational plans, biennial
budgets, the decisions of the Council, the completion of projects
detailed in Council Resolution 1243 (see Document 8) and results-based
management.
Since the last Council session in 2008, the MBG had held one meeting. It
had addressed a number of key issues, some of which are given below as they
will be discussed in greater detail in the Standing Committee on
Administration and Management. The Council noted the report.
Strategic Plan of the Union
At the last MBG meeting, the Secretary-General put forward his ideas about the improvements
needed in the strategic planning process within ITU, and in the
strategic plan itself. �Of utmost importance is the need to completely
align the strategic, operational and financial planning processes within
the Union, address some challenges related to the scheduling of world
conferences in relation to the Plenipotentiary Conference, and ensure
that the strategic goals of the Union reflect in a balanced manner, the
objectives of the three Sectors and of the General Secretariat,� the
Secretary-General is quoted as saying to the MBG.
In addition, the Secretary-General proposed that a Council working group
should be established to study �reformatting� the basic texts of the
Union, to make it easier to use and to facilitate the ratification
process for Member States. Core principles could be reflected in a
revised Constitution, which would not need to be amended periodically.
Modifications concerning routine matters could be outlined in an Annex,
or in a resolution, which would allow for periodic changes without the
need for ratification. The proposed Council working group would report
to the Plenipotentiary Conference in 2010.
The MBG welcomed the proposals from the Secretary-General. Many said
they want to see a resolution, at last, of the issue of aligning the
strategic, operational and financial planning processes.
Draft biennial budget for 2010-2011
The MBG voiced general agreement with the approach being taken by ITU,
especially with regard to fixing the contributory unit at its present
level of CHF 318 000. Several delegations stressed the need to continue
cutting costs through using technology and other efficiencies, and the
secretariat said that it continued to do so.
The secretariat told the MBG that the level of the Reserve Account was 8
per cent of the total budget � well above the mandated level of 3 per
cent. It added that the amount of transfers from the Reserve Account
needed to balance the 2010-2011 budget may be equal to the savings
returned to that Account at the end of 2009.
Action on WTPF outcomes, and more efficiency in ITU high-level
forums
The Russian Federation had presented a paper to the MBG on this topic.
It noted the success of the World Telecommunication Policy Forum (WTPF)
in Lisbon and proposed that Council 2009 should take decisions on
implementing the agreements resulting from the Forum. The paper also
proposed that ITU should consider incorporating all high-level forums
into one event in order to increase their importance and efficiency. One
MBG member raised concerns that the ITU might be holding too many
high-level forums. There was agreement that WTPF action items should be
considered by the 2009 Council.
Report of the sixteenth meeting of Group FINREGS
The Group FINREGS meeting was held on 8-9 June 2009, chaired by Bruce
Gracie (of Canada), who reported to the MBG meeting. During discussions,
several amendments were made to the Report of Group FINREGS.
With respect to the possible establishment of an audit committee in ITU,
there was consensus on the need for independent review of audit reports
and issues. However, there was no agreement on the functions of such a
body, nor whether its proposed responsibilities could be added to
existing ITU bodies, such as FINREGS or MBG.
Concerning the format and standard for reporting procurement activities,
MBG members agreed that it should focus on the external procurement of
goods and services for ITU, and should not include voluntary
contributions. With respect to reporting on key performance indicators,
several MBG members welcomed the progress in this area and looked
forward to further improvements; specifically, the indicators need to be
simplified and their number reduced, wherever possible.
At its last meeting the MBG had also discussed possible changes to Resolution 158 from Antalya on
�Financial issues for consideration by the Council�. This Resolution calls for new
sources of revenue to be explored. Several MBG members had noted recent decisions,
particularly from the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly,
to encourage participation in ITU activities by academia (WTSA-08
Resolution 71) and Sector Members from developing countries (WTSA-08
Resolution 74). Such participation is to be made possible through
identifying a lower level of financial contribution.
Report of the sixth meeting of the Tripartite Group on Human
Resources Management
The sixth meeting of the group (on 10 June 2009) dealt with the issues
of an ethics policy, new contractual arrangements, and the proposed
Human Resources Strategic Plan. MBG members said the person(s) in charge
of the ethics function must be strong, independent and report both to
the Secretary-General and Council. MBG noted with thanks the
finalization of procedures for the new contractual arrangements and the
draft Strategic Plan for Human Resources.
Presenting the draft budget to the Council, Richard Barr, Chief of the
Administration and Finance Department underlined that it has been
prepared on the basis of zero nominal growth in the amount of the
contributory unit which is set at CHF 318 000 (same as for the
2008-2009 budget).
Increases
in the number of contributory units from Member States and in cost
recovery revenue allow the presentation of a draft budget amounting to
CHF169.3 million for the 2010 budget year and CHF 163.3 million for the
2011 budget year, totalling CHF 332.6 million for the 2010-2011
biennium. This represents CHF 10 million (or +3 per cent) higher than the 2008-2009 budget,
and foresees a withdrawal from the Reserve Account of CHF 10.1 million.
Staff costs
For 2010�2011, staff costs represent 82.2 per cent of the budget. Staff
costs are calculated on the basis of the total salaries payable for the
number of staff members expected to be employed during the biennium. To
account for possible vacancies, an assumption is made regarding the
vacancy rate of existing posts, based on last year�s average rates. In
addition, new posts are budgeted at 50 per cent during the first year of
the biennium. This presents a draft budget with no real growth, in spite
of the impact on salary costs of the reclassification of posts and of
the salary increment awarded annually to staff, and of an increase in
the number of budgeted posts from 808 in 2008-2009, to 819 in 2010-2011.
IPSAS
As instructed by the Council, the International Public Sector Accounting
Standards (IPSAS) will be introduced across ITU on 1 January 2010, to
bring more transparency to the accounts. The IPSAS implementation means
that accounting policies and procedures are being reviewed, including a
proposed revision of the Financial Regulations. There is a significant
impact on the centralized computer systems for monitoring and planning
resources (SAP ERP). A project known as �IPSAS Implementation and ERP Streamlining
Opportunities� is ongoing. It has the following objectives:
Alignment of business processes with the IPSAS compliance
Alignment of business processes based on best practice
Streamlining of existing modules and processes, based on best
practice
Introduction of possible new modules
Process Standardization
Going live with the IPSAS environment for January 2010.
In connection with the introduction of IPSAS, the 2010-2011 budget is
presented in a new format, and in the form of an annual budget for each
of the two years.
General comments from councillors The budget document was generally well received, with some countries
commenting that it was �a good document on a complex topic�. Germany
said it found the figures presented in the document �very appropriate in
the current financial and economic climate�. The United States welcomed
the zero nominal growth approach. However, some concerns were expressed
mainly with regard to the use of withdrawals from the Reserve Account to
balance the budget, noting that this cannot be a long-term solution.
This was the view expressed by Mali, supported by the United States,
France, South Africa, Japan, Switzerland and Italy. Responding to this
concern, Mr Barr said that as long as the Reserve Account stayed robust,
there should be no problem.
The Council noted the presentation and comments, which will be
examined in depth by the Standing Committee on Administration and
Management. As always, the decision on the budget will be taken in plenary.
Report on implementation of Council Resolution 1243 (Document 8)
The Council noted the progress made in implementing Resolution 1243
and approved the recommendation that the modernization of processes
requested are now complete and that the project is considered closed.
