Council wraps up with a balanced budget for 2012-2013 and
Key decisions on telecommunication policy and strategy

Dr Hamadoun Touré presenting Fabio Bigi with the ITU Silver Medal

“We approved the biennial budget for 2012-2013 in record time! I think this is due to the transparent manner in which the budget was presented, and I thank you for your confidence,” Dr Touré told councillors.

The Secretary-General is authorized to adjust the appropriations in relation to increases in salary scales, pension contributions and allowances, including post adjustments, applicable to Geneva, as adopted by the United Nations common system and with regard to fluctuations in the exchange rate between the United States dollar and the Swiss franc in so far as this affects the staff costs for those staff members on United Nations scales. This authorization comes with the caveat that the Reserve Account must be kept at a level above six per cent of total annual expenditure as prescribed in Decision 5 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010).

ITU Role in the Overall Review of the Implementation of the Outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (Resolution 1334)

The Council agreed that ITU would hold a high-level event on the overall review of the implementation of WSIS outcomes (WSIS+10) in conjunction with the World Telecommunication Development Conference in 2014. Egypt, reiterating its commitment to the WSIS process, announced their wish to host this event.

Resolution 1334 instructs the Secretary-General to pursue efficient and effective coordination with all stakeholders based on the WSIS principles of multi-stakeholderism and inclusiveness. Under the terms of the Resolution, the Secretary-General will propose to the United Nations Chief Executive Board that ITU should play a leading managerial role in the process of the Overall Review of the Implementation of the WSIS Outcomes (WSIS+10) within the available budgetary resources as well as building upon extra budgetary resources. In performing this role, the Secretary-General will use the same secretariat mechanism as that for organizing WSIS Forum events and will launch a special campaign to mobilize extra budgetary resources.

Through the United Nations Group on the Information Society (UNGIS), the Secretary-General will develop “the draft action plan to identify a specific and transparent mechanism for the preparatory process that would be intergovernmental and inclusive to all stakeholders, within their respective roles, and regional inputs in a similar fashion as WSIS”. The Secretary-General will report annually to the Council on the progress made for consideration and decision.

ITU Deputy Secretary-General and Chairman of the WSIS Task Force Houlin Zhao

The Council Working Group on the World Summit on the Information Society (WG-WSIS) will review ITU’s preparatory activities in the context of convening the high-level event. WG-WSIS will also monitor and discuss the activities of the Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux in relation to the implementation of Resolution 1334. It will consider ITU’s contributions on options for themes relevant to the substance of WSIS+10 and beyond with the assistance of the WSIS Task Force.

The ITU membership is encouraged to ensure proactive participation in WSIS+10 and in the WG-WSIS and to contribute to the ITU WSIS Fund in Trust to ensure efficient and effective implementation of the WSIS+10 Review Process.

Council Working Group on international Internet-related public policy issues (Resolution 1336)

The Council decided on the terms of reference of the new Council Working Group on international Internet-related public policy issues. In their work, the group will rely on open consultation to all stakeholders, in accordance with Resolutions 102 and 140 (Rev. Guadalajara 2010).

Sweden read the following statement to be included in the summary record of the 11th Plenary meeting (21 October). It was supported by Canada, Australia, Mexico, and the United States:

“Sweden notes the decision by the Council on the terms of reference for the Council Working Group on international Internet-related Public Policy Issues. We further note that Resolution 102 (Guadalajara, 2010) instructs the Council to revise its appropriate resolutions to make the Dedicated Group into a Council working group (CWG), limited to Member States, with open consultation to all stakeholders. It should be noted that the consultations according to the Resolution are without limitations.

Sweden is of the view that as the Internet continues to evolve we are faced with the challenge of finding the right balance in the global Internet governance structures that takes full account of the interests of all stakeholders from all around the world. It is our firm belief that a full multi stakeholder involvement in the dedicated group would empower the work of the group.”

ITU role in the implementation of the WSIS outcomes up to 2015 and future activities beyond WSIS+10 (Resolution 1332)

Under Resolution 1332, the Secretary-General will update the road maps regularly for ITU’s activities within its mandate of WSIS implementation up to 2015 and present them to the Council via WG-WSIS. He will also prepare a final and comprehensive report on the ITU activities for WSIS implementation together with proposals for additional activities and submit it to Council 2014 through WG-WSIS. The Secretary-General will invite UNGIS to formulate proposals on the additional activities needed to develop the information society towards a knowledge society. These proposals should be based on the results of the overall review of the implementation of WSIS outcomes.

Like for WSIS Action Lines C2, C5 and 6, the Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux are asked to appoint ITU focal points for Action Lines C1, C3, C4, C7, C8, C9 and C11, where ITU is a co-facilitator or partner. In addition, the Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux should formulate specific tasks and deadlines for implementing all action lines, and incorporate them into the operational plans of the General Secretariat and the Union’s three Sectors. They should take into account ITU's tasks with regard to the implementation of WSIS outcomes when preparing for the Radiocommunication Assembly in 2012, WTSA-12, WTDC-14 and PP-14.

The Secretary-General and the Directors of Bureaux are expected to provide all relevant inputs and adequate support and assistance to WG-WSIS in accordance with Resolution 140 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010). They should continue to integrate the implementation of the Hyderabad Action Plan, and in particular Resolution 30 (Rev. Hyderabad, 2010), as well as put special efforts towards the development of an appropriate measurement methodology taking into account the ITU leadership in the Partnership on Measuring the ICTs for Development. Through the Sector study groups, the Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux should elaborate a working definition of the term "ICT" and submit this to the Council and working groups for possible transmission to the Plenipotentiary Conference in 2014.

Member States and Sector Members are encouraged to participate actively in the activities related to WSIS implementation, in the activities of WG-WSIS, and in ITU's further adaptation to the information society. They may make voluntary contributions to the WSIS Trust Fund to support activities relating to the implementation of WSIS outcomes and contribute information on their own activities to the public WSIS stocktaking database, maintained by ITU.

Fifth World Telecommunication/Information and Communication Technology Policy Forum (Decision 562)

An Annex to Decision 562 contains a draft agenda for the Forum. In accordance with Resolution 2 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010), the themes shall continue to be based on a report by the Secretary-General, including input from any conference, assembly or meeting of the Union, and on contributions from Member States and Sector Members.

Plenary Meeting and Steering Committee Secretary Doreen Bogdan-Martin

Arrangements for the fifth WTPF shall be similar to those of the previous Forums. In particular, discussions will be based on a report from the Secretary-General, incorporating the contributions of ITU Member States and Sector Members, which will serve as the sole working document of the Forum, and this will focus on the key issues on which it would be desirable to reach conclusions.

The final report of the Secretary-General will be circulated at least six weeks before the opening of the Policy Forum. This report should be developed in the following manner:

• the Secretary-General will convene a balanced, informal group of experts, each of whom is active in preparing for the Policy Forum in his/her own country, to assist in this process;

• a first draft of the report will be circulated, based on available material, with an invitation to comment, not later than four months before the opening of the Forum; and

• a second draft, incorporating comment from the membership, with an invitation to comment, will then be circulated ten weeks before the opening of the Forum.
  

The Secretary-General will encourage ITU Member States, Sector Members and other interested parties, to make voluntary contributions to help defray the costs of the Policy Forum and facilitate attendance of least developed countries. The Forum will be conducted in line with the Rules of Procedure used at the previous two Forums.

As in the past, the World Telecommunication/ICT Policy Forum will not produce prescriptive regulatory outcomes, but will prepare reports and adopt opinions by consensus. The Council agreed to add CHF 300 000 in the 2012-2013 budget to partially cover the expenses of fifth Forum in 2013.

World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly 2012 and World Conference on International Telecommunications 2012 to be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Resolution 1335)

The Council has resolved that the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA-12) will be held, with the concurrence of a majority of the Member States, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from 20 to 29 November 2012; and that the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT-12) will also be held in Dubai from 3 to 14 December 2012 (Resolution 1335). A roadmap to WCIT-12 was provided to Council for information (Document C11/INF/13).Under the terms of the Resolution, the Secretary-General will consult the Member States on the venue and dates of WTSA-12 and WCIT-12, and will make all the necessary arrangements for the convening and holding of these two events. The Secretary-General will also convey this Resolution to concerned international and regional organizations. WTSA-12 will be preceded by a Global Standards Symposium on 19 November.

World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) in 2015

On the proposal of the United States (Document C11/49), the Council agreed to hold a World Radiocommunication Conference in 2015 (WRC-15). Resolution 806 (WRC-07), which establishes a “Preliminary agenda for the 2015 World Radiocommunication Conference,” will almost certainly be revised at WRC-12 with additional conference agenda items. Due to the culmination of various radiocommunication-related activities in 2015 (such as broadband and digital dividend), the United States proposed that the Council should convene WRC-15 for the fourth quarter of 2015, so that its results would be immediately implemented. The proposal was agreed.

ITU’s role as supervisory authority of the future international registration system for space assets under the draft space protocol

ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Touré

This item was discussed on 14 October and again on 17 October. The Secretary-General had stated that this protocol would be a landmark and would have no financial impact on ITU, as the supervisory authority would be financed out of fees from international registration. He encouraged councillors not to let this opportunity pass ITU by.

There was support from Member States, who feel that ITU is best positioned to be this authority. Some Member States thought that ITU should express interest in being the supervisory authority without making any decisions or commitment. The major issues raised concerned the scope and obligations involved in being supervisory authority and the extent and definition of enforcement, litigation, liability, dispute resolution, financial implications, accountability and responsibility. Questions raised by Member States were addressed at the Plenary on 19 October – and the conference in Berlin next February will also clarify certain issues.

On 20 October, the discussion continued regarding ITU’s role and the role the Secretary-General would play at the conference in Berlin. Some countries stated that they did not have enough time to research the issue. Both the Secretary-General and the Legal Affairs Unit provided clarification. On 21 October, the Council agreed that the Secretary-General is authorized to attend the Berlin conference as an observer and that the matter of whether or not ITU could become the Supervisory Authority should not be prejudged (see Document C11/100). The Secretary-General will report back to Council 2012 which will consider the matter further in the light of the output of the diplomatic conference taking into account the financial, juridical and technical implications.

Empowerment of Women and Girls (Resolution 1327)

This resolution stemmed from recognition by ITU of the importance of implementing gender equality measures including goal 3 of the Millennium Development Goals promoting gender equality in education and the fact that ITU should take the lead on such matters for the ICT industry. The Council decided that the theme for the 2012 World Telecommunications and Information Society Day will be Women and Girls in ICT. All Member States are invited to establish a Girls in ICT day for the fourth Thursday of April with open days in ICT research facilities, companies, university departments and ICT-related institutions.

Guiding principles for the creation, management and termination of Council working groups (Resolution 1333)

From discussions at the Plenipotentiary Conference in Guadalajara, it was clear that there were a growing number of Council Working Groups, which was putting considerable strain on Member States’ resources. Resolution 1333 adopted by the Council says, among other things, that:

• The terms of reference of CWGs need to be clearly defined to avoid any duplication of tasks;

• CWG meetings need to be conducted in an efficient and cost-effective manner within the limits of the budget allocated by the Council and should not normally exceed two clusters per year;

• As far as possible groups should conduct their work by electronic means; and

• Groups should be terminated when they have completed tasks under their mandate, where there is duplication of effort, where merger is possible with another group or where there are insufficient resources.
  

Termination of a CWG shall be based on the following criteria:

• a working group has completed the tasks under its mandate and terms of reference;

• there is a change in the charter or requirements related to the working group;

• there is a risk of duplication of effort, or overlapping of the mandates of other working groups;

• there is an opportunity to merge activities with those of another working group; or

• activities can no longer continue due to the low priority of the work and/or the lack of available resources.
  

Convening of the next Plenipotentiary Conference (Decision 560)

The Council decided that the next conference would take place in Busan in Korea from 20 October to 7 November 2014, subject to the concurrence of the majority of the Member States of the Union. The Secretary-General will consult all ITU Member States on the venue and dates.

Chairman of the Standing Committee on Administration and Management (ADM) Blanca González

The Committee held 6 meetings focusing on the budget for 2012-2013 and on human resources management. On 20 October, the Chairman of the ADM Committee, Blanca González, presented the Committee’s report to the Plenary Meeting (the full Council), recommending the adoption of seven resolutions and six decisions contained in the report (Document C11/89). Here we highlight the discussions of the ADM Committee on 18 and 19 October, and the decisions taken by the Council on the basis of the Committee’s recommendations.

Management and Staff Council relations praised

The Council noted the constructive dialogue and good spirit of cooperation which now exists between the Management and the Staff Council, with many delegations applauding these relations. It also noted that in keeping with Staff Regulation 8.1, the Staff Council is the only legitimately elected body representing the whole ITU Staff.

During the ADM Committee, Deputy Secretary-General Houlin Zhao confirmed that the staff is ITU’s greatest asset, and that the current excellent atmosphere that reigns between the Staff Council and the Management was much appreciated. Mr Zhao reconfirmed management’s commitment to continue working in this positive and constructive direction. These good relations had been referenced by the Secretary-General, Dr Hamadoun I. Touré, in his State of the Union Address. The Chairman of the Staff Council, Scott Austin, also highlighted these relations in his statement to the ADM Committee on 17 October (see Issue No. 5 of the Highlights).

Report by the Chairman of the Tripartite Group on Human Resources Management

Bruce Gracie, Chairman of the Tripartite Group on Human Resources Management presented his group’s report (Document C11/23) highlighting discussions it had held on the following matters:

• Ethics function: Discussions took place under strict confidentiality in dealing with ethics cases, ITU’s efforts to harmonize its policies with United Nations practices, and the possible need to establish a mechanism in Council to oversee the Ethics function (as opposed to the Ethics function reporting directly to the Secretary-General).
  

• The Ombudsman function: The possible need to establish an Ombudsman in ITU. Such a function could possibly be set up as a shared resource with another United Nations specialized agency to reduce costs.
  

• The merger of the Council Group on the Financial Regulations and related Financial Management Issues with the Human Resources Tripartite Group and the creation of a new working group. This proposal received support.
  The Council approved the creation of a new Council Working Group on Financial and Human Resources, and its terms of reference (see Decision in Annex F of Document C/89). It also noted the report by the Chairman of the Tripartite Group on Human Resources Management.
  

Progress Report on the Implementation of the Human Resources Strategic Plan and of Resolution 48 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) 

Julia Watt, Chief of the Human Resources Management Department, presented the Progress Report in Document C11/52. The report highlights achievements, progress, and planned activities within the scope of implementing the Human Resources Strategic Plan and of Resolution 48 (Rev. Guadalajara 2010). Ms Watt said that progress reports will be submitted to the Council annually, as requested by the Tripartite Group on Human Resources Management at its meeting in May 2011.

The first phase of Implementation of the Human Resources Strategic Plan covers the period 2010-2014 as not all issues listed in the Annex to Resolution 48 could be reviewed and considered during the reporting period. Ms Watt stressed that the Human Resources Management Department would do its utmost to review other pending issues during future reporting periods, and as time and resources allow.

Document C11/INF/2 details the achievements, as well as planned activities.

The Committee then addressed a number of questions raised in the context of Mr Gracie's presentation and that more specifically relate to:

• age balance (it being noted that the current average is 45) and succession planning;

• balance between posts in the General Service category versus the Professional category;

• Internship and government-secondment programmes;

• transition from passive to active recruitment strategies;

• implementation of the teleworking policy;

• processing costs of cases by the ILO Tribunal and protection of staff members’ rights; and

• duration of the vacancy management process.

Delegations stressed the importance of attracting the right people to ITU, making ITU an employer of choice in an increasingly competitive environment. The Committee noted that ITU is addressing this in part. For example, when positions become vacant through natural attrition, job descriptions are reviewed and, where possible, revised to P2/3 levels in order to provide a career path for new staff. This is also aimed at rebalancing the ratio between G and P posts. It was noted that, even if the ratio remains in favour of G posts, the difference has decreased significantly over the past ten years (see Document C11/INF/15).

To retain new talent, a modern and staff friendly working environment must be created and sustained through the introduction of policies that reflect the realities and needs of a work-life balance. However, it was stressed by delegations that while it is important to recruit the right people, the Human Resources Strategy needs to be flexible and responsive in order for ITU to continue to be a results-oriented organization.

Internship and government-secondment programmes are being strengthened in ITU as potential sources of future candidates for career path positions. However, the importance of making them financially accessible to developing countries’ nationals was underlined, in order to enhance geographical balance and representation. It was stressed that ITU is now studying the possibility of sponsoring candidates from least developed countries (LDCs), small island developing States (SIDs), as well as from PCPD countries (post conflict/post disaster) and/or countries in transition through extra-budgetary resources and voluntary contributions from Member States or educational institutions.

ITU was encouraged to move from passive to active recruitment. Ms Watt mentioned that resources freed by the introduction of e-recruitment will be directed to this.

The Committee noted that the teleworking policy, which was introduced on a trial basis, was being applied successfully across the organization.

On gender statistics and ratios, delegations sought to know whether the gender balance had improved since the implementation of the Human Resources Strategic Plan. Delegations were referred to the Council Members dashboard, where these statistics are available.

Statistics on the number and distribution of applications by gender and nationalities were added to the portal recently, and they tell an interesting story in terms of application trends (see also additional statistics in Document C11/INF/15).

Some delegations pointed out that the processing of cases by the ILO Tribunal was costly and that ITU should be mindful of protecting and respecting staff rights, and of respecting recruitment rules and contractual obligations. While noting the importance and the critical challenge for any Human Resources Department to strike a balance between the needs of Management and of staff of an organization, delegations stressed that procedures must be observed scrupulously in order to avoid litigation.

The Council noted the Progress Report on the Implementation of the Human Resources Strategic Plan and of Resolution 48 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010). Many delegates congratulated the Secretary-General and the Human Resources Management Department for their colossal amount of work. They also noted, with great satisfaction, that there is a new dynamism combined with a progressive approach and full transparency, and that staff concerns are being dealt with swiftly.

Membership of the ITU Staff Pension Committee  

According to the Regulations and Rules of the United Nations Staff Joint Pension Fund, the ITU Pension Committee is made up of representatives of Council Member States, of the ITU Management and of affiliated and beneficiaries of the Fund.

The Committee noted the need to replace one representative of the Council whose seat had become vacant. Following consultations undertaken on behalf of the Secretary-General, Canada had accepted to be designated and will be serving again for the next three years, the mandate being renewable as long as a country remains a Member State of the ITU Council. The designation of Canada as representative of the Council in the ITU Pension Committee was endorsed by the Council.

Reorganization of the Administration and Finance Department, General Secretariat  

The Administration and Finance Department was created in 2007 through the merger of two Human Resources Divisions, two Finance Divisions, and the Procurement, Security and Safety, and Facilities Management Division. This resulted in the merging of two D2 positions into one D2. But it soon became apparent that a D1 was needed to head the Human Resources Divisions – and this was approved by the Council in 2010.

However, after the departure of the incumbent of the D2 post, it was decided that the Administration and Finance Department would be reorganized and split into two different departments, one grouping the Human Resources Divisions, the Security and Safety Service and the Facilities Management Division, and the other, also with a Chief of Department at the D1 level, grouping the two Finance Divisions and the Procurement Division. Both departments are under the direct supervision of the Deputy Secretary-General.

The D2 post has been frozen, and there would be two D1 positions instead. It was underlined that the Secretary-General would commit to keeping the D2 post frozen until the next Plenipotentiary Conference in 2014. The job description of the post of Chief, Financial Resources Management Department is published in Document C11/INF/5.

The reorganization was noted and the creation of the D1 post of Chief, Financial Resources Management Department was approved by adopting Decision 567.

Reorganization of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT)   

It has also been necessary to reorganize and reinforce BDT in response to the Hyderabad Action Plan adopted by the World Telecommunication Development Conference 2010 (WTDC-10) and the resolutions adopted by the Plenipotentiary Conference (Guadalajara, 2010).

There are three Departments under the new structure, which is based on the Strategic Plan of ITU-D in the Annex to Resolution 71 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010). The philosophy behind the structure is to put the Regional Initiatives as the main product and deliverables to the membership and use all programmes and activities as a means to this end.

This reorganization is being implemented within existing financial resources. Thus, no extra resource is needed to implement the new organizational structure which consisted in reorganizing the existing Departments, Divisions and Units and redeploying the existing staff.

New posts, such as the D1 post of Chief, Innovation & Partnership Department (IP), will be advertised. The job description for this post is published in Document C11/INF/8. Also, the job description of the post of Deputy to the Director of BDT has been revised.

The Council noted this reorganization. It approved the revised job description for the D2 post of Deputy to the Director, Chief, Administration and Operations Coordination Department contained in Annex P to Document C11/89. In addition, the Council has authorized the Secretary-General and the Director of BDT to make adjustments, as necessary, to the job description of the D2 post, to the extent that these adjustments do not impact on the level of the post. The Council also approved the creation of the D1 post of Chief, Innovation & Partnership Department (IP), by adopting the draft Decision in Annex Q to Document C11/89 (see also Decision 568 for these posts).

Junior Professional Officer (JPO) Programme   

A presentation was made on the strengthening of three programmes being implemented at ITU and aimed at promoting mobility: the Junior Professional Officer programme; the Secondment of Government Officials programme; and the Internship programme. These programmes should help ensure access to a workforce with the experience and skills required.

The Human Resources Department reiterated the great interest of the Union in entering into funding partnerships with Member States, Sector Members and Academia to develop exchange programmes, in order to ensure equitable access to nationals of developing countries, and thus to enhance geographical balance and representation.

Conformance and interoperability   

The discussion on conformance and interoperability continued on 18 October in the ADM Committee after the ITU secretariat had presented a revised draft budget for 2012-2013 (Document C11/DT4/Rev.2). As a result of the increase in revenue arising from the Russian Federation’s announcement to increase its financial contribution by 5 units and South Sudan’s contribution as a new ITU Member State, the draft budget presented by the secretariat amounted to CHF 324,278,000. This proposed scenario called for a withdrawal in the Reserve Account of CHF 7.058 million. The secretariat also informed the Committee that two posts for conformance and interoperability, amounting to CHF 744,000, were being proposed for inclusion in the regular budget.

The ensuing debate mirrored the one which was covered on 17 October (see Issue No.5 of the Highlights). The United States, supported by Australia and Sweden, asked whether the two posts could be financed through budgetary efficiency measures instead of a withdrawal from the Reserve Account. Brazil suggested that the two posts be filled from within the secretariat.

Senegal said that the approach needs to be done the other way around: first you identify whether the activity is necessary, and then you look for funding and take the money where it is available, namely from the Reserve Account. Egypt, South Africa and India’s intervention underscored that the funding of these two posts should not be conditional on additional savings being found. The conformance and interoperability activity brings benefits to the members; a lot of the members would be reassured if they had the certitude that the two posts would indeed be included in the regular budget.

TSB Director Malcolm Johnson (right)

TSB Director Malcolm Johnson pointed out that the problem with the approach of identifying savings first, then hiring staff was that savings might not be identified for some months to come. But action was necessary now as demanded by Resolution 177. Extrapolating from past experience, the secretariat was confident that it would not have to draw on the entire CHF 7 million from the Reserve Account; but that the two posts should be included in the budget so that they could be filled immediately.

The Deputy Secretary General, Houlin Zhao, supported the TSB Director. TSB desperately needed staff to advance its work. But without the necessary budget the Secretary-General cannot approve a request for staff.

The Chairman then asked for a coffee break and informal discussion. After the coffee break, Alassane Ba of the ITU secretariat announced that a compromise had been found: the withdrawal from the Reserve Account would be around CHF 6.3 million and the Secretary-General would be authorized to finance the two posts via efficiency measures. The Secretary-General then pleaded that the Council not get involved in micromanaging one or two posts, but leave it up to the secretariat to find a satisfactory solution.

External Audit of the Union’s Accounts   

The External Auditor presented his report (Document C11/5) of the ITU’s 2010 accounts in accordance with the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). This report covers the following areas:

• 2010 accounts for the audit of the financial statements for 2010 and ITU Staff Superannuation and Benevolent Funds; and

• The financial supervision audit relating to cost recovery system, the IT audit of the IPSAS migration project and the audit of the opening balance sheet for 2010 following restatement under IPSAS.
  

A number of recommendations were put forward by the External Auditor with a corresponding comment from the Secretary-General. Several delegations thanked the External Auditor, whose mandate ends on 30 June 2012, for the excellent work of his team in helping ITU achieve a sound financial system and the delegations also congratulated ITU on the desirable outcomes that have been attained, despite the challenges faced with the migration from the United Nations System Accounting Standards (UNSAS) to IPSAS.

Summary
The External Auditor’s report confirms that the organization’s financial statements for 2010 are IPSAS-compliant and that the accounting data in the above-mentioned financial statements reconcile with ITU’s accounts; and that the cost-recovery system is indicative of an excellent methodology. The Council approved the audited accounts of the Union by adopting Decision 566.

External Audit of the Union’s Accounts on ITU TELECOM WORLD 2009   

The External Auditor presented his report (Document C11/3) on ITU TELECOM WORLD 2009 accounts, and put forward two recommendations. First, there should be a change in the accounting methods and presentation which should be applied in future Telecom events which should be closed under the IPSAS standards. Second, ITU should negotiate future contracts with Orgexpo in a more effective manner in order to reduce the number of exclusivity clauses.

The Secretary-General made positive comments on the implementation of the above-mentioned recommendations. Also, the External Auditor gave a satisfactory report on the audit of ITU TELECOM WORLD 2009 accounts with no reservations or comments.

The Council approved the financial operating report for the financial year 2010 by adopting Resolution 1341.

Audited Accounts of ITU TELECOM WORLD 2009
The Secretariat presented the audited accounts of ITU TELECOM WORLD 2009 which was held from 5 to 9 October 2009 in Geneva (Document C11/2).

Key issues: The initial budget for the event was based on the sale of 30,630 m2; the budget was revised due to significant reduction in revenue as a result of the global financial crisis; the revised budget was based on 20,800 m2. The total actual revenue = CHF15,103,732.77; the total actual expenses = 19,485,119.81; and the deficit = CHF4,381,387.04. Revenue and expenses have been entered into the new application based on IPSAS standards.

The Council approved the audited accounts of ITU TELECOM WORLD 2009.

Membership issues   

The Council reviewed the issue of Sector Membership, including key outcomes of the Guadalajara Plenipotentiary Conference (Document C11/11). The Guadalajara Conference requested that the Council review the present approach to participation of Sector Members and Associates, including the possibility of changes in areas such as the fee structure and membership categories, with a view to enhancing their benefits.  Also, the Guadalajara Conference established a new category of participation in ITU for Academia and research institutions and instructed the Council to consider further refinements of this new category. In addition, the Guadalajara conference revised fee payment provisions and approved new reduced membership fees for organizations from countries with very low incomes to participate in ITU-R and ITU-T activities. To help ensure the full and effective implementation of these Guadalajara resolutions, the Council agreed on 18 October to include a review of Sector Membership in the Terms of Reference of the new Council Working Group on Financial and Human Resources.

The Secretariat reported that in line with the Guadalajara resolutions, a new integrated Sector Member Service has been established, with staff from across the Bureaux and the General Secretariat to provide improved, coordinated service and that a pro-active strategy to retain existing and attract new Sector Members, Associates and Academia is being developed and implemented. Councillors supported these efforts, and highlighted in particular, the potential intellectual contributions of universities and research institutions to the work of ITU, especially study groups, and the need to raise awareness of the new Academia membership category. Councillors also noted that it is important to consult existing and potential new members directly to get their feedback as ITU considers potential major, strategic changes in the area of Sector Membership.

In addition, the Council (Document C11/16) approved the admission of 11 entities dealing with telecommunication matters as well as the exemption from fees (Document C11/20) for thirteen new regional and international organizations, on the basis of reciprocal benefits.

South Sudan receives a warm welcome from the Council

South Sudan's Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services Madut Biar Yel

On 20 October, the Council warmly welcomed a statement from South Sudan’s Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services Madut Biar Yel. South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, became ITU’s 193rd Member State on 3 October 2011. The Minister described his visit to the Council as “a historic, momentous and emotive moment”, adding that in the whole 146-year history of ITU, his ministry had attended, in observer status, two Plenipotentiary Conferences (Antalya in 2006 and Guadalajara in 2010). He conveyed greetings from the Country’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit, saying that the President has pledged his undivided commitment to ITU and its wider family of nations.

“The Government of South Sudan clearly recognizes the importance of information and communication technologies (ICT) as an indispensable pillar and engine for social and economic development,” the Minister said. The government is committed to facilitating the growth and development of modern telecommunications to ensure the provision of universal and affordable services to all Southern Sudanese. But this, the Minister acknowledged, is a real challenge as much of the country is rural and not easy to reach. Nevertheless, through the private sector and global partners such as ITU, the Minister believes that South Sudan can catch up with the rest of the world by leapfrogging technology. The Minister thanked ITU for the speed with which it assigned country code 211 to South Sudan – literally, two hours following the countr

BR Director François Rancy and BDT Director Brahima Sanou

y’s formal recognition as a United Nations Member State on 14 July 2011. This international dialling code became active on 28 September 2011. Highlighting these developments, which got a round of applause from councillors, the Minister underlined that country code 211 was now “a national monument for generations to come and one of the strongest symbols of our independence and freedom”.

ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Touré, responding to the Minister’s address, said "We are delighted to be able to welcome South Sudan as an ITU Member State so soon after it attained full nationhood.” Dr Touré described how all three Sectors and the General Secretariat were working as one ITU to help South Sudan in its efforts to develop its ICT sector. He said TSB Director Malcolm Johnson was instrumental in ensuring that the country code was assigned quickly. BR Director François Rancy is helping with spectrum allocation and issues related to satellite orbit resources. Dr Touré also commended BDT Director Brahima Sanou, who recently headed a high-level ITU delegation composed of representatives from the General Secretariat, TSB, BR and BDT. The delegation met government ministers in South Sudan with the aim of acquiring first-hand information on the country’s needs and challenges in the area of ICT development. Mr Sanou brought back with him the Letter of Accession from South Sudan.

In brief

Strengthening ITU’s regional presence – Resolution 25 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010): The report presented in Document C11/25 was well received, with the Council agreeing that it is important to increase the regional presence. Resolution 25 as revised by the Guadalajara Conference calls for an additional evaluation, and requests the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau to develop operational and financial indicators to be used for evaluating regional presence. The resolution recognizes the need for equitable treatment of regions in terms of budgetary allocations and gives more autonomy to regional and area offices. It requires the development of stronger mutually beneficial working relationships with Member States, for instance through stronger collaboration with regional organizations. The Council asked for information on the methods for evaluating regional presence.

Submission and publication of documentation for Council sessions and Council working group meetings (Decision 556 (MOD)): A new deadline of 14-calendar days was approved for contributions to the Council. This new deadline has been aligned with the deadline in Resolution 165 (Guadalajara, 2010) for contributions to conferences and assemblies.

Chairmen and vice-chairmen of the Sector Advisory Groups, study groups and other groups: On the basis of a report from an ad hoc group set up in the first week of its deliberations, the Council discussed several options for the number of vice-chairmen of the Sector Advisory Groups, study groups and other groups with a focus on ensuring equitable geographic distribution among ITU regions so as to ensure that every region is represented by an appropriate number of competent and experienced people. According to Resolution 58 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) the six principal regional telecommunication organizations are: Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT), the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT), the Inter-American Telecommunications Commission (CITEL), the African Telecommunications Union (ATU), the Council of Arab Ministers of Telecommunication and Information represented by the Secretariat-General of the League of Arab States (LAS) and the Regional Commonwealth in the field of Communications (RCC). The Council noted that different groups may have different requirements and that any guidelines should provide the necessary flexibility to study groups and other groups in order to complete their work in the most efficient way.

Resolution 159 (Guadalajara, 2010) – Assistance and support to Lebanon for rebuilding its telecommunication networks) and Resolution 173 ((Guadalajara, 2010) – Piracy and attacks against fixed and cellular telephone networks in Lebanon: The Council noted the report of the Director of BDT on activities being carried out to implement these two resolutions. A progress report will be submitted to Council 2012.

Resolution 176 (Guadalajara, 2010) – Human exposure to and measurement of electromagnetic fields: Argentina stressed the importance of the work being carried out by ITU-T Study Group 5 in this area. In Argentina itself, several pilot projects are being implemented with mobile operators and others. Sharing this information with the Council, the Argentine delegation said that work would continue on this important issue. Resolution 176 recognizes that the massive development in radio spectrum use has resulted in multiple sources of electromagnetic field emissions. The resolution sets out a role for ITU in supporting Member States in measuring exposure and in related capacity building.

New Resolution 183 from Guadalajara aims to ensure that ITU–T deals with e-health issues, including awareness-raising, information exchange, and direct action to assimilate telecommunications and ICT in the health sector. The resolution states that the World Health Organization (WHO) and ITU have a key role to promote stronger coordination amongst the key players in all technical areas of e-health standardization. It also calls on ITU to coordinate e-health-related activities between its Standardization, Radiocommunications and Development Sectors.

Making the proposal for an international conference, the United Arab Emirates observed that one of the biggest obstacles to the adoption of e-health services is e-health standardization. “This is an extremely complex and difficult question. There are many standards already available, which are related directly and indirectly to e-health. But unfortunately, nobody has made a study of the most suitable configuration of an e-health system (or systems) using different transmission technologies already available in some countries.” 

The 2012 Session of the Council (Decision 561)
The Council decided that it will hold its next session from 4 July to 13 July 2012. Initially, it proved difficult to find dates that suited everyone. Some Member States were concerned with the conflicting dates of religious holidays and others with the Universal Postal Union (UPU) Congress on 25 September-12 October. Also, the autumn/winter 2012 season was seen as already very busy with conferences. There were also concerns raised regarding the deadline of the report of the external auditor, which will not be available before 30 June 2012. Concern was raised regarding the report of the CWG-WCIT, and if it was necessary to present it to the Council first. It was confirmed that this report will be transmitted directly to WCIT-12. In the end, agreement was reached on the understanding that the Council dates would take priority and that other groups would work around those dates. A revised schedule of meetings for 2012 was presented and endorsed by the Council (Document C11/7(Rev).