© ITU 2023

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Message from the Secretary-General

Every four years, Member States of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) come together to determine the direction of the organization and help shape digital transformation for billions of people around the world. This Collection of the basic texts adopted by the Plenipotentiary Conference 2022 is the result of their deliberations.

The course they have chartered takes full advantage of the digital revolution, while also taking on the bigger questions about the choices facing our world today. Chief among them are: how do we get the last third of humanity connected and by when; what can technologies like artificial intelligence do for sustainable development; who will benefit from it and what can we do to keep them safe; how do we ensure that these transformational technologies will help solve climate change, not make it worse; how do we protect the special needs of developing countries; how can we empower youth and put women on an equal footing with men; and will space be the next chapter of our digital future?

What emerges from these pages is a blueprint for delivering on the promise of the digital economy for all. It is set against a backdrop of global uncertainty and profound technological change, when too many people still live in digital darkness. We need to bring light and aim high. This starts by reaffirming the fundamental truth that all people are created equal and therefore must have equal access to the Internet and the boundless opportunities offered by the digital world.

As I start my tenure as Secretary-General of ITU, I know we can rest on the strength of this Collection of the basic texts adopted by the Plenipotentiary Conference 2022 to take our ambitious plans forward. With the principles of universal connectivity and sustainable digital transformation enshrined in the newly adopted ITU strategic plan for 2024-2027 at its heart, it is the bedrock on which we can build a better, more sustainable future for today’s generations and those yet to come.

January 2023

Doreen Bogdan-Martin
Secretary-General

Explanatory notes

1 The Constitution (CS) and Convention (CV) and their respective Annexes are those adopted by the Additional Plenipotentiary Conference (Geneva, 1992), incorporating the amendments adopted by the Plenipotentiary Conference (Kyoto, 1994), the Plenipotentiary Conference (Minneapolis, 1998), the Plenipotentiary Conference (Marrakesh, 2002), the Plenipotentiary Conference (Antalya, 2006) and the Plenipotentiary Conference (Guadalajara, 2010). The CS and CV have not been amended by the Plenipotentiary Conference (Busan, 2014), nor by the Plenipotentiary Conference (Dubai, 2018), nor by the Plenipotentiary Conference (Bucharest, 2022).

2 The margin numbers of the CS, CV and Annexes are located in the left-hand margin, sometimes accompanied by the symbol "PP-94" referring to the Plenipotentiary Conference (Kyoto, 1994) and/or "PP-98" referring to the Plenipotentiary Conference (Minneapolis, 1998) and/or "PP-02" referring to the Plenipotentiary Conference (Marrakesh, 2002) and/or "PP-06" referring to the Plenipotentiary Conference (Antalya, 2006) and/or "PP-10" referring to the Plenipotentiary Conference (Guadalajara, 2010).

Examples:

a) A simple margin number, e.g.,

496

indicates a provision adopted by the Additional Plenipotentiary Conference (Geneva, 1992) and not amended since then.

b) A simple margin number accompanied by PP-94, PP-98, PP-02, PP-06 or PP-10, e.g.,

485

or

136

or

61

or

209

PP-94

PP-98

PP-02

PP-06

indicates a provision adopted by the Additional Plenipotentiary Conference (Geneva, 1992) and amended by a subsequent conference, in these examples PP-94, PP-98, PP-02, and PP-06.

c) A simple margin number accompanied by more than one of PP-94, PP-98, PP-02, PP-06, and PP-10, e.g.,

468

PP-98
PP-06

PP-10

indicates a provision adopted by the Additional Plenipotentiary Conference (Geneva, 1992) and amended by subsequent conferences, in this example PP-98, PP-06 and PP-10.

d) A margin number followed by a letter and accompanied by PP-94, PP-98, PP-02, PP-06 or PP-10, e.g.,

59A

or

241A

or

207A

or

480B

PP-94

PP-98

PP-02

PP-06

indicates a provision added by a conference, in these examples PP-94, PP-98, PP-02 and PP-06.

e) A margin number followed by a letter and accompanied by more than one of PP-94, PP-98, PP-02, PP-06 and PP-10, e.g.,

161E

PP-98
PP-02
PP-06

indicates a provision added by a conference, in this example PP-98, and amended by subsequent conferences, in this example PP-02 and PP-06.

3 The symbol "(SUP)" indicates a provision or series of provisions deleted by PP-94, PP-98, PP-02, PP-06 or PP-10.

4 In the CS and CV, except in certain cases where particular margin/chapter/ section/article/paragraph numbers have had to be revised editorially for reasons of logical order or consistency, the numbering in the Final Acts of the adopting or amending plenipotentiary conference has been retained. Thus, the letters A, B, C, etc. are retained in added provisions; the Latin suffixes bis, ter, quater, etc. are retained in added paragraphs; and chapters/sections/articles have not been renumbered when text has been deleted (e.g., the Convention "jumps" from Chapter II to Chapter IV, because Chapter III no longer exists). This will facilitate cross-referencing with the Final Acts of the plenipotentiary conference concerned and make it possible to trace the evolution of the CS and CV texts through successive plenipotentiary conferences.

5 The General Rules of conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union were adopted by PP-02 and amended by PP-06 and PP-10. They have not been amended by PP-14, nor by PP-18, nor by PP-22. These General Rules comprise:

– the General Provisions regarding conferences and assemblies, made up of the provisions of Articles 26 to 30 of the Convention, transferred by PP-02 into this new instrument;

– the Rules of Procedure of conferences, assemblies and meetings of ITU;

– the procedures for electing the Secretary-General, the Deputy Secretary-General, the Directors of the Bureaux of the Sectors, the members of the Radio Regulations Board and the Member States of the Council, adopted by PP-02; and

– the procedures for amendment, adoption and entry into force, likewise adopted by PP-02.

The margin numbers to these General Rules are located in the left-hand margin.

6 The Optional Protocol on the compulsory settlement of disputes was adopted during the Additional Plenipotentiary Conference (Geneva, 1992), and has not been amended since.

7 The decisions, resolutions and recommendations are those currently in force. The place and date, i.e. "(Kyoto, 1994)", "(Minneapolis, 1998)", "(Marrakesh, 2002)", "(Antalya, 2006)", "(Guadalajara, 2010)", "(Busan, 2014)" "(Dubai, 2018)", and "(Bucharest, 2022)" indicate adoption by PP-94, PP-98, PP-02, PP-06, PP-10, PP-14, PP-18 or PP-22, respectively, while "(Rev. Minneapolis, 1998)", "(Rev. Marrakesh, 2002)", "(Rev. Antalya, 2006)", "(Rev. Guadalajara, 2010)", "(Rev. Busan, 2014)", "(Rev. Dubai, 2018)" or "(Rev. Bucharest, 2022) indicate adoption by a plenipotentiary conference and revision by a subsequent plenipotentiary conference, i.e. PP-98, PP-02, PP-06, PP-10, PP-14, PP-18 or PP-22, respectively. Each decision, resolution and recommendation is, moreover, accompanied by an indication of the plenipotentiary conference which adopted it, and, as the case may be, of any subsequent conference having revised it, e.g. on page 305, Resolution 48, adopted by PP-94 and amended by PP-98, PP-02, PP-06, PP-10, PP-14, PP-18 and PP-22 successively.

(Kyoto, 1994) – (Rev. Minneapolis, 1998) – (Rev. Marrakesh, 2002) – (Rev. Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

8 The present collection also contains a full list of the decisions, resolutions and recommendations adopted, revised or abrogated by PP-94, PP-98, PP-02, PP-06, PP-10, PP-14, PP-18 and PP-22.

CONSTITUTION OF
THE INTERNATIONAL
TELECOMMUNICATION UNION*

_______________

* The language used in the basic instruments of the Union (Constitution and Convention) is to be considered as gender neutral.

CONSTITUTION OF
THE INTERNATIONAL
TELECOMMUNICATION UNION

Preamble

1

While fully recognizing the sovereign right of each State to regulate its telecommunication and having regard to the growing importance of telecommunication for the preservation of peace and the economic and social development of all States, the States Parties to this Constitution, as the basic instrument of the International Telecommunication Union, and to the Convention of the International Telecommunication Union (hereinafter referred to as "the Convention") which complements it, with the object of facilitating peaceful relations, international cooperation among peoples and economic and social development by means of efficient telecommunication services, have agreed as follows:

CHAPTER I

Basic Provisions

ARTICLE 1

Purposes of the Union

2

1 The purposes of the Union are:

3
PP-98

a) to maintain and extend international cooperation among all its Member States for the improvement and rational use of telecommunications of all kinds;

3A
PP-98

a bis) to promote and enhance participation of entities and organizations in the activities of the Union and foster fruitful cooperation and partnership between them and Member States for the fulfilment of the overall objectives as embodied in the purposes of the Union;

4
PP-98

b) to promote and to offer technical assistance to developing countries in the field of telecommunications, and also to promote the mobilization of the material, human and financial resources needed for its implementation, as well as access to information;

5

c) to promote the development of technical facilities and their most efficient operation with a view to improving the efficiency of telecommunication services, increasing their usefulness and making them, so far as possible, generally available to the public;

6

d) to promote the extension of the benefits of the new telecommunication technologies to all the world’s inhabitants;

7

e) to promote the use of telecommunication services with the objective of facilitating peaceful relations;

8
PP-98

f) to harmonize the actions of Member States and promote fruitful and constructive cooperation and partnership between Member States and Sector Members in the attainment of those ends;

9

g) to promote, at the international level, the adoption of a broader approach to the issues of telecommunications in the global information economy and society, by cooperating with other world and regional intergovernmental organizations and those non-governmental organizations concerned with telecommunications.

10

2 To this end, the Union shall in particular:

11
PP-98

a) effect allocation of bands of the radio-frequency spectrum, the allotment of radio frequencies and the registration of radio-frequency assignments and, for space services, of any associated orbital position in the geostationary-satellite orbit or of any associated characteristics of satellites in other orbits, in order to avoid harmful interference between radio stations of different countries;

12
PP-98

b) coordinate efforts to eliminate harmful interference between radio stations of different countries and to improve the use made of the radio-frequency spectrum for radiocommunication services and of the geostationary-satellite and other satellite orbits;

13

c) facilitate the worldwide standardization of telecommunications, with a satisfactory quality of service;

14
PP-98

d) foster international cooperation and solidarity in the delivery of technical assistance to the developing countries and the creation, development and improvement of telecommunication equipment and networks in developing countries by every means at its disposal, including through its participation in the relevant programmes of the United Nations and the use of its own resources, as appropriate;

15

e) coordinate efforts to harmonize the development of telecommunication facilities, notably those using space techniques, with a view to full advantage being taken of their possibilities;

16
PP-98

f) foster collaboration among Member States and Sector Members with a view to the establishment of rates at levels as low as possible consistent with an efficient service and taking into account the necessity for maintaining independent financial administration of telecommunications on a sound basis;

17

g) promote the adoption of measures for ensuring the safety of life through the cooperation of telecommunication services;

18

h) undertake studies, make regulations, adopt resolutions, formulate recommendations and opinions, and collect and publish information concerning telecommunication matters;

19

i) promote, with international financial and development organizations, the establishment of preferential and favourable lines of credit to be used for the development of social projects aimed, inter alia, at extending telecommunication services to the most isolated areas in countries;

19A
PP-98

j) promote participation of concerned entities in the activities of the Union and cooperation with regional and other organizations for the fulfilment of the purposes of the Union.

ARTICLE 2

Composition of the Union

20
PP-98

The International Telecommunication Union is an intergovernmental organization in which Member States and Sector Members, having well-defined rights and obligations, cooperate for the fulfilment of the purposes of the Union. It shall, having regard to the principle of universality and the desirability of universal participation in the Union, be composed of:

21
PP-98

a) any State which is a Member State of the International Telecommunication Union as a Party to any International Telecommunication Convention prior to the entry into force of this Constitution and the Convention;

22

b) any other State, a Member of the United Nations, which accedes to this Constitution and the Convention in accordance with Article 53 of this Constitution;

23
PP-98

c) any other State, not a Member of the United Nations, which applies for membership of the Union and which, after having secured approval of such application by two-thirds of the Member States of the Union, accedes to this Constitution and the Convention in accordance with Article 53 of this Constitution. If such application for membership is made during the interval between two plenipotentiary conferences, the Secretary-General shall consult the Member States of the Union; a Member State shall be deemed to have abstained if it has not replied within four months after its opinion has been requested.

PP-98

ARTICLE 3

Rights and Obligations of Member States
and Sector Members

24
PP-98

1 Member States and Sector Members shall have the rights and shall be subject to the obligations provided for in this Constitution and the Convention.

25
PP-98

2 Rights of Member States in respect of their participation in the conferences, meetings and consultations of the Union are:

26
PP-98

a) all Member States shall be entitled to participate in conferences, shall be eligible for election to the Council and shall have the right to nominate candidates for election as officials of the Union or as members of the Radio Regulations Board;

27
PP-98

b) subject to the provisions of Nos. 169 and 210 of this Constitution, each Member State shall have one vote at all plenipotentiary conferences, all world conferences and all Sector assemblies and study group meetings and, if it is a Member State of the Council, all sessions of that Council. At regional conferences, only the Member States of the region concerned shall have the right to vote;

28
PP-98

c) subject to the provisions of Nos. 169 and 210 of this Constitution, each Member State shall also have one vote in all consultations carried out by correspondence. In the case of consultations regarding regional conferences, only the Member States of the region concerned shall have the right to vote.

28A
PP-98

3 In respect of their participation in activities of the Union, Sector Members shall be entitled to participate fully in the activities of the Sector of which they are members, subject to relevant provisions of this Constitution and the Convention:

28B
PP-98

a) they may provide chairmen and vice-chairmen of Sector assemblies and meetings and world telecommunication development conferences;

28C
PP-98

b) they shall be entitled, subject to the relevant provisions of the Convention and relevant decisions adopted in this regard by the Plenipotentiary Conference, to take part in the adoption of Questions and Recommendations and in decisions relating to the working methods and procedures of the Sector concerned.

ARTICLE 4

Instruments of the Union

29

1 The instruments of the Union are:

– this Constitution of the International Telecommunication Union,

– the Convention of the International Telecommunication Union, and

– the Administrative Regulations.

30

2 This Constitution, the provisions of which are complemented by those of the Convention, is the basic instrument of the Union.

31
PP-98

3 The provisions of both this Constitution and the Convention are further complemented by those of the Administrative Regulations, enumerated below, which regulate the use of telecommunications and shall be binding on all Member States:

– International Telecommunication Regulations,

– Radio Regulations.

32

4 In the case of inconsistency between a provision of this Constitution and a provision of the Convention or of the Administrative Regulations, the Constitution shall prevail. In the case of inconsistency between a provision of the Convention and a provision of the Administrative Regulations, the Convention shall prevail.

ARTICLE 5

Definitions

33

Unless the context otherwise requires:

34

a) the terms used in this Constitution and defined in its Annex, which forms an integral part of this Constitution, shall have the meanings assigned to them in that Annex;

35

b) the terms – other than those defined in the Annex to this Constitution – used in the Convention and defined in the Annex thereto, which forms an integral part of the Convention, shall have the meanings assigned to them in that Annex;

36

c) other terms defined in the Administrative Regulations shall have the meanings therein assigned to them.

ARTICLE 6

Execution of the Instruments of the Union

37
PP-98

1 The Member States are bound to abide by the provisions of this Constitution, the Convention and the Administrative Regulations in all telecommunication offices and stations established or operated by them which engage in international services or which are capable of causing harmful interference to radio services of other countries, except in regard to services exempted from these obligations in accordance with the provisions of Article 48 of this Constitution.

38
PP-98

2 The Member States are also bound to take the necessary steps to impose the observance of the provisions of this Constitution, the Convention and the Administrative Regulations upon operating agencies authorized by them to establish and operate telecommunications and which engage in international services or which operate stations capable of causing harmful interference to the radio services of other countries.

ARTICLE 7

Structure of the Union

39

The Union shall comprise:

40

a) the Plenipotentiary Conference, which is the supreme organ of the Union;

41

b) the Council, which acts on behalf of the Plenipotentiary Conference;

42

c) world conferences on international telecommunications;

43

d) the Radiocommunication Sector, including world and regional radiocommunication conferences, radiocommunication assemblies and the Radio Regulations Board;

44
PP-98

e) the Telecommunication Standardization Sector, including world telecommunication standardization assemblies;

45

f) the Telecommunication Development Sector, including world and regional telecommunication development conferences;

46

g) the General Secretariat.

ARTICLE 8

Plenipotentiary Conference

47
PP-98

1 The Plenipotentiary Conference shall be composed of delegations representing Member States. It shall be convened every four years.

48
PP-98

2 On the basis of proposals by Member States and taking account of reports by the Council, the Plenipotentiary Conference shall:

49

a) determine the general policies for fulfilling the purposes of the Union prescribed in Article 1 of this Constitution;

50
PP-94
PP-98

b) consider the reports by the Council on the activities of the Union since the previous plenipotentiary conference and on the policy and strategic planning of the Union;

51
PP-98
PP-02

c) in the light of its decisions taken on the reports referred to in No. 50 above, establish the strategic plan for the Union and the basis for the budget of the Union, and determine related financial limits, until the next plenipotentiary conference, after considering all relevant aspects of the work of the Union in that period;

51A
PP-98

c bis) establish, using the procedures described in Nos. 161D to 161G of this Constitution, the total number of contributory units for the period up to the next plenipotentiary conference on the basis of the classes of contribution announced by Member States;

52

d) provide any general directives dealing with the staffing of the Union and, if necessary, fix the basic salaries, the salary scales and the system of allowances and pensions for all the officials of the Union;

53

e) examine the accounts of the Union and finally approve them, if appropriate;

54
PP-98

f) elect the Member States which are to serve on the Council;

55

g) elect the Secretary-General, the Deputy Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux of the Sectors as elected officials of the Union;

56

h) elect the members of the Radio Regulations Board;

57
PP-94
PP-98

i) consider and adopt, if appropriate, proposals for amendments to this Constitution and the Convention, put forward by Member States, in accordance with the provisions of Article 55 of this Constitution and the relevant provisions of the Convention, respectively;

58

j) conclude or revise, if necessary, agreements between the Union and other international organizations, examine any provisional agreements with such organizations concluded by the Council on behalf of the Union, and take such measures in connection therewith as it deems appropriate;

58A
PP-98
PP-02

j bis) adopt and amend the General Rules of conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union;

59

k) deal with such other telecommunication questions as may be necessary.

59A
PP-94

3 Exceptionally, in the interval between two ordinary Plenipotentiary Conferences, it shall be possible to convene an extraordinary Plenipotentiary Conference with a restricted agenda to deal with specific matters:

59B
PP-94

a) by a decision of the preceding ordinary Plenipotentiary Conference;

59C
PP-94
PP-98

b) should two-thirds of the Member States individually so request the Secretary-General;

59D
PP-94
PP-98

c) at the proposal of the Council with the approval of at least two-thirds of the Member States.

ARTICLE 9

Principles Concerning Elections and Related Matters

60

1 The Plenipotentiary Conference, at any elections referred to in Nos. 54 to 56 of this Constitution, shall ensure that:

61
PP-02

a) the Member States of the Council are elected with due regard to the need for equitable distribution of the seats on the Council among all regions of the world;

62
PP-94
PP-98
PP-02

b) the Secretary-General, the Deputy Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux shall be elected among the candidates proposed by Member States as their nationals and shall all be nationals of different Member States, and at their election due consideration should be given to equitable geographical distribution amongst the regions of the world; due consideration should also be given to the principles embodied in No. 154 of this Constitution;

63
PP-94
PP-98
PP-02

c) the members of the Radio Regulations Board shall be elected in their individual capacity from among the candidates proposed by Member States as their nationals. Each Member State may propose only one candidate. The members of the Radio Regulations Board shall not be nationals of the same Member State as the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau; at their election, due consideration should be given to equitable geographical distribution amongst the regions of the world and to the principles embodied in No. 93 of this Constitution.

64
PP-02

2 Provisions relating to taking up duties, vacancy and re-eligibility are contained in the Convention.

ARTICLE 10

The Council

65
PP-98

1 1) The Council shall be composed of Member States elected by the Plenipotentiary Conference in accordance with the provisions of No. 61 of this Constitution.

66
PP-02

2) Each Member State of the Council shall appoint a person to serve on the Council who may be assisted by one or more advisers.

67
PP-02

(SUP)

68

3 In the interval between Plenipotentiary Conferences, the Council shall act, as governing body of the Union, on behalf of the Plenipotentiary Conference within the limits of the powers delegated to it by the latter.

69
PP-98

4 1) The Council shall take all steps to facilitate the implementation by the Member States of the provisions of this Constitution, of the Convention, of the Administrative Regulations, of the decisions of the Plenipotentiary Conference, and, where appropriate, of the decisions of other conferences and meetings of the Union, and perform any duties assigned to it by the Plenipotentiary Conference.

70
PP-98
PP-02

2) The Council shall consider broad telecommunication policy issues in accordance with the guidelines given by the Plenipotentiary Conference to ensure that the Union’s policies and strategy fully respond to changes in the telecommunication environment.

70A
PP-02

2 bis) The Council shall prepare a report on the policy and strategic planning recommended for the Union, together with their financial implications, using the specific data prepared by the Secretary-General under No. 74A below.

71

3) It shall ensure the efficient coordination of the work of the Union and exercise effective financial control over the General Secretariat and the three Sectors.

72

4) It shall contribute, in accordance with the purposes of the Union, to the development of telecommunications in the developing countries by every means at its disposal, including through the participation of the Union in the appropriate programmes of the United Nations.

ARTICLE 11

General Secretariat

73

1 1) The General Secretariat shall be directed by a Secretary-General, assisted by one Deputy Secretary-General.

73 bis
PP-06

The Secretary-General shall act as the legal representative of the Union.

73A
PP-98

2) The functions of the Secretary-General are specified in the Convention. In addition, the Secretary-General shall:

74
PP-98

a) coordinate the Union’s activities, with the assistance of the Coordination Committee;

74A
PP-98
PP-02

b) prepare, with the assistance of the Coordination Committee, and provide to the Member States and Sector Members, such specific information as may be required for the preparation of a report on the policies and strategic plan for the Union, and coordinate the implementation of the plan; this report shall be communicated to the Member States and Sector Members for review during the last two regularly scheduled sessions of the Council before a plenipotentiary conference;

75
PP-98

c) take all the actions required to ensure economic use of the Union’s resources and be responsible to the Council for all the administrative and financial aspects of the Union’s activities;

76
PP-06

(SUP)

76A
PP-98

3) The Secretary-General may act as depositary of special arrangements established in conformity with Article 42 of this Constitution.

77

2 The Deputy Secretary-General shall be responsible to the Secretary-General; he shall assist the Secretary-General in the performance of his duties and undertake such specific tasks as may be entrusted to him by the Secretary-General. He shall perform the duties of the Secretary-General in the absence of the latter.

CHAPTER II

Radiocommunication Sector

ARTICLE 12

Functions and Structure

78
PP-98

1 1) The functions of the Radiocommunication Sector shall be, bearing in mind the particular concerns of developing countries, to fulfil the purposes of the Union, as stated in Article 1 of this Constitution, relating to radiocommunication:

– by ensuring the rational, equitable, efficient and economical use of the radio-frequency spectrum by all radiocommunication services, including those using the geostationary-satellite or other satellite orbits, subject to the provisions of Article 44 of this Constitution, and

– by carrying out studies without limit of frequency range and adopting recommendations on radiocommunication matters.

79

2) The precise responsibilities of the Radiocommunication Sector and the Telecommunication Standardization Sector shall be subject to continuing review, in close cooperation, with regard to matters of common interest to both Sectors, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Convention. Close coordination shall be carried out between the Radiocommunication, Telecommunication Standardization and Telecommunication Development Sectors.

80

2 The Radiocommunication Sector shall work through:

81

a) world and regional radiocommunication conferences;

82

b) the Radio Regulations Board;

83
PP-98

c) radiocommunication assemblies;

84

d) radiocommunication study groups;

84A
PP-98

d bis) the Radiocommunication Advisory Group;

85

e) the Radiocommunication Bureau, headed by the elected Director.

86

3 The Radiocommunication Sector shall have as members:

87
PP-98

a) of right, the administrations of all Member States;

88
PP-98

b) any entity or organization which becomes a Sector Member in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Convention.

ARTICLE 13

Radiocommunication Conferences
and Radiocommunication Assemblies

89

1 A world radiocommunication conference may partially or, in exceptional cases, completely, revise the Radio Regulations and may deal with any question of a worldwide character within its competence and related to its agenda; its other duties are specified in the Convention.

90
PP-98
PP-06

2 World radiocommunication conferences shall normally be convened every three to four years; however, following the application of the relevant provisions of the Convention, such a conference need not be convened or an additional one may be convened.

91
PP-98
PP-06

3 Radiocommunication assemblies shall also normally be convened every three to four years, and may be associated in place and time with world radiocommunication conferences so as to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Radiocommunication Sector. Radiocommunication assemblies shall provide the necessary technical bases for the work of the world radiocommunication conferences and respond to all requests from world radiocommunication conferences. The duties of the radiocommunication assemblies are specified in the Convention.

92
PP-98

4 The decisions of a world radiocommunication conference, of a radiocommunication assembly and of a regional radiocommunication conference shall in all circumstances be in conformity with this Constitution and the Convention. The decisions of a radiocommunication assembly or of a regional radiocommunication conference shall also in all circumstances be in conformity with the Radio Regulations. When adopting resolutions and decisions, the conferences shall take into account the foreseeable financial implications and should avoid adopting resolutions and decisions which might give rise to expenditure in excess of the financial limits laid down by the Plenipotentiary Conference.

ARTICLE 14

Radio Regulations Board

93

1 The Radio Regulations Board shall consist of elected members thoroughly qualified in the field of radiocommunications and possessing practical experience in the assignment and utilization of frequencies. Each member shall be familiar with the geographic, economic and demographic conditions within a particular area of the world. They shall perform their duties for the Union independently and on a part-time basis.

93A
PP-98

1bis) The Radio Regulations Board is composed of not more than either 12 members, or of a number corresponding to 6% of the total number of Member States, whichever is the greater.

94

2 The duties of the Radio Regulations Board shall consist of:

95
PP-98
PP-02

a) the approval of Rules of Procedure, which include technical criteria, in accordance with the Radio Regulations and with any decision which may be taken by competent radiocommunication conferences. These Rules of Procedure shall be used by the Director and the Bureau in the application of the Radio Regulations to register frequency assignments made by Member States. These Rules shall be developed in a transparent manner and shall be open to comment by administrations and, in case of continuing disagreement, the matter shall be submitted to the next world radiocommunication conference;

96

b) the consideration of any other matter that cannot be resolved through the application of the above Rules of Procedure;

97
PP-98

c) the performance of any additional duties, concerned with the assignment and utilization of frequencies, as indicated in No. 78 of this Constitution, in accordance with the procedures provided for in the Radio Regulations, and as prescribed by a competent conference or by the Council with the consent of a majority of the Member States, in preparation for, or in pursuance of the decisions of, such a conference.

98

3 1) In the exercise of their Board duties, the members of the Radio Regulations Board shall serve, not as representing their respective Member States nor a region, but as custodians of an international public trust. In particular, each member of the Board shall refrain from intervening in decisions directly concerning the member’s own administration.

99
PP-98

2) No member of the Board shall request or receive instructions relating to the exercise of his duties for the Union from any government or a member thereof, or from any public or private organization or person. Members of the Board shall refrain from taking any action or from participating in any decision which may be incompatible with their status defined in No. 98 above.

100
PP-98

3) Member States and Sector Members shall respect the exclusively international character of the duties of the members of the Board and refrain from attempting to influence them in the performance of their Board duties.

101

4 The working methods of the Radio Regulations Board are defined in the Convention.

PP-98

ARTICLE 15

Radiocommunication Study Groups
and Advisory Group

102
PP-98

The respective duties of the radiocommunication study groups and advisory group are specified in the Convention.

ARTICLE 16

Radiocommunication Bureau

103

The functions of the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau are specified in the Convention.

CHAPTER III

Telecommunication Standardization Sector

ARTICLE 17

Functions and Structure

104
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1 1) The functions of the Telecommunication Standardization Sector shall be, bearing in mind the particular concerns of the developing countries, to fulfil the purposes of the Union relating to telecommunication standardization, as stated in Article 1 of this Constitution, by studying technical, operating and tariff questions and adopting recommendations on them with a view to standardizing telecommunications on a worldwide basis.

105

2) The precise responsibilities of the Telecommunication Standardization and Radiocommunication Sectors shall be subject to continuing review, in close cooperation, with regard to matters of common interest to both Sectors, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Convention. Close coordination shall be carried out between the Radiocommunication, Telecommunication Standardization and Telecommunication Development Sectors.

106

2 The Telecommunication Standardization Sector shall work through:

107
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a) world telecommunication standardization assemblies;

108

b) telecommunication standardization study groups;

108A
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b bis) the Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group;

109

c) the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau headed by the elected Director.

110

3 The Telecommunication Standardization Sector shall have as members:

111
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a) of right, the administrations of all Member States;

112
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b) any entity or organization which becomes a Sector Member in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Convention.

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ARTICLE 18

World Telecommunication Standardization
Assemblies

113
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1 The duties of world telecommunication standardization assemblies are specified in the Convention.

114
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2 World telecommunication standardization assemblies shall be convened every four years; however, an additional assembly may be held in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Convention.

115
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3 Decisions of world telecommunication standardization assemblies must in all circumstances be in conformity with this Constitution, the Convention and the Administrative Regulations. When adopting resolutions and decisions, the assemblies shall take into account the foreseeable financial implications and should avoid adopting resolutions and decisions which might give rise to expenditure in excess of the financial limits laid down by the Plenipotentiary Conference.

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ARTICLE 19

Telecommunication Standardization Study Groups
and Advisory Group

116
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The respective duties of the telecommunication standardization study groups and advisory group are specified in the Convention.

ARTICLE 20

Telecommunication Standardization Bureau

117

The functions of the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau are specified in the Convention.

CHAPTER IV

Telecommunication Development Sector

ARTICLE 21

Functions and Structure

118

1 1) The functions of the Telecommunication Development Sector shall be to fulfil the purposes of the Union as stated in Article 1 of this Constitution and to discharge, within its specific sphere of competence, the Union’s dual responsibility as a United Nations specialized agency and executing agency for implementing projects under the United Nations development system or other funding arrangements so as to facilitate and enhance telecommunications development by offering, organizing and coordinating technical cooperation and assistance activities.

119

2) The activities of the Radiocommunication, Telecommunication Standardization and Telecommunication Development Sectors shall be the subject of close cooperation with regard to matters relating to development, in accordance with the relevant provisions of this Constitution.

120

2 Within the foregoing framework, the specific functions of the Telecommunication Development Sector shall be to:

121

a) raise the level of awareness of decision-makers concerning the important role of telecommunications in the national economic and social development programme, and provide information and advice on possible policy and structural options;

122
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b) promote, especially by means of partnership, the development, expansion and operation of telecommunication networks and services, particularly in developing countries, taking into account the activities of other relevant bodies, by reinforcing capabilities for human resources development, planning, management, resource mobilization, and research and development;

123

c) enhance the growth of telecommunications through cooperation with regional telecommunications organizations and with global and regional development financing institutions, monitoring the status of projects included in its development programme to ensure that they are properly executed;

124

d) activate the mobilization of resources to provide assistance in the field of telecommunications to developing countries by promoting the establishment of preferential and favourable lines of credit, and cooperating with international and regional financial and development institutions;

125

e) promote and coordinate programmes to accelerate the transfer of appropriate technologies to the developing countries in the light of changes and developments in the networks of the developed countries;

126

f) encourage participation by industry in telecommunication development in developing countries, and offer advice on the choice and transfer of appropriate technology;

127

g) offer advice, carry out or sponsor studies, as necessary, on technical, economic, financial, managerial, regulatory and policy issues, including studies of specific projects in the field of telecommunications;

128

h) collaborate with the other Sectors, the General Secretariat and other concerned bodies in developing a general plan for international and regional telecommunication networks so as to facilitate the coordination of their development with a view to the provision of telecommunication services;

129

i) in carrying out the above functions, give special attention to the requirements of the least developed countries.

130

3 The Telecommunication Development Sector shall work through:

131

a) world and regional telecommunication development conferences;

132

b) telecommunication development study groups;

132A
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b bis) the Telecommunication Development Advisory Group;

133

c) the Telecommunication Development Bureau headed by the elected Director.

134

4 The Telecommunication Development Sector shall have as members:

135
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a) of right, the administrations of all Member States;

136
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b) any entity or organization which becomes a Sector Member in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Convention.

ARTICLE 22

Telecommunication Development Conferences

137

1 Telecommunication development conferences shall be a forum for the discussion and consideration of topics, projects and programmes relevant to telecommunication development and for the provision of direction and guidance to the Telecommunication Development Bureau.

138

2 Telecommunication development conferences shall comprise:

139

a) world telecommunication development conferences;

140

b) regional telecommunication development conferences.

141

3 There shall be, between two Plenipotentiary Conferences, one world telecommunication development conference and, subject to resources and priorities, regional telecommunication development conferences.

142
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4 Telecommunication development conferences shall not produce Final Acts. Their conclusions shall take the form of resolutions, decisions, recommendations or reports. These conclusions must in all circumstances be in conformity with this Constitution, the Convention and the Administrative Regulations. When adopting resolutions and decisions, the conferences shall take into account the foreseeable financial implications and should avoid adopting resolutions and decisions which might give rise to expenditure in excess of the financial limits laid down by the Plenipotentiary Conference.

143

5 The duties of telecommunication development conferences are specified in the Convention.

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ARTICLE 23

Telecommunication Development Study Groups
and Advisory Group

144
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The respective duties of telecommunication development study groups and advisory group are specified in the Convention.

ARTICLE 24

Telecommunication Development Bureau

145

The functions of the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau are specified in the Convention.

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CHAPTER IVA

Working Methods of the Sectors

145A
PP-02

The radiocommunication assembly, the world telecommunication standardization assembly and the world telecommunication development conference may establish and adopt working methods and procedures for the management of the activities of their respective Sectors. These working methods and procedures must be compatible with this Constitution, the Convention and the Administrative Regulations, and in particular Nos. 246D to 246H of the Convention.

CHAPTER V

Other Provisions Concerning the Functioning
of the Union

ARTICLE 25

World Conferences on International Telecommunications

146

1 A world conference on international telecommunications may partially, or in exceptional cases, completely revise the International Telecommunication Regulations and may deal with any question of a worldwide character within its competence and related to its agenda.

147
PP-98

2 Decisions of world conferences on international telecommunications shall in all circumstances be in conformity with this Constitution and the Convention. When adopting resolutions and decisions, the conferences shall take into account the foreseeable financial implications and should avoid adopting resolutions and decisions which might give rise to expenditure in excess of the financial limits laid down by the Plenipotentiary Conference.

ARTICLE 26

Coordination Committee

148

1 The Coordination Committee shall consist of the Secretary-General, the Deputy Secretary-General and the Directors of the three Bureaux. It shall be presided over by the Secretary-General, and in his absence by the Deputy Secretary-General.

149

2 The Coordination Committee shall act as an internal management team which advises and gives the Secretary-General practical assistance on all administrative, financial, information system and technical cooperation matters which do not fall under the exclusive competence of a particular Sector or of the General Secretariat and on external relations and public information. In its considerations, the Committee shall keep fully in view the provisions of this Constitution, the Convention, the decisions of the Council and the interests of the Union as a whole.

ARTICLE 27

Elected Officials and Staff of the Union

150

1 1) In the performance of their duties, neither the elected officials nor the staff of the Union shall seek or accept instructions from any government or from any other authority outside the Union. They shall refrain from acting in any way which is incompatible with their status as international officials.

151
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2) Member States and Sector Members shall respect the exclusively international character of the duties of these elected officials and of the staff of the Union, and refrain from trying to influence them in the performance of their work.

152

3) No elected official or any member of the staff of the Union shall participate in any manner or have any financial interest whatsoever in any enterprise concerned with telecommunications, except as part of their duties. However, the term “financial interest” is not to be construed as applying to the continuation of retirement benefits accruing in respect of previous employment or service.

153
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4) In order to ensure the efficient operation of the Union, any Member State a national of which has been elected Secretary-General, Deputy Secretary-General or Director of a Bureau shall refrain, as far as possible, from recalling that national between two plenipotentiary conferences.

154

2 The paramount consideration in the recruitment of staff and in the determination of the conditions of service shall be the necessity of securing for the Union the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity. Due regard shall be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.

ARTICLE 28

Finances of the Union

155

1 The expenses of the Union shall comprise the costs of:

156

a) the Council;

157

b) the General Secretariat and the Sectors of the Union;

158

c) Plenipotentiary Conferences and world conferences on international telecommunications.

159
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2 The expenses of the Union shall be met from:

159A
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a) the contributions of its Member States and Sector Members;

159B
PP-98

b) other revenues as identified in the Convention or in the Financial Regulations.

159C
PP-98

2 bis) Each Member State and Sector Member shall pay a sum equivalent to the number of units in the class of contribution it has chosen in accordance with Nos. 160 to 161I below.

159D
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2 ter) Expenses incurred by the regional conferences referred to in No. 43 of this Constitution shall be borne:

159E
PP-02

a) by all the Member States of the region concerned, in accordance with their class of contribution;

159F
PP-02

b) by any Member States of other regions which have participated in such conferences, in accordance with their class of contribution;

159G
PP-02

c) by authorized Sector Members and other authorized organizations which have participated in such conferences, in accordance with the provisions of the Convention.

160
PP-98

3 1) Member States and Sector Members shall be free to choose their class of contribution for defraying Union expenses.

161
PP-98

2) The choice by Member States shall be made at a plenipotentiary conference in accordance with the scale of classes of contribution and conditions contained in the Convention and with the procedures described below.

161A
PP-98

3) The choice by Sector Members shall be made in accordance with the scale of classes of contribution and conditions contained in the Convention and with the procedures described below.

161B
PP-98

3 bis) 1) At its session preceding the plenipotentiary conference, the Council shall fix the provisional amount of the contributory unit, on the basis of the draft financial plan for the corresponding period and total number of contributory units.

161C
PP-98
PP-06

2) The Secretary-General shall inform the Member States and Sector Members of the provisional amount of the contributory unit as determined under No. 161B above and invite the Member States to notify, no later than four weeks prior to the date set for the opening of the plenipotentiary conference, the class of contribution they have provisionally chosen.

161D
PP-98

3) The plenipotentiary conference shall, during its first week, determine the provisional upper limit of the amount of the contributory unit resulting from the steps taken by the Secretary-General in pursuance of Nos. 161B and 161C above, and taking account of any changes in class of contribution notified by Member States to the Secretary-General as well as classes of contribution remaining unchanged.

161E
PP-98
PP-02
PP-06

4) Bearing in mind the draft financial plan as revised, the plenipotentiary conference shall, as soon as possible, determine the definitive upper limit of the amount of the contributory unit and set the date, which shall be at the latest on Monday of the final week of the plenipotentiary conference, by which Member States, upon invitation by the Secretary-General, shall announce their definitive choice of class of contribution.

161F
PP-98

5) Member States which have failed to notify the Secretary-General of their decision by the date set by the plenipotentiary conference shall retain the class of contribution previously chosen.

161G
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6) The plenipotentiary conference shall then approve the definitive financial plan on the basis of the total number of contributory units corresponding to the definitive classes of contribution chosen by the Member States and classes of contribution of the Sector Members at the date on which the financial plan is approved.

161H
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3ter) 1) The Secretary-General shall inform the Sector Members of the definitive upper limit of the amount of the contributory unit and invite them to notify, within three months from the closing date of the plenipotentiary conference, the class of contribution they have chosen.

161I
PP-98

2) Sector Members which have failed to notify the Secretary-General of their decision within this three-month period shall retain the class of contribution previously chosen.

162
PP-98

3) Amendments to the scale of classes of contribution adopted by a plenipotentiary conference shall apply for the selection of the class of contribution during the following plenipotentiary conference.

163
PP-94
PP-98

4) The class of contribution chosen by a Member State or a Sector Member is applicable as of the first biennial budget after a plenipotentiary conference.

164
PP-98

(SUP)

165
PP-98
PP-10

5 When choosing its class of contribution, a Member State shall not reduce it by more than 15 per cent of the number of units chosen by the Member State for the period preceding the reduction, rounding down to the nearest lower number of units in the scale, for contributions of three or more units; or by more than one class of contribution, for contributions below three units. The Council shall indicate to it the manner in which the reduction shall be gradually implemented over the period between plenipotentiary conferences. However, under exceptional circumstances such as natural disasters necessitating international aid programmes, the Plenipotentiary Conference may authorize a greater reduction in the number of contributory units when so requested by a Member State which has established that it can no longer maintain its contribution at the class originally chosen.

165A
PP-98

5 bis) Under exceptional circumstances such as natural disasters necessitating international aid programmes, the Council may authorize a reduction in the number of contributory units when so requested by a Member State which has established that it can no longer maintain its contribution at the class originally chosen.

165B
PP-98

5 ter) Member States and Sector Members may at any time choose a class of contribution higher than the one already adopted by them.

166 and 167
PP-98

(SUP)

168
PP-98

8 Member States and Sector Members shall pay in advance their annual contributory shares, calculated on the basis of the biennial budget approved by the Council as well as of any adjustment adopted by the Council.

169
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9 A Member State which is in arrears in its payments to the Union shall lose its right to vote as defined in Nos. 27 and 28 of this Constitution for so long as the amount of its arrears equals or exceeds the amount of the contribution due for the two preceding years.

170
PP-98

10 Specific provisions governing the financial contributions by Sector Members and by other international organizations are contained in the Convention.

ARTICLE 29

Languages

171
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1 1) The official languages of the Union shall be Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

172

2) In accordance with the relevant decisions of the Plenipotentiary Conference, these languages shall be used for drawing up and publishing documents and texts of the Union, in versions equivalent in form and content, as well as for reciprocal interpretation during conferences and meetings of the Union.

173

3) In case of discrepancy or dispute, the French text shall prevail.

174

2 When all participants in a conference or in a meeting so agree, discussions may be conducted in fewer languages than those mentioned above.

ARTICLE 30

Seat of the Union

175

The seat of the Union shall be at Geneva.

ARTICLE 31

Legal Capacity of the Union

176
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The Union shall enjoy in the territory of each of its Member States such legal capacity as may be necessary for the exercise of its functions and the fulfilment of its purposes.

PP-02

ARTICLE 32

General Rules of Conferences, Assemblies
and Meetings of the Union

177
PP-98
PP-02

1 The General Rules of conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union adopted by the Plenipotentiary Conference shall apply to the preparation of conferences and assemblies and to the organization of the work and conduct of the discussions of conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union, as well as to the election of Member States of the Council, of the Secretary-General, of the Deputy Secretary-General, of the Directors of the Bureaux of the Sectors and of the members of the Radio Regulations Board.

178
PP-98
PP-02

2 Conferences, assemblies and the Council may adopt such rules as they consider to be essential in addition to those in Chapter II of the General Rules of conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union. Such additional rules must, however, be compatible with this Constitution, the Convention and the aforesaid Chapter II; those adopted by conferences or assemblies shall be published as documents of the conference or assembly concerned.

CHAPTER VI

General Provisions Relating to Telecommunications

ARTICLE 33

The Right of the Public to Use the International
Telecommunication Service

179
PP-98

Member States recognize the right of the public to correspond by means of the international service of public correspondence. The services, the charges and the safeguards shall be the same for all users in each category of correspondence without any priority or preference.

ARTICLE 34

Stoppage of Telecommunications

180
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1 Member States reserve the right to stop, in accordance with their national law, the transmission of any private telegram which may appear dangerous to the security of the State or contrary to its laws, to public order or to decency, provided that they immediately notify the office of origin of the stoppage of any such telegram or any part thereof, except when such notification may appear dangerous to the security of the State.

181
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2 Member States also reserve the right to cut off, in accordance with their national law, any other private telecommunications which may appear dangerous to the security of the State or contrary to its laws, to public order or to decency.

ARTICLE 35

Suspension of Services

182
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Each Member State reserves the right to suspend the international telecommunication service, either generally or only for certain relations and/or for certain kinds of correspondence, outgoing, incoming or in transit, provided that it immediately notifies such action to each of the other Member States through the Secretary-General.

ARTICLE 36

Responsibility

183
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Member States accept no responsibility towards users of the international telecommunication services, particularly as regards claims for damages.

ARTICLE 37

Secrecy of Telecommunications

184
PP-98

1 Member States agree to take all possible measures, compatible with the system of telecommunication used, with a view to ensuring the secrecy of international correspondence.

185

2 Nevertheless, they reserve the right to communicate such correspondence to the competent authorities in order to ensure the application of their national laws or the execution of international conventions to which they are parties.

ARTICLE 38

Establishment, Operation and Protection of
Telecommunication Channels and Installations

186
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1 Member States shall take such steps as may be necessary to ensure the establishment, under the best technical conditions, of the channels and installations necessary to carry on the rapid and uninterrupted exchange of international telecommunications.

187

2 So far as possible, these channels and installations must be operated by the methods and procedures which practical operating experience has shown to be the best. They must be maintained in proper operating condition and kept abreast of scientific and technical progress.

188
PP-98

3 Member States shall safeguard these channels and installations within their jurisdiction.

189
PP-98

4 Unless other conditions are laid down by special arrangements, each Member State shall take such steps as may be necessary to ensure maintenance of those sections of international telecommunication circuits within its control.

189A
PP-98

5 Member States recognize the necessity of taking practical measures to prevent the operation of electrical apparatus and installations of all kinds from disrupting the operation of telecommunication installations within the jurisdiction of other Member States.

ARTICLE 39

Notification of Infringements

190
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In order to facilitate the application of the provisions of Article 6 of this Constitution, Member States undertake to inform and, as appropriate, assist one another with regard to infringements of the provisions of this Constitution, of the Convention and of the Administrative Regulations.

ARTICLE 40

Priority of Telecommunications Concerning
Safety of Life

191

International telecommunication services must give absolute priority to all telecommunications concerning safety of life at sea, on land, in the air or in outer space, as well as to epidemiological telecommunications of exceptional urgency of the World Health Organization.

ARTICLE 41

Priority of Government Telecommunications

192

Subject to the provisions of Articles 40 and 46 of this Constitution, government telecommunications (see Annex to this Constitution, No. 1014) shall enjoy priority over other telecommunications to the extent practicable upon specific request by the originator.

ARTICLE 42

Special Arrangements

193
PP-98

Member States reserve for themselves, for the operating agencies recognized by them and for other agencies duly authorized to do so, the right to make special arrangements on telecommunication matters which do not concern Member States in general. Such arrangements, however, shall not be in conflict with the terms of this Constitution, of the Convention or of the Administrative Regulations, so far as concerns the harmful interference which their operation might cause to the radio services of other Member States, and in general so far as concerns the technical harm which their operation might cause to the operation of other telecommunication services of other Member States.

ARTICLE 43

Regional Conferences, Arrangements
and Organizations

194
PP-98

Member States reserve the right to convene regional conferences, to make regional arrangements and to form regional organizations, for the purpose of settling telecommunication questions which are susceptible of being treated on a regional basis. Such arrangements shall not be in conflict with either this Constitution or the Convention.

CHAPTER VII

Special Provisions for Radio

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ARTICLE 44

Use of the Radio-Frequency Spectrum and
of the Geostationary-Satellite and
Other Satellite Orbits

195
PP-02

1 Member States shall endeavour to limit the number of frequencies and the spectrum used to the minimum essential to provide in a satisfactory manner the necessary services. To that end, they shall endeavour to apply the latest technical advances as soon as possible.

196
PP-98

2 In using frequency bands for radio services, Member States shall bear in mind that radio frequencies and any associated orbits, including the geostationary-satellite orbit, are limited natural resources and that they must be used rationally, efficiently and economically, in conformity with the provisions of the Radio Regulations, so that countries or groups of countries may have equitable access to those orbits and frequencies, taking into account the special needs of the developing countries and the geographical situation of particular countries.

ARTICLE 45

Harmful Interference

197
PP-98

1 All stations, whatever their purpose, must be established and operated in such a manner as not to cause harmful interference to the radio services or communications of other Member States or of recognized operating agencies, or of other duly authorized operating agencies which carry on a radio service, and which operate in accordance with the provisions of the Radio Regulations.

198
PP-98

2 Each Member State undertakes to require the operating agencies which it recognizes and the other operating agencies duly authorized for this purpose to observe the provisions of No. 197 above.

199
PP-98

3 Further, the Member States recognize the necessity of taking all practicable steps to prevent the operation of electrical apparatus and installations of all kinds from causing harmful interference to the radio services or communications mentioned in No. 197 above.

ARTICLE 46

Distress Calls and Messages

200

Radio stations shall be obliged to accept, with absolute priority, distress calls and messages regardless of their origin, to reply in the same manner to such messages, and immediately to take such action in regard thereto as may be required.

ARTICLE 47

False or Deceptive Distress, Urgency, Safety
or Identification Signals

201
PP-98

Member States agree to take the steps required to prevent the transmission or circulation of false or deceptive distress, urgency, safety or identification signals, and to collaborate in locating and identifying stations under their jurisdiction transmitting such signals.

ARTICLE 48

Installations for National Defence Services

202
PP-98

1 Member States retain their entire freedom with regard to military radio installations.

203

2 Nevertheless, these installations must, so far as possible, observe statutory provisions relative to giving assistance in case of distress and to the measures to be taken to prevent harmful interference, and the provisions of the Administrative Regulations concerning the types of emission and the frequencies to be used, according to the nature of the service performed by such installations.

204

3 Moreover, when these installations take part in the service of public correspondence or other services governed by the Administrative Regulations, they must, in general, comply with the regulatory provisions for the conduct of such services.

CHAPTER VIII

Relations With the United Nations,
Other International Organizations
and Non-Member States

ARTICLE 49

Relations With the United Nations

205

The relationship between the United Nations and the International Telecommunication Union is defined in the Agreement concluded between these two organizations.

ARTICLE 50

Relations With Other International Organizations

206
PP-02

In furtherance of complete international coordination on matters affecting telecommunication, the Union should cooperate with international organizations having related interests and activities.

ARTICLE 51

Relations With Non-Member States

207
PP-98

Each Member State reserves for itself and for the recognized operating agencies the right to fix the conditions on which it admits telecommunications exchanged with a State which is not a Member State of the Union. If a telecommunication originating in the territory of such a State is accepted by a Member State, it must be transmitted and, in so far as it follows the telecommunication channels of a Member State, the obligatory provisions of this Constitution, of the Convention and of the Administrative Regulations and the usual charges shall apply to it.

CHAPTER IX

Final Provisions

ARTICLE 52

Ratification, Acceptance or Approval

208
PP-98

1 This Constitution and the Convention shall be simultaneously ratified, accepted or approved by any signatory Member State, in accordance with its constitutional rules, in one single instrument. This instrument shall be deposited, in as short a time as possible, with the Secretary-General. The Secretary-General shall notify the Member States of each deposit of any such instrument.

209
PP-98

2 1) During a period of two years from the date of entry into force of this Constitution and the Convention, a signatory Member State, even though it may not have deposited an instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval, in accordance with No. 208 above, shall enjoy the rights conferred on Member States in Nos. 25 to 28 of this Constitution.

210
PP-98

2) From the end of a period of two years from the date of entry into force of this Constitution and the Convention, a signatory Member State which has not deposited an instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval, in accordance with No. 208 above, shall no longer be entitled to vote at any conference of the Union, at any session of the Council, at any meeting of any of the Sectors of the Union, or during any consultation by correspondence conducted in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution and of the Convention until it has so deposited such an instrument. Its rights, other than voting rights, shall not be affected.

211

3 After the entry into force of this Constitution and the Convention in accordance with Article 58 of this Constitution, an instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval, shall become effective on the date of its deposit with the Secretary-General.

ARTICLE 53

Accession

212
PP-98

1 A Member State which is not a signatory to this Constitution and the Convention, or, subject to the provisions of Article 2 of this Constitution, any other State referred to in that Article, may accede to this Constitution and the Convention at any time. Such accession shall be made simultaneously in the form of one single instrument covering both this Constitution and the Convention.

213
PP-98

2 The instrument of accession shall be deposited with the Secretary-General, who shall notify the Member States of each deposit of any such instrument when it is received and shall forward to each of them a certified copy thereof.

214

3 After the entry into force of this Constitution and the Convention in accordance with Article 58 of this Constitution, an instrument of accession shall become effective on the date of its deposit with the Secretary-General, unless otherwise specified therein.

ARTICLE 54

Administrative Regulations

215

1 The Administrative Regulations, as specified in Article 4 of this Constitution, are binding international instruments and shall be subject to the provisions of this Constitution and the Convention.

216

2 Ratification, acceptance or approval of this Constitution and the Convention, or accession to these instruments, in accordance with Articles 52 and 53 of this Constitution, shall also constitute consent to be bound by the Administrative Regulations adopted by competent world conferences prior to the date of signature of this Constitution and the Convention. Such consent is subject to any reservation made at the time of signature of the Administrative Regulations or revisions thereof to the extent that the reservation is maintained at the time of deposit of the instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.

216A
PP-98

2 bis) The Administrative Regulations referred to in No. 216 above shall remain in force, subject to such revisions as may be adopted in application of Nos. 89 and 146 of this Constitution and brought into force. Any revision of the Administrative Regulations, either partial or complete, shall enter into force on the date or dates specified therein only for the Member States which, prior to such date or dates, have notified the Secretary-General of their consent to be bound by that revision.

217
PP-98

(SUP)

217A
PP-98

3 bis) A Member State shall notify its consent to be bound by a partial or complete revision of the Administrative Regulations by depositing with the Secretary-General an instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval of that revision or of accession thereto or by notifying the Secretary-General of its consent to be bound by that revision.

217B
PP-98

3 ter) Any Member State may also notify the Secretary-General that its ratification, acceptance or approval of, or accession to, amendments to this Constitution or the Convention in accordance with Article 55 of the Constitution or Article 42 of the Convention shall constitute consent to be bound by any revision of the Administrative Regulations, either partial or complete, adopted by a competent conference prior to the signature of the said amendments to this Constitution or to the Convention.

217C
PP-98

3 quater) The notification referred to in No. 217B above shall be given at the time of the deposit by the Member State of its instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval of, or accession to, the amendments to this Constitution or to the Convention.

217D
PP-98

3 penter) Any revision of the Administrative Regulations shall apply provisionally, as from the date of entry into force of the revision, in respect of any Member State that has signed the revision and has not notified the Secretary-General of its consent to be bound in accordance with Nos. 217A and 217B above. Such provisional application only takes effect if the Member State in question did not oppose it at the time of signature of the revision.

218
PP-98

4 Such provisional application shall continue for a Member State until it notifies the Secretary-General of its decision concerning its consent to be bound by any such revision.

219 to 221
PP-98

(SUP)

221A
PP-98

5 bis) If a Member State fails to notify the Secretary-General of its decision concerning its consent to be bound under No. 218 above within thirty-six months following the date or dates of entry into force of the revision, that Member State shall be deemed to have consented to be bound by that revision.

221B
PP-98

5 ter) Any provisional application within the meaning of No. 217D or any consent to be bound within the meaning of No. 221A shall be subject to any reservation as may have been made by the Member State concerned at the time of signature of the revision. Any consent to be bound within the meaning of Nos. 216A, 217A, 217B and 218 above shall be subject to any reservation as may have been made by the Member State concerned at the time of signature of the Administrative Regulations or revision thereto, provided that it maintains the reservation when notifying the Secretary-General of its consent to be bound.

222
PP-98

(SUP)

223
PP-98

7 The Secretary-General shall inform Member States promptly of any notification received pursuant to this Article.

ARTICLE 55

Provisions for Amending this Constitution

224
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1 Any Member State may propose any amendment to this Constitution. Any such proposal shall, in order to ensure its timely transmission to, and consideration by, all the Member States, reach the Secretary-General not later than eight months prior to the opening date fixed for the plenipotentiary conference. The Secretary-General shall, as soon as possible, but not later than six months prior to the latter date, publish any such proposal for the information of all the Member States.

225
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2 Any proposed modification to any amendment submitted in accordance with No. 224 above may, however, be submitted at any time by a Member State or by its delegation at the plenipotentiary conference.

226

3 The quorum required at any Plenary Meeting of the Plenipotentiary Conference for consideration of any proposal for amending this Constitution or modification thereto shall consist of more than one half of the delegations accredited to the Plenipotentiary Conference.

227

4 To be adopted, any proposed modification to a proposed amendment as well as the proposal as a whole, whether or not modified, shall be approved, at a Plenary Meeting, by at least two-thirds of the delegations accredited to the Plenipotentiary Conference which have the right to vote.

228
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5 Unless specified otherwise in the preceding paragraphs of this Article, which shall prevail, the General Rules of conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union shall apply.

229
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6 Any amendments to this Constitution adopted by a plenipotentiary conference shall, as a whole and in the form of one single amending instrument, enter into force at a date fixed by the conference between Member States having deposited before that date their instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval of, or accession to, both this Constitution and the amending instrument. Ratification, acceptance or approval of, or accession to, only a part of such an amending instrument shall be excluded.

230
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7 The Secretary-General shall notify all Member States of the deposit of each instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.

231

8 After entry into force of any such amending instrument, ratification, acceptance, approval or accession in accordance with Articles 52 and 53 of this Constitution shall apply to the Constitution as amended.

232

9 After entry into force of any such amending instrument, the Secretary-General shall register it with the Secretariat of the United Nations, in accordance with the provisions of Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations. No. 241 of this Constitution shall also apply to any such amending instrument.

ARTICLE 56

Settlement of Disputes

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1 Member States may settle their disputes on questions relating to the interpretation or application of this Constitution, of the Convention or of the Administrative Regulations by negotiation, through diplomatic channels, or according to procedures established by bilateral or multilateral treaties concluded between them for the settlement of international disputes, or by any other method mutually agreed upon.

234
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2 If none of these methods of settlement is adopted, any Member State party to a dispute may have recourse to arbitration in accordance with the procedure defined in the Convention.

235
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3 The Optional Protocol on the Compulsory Settlement of Disputes Relating to this Constitution, to the Convention, and to the Administrative Regulations shall be applicable as between Member States parties to that Protocol.

ARTICLE 57

Denunciation of this Constitution and
the Convention

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1 Each Member State which has ratified, accepted, approved or acceded to this Constitution and the Convention shall have the right to denounce them. In such a case, this Constitution and the Convention shall be denounced simultaneously in one single instrument, by a notification addressed to the Secretary-General. Upon receipt of such notification, the Secretary-General shall advise the other Member States thereof.

237

2 Such denunciation shall take effect at the expiration of a period of one year from the date of receipt of its notification by the Secretary-General.

ARTICLE 58

Entry into Force and Related Matters

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1 This Constitution and the Convention, adopted by the Additional Plenipotentiary Conference (Geneva, 1992), shall enter into force on 1 July 1994 between Member States having deposited before that date their instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.

239

2 Upon the date of entry into force specified in No. 238 above, this Constitution and the Convention shall, as between Parties thereto, abrogate and replace the International Telecommunication Convention (Nairobi, 1982).

240

3 In accordance with the provisions of Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations, the Secretary-General of the Union shall register this Constitution and the Convention with the Secretariat of the United Nations.

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4 The original of this Constitution and the Convention drawn up in the Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish languages shall remain deposited in the archives of the Union. The Secretary-General shall forward, in the languages requested, a certified true copy to each of the signatory Member States.

242

5 In the event of any discrepancy among the various language versions of this Constitution and the Convention, the French text shall prevail.

ANNEX

Definition of Certain Terms Used in this Constitution,
the Convention and the Administrative Regulations
of the International Telecommunication Union

1001

For the purpose of the above instruments of the Union, the following terms shall have the meanings defined below:

1001A
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Member State: A State which is considered to be a Member of the International Telecommunication Union in application of Article 2 of this Constitution.

1001B
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Sector Member: An entity or organization authorized in accordance with Article 19 of the Convention to participate in the activities of a Sector.

1002

Administration: Any governmental department or service responsible for discharging the obligations undertaken in the Constitution of the International Telecommunication Union, in the Convention of the International Telecommunication Union and in the Administrative Regulations.

1003

Harmful Interference: Interference which endangers the functioning of a radionavigation service or of other safety services or seriously degrades, obstructs or repeatedly interrupts a radiocommunication service operating in accordance with the Radio Regulations.

1004

Public Correspondence: Any telecommunication which the offices and stations must, by reason of their being at the disposal of the public, accept for transmission.

1005
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Delegation: The totality of the delegates and, should the case arise, any representatives, advisers, attachés, or interpreters sent by the same Member State.

Each Member State shall be free to make up its delegation as it wishes. In particular, it may include in its delegation, inter alia, in the capacity of delegates, advisers or attachés, persons belonging to any entity or organization authorized in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Convention.

1006
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Delegate: A person sent by the government of a Member State to a plenipotentiary conference, or a person representing a government or an administration of a Member State at another conference or at a meeting of the Union.

1007

Operating Agency: Any individual, company, corporation or governmental agency which operates a telecommunication installation intended for an international telecommunication service or capable of causing harmful interference with such a service.

1008
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Recognized Operating Agency: Any operating agency, as defined above, which operates a public correspondence or broadcasting service and upon which the obligations provided for in Article 6 of this Constitution are imposed by the Member State in whose territory the head office of the agency is situated, or by the Member State which has authorized this operating agency to establish and operate a telecommunication service on its territory.

1009

Radiocommunication: Telecommunication by means of radio waves.

1010

Broadcasting Service: A radiocommunication service in which the transmissions are intended for direct reception by the general public. This service may include sound transmissions, television transmissions or other types of transmission.

1011

International Telecommunication Service: The offering of a telecommunication capability between telecommunication offices or stations of any nature that are in or belong to different countries.

1012

Telecommunication: Any transmission, emission or reception of signs, signals, writing, images and sounds or intelligence of any nature by wire, radio, optical or other electromagnetic systems.

1013

Telegram: Written matter intended to be transmitted by telegraphy for delivery to the addressee. This term also includes radiotelegrams unless otherwise specified.

1014

Government Telecommunications: Telecommunications originating with any:

– Head of State;

– Head of government or members of a government;

– Commanders-in-Chief of military forces, land, sea or air;

– diplomatic or consular agents;

– the Secretary-General of the United Nations; Heads of the principal organs of the United Nations;

– the International Court of Justice,

or replies to government telecommunications mentioned above.

1015

Private Telegrams: Telegrams other than government or service telegrams.

1016

Telegraphy: A form of telecommunication in which the transmitted information is intended to be recorded on arrival as a graphic document; the transmitted information may sometimes be presented in an alternative form or may be stored for subsequent use.

Note: A graphic document records information in a permanent form and is capable of being filed and consulted; it may take the form of written or printed matter or of a fixed image.

1017

Telephony: A form of telecommunication primarily intended for the exchange of information in the form of speech.

CONVENTION OF
THE INTERNATIONAL
TELECOMMUNICATION UNION*

_______________

* The language used in the basic instruments of the Union (Constitution and Convention) is to be considered as gender neutral.

CONVENTION OF
THE INTERNATIONAL
TELECOMMUNICATION UNION

CHAPTER I

Functioning of the Union

SECTION 1

ARTICLE 1

Plenipotentiary Conference

1

1 1) The Plenipotentiary Conference shall be convened in accordance with the relevant provisions of Article 8 of the Constitution of the International Telecommunication Union (hereinafter referred to as "the Constitution").

2
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2) If practicable, the precise place and the exact dates of a plenipotentiary conference shall be set by the preceding plenipotentiary conference; failing this, they shall be fixed by the Council with the concurrence of the majority of the Member States.

3

2 1) The precise place and the exact dates of the next Plenipotentiary Conference, or either one of these, may be changed:

4
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a) when at least one-quarter of the Member States have individually proposed a change to the Secretary-General; or

5

b) on a proposal of the Council.

6
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2) Any such change shall require the concurrence of a majority of the Member States.

ARTICLE 2

Elections and Related Matters

The Council

7
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1 Except in the case of vacancies arising in the circumstances described in Nos. 10 to 12 below, the Member States elected to the Council shall hold office until the date on which a new Council is elected. They shall be eligible for reelection.

8
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2 1) If, between two plenipotentiary conferences, a seat becomes vacant on the Council, it shall pass by right to the Member State from the same region as the Member State whose seat is vacated which had obtained at the previous election the largest number of votes among those not elected.

9
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2) When for any reason a vacant seat cannot be filled according to the procedure of No. 8 above, the Chairman of the Council shall invite the other Member States of the region to seek election within one month of such an invitation being issued. At the end of this period, the Chairman of the Council shall invite Member States to elect a new Member State of the Council. The election shall be carried out by secret ballot by correspondence. The same majority as indicated above will be required. The new Member State of the Council shall hold office until the election of the new Council by the next competent plenipotentiary conference.

10

3 A seat on the Council shall be considered vacant:

11
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a) when a Member State of the Council does not have a representative in attendance at two consecutive ordinary sessions of the Council;

12
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b) when a Member State resigns its membership of the Council.

Elected officials

13
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1 The Secretary-General, the Deputy Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux shall take up their duties on the dates determined by the Plenipotentiary Conference at the time of their election. They shall normally remain in office until dates determined by the following plenipotentiary conference, and they shall be eligible for re-election once only for the same post. Re-election shall mean that it is possible for only a second term, regardless of whether it is consecutive or not.

14

2 If the post of Secretary-General falls vacant, the Deputy Secretary-General shall succeed to it and shall remain in office until a date determined by the following Plenipotentiary Conference. When under these conditions the Deputy Secretary-General succeeds to the office of the Secretary-General, the post of Deputy Secretary-General shall be considered to fall vacant on that same date and the provisions of No. 15 below shall be applied.

15

3 If the post of Deputy Secretary-General falls vacant more than 180 days prior to the date set for the convening of the next Plenipotentiary Conference, the Council shall appoint a successor for the balance of the term.

16

4 If the posts of the Secretary-General and the Deputy Secretary-General fall vacant simultaneously, the Director who has been longest in office shall discharge the duties of Secretary-General for a period not exceeding 90 days. The Council shall appoint a Secretary-General and, if the vacancies occur more than 180 days prior to the date set for the convening of the next Plenipotentiary Conference, a Deputy Secretary-General. An official thus appointed by the Council shall serve for the balance of the term for which his predecessor was elected.

17

5 If the post of a Director becomes unexpectedly vacant, the Secretary-General shall take the necessary steps to ensure that the duties of that Director are carried out until the Council shall appoint a new Director at its next ordinary session following the occurrence of such a vacancy. A Director so appointed shall serve until the date fixed by the next Plenipotentiary Conference.

18

6 Subject to the relevant provisions of Article 27 of the Constitution, the Council shall provide for the filling of any vacancy in the post of Secretary-General or Deputy Secretary-General in the situation described in the relevant provisions of the present Article at an ordinary session, if held within 90 days after a vacancy occurs, or at a session convened by the Chairman within the periods specified in those provisions.

19

7 Any period of service in the post of an elected official pursuant to an appointment under Nos. 14 to 18 above shall not affect eligibility for election or re-election to such a post.

Members of the Radio Regulations Board

20
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1 The members of the Radio Regulations Board shall take up their duties on the dates determined by the Plenipotentiary Conference at the time of their election. They shall remain in office until dates determined by the following plenipotentiary conference, and shall be eligible for reelection once only. Re-election shall mean that it is possible for only a second term, regardless of whether it is consecutive or not.

21
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2 If, in the interval between two plenipotentiary conferences, a member of the Board resigns or is no longer in a position to perform his duties, the Secretary-General, in consultation with the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau, shall invite the Member States of the region concerned to propose candidates for the election of a replacement at the next session of the Council. However, if the vacancy occurs more than 90 days before a session of the Council or after the session of the Council preceding the next plenipotentiary conference, the Member State concerned shall designate, as soon as possible and within 90 days, another national as a replacement who will remain in office until the new member elected by the Council takes office or until the new members of the Board elected by the next plenipotentiary conference take office, as appropriate. The replacement shall be eligible for election by the Council or by the Plenipotentiary Conference, as appropriate.

22
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3 A member of the Radio Regulations Board is considered no longer in a position to perform his duties after three consecutive absences from the Board meetings. The Secretary-General shall, after consultation with the Board’s Chairman as well as the member of the Board and the Member State concerned, declare existence of a vacancy in the Board and shall proceed as stipulated in No. 21 above.

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ARTICLE 3

Other Conferences and Assemblies

23
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1 In conformity with the relevant provisions of the Constitution, the following world conferences and assemblies of the Union shall normally be convened within the period between two plenipotentiary conferences:

24
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a) one or two world radiocommunication conferences;

25
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b) one world telecommunication standardization assembly;

26

c) one world telecommunication development conference;

27
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d) one or two radiocommunication assemblies.

28

2 Exceptionally, within the period between Plenipotentiary Conferences:

29
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(SUP)

30
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– an additional world telecommunication standardization assembly may be convened.

31

3 These actions shall be taken:

32

a) by a decision of a Plenipotentiary Conference;

33
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b) on the recommendation of the previous world conference or assembly of the Sector concerned, if approved by the Council; in the case of a radiocommunication assembly, the recommendation of the assembly shall be transmitted to the following world radiocommunication conference for comments for the attention of the Council;

34
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c) at the request of at least one-quarter of the Member States, which shall individually address their requests to the Secretary-General; or

35

d) on a proposal of the Council.

36

4 A regional radiocommunication conference shall be convened:

37

a) by a decision of a Plenipotentiary Conference;

38

b) on the recommendation of a previous world or regional radiocommunication conference if approved by the Council;

39
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c) at the request of at least one-quarter of the Member States belonging to the region concerned, which shall individually address their requests to the Secretary-General; or

40

d) on a proposal of the Council.

41
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5 1) The precise place and the exact dates of a world or regional conference or an assembly of a Sector may be fixed by a plenipotentiary conference.

42
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2) In the absence of such a decision, the Council shall determine the precise place and the exact dates of a world conference or an assembly of a Sector with the concurrence of a majority of the Member States, and of a regional conference with the concurrence of a majority of the Member States belonging to the region concerned; in both cases the provisions of No. 47 below shall apply.

43

6 1) The precise place and the exact dates of a conference or assembly may be changed:

44
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a) at the request of at least one-quarter of the Member States in the case of a world conference or an assembly of a Sector, or of at least one-quarter of the Member States belonging to the region concerned in the case of a regional conference. Their requests shall be addressed individually to the Secretary-General, who shall transmit them to the Council for approval; or

45

b) on a proposal of the Council.

46
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2) In the cases specified in Nos. 44 and 45 above, the changes proposed shall not be finally adopted until accepted by a majority of the Member States, in the case of a world conference or an assembly of a Sector, or by a majority of the Member States belonging to the region concerned, in the case of a regional conference, subject to the provisions of No. 47 below.

47
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7 In the consultations referred to in Nos. 42, 46, 118, 123 and 138 of this Convention and in Nos. 26, 28, 29, 31 and 36 of the General Rules of conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union, Member States which have not replied within the time-limits specified by the Council shall be regarded as not participating in the consultations, and in consequence shall not be taken into account in computing the majority. If the number of replies does not exceed one-half of the Member States consulted, a further consultation shall take place, the results of which shall be decisive regardless of the number of votes cast.

48

8 1) World conferences on international telecommunications shall be held upon decision by the Plenipotentiary Conference.

49

2) The provisions for the convening of, the adoption of the agenda of, and the participation in a world radiocommunication conference shall, as appropriate, equally apply to world conferences on international telecommunications.

SECTION 2

ARTICLE 4

The Council

50
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1 1) The number of Member States of the Council shall be determined by the Plenipotentiary Conference which is held every four years.

50A
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2) This number shall not exceed 25% of the total number of Member States.

51

2 1) The Council shall hold an ordinary session annually at the seat of the Union.

52

2) During this session it may decide to hold, exceptionally, an additional session.

53
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3) Between ordinary sessions, it may be convened, as a general rule at the seat of the Union, by the Chairman at the request of a majority of its Member States, or on the initiative of the Chairman under the conditions provided for in No. 18 of this Convention.

54

3 The Council shall take decisions only in session. Exceptionally, the Council in session may agree that any specific issue shall be decided by correspondence.

55
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4 At the beginning of each ordinary session, the Council shall elect its own Chairman and Vice-Chairman from among the representatives of its Member States, taking into account the principle of rotation between the regions. They shall serve until the opening of the next ordinary session and shall not be eligible for re-election. The Vice-Chairman shall serve as Chairman in the absence of the latter.

56
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5 The person appointed to serve on the Council by a Member State of the Council shall, so far as possible, be an official serving in, or directly responsible to, or for, their telecommunication administration and qualified in the field of telecommunication services.

57
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6 Only the travelling, subsistence and insurance expenses incurred by the representative of each Member State of the Council, belonging to the category of developing countries, the list of which is established by the United Nations Development Programme, in that capacity at Council sessions, shall be borne by the Union.

58
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(SUP)

59

8 The Secretary-General shall act as Secretary of the Council.

60
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9 The Secretary-General, the Deputy Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux may participate as of right in the deliberations of the Council, but without taking part in the voting. Nevertheless, the Council may hold meetings confined to the representatives of its Member States.

60A
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9 bis) A Member State which is not a Member State of the Council may, with prior notice to the Secretary-General, send one observer at its own expense to meetings of the Council, its committees and its working groups. An observer shall not have the right to vote.

60B
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9 ter) Sector Members may attend, as observers, meetings of the Council, its committees and its working groups, subject to the conditions established by the Council, including conditions relating to the number of such observers and the procedures for appointing them.

61
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10 The Council shall consider each year the report prepared by the Secretary-General on implementation of the strategic plan adopted by the Plenipotentiary Conference and shall take appropriate action.

61A
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10 bis) While at all times respecting the financial limits as adopted by the Plenipotentiary Conference, the Council may, as necessary, review and update the strategic plan which forms the basis of the corresponding operational plans and inform the Member States and Sector Members accordingly.

61B
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10 ter) The Council shall adopt its own Rules of Procedure.

62

11 The Council shall, in the interval between two Plenipotentiary Conferences, supervise the overall management and administration of the Union; it shall in particular:

62A
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1) receive and review the specific data for strategic planning that is provided by the Secretary-General as noted in No. 74A of the Constitution and, in the last but one ordinary session of the Council before the next plenipotentiary conference, initiate the preparation of a draft new strategic plan for the Union, drawing upon input from Member States, Sector Members and the Sector advisory groups, and produce a coordinated draft new strategic plan at least four months before that plenipotentiary conference;

62B
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1 bis) establish a calendar for the development of strategic and financial plans for the Union, and of operational plans for each Sector and for the General Secretariat, so as to allow for the development of appropriate linkage among the plans;

63

1 ter) approve and revise the Staff Regulations and the Financial Regulations of the Union and any other regulations as it may consider necessary, taking account of current practice of the United Nations and of the specialized agencies applying the common system of pay, allowances and pensions;

64

2) adjust as necessary:

65

a) the basic salary scales for staff in the professional and higher categories, excluding the salaries for posts filled by election, to accord with any changes in the basic salary scales adopted by the United Nations for the corresponding common system categories;

66

b) the basic salary scales for staff in the general services categories to accord with changes in the rates applied by the United Nations and the specialized agencies at the seat of the Union;

67

c) the post adjustment for professional and higher categories, including posts filled by election, in accordance with decisions of the United Nations for application at the seat of the Union;

68

d) the allowances for all staff of the Union, in accordance with any changes adopted in the United Nations common system;

69
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3) take decisions to ensure equitable geographical distribution and representation of women in the Professional and higher categories in the staff of the Union and monitor the implementation of such decisions;

70

4) decide on proposals for major organizational changes within the General Secretariat and the Bureaux of the Sectors of the Union consistent with the Constitution and this Convention, submitted to it by the Secretary-General following their consideration by the Coordination Committee;

71

5) examine and decide on plans concerning Union posts and staff and human resources development programmes covering several years, and give guidelines for the staffing of the Union, including on staffing levels and structures, taking into account the guidelines given by the Plenipotentiary Conference and the relevant provisions of Article 27 of the Constitution;

72

6) adjust, as necessary, the contributions payable by the Union and its staff to the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund, in accordance with the Fund’s rules and regulations, as well as the cost of living allowances to be granted to beneficiaries of the Union Staff Superannuation and Benevolent Funds on the basis of the practice followed by the Fund;

73
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7) review and approve the biennial budget of the Union, and consider the budget forecast (included in the financial operating report prepared by the Secretary-General under No. 101 of this Convention) for the two-year period following a given budget period, taking account of the decisions of the Plenipotentiary Conference in relation to No. 50 of the Constitution and of the financial limits set by the Plenipotentiary Conference in accordance with No. 51 of the Constitution; it shall ensure the strictest possible economy but be mindful of the obligation upon the Union to achieve satisfactory results as expeditiously as possible. In so doing, the Council shall take into account the priorities established by the Plenipotentiary Conference as expressed in the strategic plan for the Union, the views of the Coordination Committee as contained in the report by the Secretary-General mentioned in No. 86 of this Convention and the financial operating report mentioned in No. 101 of this Convention. The Council shall carry out an annual review of income and expenditure with a view to effecting adjustments, where appropriate, in accordance with resolutions and decisions of the Plenipotentiary Conference;

74

8) arrange for the annual audit of the accounts of the Union prepared by the Secretary-General and approve them, if appropriate, for submission to the next Plenipotentiary Conference;

75
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9) arrange for the convening of the conferences and assemblies of the Union and provide, with the consent of a majority of the Member States in the case of a world conference or assembly, or of a majority of the Member States belonging to the region concerned in the case of a regional conference, appropriate directives to the General Secretariat and the Sectors of the Union with regard to their technical and other assistance in the preparation for and organization of conferences and assemblies;

76

10) take decisions in relation to No. 28 of this Convention;

77

11) decide upon the implementation of any decisions which have been taken by conferences and which have financial implications;

78

12) to the extent permitted by the Constitution, this Convention and the Administrative Regulations, take any other action deemed necessary for the proper functioning of the Union;

79
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13) take any necessary steps, with the agreement of a majority of the Member States, provisionally to resolve questions not covered by the Constitution, this Convention and the Administrative Regulations and which cannot await the next competent conference for settlement;

80
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14) be responsible for effecting the coordination with all international organizations referred to in Articles 49 and 50 of the Constitution and, to this end, conclude, on behalf of the Union, provisional agreements with the international organizations referred to in Article 50 of the Constitution and in Nos. 269B and 269C of this Convention, and with the United Nations in application of the Agreement between the United Nations and the International Telecommunication Union; these provisional agreements shall be submitted to the Plenipotentiary Conference in accordance with the relevant provision of Article 8 of the Constitution;

81
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15) send to Member States, within 30 days after each of its sessions, summary records on the activities of the Council and other documents deemed useful;

82

16) submit to the Plenipotentiary Conference a report on the activities of the Union since the previous Plenipotentiary Conference and any appropriate recommendations.

SECTION 3

ARTICLE 5

General Secretariat

83

1 The Secretary-General shall:

84

a) be responsible for the overall management of the Union’s resources; he may delegate the management of part of these resources to the Deputy Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux, in consultation as necessary with the Coordination Committee;

85

b) coordinate the activities of the General Secretariat and the Sectors of the Union, taking into account the views of the Coordination Committee, with a view to assuring the most effective and economical use of the resources of the Union;

86
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c) prepare, with the assistance of the Coordination Committee, and submit to the Council a report indicating changes in the telecommunication environment since the last plenipotentiary conference and containing recommended action relating to the Union’s future policies and strategy, together with their financial implications;

86A
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c bis) coordinate implementation of the strategic plan adopted by the Plenipotentiary Conference and prepare an annual report on this implementation for review by the Council;

87

d) organize the work of the General Secretariat and appoint the staff of that Secretariat in accordance with the directives of the Plenipotentiary Conference and the rules established by the Council;

87A
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d bis) prepare annually a four-year rolling operational plan of activities to be undertaken by the staff of the General Secretariat consistent with the strategic plan, covering the subsequent year and the following three-year period, including financial implications, taking due account of the financial plan as approved by the plenipotentiary conference; this four-year operational plan shall be reviewed by the advisory groups of all three Sectors, and shall be reviewed and approved annually by the Council;

88

e) undertake administrative arrangements for the Bureaux of the Sectors of the Union and appoint their staff on the basis of the choice and proposals of the Director of the Bureau concerned, although the final decision for appointment or dismissal shall rest with the Secretary-General;

89

f) report to the Council any decisions taken by the United Nations and the specialized agencies which affect common system conditions of service, allowances and pensions;

90

g) ensure the application of any regulations adopted by the Council;

91

h) provide legal advice to the Union;

92

i) supervise, for administrative management purposes, the staff of the Union with a view to assuring the most effective use of personnel and the application of the common system conditions of employment for the staff of the Union. The staff appointed to assist directly the Directors of the Bureaux shall be under the administrative control of the Secretary-General and shall work under the direct orders of the Directors concerned but in accordance with administrative guidelines given by the Council;

93

j) in the interest of the Union as a whole and in consultation with the Directors of the Bureaux concerned, temporarily reassign staff members from their appointed position as necessary to meet fluctuating work requirements at headquarters;

94

k) make, in agreement with the Director of the Bureau concerned, the necessary administrative and financial arrangements for the conferences and meetings of each Sector;

95

l) taking into account the responsibilities of the Sectors, undertake appropriate secretariat work preparatory to and following conferences of the Union;

96
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m) prepare recommendations for the first meeting of the heads of delegation referred to in No. 49 of the General Rules of conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union, taking into account the results of any regional consultation;

97

n) provide, where appropriate in cooperation with the inviting government, the secretariat of conferences of the Union, and provide the facilities and services for meetings of the Union, in collaboration, as appropriate, with the Director concerned, drawing from the Union’s staff as he deems necessary in accordance with No. 93 above. The Secretary-General may also, when so requested, provide the secretariat of other telecommunication meetings on a contractual basis;

98

o) take necessary action for the timely publication and distribution of service documents, information bulletins, and other documents and records prepared by the General Secretariat and the Sectors, communicated to the Union or whose publication is requested by conferences or the Council; the list of documents to be published shall be maintained by the Council, following consultation with the conference concerned, with respect to service documents and other documents whose publication is requested by conferences;

99

p) publish periodically, with the help of information put at his disposal or which he may collect, including that which he may obtain from other international organizations, a journal of general information and documentation concerning telecommunication;

100
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q) after consultation with the Coordination Committee and making all possible economies, prepare and submit to the Council a biennial draft budget covering the expenditures of the Union, taking account of the financial limits laid down by the Plenipotentiary Conference. This draft shall consist of a consolidated budget, including cost-based and results-based budget information for the Union, prepared in accordance with the budget guidelines issued by the Secretary-General, and comprising two versions. One version shall be for zero growth of the contributory unit, the other for a growth less than or equal to any limit fixed by the Plenipotentiary Conference, after any drawing on the Reserve Account. The budget resolution, after approval by the Council, shall be sent for information to all Member States;

101

r) with the assistance of the Coordination Committee, prepare an annual financial operating report in accordance with the Financial Regulations and submit it to the Council. A recapitulative financial operating report and accounts shall be prepared and submitted to the next Plenipotentiary Conference for examination and final approval;

102
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s) with the assistance of the Coordination Committee, prepare an annual report on the activities of the Union which, after approval by the Council, shall be sent to all Member States;

102A
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s bis) manage the special arrangements referred to in No. 76A of the Constitution, the cost of this management being borne by the signatories of the arrangement in a manner agreed between them and the Secretary-General;

103

t) perform all other secretarial functions of the Union;

104

u) perform any other functions entrusted to him by the Council.

105
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2 The Secretary-General or the Deputy Secretary-General may participate, in an advisory capacity, in conferences of the Union; the Secretary-General or his representative may participate in an advisory capacity in all other meetings of the Union.

SECTION 4

ARTICLE 6

Coordination Committee

106

1 1) The Coordination Committee shall assist and advise the Secretary-General on all matters mentioned under the relevant provisions of Article 26 of the Constitution and the relevant Articles of this Convention.

107

2) The Committee shall be responsible for ensuring coordination with all the international organizations mentioned in Articles 49 and 50 of the Constitution as regards representation of the Union at conferences of such organizations.

108

3) The Committee shall examine the progress of the work of the Union and assist the Secretary-General in the preparation of the report referred to in No. 86 of this Convention for submission to the Council.

109
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2 The Committee shall endeavour to reach conclusions unanimously. In the absence of the support of the majority in the Committee, its Chairman may in exceptional circumstances take decisions, on the Chairman’s own responsibility, when judging that the decision of the matters in question is urgent and cannot await the next session of the Council. In such circumstances the Chairman shall report promptly in writing on such matters to the Member States of the Council, setting forth the reasons for such action together with any other written views submitted by other members of the Committee. If in such circumstances the matters are not urgent, but nevertheless important, they shall be submitted for consideration by the next session of the Council.

110

3 The Chairman shall convene the Committee at least once a month; the Committee may also be convened when necessary at the request of two of its members.

111
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4 A report shall be made of the proceedings of the Coordination Committee and shall be made available to the Member States.

SECTION 5

Radiocommunication Sector

ARTICLE 7

World Radiocommunication Conference

112

1 In accordance with No. 90 of the Constitution, a world radiocommunication conference shall be convened to consider specific radiocommunication matters. A world radiocommunication conference shall deal with those items which are included in its agenda adopted in accordance with the relevant provisions of this Article.

113

2 1) The agenda of a world radiocommunication conference may include:

114

a) the partial or, exceptionally, complete revision of the Radio Regulations referred to in Article 4 of the Constitution;

115

b) any other question of a worldwide character within the competence of the conference;

116

c) an item concerning instructions to the Radio Regulations Board and the Radiocommunication Bureau regarding their activities, and a review of those activities;

117
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d) the identification of topics to be studied by the radiocommunication assembly and the radiocommunication study groups, as well as matters that the assembly shall consider in relation to future radiocommunication conferences.

118
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2) The general scope of this agenda should be established four to six years in advance, and the final agenda shall be established by the Council preferably two years before the conference, with the concurrence of a majority of the Member States, subject to the provisions of No. 47 of this Convention. These two versions of the agenda shall be established on the basis of the recommendations of the world radiocommunication conference, in accordance with No. 126 of this Convention.

119

3) This agenda shall include any question which a Plenipotentiary Conference has directed to be placed on the agenda.

120

3 1) This agenda may be changed:

121
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a) at the request of at least one-quarter of the Member States. Such requests shall be addressed individually to the Secretary-General, who shall transmit them to the Council for approval; or

122

b) on a proposal of the Council.

123
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2) The proposed changes to the agenda of a world radiocommunication conference shall not be finally adopted until accepted by a majority of the Member States, subject to the provisions of No. 47 of this Convention.

124

4 The conference shall also:

125

1) consider and approve the report of the Director of the Bureau on the activities of the Sector since the last conference;

126

2) recommend to the Council items for inclusion in the agenda of a future conference and give its views on such agendas for at least a four-year cycle of radiocommunication conferences, together with an estimate of the financial implications;

127

3) include, in its decisions, instructions or requests, as appropriate, to the Secretary-General and the Sectors of the Union.

128

5 The Chairman and Vice-Chairmen of the radiocommunication assembly, or of relevant study groups, may participate in the associated world radiocommunication conference.

ARTICLE 8

Radiocommunication Assembly

129

1 A radiocommunication assembly shall deal with and issue, as appropriate, recommendations on questions adopted pursuant to its own procedures or referred to it by the Plenipotentiary Conference, any other conference, the Council or the Radio Regulations Board.

129A
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1 bis) The radiocommunication assembly is authorized to adopt the working methods and procedures for the management of the Sector’s activities in accordance with No. 145A of the Constitution.

130

2 With regard to No. 129 above, the radiocommunication assembly shall:

131
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1) consider the reports of study groups prepared in accordance with No. 157 of this Convention and approve, modify or reject the draft recommendations contained in those reports, and consider the reports of the radiocommunication advisory group prepared in accordance with No. 160H of this Convention;

132

2) bearing in mind the need to keep the demands on the resources of the Union to a minimum, approve the programme of work arising from the review of existing questions and new questions and determine the priority, urgency, estimated financial implications and time-scale for the completion of their study;

133

3) decide, in the light of the approved programme of work derived from No. 132 above, on the need to maintain, terminate or establish study groups, and allocate to each of them the questions to be studied;

134

4) group questions of interest to the developing countries as far as possible, in order to facilitate their participation in the study of those questions;

135

5) give advice on matters within its competence in response to requests from a world radiocommunication conference;

136
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6) report to the following world radiocommunication conference on the progress in matters that may be included in the agenda of future radiocommunication conferences;

136A
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7) decide on the need to maintain, terminate or establish other groups and appoint their chairmen and vice-chairmen;

136B
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8) establish the terms of reference for the groups referred to in No. 136A above; such groups shall not adopt questions or recommendations.

137

3 A radiocommunication assembly shall be presided over by a person designated by the government of the country in which the meeting is held or, in the case of a meeting held at the seat of the Union, by a person elected by the assembly itself. The Chairman shall be assisted by Vice-Chairmen elected by the assembly.

137A
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4 A radiocommunication assembly may assign specific matters within its competence, except those relating to the procedures contained in the Radio Regulations, to the radiocommunication advisory group indicating the action required on those matters.

ARTICLE 9

Regional Radiocommunication Conferences

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The agenda of a regional radiocommunication conference may provide only for specific radiocommunication questions of a regional nature, including instructions to the Radio Regulations Board and the Radiocommunication Bureau regarding their activities in respect of the region concerned, provided such instructions do not conflict with the interests of other regions. Only items included in its agenda may be discussed by such a conference. The provisions contained in Nos. 118 to 123 of this Convention shall apply to a regional radiocommunication conference, but only with regard to the Member States of the region concerned.

ARTICLE 10

Radio Regulations Board

139
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(SUP)

140
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2 In addition to the duties specified in Article 14 of the Constitution, the Board shall:

1) consider reports from the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau on investigations of harmful interference carried out at the request of one or more of the interested administrations, and formulate recommendations with respect thereto;

2) also, independently of the Radiocommunication Bureau, at the request of one or more of the interested administrations, consider appeals against decisions made by the Radiocommunication Bureau regarding frequency assignments.

141
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3 The members of the Board shall participate, in an advisory capacity, in radiocommunication conferences. In this case, they shall not participate in these conferences as members of their national delegations.

141A
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3 bis) Two members of the Board, designated by the Board, shall participate, in an advisory capacity, in plenipotentiary conferences and radiocommunication assemblies. In these cases, the two members designated by the Board shall not participate in these conferences or assemblies as members of their national delegations.

142

4 Only the travelling, subsistence and insurance expenses incurred by the members of the Board in the exercise of their duties for the Union shall be borne by the Union.

142A
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4 bis) The members of the Board shall, while in the exercise of their duties for the Union, as specified in the Constitution and Convention, or while on mission for the Union, enjoy functional privileges and immunities equivalent to those granted to the elected officials of the Union by each Member State, subject to the relevant provisions of the national legislation or other applicable legislation in each Member State. Such functional privileges and immunities are granted to members of the Board for the purposes of the Union and not for their personal advantage. The Union may and shall withdraw the immunity granted to a member of the Board whenever it considers that such immunity is contrary to the orderly administration of justice and its withdrawal is not prejudicial to the interests of the Union.

143

5 The working methods of the Board shall be as follows:

144

1) The members of the Board shall elect from their own members a Chairman and a Vice-Chairman for a period of one year. Thereafter the Vice-Chairman shall succeed the Chairman each year and a new Vice-Chairman shall be elected. In the absence of the Chairman and Vice-Chairman, the Board shall elect a temporary Chairman for the occasion from among its members.

145
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2) The Board shall normally hold up to four meetings a year, of up to five days’ duration, generally at the seat of the Union, at which at least two-thirds of its members shall be present, and may carry out its duties using modern means of communication. However, if the Board deems necessary, depending upon the matters to be considered, it may increase the number of its meetings. Exceptionally, the meetings may be of up to two weeks’ duration.

146

3) The Board shall endeavour to reach its decisions unanimously. If it fails in that endeavour, a decision shall be valid only if at least two-thirds of the members of the Board vote in favour thereof. Each member of the Board shall have one vote; voting by proxy is not allowed.

147

4) The Board may make such internal arrangements as it considers necessary in conformity with the provisions of the Constitution, this Convention and the Radio Regulations. Such arrangements shall be published as part of the Board’s Rules of Procedure.

ARTICLE 11

Radiocommunication Study Groups

148

1 Radiocommunication study groups are set up by a radiocommunication assembly.

149
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2 1) The radiocommunication study groups shall study questions adopted in accordance with a procedure established by the radiocommunication assembly and prepare draft recommendations to be adopted in accordance with the procedure set forth in Nos. 246A to 247 of this Convention.

149A
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1 bis) The radiocommunication study groups shall also study topics identified in resolutions and recommendations of world radiocommunication conferences. The results of such studies shall be included in recommendations or in the reports prepared in accordance with No. 156 below.

150
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2) The study of the above questions and topics shall, subject to No. 158 below, focus on the following:

151
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a) use of the radio-frequency spectrum in terrestrial and space radiocommunication and of the geostationary-satellite and other satellite orbits;

152

b) characteristics and performance of radio systems;

153

c) operation of radio stations;

154

d) radiocommunication aspects of distress and safety matters.

155
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3) These studies shall not generally address economic questions, but when they involve comparing technical or operational alternatives, economic factors may be taken into consideration.

156

3 The radiocommunication study groups shall also carry out preparatory studies of the technical, operational and procedural matters to be considered by world and regional radiocommunication conferences and elaborate reports thereon in accordance with a programme of work adopted in this respect by a radiocommunication assembly or following instructions by the Council.

157

4 Each study group shall prepare for the radiocommunication assembly a report indicating the progress of work, the recommendations adopted in accordance with the consultation procedure contained in No. 149 above and any draft new or revised recommendations for consideration by the assembly.

158

5 Taking into account No. 79 of the Constitution, the tasks enumerated in Nos. 151 to 154 above and in No. 193 of this Convention in relation to the Telecommunication Standardization Sector shall be kept under continuing review by the Radiocommunication Sector and the Telecommunication Standardization Sector with a view to reaching common agreement on changes in the distribution of matters under study. The two Sectors shall cooperate closely and adopt procedures to conduct such a review and reach agreements in a timely and effective manner. If agreement is not reached, the matter may be submitted through the Council to the Plenipotentiary Conference for decision.

159

6 In the performance of their studies, the radiocommunication study groups shall pay due attention to the study of questions and to the formulation of recommendations directly connected with the establishment, development and improvement of telecommunications in developing countries at both the regional and international levels. They shall conduct their work giving due consideration to the work of national, regional and other international organizations concerned with radiocommunication and cooperate with them, keeping in mind the need for the Union to maintain its pre-eminent position in the field of telecommunications.

160

7 For the purpose of facilitating the review of activities in the Radiocommunication Sector, measures should be taken to foster cooperation and coordination with other organizations concerned with radiocommunication and with the Telecommunication Standardization Sector and the Telecommunication Development Sector. A radiocommunication assembly shall determine the specific duties, conditions of participation and rules of procedure for these measures.

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ARTICLE 11A

Radiocommunication Advisory Group

160A
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1 The radiocommunication advisory group shall be open to representatives of administrations of Member States and representatives of Sector Members and to chairmen of the study groups and other groups, and will act through the Director.

160B
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2 The radiocommunication advisory group shall:

160C
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1) review priorities, programmes, operations, financial matters and strategies related to radiocommunication assemblies, study groups and other groups and the preparation of radiocommunication conferences, and any specific matters as directed by a conference of the Union, a radiocommunication assembly or the Council;

160CA
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1 bis) review the implementation of the operational plan of the preceding period in order to identify areas in which the Bureau has not achieved or was not able to achieve the objectives laid down in that plan, and advise the Director on the necessary corrective measures;

160D
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2) review progress in the implementation of the programme of work established under No. 132 of this Convention;

160E
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3) provide guidelines for the work of study groups;

160F
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4) recommend measures, inter alia, to foster cooperation and coordination with other standards bodies, with the Telecommunication Standardization Sector, the Telecommunication Development Sector and the General Secretariat;

160G
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5) adopt its own working procedures compatible with those adopted by the radiocommunication assembly;

160H
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6) prepare a report for the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau indicating action in respect of the above items;

160I
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7) prepare a report for the Radiocommunication Assembly on the matters assigned to it in accordance with No. 137A of this Convention and transmit it to the Director for submission to the assembly.

ARTICLE 12

Radiocommunication Bureau

161

1 The Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau shall organize and coordinate the work of the Radiocommunication Sector. The duties of the Bureau are supplemented by those specified in provisions of the Radio Regulations.

162

2 The Director shall, in particular,

163

1) in relation to radiocommunication conferences:

164
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a) coordinate the preparatory work of the study groups and other groups and the Bureau, communicate to the Member States and Sector Members the results of this preparatory work, collect their comments and submit a consolidated report to the conference which may include proposals of a regulatory nature;

165
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b) participate as of right, but in an advisory capacity, in the deliberations of radiocommunication conferences, of the radiocommunication assembly and of the radiocommunication study groups and other groups. The Director shall make all necessary preparations for radiocommunication conferences and meetings of the Radiocommunication Sector in consultation with the General Secretariat in accordance with No. 94 of this Convention and, as appropriate, with the other Sectors of the Union, and with due regard for the directives of the Council in carrying out these preparations;

166

c) provide assistance to the developing countries in their preparations for radiocommunication conferences.

167

2) in relation to the Radio Regulations Board:

168

a) prepare and submit draft Rules of Procedure for approval by the Radio Regulations Board; they shall include, inter alia, calculation methods and data required for the application of the provisions of the Radio Regulations;

169
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b) distribute to all Member States the Rules of Procedure of the Board, collect comments thereon received from administrations and submit them to the Board;

170
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c) process information received from administrations in application of the relevant provisions of the Radio Regulations and regional agreements and their associated Rules of Procedure and prepare it, as appropriate, in a form suitable for publication;

171

d) apply the Rules of Procedure approved by the Board, prepare and publish findings based on those Rules, and submit to the Board any review of a finding which is requested by an administration and which cannot be resolved by the use of those Rules of Procedure;

172

e) in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Radio Regulations, effect an orderly recording and registration of frequency assignments and, where appropriate, the associated orbital characteristics, and keep up to date the Master International Frequency Register; review entries in that Register with a view to amending or eliminating, as appropriate, those which do not reflect actual frequency usage, in agreement with the administration concerned;

173

f) assist in the resolution of cases of harmful interference, at the request of one or more of the interested administrations, and where necessary, make investigations and prepare, for consideration by the Board, a report including draft recommendations to the administrations concerned;

174

g) act as executive secretary to the Board;

175
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3) coordinate the work of the radiocommunication study groups and other groups and be responsible for the organization of that work;

175A
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3 bis) provide the necessary support for the radiocommunication advisory group, and report each year to Member States and Sector Members and to the Council on the results of the work of the advisory group.

175B
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3 ter) take practical measures to facilitate the participation of developing countries in the radiocommunication study groups and other groups.

176

4) also undertake the following:

177
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a) carry out studies to furnish advice with a view to the operation of the maximum practicable number of radio channels in those portions of the spectrum where harmful interference may occur, and with a view to the equitable, effective and economical use of the geostationary-satellite and other satellite orbits, taking into account the needs of Member States requiring assistance, the specific needs of developing countries, as well as the special geographical situation of particular countries;

178
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b) exchange with Member States and Sector Members data in machine-readable and other forms, prepare and keep up to date any documents and databases of the Radiocommunication Sector, and arrange with the Secretary-General, as appropriate, for their publication in the languages of the Union in accordance with No. 172 of the Constitution;

179

c) maintain such essential records as may be required;

180
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d) submit to the world radiocommunication conference a report on the activities of the Radiocommunication Sector since the last conference; if a world radiocommunication conference is not planned, a report on the activities of the Sector covering the period since the last conference shall be submitted to the Council and, for information, to Member States and Sector Members;

181

e) prepare a cost-based budget estimate for the requirements of the Radiocommunication Sector and transmit it to the Secretary-General for consideration by the Coordination Committee and inclusion in the Union’s budget.

181A
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f) prepare annually a rolling four-year operational plan that covers the subsequent year and the following three-year period, including financial implications of activities to be undertaken by the Bureau in support of the Sector as a whole; this four-year operational plan shall be reviewed by the radiocommunication advisory group in accordance with Article 11A of this Convention, and shall be reviewed and approved annually by the Council;

182

3 The Director shall choose the technical and administrative personnel of the Bureau within the framework of the budget as approved by the Council. The appointment of the technical and administrative personnel is made by the Secretary-General in agreement with the Director. The final decision for appointment or dismissal rests with the Secretary-General.

183

4 The Director shall provide technical support, as necessary, to the Telecommunication Development Sector within the framework of the Constitution and this Convention.

SECTION 6

Telecommunication Standardization Sector

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ARTICLE 13

World Telecommunication
Standardization Assembly

184
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1 In accordance with No. 104 of the Constitution, a world telecommunication standardization assembly shall be convened to consider specific matters related to telecommunication standardization.

184A
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1 bis) The world telecommunication standardization assembly is authorized to adopt the working methods and procedures for the management of the Sector’s activities in accordance with No. 145A of the Constitution.

185
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2 The questions to be studied by a world telecommunication standardization assembly, on which recommendations shall be issued, shall be those adopted pursuant to its own procedures or referred to it by the Plenipotentiary Conference, any other conference, or the Council.

186
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3 In accordance with No. 104 of the Constitution, the assembly shall:

187
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a) consider the reports of study groups prepared in accordance with No. 194 of this Convention and approve, modify or reject draft recommendations contained in those reports, and consider the reports of the telecommunication standardization advisory group in accordance with Nos. 197H and 197I of this Convention;

188

b) bearing in mind the need to keep the demands on the resources of the Union to a minimum, approve the programme of work arising from the review of existing questions and new questions and determine the priority, urgency, estimated financial implications and time-scale for the completion of their study;

189

c) decide, in the light of the approved programme of work derived from No. 188 above, on the need to maintain, terminate or establish study groups and allocate to each of them the questions to be studied;

190
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d) group, as far as practicable, questions of interest to the developing countries to facilitate their participation in these studies;

191

e) consider and approve the report of the Director on the activities of the Sector since the last conference.

191A
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f) decide on the need to maintain, terminate or establish other groups and appoint their chairmen and vice-chairmen;

191B
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g) establish the terms of reference for the groups referred to in No. 191A above; such groups shall not adopt questions or recommendations.

191C
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4 A world telecommunication standardization assembly may assign specific matters within its competence to the telecommunication standardization advisory group indicating the action required on those matters.

191D
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5 A world telecommunication standardization assembly shall be presided over by a chairman designated by the government of the country in which the meeting is held or, in the case of a meeting held at the seat of the Union, by a chairman elected by the assembly itself. The chairman shall be assisted by vice-chairmen elected by the assembly.

ARTICLE 14

Telecommunication Standardization
Study Groups

192
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1 1) Telecommunication standardization study groups shall study questions adopted in accordance with a procedure established by the world telecommunication standardization assembly and prepare draft recommendations to be adopted in accordance with the procedure set forth in Nos. 246A to 247 of this Convention.

193

2) The study groups shall, subject to No. 195 below, study technical, operating and tariff questions and prepare recommendations on them with a view to standardizing telecommunications on a worldwide basis, including recommendations on interconnection of radio systems in public telecommunication networks and on the performance required for these interconnections. Technical or operating questions specifically related to radiocommunication as enumerated in Nos. 151 to 154 of this Convention shall be within the purview of the Radiocommunication Sector.

194
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3) Each study group shall prepare for the world telecommunication standardization assembly a report indicating the progress of work, the recommendations adopted in accordance with the consultation procedure contained in No. 192 above, and any draft new or revised recommendations for consideration by the assembly.

195

2 Taking into account No. 105 of the Constitution, the tasks enumerated in No. 193 above and those enumerated in Nos. 151 to 154 of this Convention in relation to the Radiocommunication Sector shall be kept under continuing review by the Telecommunication Standardization Sector and the Radiocommunication Sector with a view to reaching common agreement on changes in the distribution of matters under study. The two Sectors shall cooperate closely and adopt procedures to conduct such a review and reach agreements in a timely and effective manner. If agreement is not reached, the matter may be submitted through the Council to the Plenipotentiary Conference for decision.

196

3 In the performance of their studies, the telecommunication standardization study groups shall pay due attention to the study of questions and to the formulation of recommendations directly connected with the establishment, development and improvement of telecommunications in developing countries at both the regional and international levels. They shall conduct their work giving due consideration to the work of national, regional and other international standardization organizations, and cooperate with them, keeping in mind the need for the Union to maintain its pre-eminent position in the field of worldwide standardization for telecommunications.

197
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4 For the purpose of facilitating the review of activities in the Telecommunication Standardization Sector, measures should be taken to foster cooperation and coordination with other organizations concerned with telecommunication standardization and with the Radiocommunication Sector and the Telecommunication Development Sector. A world telecommunication standardization assembly shall determine the specific duties, conditions of participation and rules of procedure for these measures.

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ARTICLE 14A

Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group

197A
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1 The telecommunication standardization advisory group shall be open to representatives of administrations of Member States and representatives of Sector Members and to chairmen of the study groups and other groups.

197B
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2 The telecommunication standardization advisory group shall:

197C
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1) review priorities, programmes, operations, financial matters and strategies for activities in the Telecommunication Standardization Sector;

197CA
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1 bis) review the implementation of the operational plan of the preceding period in order to identify areas in which the Bureau has not achieved or was not able to achieve the objectives laid down in that plan, and advise the Director on the necessary corrective measures;

197D
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2) review progress in the implementation of the programme of work established under No. 188 of this Convention;

197E
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3) provide guidelines for the work of study groups;

197F
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4) recommend measures, inter alia, to foster cooperation and coordination with other relevant bodies, with the Radiocommunication Sector, the Telecommunication Development Sector and the General Secretariat;

197G
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5) adopt its own working procedures compatible with those adopted by the world telecommunication standardization assembly;

197H
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6) prepare a report for the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau indicating action in respect of the above items.

197I
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7) prepare a report for the world telecommunication standardization assembly on the matters assigned to it in accordance with No. 191A and transmit it to the Director for submission to the assembly.

ARTICLE 15

Telecommunication Standardization Bureau

198

1 The Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau shall organize and coordinate the work of the Telecommunication Standardization Sector.

199

2 The Director shall, in particular:

200
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a) update annually the work programme approved by the world telecommunication standardization assembly, in consultation with the chairmen of the telecommunication standardization study groups and other groups;

201
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b) participate, as of right, but in an advisory capacity, in the deliberations of world telecommunication standardization assemblies and of the telecommunication standardization study groups and other groups. The Director shall make all necessary preparations for assemblies and meetings of the Telecommunication Standardization Sector in consultation with the General Secretariat in accordance with No. 94 of this Convention and, as appropriate, with the other Sectors of the Union, and with due regard for the directives of the Council concerning these preparations;

202
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c) process information received from administrations in application of the relevant provisions of the International Telecommunication Regulations or decisions of the world telecommunication standardization assembly and prepare it, where appropriate, in a suitable form for publication;

203
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d) exchange with Member States and Sector Members data in machine-readable and other forms, prepare and, as necessary, keep up to date any documents and databases of the Telecommunication Standardization Sector, and arrange with the Secretary-General, as appropriate, for their publication in the languages of the Union in accordance with No. 172 of the Constitution;

204
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e) submit to the world telecommunication standardization assembly a report on the activities of the Sector since the last assembly; the Director shall also submit to the Council and to the Member States and Sector Members such a report covering the two-year period since the last assembly, unless a second assembly is convened;

205

f) prepare a cost-based budget estimate for the requirements of the Telecommunication Standardization Sector and transmit it to the Secretary-General for consideration by the Coordination Committee and inclusion in the Union’s budget.

205A
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g) prepare annually a rolling four-year operational plan that covers the subsequent year and the following three-year period, including financial implications of activities to be undertaken by the Bureau in support of the Sector as a whole; this four-year operational plan shall be reviewed by the telecommunication standardization advisory group in accordance with Article 14A of this Convention, and shall be reviewed and approved annually by the Council;

205B
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h) provide the necessary support for the telecommunication standardization advisory group, and report each year to Member States and Sector Members and to the Council on the results of its work;

205C
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i) provide assistance to developing countries in the preparatory work for world standardization assemblies, particularly with regard to matters of a priority nature for those countries.

206

3 The Director shall choose the technical and administrative personnel of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau within the framework of the budget as approved by the Council. The appointment of the technical and administrative personnel is made by the Secretary-General in agreement with the Director. The final decision on appointment or dismissal rests with the Secretary-General.

207

4 The Director shall provide technical support, as necessary, to the Telecommunication Development Sector within the framework of the Constitution and this Convention.

SECTION 7

Telecommunication Development Sector

ARTICLE 16

Telecommunication Development Conferences

207A
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1 The world telecommunication development conference is authorized to adopt the working methods and procedures for the management of the Sector’s activities in accordance with No. 145A of the Constitution.

208

1 bis) In accordance with No. 118 of the Constitution, the duties of the telecommunication development conferences shall be as follows:

209
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a) world telecommunication development conferences shall establish work programmes and guidelines for defining telecommunication development questions and priorities and shall provide direction and guidance for the work programme of the Telecommunication Development Sector. They shall decide, in the light of the above-mentioned programmes of work, on the need to maintain, terminate or establish study groups and allocate to each of them the questions to be studied;

209A
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a bis) decide on the need to maintain, terminate or establish other groups and appoint their chairmen and vice-chairmen;

209B
PP-02

a ter) establish the terms of reference for the groups referred to in No. 209A above; such groups shall not adopt questions or recommendations.

210
PP-02

b) regional telecommunication development conferences shall consider questions and priorities relating to telecommunication development, taking into account the needs and characteristics of the region concerned, and may also submit recommendations to world telecommunication development conferences;

211

c) the telecommunication development conferences should fix the objectives and strategies for the balanced worldwide and regional development of telecommunications, giving particular consideration to the expansion and modernization of the networks and services of the developing countries as well as the mobilization of the resources required for this purpose. They shall serve as a forum for the study of policy, organizational, operational, regulatory, technical and financial questions and related aspects, including the identification and implementation of new sources of funding;

212

d) world and regional telecommunication development conferences, within their respective sphere of competence, shall consider reports submitted to them and evaluate the activities of the Sector; they may also consider telecommunication development aspects related to the activities of the other Sectors of the Union.

213
PP-98

2 The draft agenda of telecommunication development conferences shall be prepared by the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau and be submitted by the Secretary-General to the Council for approval with the concurrence of a majority of the Member States in the case of a world conference, or of a majority of the Member States belonging to the region concerned in the case of a regional conference, subject to the provisions of No. 47 of this Convention.

213A
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3 A telecommunication development conference may assign specific matters within its competence to the telecommunication development advisory group, indicating the recommended action on those matters.

ARTICLE 17

Telecommunication Development
Study Groups

214

1 Telecommunication development study groups shall deal with specific telecommunication questions of general interest to developing countries, including the matters enumerated in No. 211 above. Such study groups shall be limited in number and created for a limited period of time, subject to the availability of resources, shall have specific terms of reference on questions and matters of priority to developing countries and shall be task-oriented.

215

2 Taking into account No. 119 of the Constitution, the Radiocommunication, Telecommunication Standardization and Telecommunication Development Sectors shall keep the matters under study under continuing review with a view to reaching agreement on the distribution of work, avoiding duplication of effort and improving coordination. The Sectors shall adopt procedures to conduct such reviews and reach such agreement in a timely and effective manner.

215A
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3 Each telecommunication development study group shall prepare for the world telecommunication development conference a report indicating the progress of work and any draft new or revised recommendations for consideration by the conference.

215B
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4 Telecommunication development study groups shall study questions and prepare draft recommendations to be adopted in accordance with the procedures set out in Nos. 246A to 247 of this Convention.

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ARTICLE 17A

Telecommunication Development
Advisory Group

215C
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1 The telecommunication development advisory group shall be open to representatives of administrations of Member States and representatives of Sector Members and to chairmen and vice-chairmen of study groups and other groups, and will act through the Director.

215D
PP-98

2 The telecommunication development advisory group shall:

215E
PP-98

1) review priorities, programmes, operations, financial matters and strategies for activities in the Telecommunication Development Sector;

215EA
PP-02

1 bis) review the implementation of the operational plan of the preceding period in order to identify areas in which the Bureau has not achieved or was not able to achieve the objectives laid down in that plan, and advise the Director on the necessary corrective measures.

215F
PP-98

2) review progress in the implementation of the programme of work established under No. 209 of this Convention;

215G
PP-98

3) provide guidelines for the work of study groups;

215H
PP-98

4) recommend measures, inter alia, to foster cooperation and coordination with the Radiocommunication Sector, the Telecommunication Standardization Sector and the General Secretariat, as well as with other relevant development and financial institutions.

215I
PP-98

5) adopt its own working procedures compatible with those adopted by the world telecommunication development conference.

215J
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6) prepare a report for the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau indicating action in respect of the above items.

215JA
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6 bis) prepare a report for the world telecommunication development conference on the matters assigned to it in accordance with No. 213A of this Convention and transmit it to the Director for submission to the conference.

215K
PP-98

3 Representatives of bilateral cooperation and development aid agencies and multilateral development institutions may be invited by the Director to participate in the meetings of the advisory group.

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ARTICLE 18

Telecommunication Development Bureau

216

1 The Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau shall organize and coordinate the work of the Telecommunication Development Sector.

217

2 The Director shall, in particular:

218
PP-02

a) participate as of right, but in an advisory capacity, in the deliberations of the telecommunication development conferences and of the telecommunication development study groups and other groups. The Director shall make all necessary preparations for conferences and meetings of the Telecommunication Development Sector in consultation with the General Secretariat in accordance with No. 94 of this Convention and, as appropriate, with the other Sectors of the Union, and with due regard for the directives of the Council in carrying out these preparations;

219

b) process information received from administrations in application of the relevant resolutions and decisions of the Plenipotentiary Conference and telecommunication development conferences and prepare it, where appropriate, in a suitable form for publication;

220
PP-06

c) exchange with members data in machine-readable and other forms, prepare and, as necessary, keep up to date any documents and databases of the Telecommunication Development Sector, and arrange with the Secretary-General, as appropriate, for their publication in the languages of the Union in accordance with No. 172 of the Constitution;

221

d) assemble and prepare for publication, in cooperation with the General Secretariat and the other Sectors of the Union, both technical and administrative information that might be especially useful to developing countries in order to help them to improve their telecommunication networks. Their attention shall also be drawn to the possibilities offered by the international programmes under the auspices of the United Nations;

222
PP-98

e) submit to the world telecommunication development conference a report on the activities of the Sector since the last conference; the Director shall also submit to the Council and to the Member States and Sector Members such a report covering the two-year period since the last conference;

223
PP-98

f) prepare a cost-based budget estimate for the requirements of the Telecommunication Development Sector and transmit it to the Secretary-General for consideration by the Coordination Committee and inclusion in the Union’s budget;

223A
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g) prepare annually a rolling four-year operational plan that covers the subsequent year and the following three-year period, including financial implications of activities to be undertaken by the Bureau in support of the Sector as a whole; this four-year operational plan shall be reviewed by the telecommunication development advisory group in accordance with Article 17A of this Convention, and shall be reviewed and approved annually by the Council;

223B
PP-98

h) provide the necessary support for the telecommunication development advisory group, and report each year to the Member States and Sector Members and to the Council on the results of its work.

224
PP-98

3 The Director shall work collegially with the other elected officials in order to ensure that the Union’s catalytic role in stimulating telecommunication development is strengthened and shall make the necessary arrangements with the Director of the Bureau concerned for initiating suitable action, including the convening of information meetings on the activities of the Sector concerned.

225
PP-98

4 At the request of the Member States concerned, the Director, with the assistance of the Directors of the other Bureaux and, where appropriate, the Secretary-General, shall study and offer advice concerning their national telecommunication problems; where a comparison of technical alternatives is involved, economic factors may be taken into consideration.

226

5 The Director shall choose the technical and administrative personnel of the Telecommunication Development Bureau within the framework of the budget as approved by the Council. The appointment of the personnel is made by the Secretary-General in agreement with the Director. The final decision for appointment or dismissal rests with the Secretary-General.

227
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(SUP)

SECTION 8

Provisions Common to the Three Sectors

ARTICLE 19

Participation of Entities and Organizations Other than Administrations in the Union’s Activities

228

1 The Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux shall encourage the enhanced participation in the activities of the Union of the following entities and organizations:

229
PP-98

a) recognized operating agencies, scientific or industrial organizations and financial or development institutions which are approved by the Member State concerned;

230
PP-98

b) other entities dealing with telecommunication matters which are approved by the Member State concerned;

231

c) regional and other international telecommunication, standardization, financial or development organizations.

232

2 The Directors of the Bureaux shall maintain close working relations with those entities and organizations which are authorized to participate in the activities of one or more of the Sectors of the Union.

233
PP-98

3 Any request from an entity listed in No. 229 above to participate in the work of a Sector, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Constitution and this Convention, approved by the Member State concerned shall be forwarded by the latter to the Secretary-General.

234
PP-98

4 Any request from an entity referred to in No. 230 above submitted by the Member State concerned shall be handled in conformity with a procedure established by the Council. Such a request shall be reviewed by the Council with respect to its conformity with the above procedure.

234A
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4 bis) Alternatively, a request from an entity listed in No. 229 or 230 above to become a Sector Member may be sent direct to the Secretary-General. Those Member States authorizing such entities to send a request directly to the Secretary-General shall inform the latter accordingly. Entities whose Member State has not provided such notice to the Secretary-General shall not have the option of direct application. The Secretary-General shall regularly update and publish a list of those Member States that have authorized entities under their jurisdiction or sovereignty to apply directly.

234B
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4 ter) Upon receipt, directly from an entity, of a request under No. 234A above, the Secretary-General shall, on the basis of criteria defined by the Council, ensure that the function and purposes of the candidate are in conformity with the purposes of the Union. The Secretary-General shall then, without delay, inform the applicant’s Member State inviting approval of the application. If the Secretary-General receives no objection from the Member State within four months, a reminder telegram shall be sent. If the Secretary-General receives no objection within four months after the date of dispatch of the reminder telegram, the application shall be regarded as approved. If an objection is received from the Member State by the Secretary-General, the applicant shall be invited by the Secretary-General to contact the Member State concerned.

234C
PP-98

4 quater) When authorizing direct application, a Member State may notify the Secretary-General that it assigns authority to the Secretary-General to approve any application by an entity under its jurisdiction or sovereignty.

235
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5 Any request from any entity or organization listed in No. 231 above (other than those referred to in Nos. 269B and 269C of this Convention) to participate in the work of a Sector shall be sent to the Secretary-General and acted upon in accordance with procedures established by the Council.

236
PP-06

6 Any request from an organization referred to in Nos. 269B to 269D of this Convention to participate in the work of a Sector shall be sent to the Secretary-General, and the organization concerned shall be included in the lists referred to in No. 237 below.

237
PP-98
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7 The Secretary-General shall compile and maintain lists of all entities and organizations referred to in Nos. 229 to 231 and Nos. 269B to 269D of this Convention that are authorized to participate in the work of each Sector and shall, at appropriate intervals, publish and distribute these lists to all Member States and Sector Members concerned and to the Director of the Bureau concerned. That Director shall advise such entities and organizations of the action taken on their requests, and shall inform the relevant Member States.

238
PP-98

8 The conditions of participation in the Sectors by entities and organizations contained in the lists referred to in No. 237 above are specified in this Article, in Article 33 and in other relevant provisions of this Convention. The provisions of Nos. 25 to 28 of the Constitution do not apply to them.

239
PP-94
PP-98

9 A Sector Member may act on behalf of the Member State which has approved it, provided that the Member State informs the Director of the Bureau concerned that it is authorized to do so.

240
PP-98
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10 Any Sector Member has the right to denounce such participation by notifying the Secretary-General. Such participation may also be denounced, where appropriate, by the Member State concerned or, in case of the Sector Member approved pursuant to No. 234C above, in accordance with criteria and procedures determined by the Council. Such denunciation shall take effect at the end of six months from the date when notification is received by the Secretary-General.

241

11 The Secretary-General shall delete from the list of entities and organizations any entity or organization that is no longer authorized to participate in the work of a Sector, in accordance with criteria and procedures determined by the Council.

241A
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12 The assembly or conference of a Sector may decide to admit entities or organizations to participate as Associates in the work of a given study group or subgroups thereof following the principles set out below:

241B
PP-98

1) An entity or organization referred to in Nos. 229 to 231 above may apply to participate in the work of a given study group as an Associate.

241C
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2) In cases where a Sector has decided to admit Associates, the Secretary-General shall apply to the applicants the relevant provisions of this Article, taking account of the size of the entity or organization and any other relevant criteria.

241D
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3) Associates admitted to participate in a given study group are not entered in the list referred to in No. 237 above.

241E
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4) The conditions governing participation in the work of a study group are specified in Nos. 248B and 483A of this Convention.

ARTICLE 20

Conduct of Business of Study Groups

242
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1 The radiocommunication assembly, the world telecommunication standardization assembly and the world telecommunication development conference shall appoint the chairman and one vice-chairman or more for each study group. In appointing chairmen and vice-chairmen, particular consideration shall be given to the requirements of competence and equitable geographical distribution, and to the need to promote more efficient participation by the developing countries.

243
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2 If the workload of any study group requires, the assembly or conference shall appoint such additional vice-chairmen as it deems necessary.

244

3 If, in the interval between two assemblies or conferences of the Sector concerned, a study group Chairman is unable to carry out his duties and only one Vice-Chairman has been appointed, then that Vice-Chairman shall take the Chairman’s place. In the case of a study group for which more than one Vice-Chairman has been appointed, the study group at its next meeting shall elect a new Chairman from among those Vice-Chairmen and, if necessary, a new Vice-Chairman from among the members of the study group. It shall likewise elect a new Vice-Chairman if one of the Vice-Chairmen is unable to carry out his duties during that period.

245

4 Study groups shall conduct their work as far as possible by correspondence, using modern means of communication.

246

5 The Director of the Bureau of each Sector, on the basis of the decisions of the competent conference or assembly, after consultation with the Secretary-General and coordination as required by the Constitution and Convention, shall draw up the general plan of study group meetings.

246A
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5 bis) 1) Member States and Sector Members shall adopt questions to be studied in accordance with procedures established by the relevant conference or assembly, as appropriate, including the indication whether or not a resulting recommendation shall be the subject of a formal consultation of Member States.

246B
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2) Recommendations resulting from the study of the above questions are adopted by a study group in accordance with procedures established by the relevant conference or assembly, as appropriate. Those recommendations which do not require formal consultation of Member States for their approval shall be considered as approved.

246C
PP-98

3) A recommendation requiring formal consultation of Member States shall be either treated in accordance with No. 247 below or transmitted to the relevant conference or assembly, as appropriate.

246D
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4) Nos. 246A and 246B above shall not be used for questions and recommendations having policy or regulatory implications such as:

246E
PP-98

a) questions and recommendations approved by the Radiocommunication Sector relevant to the work of radiocommunication conferences, and other categories of questions and recommendations that may be decided by the radiocommunication assembly;

246F
PP-98

b) questions and recommendations approved by the Telecommunication Standardization Sector which relate to tariff and accounting issues, and relevant numbering and addressing plans;

246G
PP-98

c) questions and recommendations approved by the Telecommunication Development Sector which relate to regulatory, policy and financial issues;

246H
PP-98

d) questions and recommendations where there is any doubt about their scope.

247
PP-98

6 Study groups may initiate action for obtaining approval from Member States for recommendations completed between two assemblies or conferences. The procedures to be applied for obtaining such approval shall be those approved by the competent assembly or conference, as appropriate.

247A
PP-98

6 bis) Recommendations approved in application of Nos. 246B or 247 above shall have the same status as ones approved by the conference or assembly itself.

248

7 Where necessary, joint working parties may be established for the study of questions requiring the participation of experts from several study groups.

248A
PP-98

7 bis) Following a procedure developed by the Sector concerned, the Director of a Bureau may, in consultation with the chairman of the study group concerned, invite an organization which does not participate in the Sector to send representatives to take part in the study of a specific matter in the study group concerned or its subordinate groups.

248B
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7 ter) An Associate, as referred to in No. 241A of this Convention, will be permitted to participate in the work of the selected study group without taking part in any decision-making or liaison activity of that study group.

249

8 The Director of the relevant Bureau shall send the final reports of the study groups to the administrations, organizations and entities participating in the Sector. Such reports shall include a list of the recommendations approved in conformity with No. 247 above. These reports shall be sent as soon as possible and, in any event, in time for them to be received at least one month before the date of the next session of the conference concerned.

ARTICLE 21

Recommendations from One
Conference to Another

250

1 Any conference may submit to another conference of the Union recommendations within its field of competence.

251
PP-06

2 Such recommendations shall be sent to the Secretary-General in good time for assembly, coordination and communication, as laid down in No. 44 of the General Rules of conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union.

ARTICLE 22

Relations Between Sectors and With
International Organizations

252

1 The Directors of the Bureaux may agree, after appropriate consultation and coordination as required by the Constitution, the Convention and the decisions of the competent conferences or assemblies, to organize joint meetings of study groups of two or three Sectors, in order to study and prepare draft recommendations on questions of common interest. Such draft recommendations shall be submitted to the competent conferences or assemblies of the Sectors concerned.

253

2 Conferences or meetings of a Sector may be attended in an advisory capacity by the Secretary-General, the Deputy Secretary-General, the Directors of the Bureaux of the other Sectors, or their representatives, and members of the Radio Regulations Board. If necessary, they may invite, in an advisory capacity, representatives of the General Secretariat or of any other Sector which has not considered it necessary to be represented.

254

3 When a Sector is invited to participate in a meeting of an international organization, its Director is authorized to make arrangements for its representation in an advisory capacity, taking into account the provisions of No. 107 of this Convention.

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CHAPTER II

Specific Provisions Regarding
Conferences and Assemblies

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ARTICLE 23

Admission to Plenipotentiary Conferences

255 to 266
PP-02

(SUP)

267
PP-02

1 The following shall be admitted to plenipotentiary conferences:

268

a) delegations;

268A
PP-02

b) the elected officials, in an advisory capacity;

268B
PP-02

c) the Radio Regulations Board, in accordance with No. 141A of this Convention, in an advisory capacity;

269
PP-94
PP-02
PP-06

d) observers of the following organizations, agencies and entities, to participate in an advisory capacity:

269A
PP-02

i) the United Nations;

269B
PP-02

ii) regional telecommunication organizations mentioned in Article 43 of the Constitution;

269C
PP-02

iii) intergovernmental organizations operating satellite systems;

269D
PP-02

iv) the specialized agencies of the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency;

269E
PP-02
PP-06

e) observers from the Sector Members referred to in Nos. 229 and 231 of this Convention.

269F
PP-02

2 The General Secretariat and the three Bureaux of the Union shall be represented at the conference in an advisory capacity.

PP-02

ARTICLE 24

Admission to Radiocommunication Conferences

270 to 275
PP-02

(SUP)

276
PP-02

1 The following shall be admitted to radiocommunication conferences:

277

a) delegations;

278
PP-02
PP-06

b) observers of organizations and agencies referred to in Nos. 269A to 269D of this Convention, to participate in an advisory capacity;

279
PP-02
PP-06

c) observers of other international organizations invited in accordance with the relevant provisions of Chapter I of the General Rules of conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union, to participate in an advisory capacity;

280
PP-98
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d) observers from Sector Members of the Radiocommunication Sector;

281
PP-02

(SUP)

282
PP-98
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e) observers of Member States participating in a non-voting capacity in a regional radiocommunication conference of a region other than that to which the said Member States belong;

282A
PP-02

f) in an advisory capacity, the elected officials, when the conference is discussing matters coming within their competence, and the members of the Radio Regulations Board.

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PP-02

ARTICLE 25

Admission to Radiocommunication Assemblies,
World Telecommunication Standardization
Assemblies and Telecommunication
Development Conferences

283 to 294
PP-02

(SUP)

295
PP-02

1 The following shall be admitted to the assembly or conference:

296

a) delegations;

296 bis
PP-06

b) representatives of Sector Members concerned;

297
PP-02
PP-06

c) observers, to participate in an advisory capacity, from:

297 bis
PP-06

i) the organizations and agencies referred to in Nos. 269A to 269D of this Convention

298
PP-02

(SUP)

298A to B
PP-06

(SUP)

298C
PP-02
PP-06

ii) any other regional organization or other international organization dealing with matters of interest to the assembly or conference;

298D to F
PP-06

(SUP)

298G
PP-02

2 The elected officials, the General Secretariat and the Bureaux of the Union, as appropriate, shall be represented at the assembly or conference in an advisory capacity. Two members of the Radio Regulations Board, designated by the Board, shall participate in radiocommunication assemblies in an advisory capacity.

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(SUP)     ARTICLES 26 to 30

ARTICLE 31

Credentials for Conferences

324
PP-98

1 The delegation sent by a Member State to a plenipotentiary conference, a radiocommunication conference or a world conference on international telecommunications shall be duly accredited in accordance with Nos. 325 to 331 below.

325

2 1) Accreditation of delegations to Plenipotentiary Conferences shall be by means of instruments signed by the Head of State, by the Head of Government or by the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

326

2) Accreditation of delegations to the other conferences referred to in No. 324 above shall be by means of instruments signed by the Head of State, by the Head of Government, by the Minister for Foreign Affairs or by the Minister responsible for questions dealt with during the conference.

327
PP-98

3) Subject to confirmation prior to the signature of the Final Acts, by one of the authorities mentioned in Nos. 325 or 326 above, a delegation may be provisionally accredited by the head of the diplomatic mission of the Member State concerned to the host government. In the case of a conference held in the Swiss Confederation, a delegation may also be provisionally accredited by the head of the permanent delegation of the Member State concerned to the United Nations Office at Geneva.

328

3 Credentials shall be accepted if they are signed by one of the competent authorities mentioned in Nos. 325 to 327 above, and fulfil one of the following criteria:

329

– they confer full powers on the delegation;

330

– they authorize the delegation to represent its government, without restrictions;

331

– they give the delegation, or certain members thereof, the right to sign the Final Acts.

332
PP-98

4 1) A delegation whose credentials are found to be in order by the Plenary Meeting shall be entitled to exercise the right to vote of the Member State concerned, subject to the provisions of Nos. 169 and 210 of the Constitution, and to sign the final acts.

333

2) A delegation whose credentials are found not to be in order by the Plenary Meeting shall not be entitled to exercise the right to vote or to sign the Final Acts until the situation has been rectified.

334
PP-98
PP-02

5 Credentials shall be deposited with the secretariat of the conference as early as possible; to that end, Member States should send their credentials, prior to the opening date of the conference, to the Secretary-General who shall transmit them to the secretariat of the conference as soon as the latter has been established. The committee referred to in No. 68 of the General Rules of conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union shall be entrusted with the verification thereof and shall report on its conclusions to the Plenary Meeting within the time specified by the latter. Pending the decision of the Plenary Meeting thereon, any delegation shall be entitled to participate in the conference and to exercise the right to vote of the Member State concerned.

335
PP-98

6 As a general rule, Member States should endeavour to send their own delegations to conferences of the Union. However, if a Member State is unable, for exceptional reasons, to send its own delegation, it may give the delegation of another Member State powers to vote and sign on its behalf. Such powers must be conveyed by means of an instrument signed by one of the authorities mentioned in Nos. 325 or 326 above.

336

7 A delegation with the right to vote may give to another delegation with the right to vote a mandate to exercise its vote at one or more meetings at which it is unable to be present. In such a case it shall, in good time, notify the Chairman of the conference in writing.

337

8 A delegation may not exercise more than one proxy vote.

338

9 Credentials and transfers of powers sent by telegram shall not be accepted. Nevertheless, replies sent by telegram to requests by the Chairman or the secretariat of the conference for clarification of credentials shall be accepted.

339
PP-98

10 A Member State or an authorized entity or organization intending to send a delegation or representatives to a telecommunication standardization assembly, a telecommunication development conference or a radiocommunication assembly shall so inform the Director of the Bureau of the Sector concerned, indicating the names and functions of the members of the delegation or of the representatives.

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(SUP)    CHAPTER III

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ARTICLE 32

General Rules of Conferences, Assemblies
and Meetings of the Union

339A
PP-98
PP-02

1 The General Rules of conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union are adopted by the Plenipotentiary Conference. The provisions governing the procedure for amending those Rules and the entry into force of amendments are contained in the Rules themselves.

340
PP-98
PP-02

2 The General Rules of conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union shall apply without prejudice to the amendment provisions contained in Article 55 of the Constitution and in Article 42 of this Convention.

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ARTICLE 32A

Right to Vote

340A
PP-98

1 At all meetings of a conference, assembly or other meeting, the delegation of a Member State duly accredited by that Member State to take part in the work of the conference, assembly or other meeting shall be entitled to one vote in accordance with Article 3 of the Constitution.

340B
PP-98

2 The delegation of a Member State shall exercise the right to vote under the conditions described in Article 31 of this Convention.

340C
PP-98

3 When a Member State is not represented by an administration at a radiocommunication assembly, a world telecommunication standardization assembly or a telecommunication development conference, the representatives of the recognized operating agencies of the Member State concerned shall, as a whole, and regardless of their number, be entitled to a single vote, subject to the provisions of No. 239 of this Convention. The provisions of Nos. 335 to 338 of this Convention concerning the transfer of powers shall apply to the above conferences and assemblies.

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ARTICLE 32B

Reservations

340D
PP-98

1 As a general rule, any delegation whose views are not shared by the remaining delegations shall endeavour, as far as possible, to conform to the opinion of the majority.

340E
PP-98

2 Any Member State that, during a plenipotentiary conference, reserves its right to make reservations as specified in its declaration when signing the final acts, may make reservations regarding an amendment to the Constitution or to this Convention until such time as its instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval of or accession to the amendment has been deposited with the Secretary-General.

340F
PP-98

3 If any decision appears to a delegation to be such as to prevent its government from consenting to be bound by the revision of the Administrative Regulations, this delegation may make reservations, final or provisional, regarding that decision, at the end of the conference adopting that revision; any such reservations may be made by a delegation on behalf of a Member State which is not participating in the competent conference and which has given that delegation proxy powers to sign the final acts in accordance with the provisions of Article 31 of this Convention.

340G
PP-98

4 A reservation made following a conference shall only be valid if the Member State which made it formally confirms it when notifying its consent to be bound by the amended or revised instrument adopted by the conference at the close of which it made the reservation in question.

341 to 467
PP-98

(SUP)

CHAPTER IV

Other Provisions

ARTICLE 33

Finances

468
PP-98
PP-06
PP-10

1 1) The scale from which each Member State, subject to the provisions of No. 468A below, and Sector Member, subject to the provisions of No. 468B below, shall choose its class of contribution, in conformity with the relevant provisions of Article 28 of the Constitution, shall be as follows:

From the 40 unit class to the 2 unit class:

in steps of one unit

Below the 2 unit class, as follows:

1 1/2 unit class

1 unit class

1/2 unit class

1/4 unit class

1/8 unit class

1/16 unit class

468A
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1 bis) Only Member States listed by the United Nations as least developed countries and those determined by the Council may select the 1/8 and 1/16 unit classes of contribution.

468B
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1 ter) Sector Members may not select a class of contribution lower than 1/2 unit, with the exception of Sector Members of the Telecommunication Development Sector, which may select the 1/4, 1/8 and 1/16 unit classes. However, the 1/16 unit class is reserved for Sector Members of developing countries as determined by the list established by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to be reviewed by the ITU Council.

469
PP-98

2) In addition to the classes of contribution listed in No. 468 above, any Member State or Sector Member may choose a number of contributory units over 40.

470
PP-98

3) The Secretary-General shall communicate promptly to each Member State not represented at the Plenipotentiary Conference the decision of each Member State as to the class of contribution to be paid by it.

471
PP-98

(SUP)

472
PP-98

2 1) Every new Member State and Sector Member shall, in respect of the year of its accession or admission, pay a contribution calculated as from the first day of the month of accession or admission, as the case may be.

473
PP-98

2) Should a Member State denounce the Constitution and this Convention or a Sector Member denounce its participation in a Sector, its contribution shall be paid up to the last day of the month in which such denunciation takes effect in accordance with No. 237 of the Constitution or No. 240 of this Convention, respectively.

474
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3 The amounts due shall bear interest from the beginning of the fourth month of each financial year of the Union at 3% (three per cent) per annum during the following three months, and at 6% (six per cent) per annum from the beginning of the seventh month.

475
PP-98

(SUP)

476
PP-94
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PP-02
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4 1) The organizations referred to in Nos. 269A to 269E of this Convention and other organizations also specified in Chapter II thereof (unless they have been exempted by the Council, subject to reciprocity) and Sector Members referred to in No. 230 of this Convention which participate, in accordance with the provisions of this Convention, in a plenipotentiary conference, in a conference, assembly or meeting of a Sector of the Union, or in a world conference on international telecommunications, shall share in defraying the expenses of the conferences, assemblies and meetings in which they participate on the basis of the cost of these conferences and meetings and in accordance with the Financial Regulations. Nevertheless, Sector Members will not be charged separately for their attendance at a conference, assembly or meeting of their respective Sectors, except in the case of regional radiocommunication conferences.

477
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2) Any Sector Member appearing in the lists mentioned in No. 237 of this Convention shall share in defraying the expenses of the Sector in accordance with Nos. 480 and 480A below.

478 and 479
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(SUP)

480
PP-94
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5) The amount of the contribution per unit payable towards the expenses of each Sector concerned shall be set at 1/5 of the contributory unit of the Member States. These contributions shall be considered as Union income. They shall bear interest in accordance with the provisions of No. 474 above.

480A
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5 bis) When a Sector Member contributes to defraying the expenses of the Union under No. 159A of the Constitution, the Sector for which the contribution is made should be identified.

480B
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5 ter) Under exceptional circumstances, the Council may authorize a reduction in the number of contributory units when so requested by a Sector Member which has established that it can no longer maintain its contribution at the class originally chosen.

481 to 483
PP-98

(SUP)

483A
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4 bis) Associates as described in No. 241A of this Convention shall share in defraying the expenses of the Sector and the study group and subordinate groups in which they participate, as determined by the Council.

484
PP-94
PP-98

5 The Council shall determine criteria for the application of cost recovery for some products and services of the Union.

485
PP-94

6 The Union shall maintain a reserve account in order to provide working capital to meet essential expenditures and to maintain sufficient cash reserves to avoid resorting to loans as far as possible. The amount of the reserve account shall be fixed annually by the Council on the basis of expected requirements. At the end of each biennial budgetary period all budget credits which have not been expended or encumbered will be placed in the reserve account. Other details of this account are described in the Financial Regulations.

486
PP-94

7 1) The Secretary-General may, in agreement with the Coordination Committee, accept voluntary contributions in cash or kind, provided that the conditions attached to such voluntary contributions are consistent, as appropriate, with the purposes and programmes of the Union and with the programmes adopted by a conference and in conformity with the Financial Regulations, which shall contain special provisions for the acceptance and use of such voluntary contributions.

487
PP-94

2) Such voluntary contributions shall be reported by the Secretary-General to the Council in the financial operating report as well as in a summary indicating for each case the origin, proposed use and action taken with respect to each voluntary contribution.

ARTICLE 34

Financial Responsibilities of Conferences

488

1 Before adopting proposals or taking decisions with financial implications, the conferences of the Union shall take account of all the Union’s budgetary provisions with a view to ensuring that they will not result in expenses beyond the credits which the Council is empowered to authorize.

489

2 No decision of a conference shall be put into effect if it will result in a direct or indirect increase in expenses beyond the credits that the Council is empowered to authorize.

ARTICLE 35

Languages

490
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1 1) Languages other than those mentioned in the relevant provisions of Article 29 of the Constitution may be used:

491
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if an application is made to the Secretary-General to provide for the use of an additional language or languages, oral or written, on a permanent or an ad hoc basis, provided that the additional cost so incurred shall be borne by those Member States which have made or supported the application;

492
PP-98

b) if, at conferences and meetings of the Union, after informing the Secretary-General or the Director of the Bureau concerned, any delegation itself makes arrangements at its own expense for oral translation from its own language into any one of the languages referred to in the relevant provision of Article 29 of the Constitution.

493
PP-98

2) In the case provided for in No. 491 above, the Secretary-General shall comply to the extent practicable with the application, having first obtained from the Member States concerned an undertaking that the cost incurred will be duly repaid by them to the Union.

494

3) In the case provided for in No. 492 above, the delegation concerned may, furthermore, if it wishes, arrange at its own expense for oral translation into its own language from one of the languages referred to in the relevant provision of Article 29 of the Constitution.

495
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2 Any of the documents referred to in the relevant provisions of Article 29 of the Constitution may be published in languages other than those specified therein, provided that the Member States requesting such publication undertake to defray the whole of the cost of translation and publication involved.

CHAPTER V

Various Provisions Related to the Operation
of Telecommunication Services

ARTICLE 36

Charges and Free Services

496

The provisions regarding charges for telecommunications and the various cases in which free services are accorded are set forth in the Administrative Regulations.

ARTICLE 37

Rendering and Settlement of Accounts

497
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1 The settlement of international accounts shall be regarded as current transactions and shall be effected in accordance with the current international obligations of the Member States and Sector Members concerned in those cases where their governments have concluded arrangements on this subject. Where no such arrangements have been concluded, and in the absence of special agreements made under Article 42 of the Constitution, these settlements shall be effected in accordance with the Administrative Regulations.

498
PP-98

2 Administrations of Member States and Sector Members which operate international telecommunication services shall come to an agreement with regard to the amount of their debits and credits.

499

3 The statement of accounts with respect to debits and credits referred to in No. 498 above shall be drawn up in accordance with the provisions of the Administrative Regulations, unless special arrangements have been concluded between the parties concerned.

ARTICLE 38

Monetary Unit

500
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In the absence of special arrangements concluded between Member States, the monetary unit to be used in the composition of accounting rates for international telecommunication services and in the establishment of international accounts shall be:

– either the monetary unit of the International Monetary Fund

– or the gold franc,

both as defined in the Administrative Regulations. The provisions for application are contained in Appendix 1 to the International Telecommunication Regulations.

ARTICLE 39

Intercommunication

501

1 Stations performing radiocommunication in the mobile service shall be bound, within the limits of their normal employment, to exchange radiocommunications reciprocally without distinction as to the radio system adopted by them.

502

2 Nevertheless, in order not to impede scientific progress, the provisions of No. 501 above shall not prevent the use of a radio system incapable of communicating with other systems, provided that such incapacity is due to the specific nature of such system and is not the result of devices adopted solely with the object of preventing intercommunication.

503

3 Notwithstanding the provisions of No. 501 above, a station may be assigned to a restricted international service of telecommunication, determined by the purpose of such service, or by other circumstances independent of the system used.

ARTICLE 40

Secret Language

504

1 Government telegrams and service telegrams may be expressed in secret language in all relations.

505
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2 Private telegrams in secret language may be admitted between all Member States with the exception of those which have previously notified, through the Secretary-General, that they do not admit this language for that category of correspondence.

506
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3 Member States which do not admit private telegrams in secret language originating in or destined for their own territory must let them pass in transit, except in the case of suspension of service provided for in Article 35 of the Constitution.

CHAPTER VI

Arbitration and Amendment

ARTICLE 41

Arbitration: Procedure
(see Article 56 of the Constitution)

507

1 The party which appeals to arbitration shall initiate the arbitration procedure by transmitting to the other party to the dispute a notice of the submission of the dispute to arbitration.

508

2 The parties shall decide by agreement whether the arbitration is to be entrusted to individuals, administrations or governments. If within one month after notice of submission of the dispute to arbitration, the parties have been unable to agree upon this point, the arbitration shall be entrusted to governments.

509

3 If arbitration is to be entrusted to individuals, the arbitrators must neither be nationals of a State party to the dispute, nor have their domicile in the States parties to the dispute, nor be employed in their service.

510
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4 If arbitration is to be entrusted to governments, or to administrations thereof, these must be chosen from among the Member States which are not involved in the dispute, but which are parties to the agreement, the application of which caused the dispute.

511

5 Within three months from the date of receipt of the notification of the submission of the dispute to arbitration, each of the two parties to the dispute shall appoint an arbitrator.

512

6 If more than two parties are involved in the dispute, an arbitrator shall be appointed in accordance with the procedure set forth in Nos. 510 and 511 above, by each of the two groups of parties having a common position in the dispute.

513

7 The two arbitrators thus appointed shall choose a third arbitrator who, if the first two arbitrators are individuals and not governments or administrations, must fulfil the conditions indicated in No. 509 above, and in addition must not be of the same nationality as either of the other two arbitrators. Failing an agreement between the two arbitrators as to the choice of a third arbitrator, each of these two arbitrators shall nominate a third arbitrator who is in no way concerned in the dispute. The Secretary-General shall then draw lots in order to select the third arbitrator.

514

8 The parties to the dispute may agree to have their dispute settled by a single arbitrator appointed by agreement; or alternatively, each party may nominate an arbitrator, and request the Secretary-General to draw lots to decide which of the persons so nominated is to act as the single arbitrator.

515

9 The arbitrator or arbitrators shall be free to decide upon the venue and the rules of procedure to be applied to the arbitration.

516

10 The decision of the single arbitrator shall be final and binding upon the parties to the dispute. If the arbitration is entrusted to more than one arbitrator, the decision made by the majority vote of the arbitrators shall be final and binding upon the parties.

517

11 Each party shall bear the expense it has incurred in the investigation and presentation of the arbitration. The costs of arbitration other than those incurred by the parties themselves shall be divided equally between the parties to the dispute.

518

12 The Union shall furnish all information relating to the dispute which the arbitrator or arbitrators may need. If the parties to the dispute so agree, the decision of the arbitrator or arbitrators shall be communicated to the Secretary-General for future reference purposes.

ARTICLE 42

Provisions for Amending this Convention

519
PP-98

1 Any Member State may propose any amendment to this Convention. Any such proposal shall, in order to ensure its timely transmission to, and consideration by, all the Member States, reach the Secretary-General not later than eight months prior to the opening date fixed for the Plenipotentiary Conference. The Secretary-General shall, as soon as possible, but not later than six months prior to the latter date, forward any such proposal to all the Member States.

520
PP-98

2 Any proposed modification to any amendment submitted in accordance with No. 519 above may, however, be submitted at any time by a Member State or by its delegation at the Plenipotentiary Conference.

521

3 The quorum required at any Plenary Meeting of the Plenipotentiary Conference for consideration of any proposal for amending this Convention or modification thereto shall consist of more than one half of the delegations accredited to the Plenipotentiary Conference.

522

4 To be adopted, any proposed modification to a proposed amendment as well as the proposal as a whole, whether or not modified, shall be approved, at a Plenary Meeting, by more than half of the delegations accredited to the Plenipotentiary Conference which have the right to vote.

523
PP-98
PP-02

5 Unless specified otherwise in the preceding paragraphs of this Article, which shall prevail, the General Rules of conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union shall apply.

524
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6 Any amendments to this Convention adopted by a plenipotentiary conference shall, as a whole and in the form of one single amending instrument, enter into force at a date fixed by the conference between Member States having deposited before that date their instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval of, or accession to, both this Convention and the amending instrument. Ratification, acceptance or approval of, or accession to, only a part of such an amending instrument shall be excluded.

525

7 Notwithstanding No. 524 above, the Plenipotentiary Conference may decide that an amendment to this Convention is necessary for the proper implementation of an amendment to the Constitution. In that case, the amendment to this Convention shall not enter into force prior to the entry into force of the amendment to the Constitution.

526
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8 The Secretary-General shall notify all Member States of the deposit of each instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.

527

9 After entry into force of any such amending instrument, ratification, acceptance, approval or accession in accordance with Articles 52 and 53 of the Constitution shall apply to this Convention as amended.

528

10 After the entry into force of any such amending instrument, the Secretary-General shall register it with the Secretariat of the United Nations, in accordance with the provisions of Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations. No. 241 of the Constitution shall also apply to any such amending instrument.

ANNEX

Definition of Certain Terms Used in this Convention and the Administrative Regulations of the International Telecommunication Union

1000

For the purpose of the above instruments of the Union, the following terms shall have the meanings defined below:

1001

Expert: A person sent by either:

a) the Government or the administration of his country, or

b) an entity or an organization authorized in accordance with Article 19 of this Convention, or

c) an international organization

to participate in tasks of the Union relevant to his area of professional competence.

1002
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Observer: A person sent by a Member State, organization, agency or entity to attend a conference, assembly or meeting of the Union or the Council, without the right to vote and in accordance with the relevant provisions of the basic texts of the Union.

1003

Mobile Service: A radiocommunication service between mobile and land stations, or between mobile stations.

1004

Scientific or Industrial Organization: Any organization, other than a governmental establishment or agency, which is engaged in the study of telecommunication problems or in the design or manufacture of equipment intended for telecommunication services.

1005

Radiocommunication: Telecommunication by means of radio waves.

Note 1: Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequencies arbitrarily lower than 3 000 GHz, propagated in space without artificial guide.

Note 2: For the requirements of Nos. 149 to 154 of this Convention, the term "radiocommunication" also includes telecommunications using electromagnetic waves of frequencies above 3 000 GHz, propagated in space without artificial guide.

1006

Service Telecommunication: A telecommunication that relates to public international telecommunications and that is exchanged among the following:

– administrations,

– recognized operating agencies, and

– the Chairman of the Council, the Secretary-General, the Deputy Secretary-General, the Directors of the Bureaux, the members of the Radio Regulations Board, and other representatives or authorized officials of the Union, including those working on official matters outside the seat of the Union.

GENERAL RULES OF CONFERENCES,
ASSEMBLIES AND MEETINGS OF THE UNION

GENERAL RULES OF CONFERENCES,
ASSEMBLIES AND MEETINGS OF THE UNION

1

1 These General Rules of conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union (hereinafter referred to as "these General Rules") shall apply to conferences, assemblies and meetings of the International Telecommunication Union (hereinafter referred to as "the Union"). In the event of inconsistency between a provision of these General Rules and a provision of the Constitution or the Convention, the latter instruments shall prevail.

2

2 Meetings of a Sector, other than conferences or assemblies, may adopt working procedures which are compatible with those adopted by the competent conference or assembly of the Sector in question. In the event of inconsistency between those working procedures and a provision of these General Rules, the latter shall prevail.

3

3 These General Rules shall apply without prejudice to the amendment provisions contained in Article 55 of the Constitution and in Article 42 of the Convention.

CHAPTER I

General Provisions Regarding Conferences
and Assemblies

1 Invitation to plenipotentiary conferences when there is an inviting government

4

1 The precise place and the exact dates of the conference shall be fixed in accordance with the provisions of Article 1 of the Convention, following consultations with the inviting government.

5

2 1) One year before the date of opening of the conference, the inviting government shall send an invitation to the government of each Member State.

6

2) These invitations may be sent directly or through the Secretary-General or through another government.

7

3 The Secretary-General shall invite as observers the organizations, agencies and entities referred to in Article 23 of the Convention.

8

4 1) The replies of the Member States must reach the inviting government at least one month before the date of opening of the conference and should include whenever possible full information on the composition of the delegation.

9

2) These replies may be sent directly to the inviting government or through the Secretary-General or through another government.

10

3) The replies of the organizations, agencies and entities referred to in Article 23 of the Convention must reach the Secretary-General one month before the opening date of the conference.

2 Invitation to radiocommunication conferences when there is an inviting government

11

1 The precise place and exact dates of the conference shall be fixed in accordance with the provisions of Article 3 of the Convention, following consultations with the inviting government.

12
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2 1) Subject to the relevant provisions of Article 24 of the Convention, the provisions of Nos. 5 to 10 above shall apply to radiocommunication conferences.

13

2) Member States should inform the Sector Members of the invitation they have received to participate in a radiocommunication conference.

14
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3 1) The inviting government, in agreement with or on a proposal by the Council, may notify the international organizations other than those referred to in Nos. 269A to 269D of the Convention which may be interested in sending observers to participate in the conference.

15

2) The interested international organizations referred to in No. 14 above shall send an application for admission to the inviting government within a period of two months from the date of notification.

16

3) The inviting government shall assemble the requests and the conference itself shall decide whether the organizations concerned are to be admitted.

3 Invitation to radiocommunication assemblies, world telecommunication standardization assemblies and telecommunication development conferences when there is an inviting government

17

1 The precise place and exact dates of each assembly or conference shall be fixed in accordance with the provisions of Article 3 of the Convention, following consultations with the inviting government.

18

2 One year before the date of the opening of the assembly or conference, the Secretary-General, after consultation with the Director of the Bureau concerned, shall send an invitation to:

19

a) the administration of each Member State;

20

b) the Sector Members concerned;

21

c) the organizations and agencies referred to in the relevant provisions of Article 25 of the Convention.

22

3 The replies must reach the Secretary-General at least one month before the date of opening of the assembly or conference and should, whenever possible, include full information on the composition of the delegation or representation.

4 Procedure for convening or cancelling world conferences or assemblies at the request of Member States or on a proposal of the Council

23

1 The procedures to be applied for convening a second world telecommunication standardization assembly in the interval between successive plenipotentiary conferences and fixing its precise place and exact dates or for cancelling the second world radiocommunication conference or the second radiocommunication assembly are set forth in the following provisions.

24

2 1) Any Member State wishing to have a second world telecommunication standardization assembly convened shall so inform the Secretary-General, indicating the proposed place and dates of the assembly.

25

2) On receipt of similar requests from at least one-quarter of the Member States, the Secretary-General shall inform immediately all Member States thereof by the most appropriate means of telecommunication, asking them to indicate, within six weeks, whether or not they agree to the proposal.

26

3) If a majority of the Member States, determined in accordance with No. 47 of the Convention, agree to the proposal as a whole, that is to say, if they accept the proposed place and dates, the Secretary-General shall so inform immediately all Member States by the most appropriate means of telecommunication.

27

4) If the proposal accepted is for an assembly elsewhere than at the seat of the Union, the Secretary-General, with the assent of the government concerned, shall take the necessary steps to convene the assembly.

28

5) If the proposal as a whole (place and dates) is not accepted by the majority of the Member States determined in accordance with No. 47 of the Convention, the Secretary-General shall inform the Member States of the replies received, requesting them to give a final reply on the point or points under dispute within six weeks of receipt.

29

6) Such points shall be regarded as adopted when they have been approved by a majority of the Member States, determined in accordance with No. 47 of the Convention.

30

3 1) Any Member State wishing to have a second world radiocommunication conference or a second radiocommunication assembly cancelled shall so inform the Secretary-General. On receipt of similar requests from at least one-quarter of the Member States, the Secretary-General shall inform immediately all Member States thereof by the most appropriate means of telecommunication, asking them to indicate, within six weeks, whether or not they agree to the proposal.

31

2) If a majority of the Member States, determined in accordance with No. 47 of the Convention, agrees to the proposal, the Secretary-General shall so inform immediately all Member States by the most appropriate means of telecommunication and the conference or assembly shall be cancelled.

32

4 The procedures indicated in Nos. 25 to 31 above, with the exception of No. 30, shall also be applicable when the proposal to convene a second world telecommunication standardization assembly or to cancel a second world radiocommunication conference or a second radiocommunication assembly is initiated by the Council.

33

5 Any Member State wishing to have a world conference on international telecommunications convened shall propose it to the Plenipotentiary Conference; the agenda, precise place and exact dates of such a conference shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of Article 3 of the Convention.

5 Procedure for convening regional conferences at the request of Member States or on a proposal of the Council

34

In the case of a regional conference, the procedure described in Nos. 24 to 29 above shall be applicable only to the Member States of the region concerned. If the conference is to be convened on the initiative of the Member States of the region, it will suffice for the Secretary-General to receive concordant requests from a quarter of the total number of Member States in that region. The procedure described in Nos. 25 to 29 above shall also be applicable when the proposal to convene such a conference is initiated by the Council.

6 Provisions for conferences and assemblies when there is no inviting government

35

When a conference or an assembly is to be held without an inviting government, the provisions of Sections 1, 2 and 3 above shall apply. The Secretary-General shall take the necessary steps to convene and organize the conference or assembly at the seat of the Union, after agreement with the Government of the Swiss Confederation.

7 Change in the place or dates of a conference or an assembly

36

1 The provisions of Sections 4 and 5 for convening a conference or assembly shall apply, by analogy, when a change in the precise place and/or exact dates of a conference or assembly is requested by Member States or is proposed by the Council. However, such changes shall only be made if a majority of the Member States concerned, determined in accordance with No. 47 of the Convention, have pronounced in favour.

37

2 It shall be the responsibility of any Member State proposing a change in the precise place or exact dates of a conference or assembly to obtain for its proposal the support of the requisite number of other Member States.

38

3 Where the issue arises, the Secretary-General shall indicate, in the communication referred to in No. 25 above, the probable financial consequences of a change in the place or dates, as, for example, when there has been an outlay of expenditure in preparing for the conference or assembly at the place initially chosen.

8 Time-limits and conditions for submission of proposals and reports to conferences

39

1 The provisions of this section shall apply to the Plenipotentiary Conference, world and regional radiocommunication conferences and world conferences on international telecommunications.

40

2 Immediately after the invitations have been despatched, the Secretary-General shall ask Member States to submit, at least four months before the start of the conference, their proposals for the work of the conference.

41

3 All proposals the adoption of which will involve amendment of the text of the Constitution or the Convention or revision of the Administrative Regulations must carry references identifying by their marginal numbers those parts of the text which will require such amendment or revision. The reasons for the proposal must be given, as briefly as possible, in each case.

42

4 Each proposal received from a Member State shall be annotated by the Secretary-General to indicate its origin by means of the symbol established by the Union for that Member State. Where a proposal is made jointly by more than one Member State the proposal shall, to the extent practicable, be annotated with the symbol of each Member State.

43

5 The Secretary-General shall communicate the proposals to all Member States as they are received.

44
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6 The Secretary-General shall assemble and coordinate the proposals received from Member States and shall communicate them to Member States as they are received, but in any case at least two months before the opening of the conference, making them available by electronic means. Elected officials and staff members of the Union, as well as those observers that may attend conferences in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Convention, shall not be entitled to submit proposals.

45

7 The Secretary-General shall also assemble reports received from Member States, the Council and the Sectors of the Union and recommendations by conferences and shall communicate them to Member States, along with any reports by the Secretary-General, at least four months before the opening of the conference. The reports shall also be made available by electronic means.

46

8 Proposals received after the time-limit specified in No. 40 above shall be communicated to all Member States by the Secretary-General as soon as practicable, and made available by electronic means.

47

9 The provisions of this chapter shall apply without prejudice to the amendment provisions contained in Article 55 of the Constitution and in Article 42 of the Convention.

CHAPTER II

Rules of Procedure of Conferences,
Assemblies and Meetings

9 Order of seating

48

At meetings of the conference, delegations shall be seated in the alphabetical order of the French names of the Member States represented.

10 Inauguration of the conference

49

1 1) The inaugural meeting of the conference shall be preceded by a meeting of the heads of delegation in the course of which it shall prepare the agenda for the first plenary meeting and make proposals for the organization, chairmanships and vice-chairmanships of the conference and its committees, taking into account the principles of rotation, geographical distribution, the necessary competence and the provisions of No. 53 below.

50

2) The chairman of the meeting of heads of delegation shall be appointed in accordance with the provisions of Nos. 51 and 52 below.

51

2 1) The conference shall be opened by a person appointed by the inviting government.

52

2) When there is no inviting government, it shall be opened by the oldest head of delegation.

53

3 1) The chairman of the conference shall be elected at the first plenary meeting; generally, the chairman shall be a person nominated by the inviting government.

54

2) If there is no inviting government, the chairman shall be chosen, taking into account the proposal made by the heads of delegation at the meeting described in No. 49 above.

55

4 The first plenary meeting shall also:

56

a) elect the vice-chairmen of the conference;

57

b) set up the conference committees and elect their respective chairmen and vice-chairmen;

58

c) designate the conference secretariat, in accordance with No. 97 of the Convention; the secretariat may be reinforced, in case of need, by staff provided by the administration of the inviting government.

11 Powers of the chairman of the conference

59

1 The chairman, in addition to the other prerogatives conferred upon the chairman under these Rules of Procedure, shall open and close the meetings of the Plenary Meeting, direct the deliberations, ensure that the Rules of Procedure are applied, give the floor to speakers, put questions to the vote, and announce the decisions adopted.

60

2 The chairman shall have the general direction of all the work of the conference, and shall ensure that order is maintained at plenary meetings. The chairman shall rule on motions of order and points of order and, in particular, shall be empowered to propose that discussion on a question be postponed or closed, or that a meeting be suspended or adjourned. The chairman, if finding it appropriate to do so, may also decide to postpone the convening of a plenary meeting.

61

3 It shall be the duty of the chairman to protect the right of each delegation to express its opinion freely and fully on the point at issue.

62

4 The chairman shall ensure that discussion is limited to the point at issue, and may interrupt any speaker who departs therefrom and request such speakers to confine their remarks to the subject under discussion.

12 Setting up of committees

63

1 The Plenary Meeting may set up committees to consider matters referred to the conference. These committees may in turn set up subcommittees. Committees and subcommittees may set up working groups.

64

2 Subcommittees and working groups shall be set up when necessary.

65

3 Subject to the provisions of Nos. 63 and 64 above, the following committees shall be set up:

12.1 Steering Committee

66

a) This committee shall normally be composed of the chairman of the conference or meeting, who shall be its chairman, the vice-chairmen of the conference and the chairmen and vice-chairmen of committees.

67

b) The Steering Committee shall coordinate all matters connected with the smooth execution of work and shall plan the order and number of meetings, avoiding overlapping wherever possible in view of the limited number of members of some delegations.

12.2 Credentials Committee

68

A plenipotentiary conference, a radiocommunication conference or a world conference on international telecommunications shall appoint a credentials committee, the mandate of which shall be to verify the credentials of delegations to these conferences. This committee shall report on its conclusions to the Plenary Meeting within the time specified by the latter.

12.3 Editorial Committee

69

a) The texts prepared in the various committees, which shall be worded as far as possible in their definitive form by these committees, taking account of the views expressed, shall be submitted to an editorial committee charged with perfecting their form without altering the sense and, where appropriate, with combining them with those parts of former texts which have not been altered.

70

b) The texts shall be submitted by the Editorial Committee to the Plenary Meeting, which shall approve them, or refer them back to the appropriate committee for further examination.

12.4 Budget Control Committee

71

a) At the opening of each conference, the Plenary Meeting shall appoint a budget control committee to determine the organization and the facilities available to the delegates, and to examine and approve the accounts for expenditure incurred throughout the duration of the conference. In addition to the members of delegations who wish to participate, this committee shall include a representative of the Secretary-General, of the Director of the Bureau concerned, and, where there is an inviting government, a representative of that government.

72

b) Before the budget approved by the Council for the conference is exhausted, the Budget Control Committee, in collaboration with the secretariat of the conference, shall present an interim statement of the expenditure to the Plenary Meeting. The Plenary Meeting shall take this statement into account in considering whether, in view of the progress being made, a prolongation of the conference after the date when the approved budget will be exhausted is justified.

73

c) At the end of each conference, the Budget Control Committee shall present a report to the Plenary Meeting showing, as accurately as possible, the estimated total expenditure of the conference, as well as an estimate of the costs that may be entailed by the execution of the decisions taken by such conference.

74

d) After consideration and approval by the Plenary Meeting, this report, together with the observations of the Plenary Meeting, shall be transmitted to the Secretary-General for submission to the Council at its next ordinary session.

13 Composition of committees

13.1 Plenipotentiary conferences

75
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Subject to No. 66 of these General Rules, committees shall be composed of the delegates of Member States. Unless otherwise decided by the plenary meeting, the observers referred to in Nos. 269A to 269E of the Convention shall be authorized to attend such committees, with the exception of the steering, credentials, budget control and editorial committees.

13.2 Radiocommunication conferences and world conferences on international telecommunications

76
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1 Subject to No. 66 of these General Rules, committees of radiocommunication conferences shall be composed of the delegates of Member States. Unless otherwise decided by the plenary meeting, the observers referred to in Nos. 278, 279, 280 and, as appropriate, 282 of the Convention shall be authorized to attend such committees, with the exception of the steering, credentials, budget control and editorial committees.

76A
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2 Subject to No. 66 of these General Rules, committees of world conferences on international telecommunications shall be composed of the delegates of Member States. Unless otherwise decided by the plenary meeting, the observers referred to in Nos. 278 and 279 of the Convention and observers of Sector Members shall be authorized to attend such committees, with the exception of the steering, credentials, budget control and editorial committees.

77
PP-06

(SUP)

13.3 Radiocommunication assemblies, world telecommunication standardization assemblies and telecommunication development conferences

78
PP-06

In addition to delegates of Member States and representatives of any entity or organization included in the relevant list referred to in No. 237 of the Convention, the committees of radiocommunication assemblies, of world telecommunication standardization assemblies and of telecommunication development conferences, with the exception of the steering, budget control and editorial committees, may be attended by the observers referred to in Article 25 of the Convention.

14 Chairmen and vice-chairmen of subcommittees

79

The chairman of each committee shall propose to the committee the choice of the chairmen and vice-chairmen of the subcommittees which may be set up.

15 Summons to meetings

80

Plenary meetings and meetings of committees, subcommittees and working groups shall be announced in good time in the meeting place of the conference.

16 Proposals presented before the opening of
the conference

81

Proposals presented before the opening of the conference shall be allocated by the Plenary Meeting to the appropriate committees set up in accordance with Section 12 above. Nevertheless, the Plenary Meeting itself shall be entitled to deal with any proposal.

17 Proposals or amendments presented during
the conference

82

1 Proposals or amendments presented after the opening of the conference shall be delivered to the chairman of the conference, to the chairman of the appropriate committee or to the secretariat of the conference for publication and distribution as conference documents.

83

2 No written proposal or amendment may be presented unless signed by the head or deputy head of the delegation concerned. In the absence of the head and deputy head of delegation, any delegate who is authorized by the head of the delegation to act on behalf of the head of the delegation shall be able to sign any proposal or amendment.

84

3 The chairman of the conference or of a committee, a subcommittee or a working group may at any time submit proposals likely to accelerate the debates.

85

4 Every proposal or amendment shall give, in precise and exact terms, the text to be considered.

86

5 1) The chairman of the conference or the chairman of the appropriate committee, subcommittee or working group shall decide in each case whether a proposal or amendment submitted during a meeting shall be made orally or presented in writing for publication and distribution in accordance with No. 82 above.

87

2) The texts of all major proposals to be put to the vote shall be distributed in good time in the working languages of the conference, in order that they may be studied before discussion.

88

3) In addition, the chairman of the conference, on receiving proposals or amendments referred to in No. 82 above, shall refer them to the appropriate committee or to the Plenary Meeting as the case may be.

89

6 Any authorized person may read, or may ask to have read, at a plenary meeting any proposal or amendment they have submitted during the conference, and shall be allowed to explain their reasons therefor.

18 Conditions required for discussion of or decision or vote on any proposal or amendment

90

1 No proposal or amendment may be discussed unless it is supported by at least one other delegation when it comes to be considered.

91

2 Each proposal or amendment duly supported shall be submitted for discussion and thereafter for decision, if necessary by a vote.

19 Proposals or amendments passed over or postponed

92

When a proposal or an amendment has been passed over or when its examination has been postponed, the delegation sponsoring it shall be responsible for seeing that it is considered later.

20 Rules for debates in plenary meetings

20.1 Quorum

93

For a valid decision to be taken at a plenary meeting, more than half of the delegations accredited to the conference and having the right to vote must be present or represented at the meeting. This provision applies without prejudice to any provision in the Constitution or the Convention requiring a special majority for the adoption of any amendment thereto.

20.2 Order of debates

94

1) Persons desiring to speak must first obtain the consent of the chairman. As a general rule, they shall begin by announcing in what capacity they speak.

95

2) Speakers must express themselves slowly and distinctly, separating their words and pausing as necessary in order that everybody may understand their meaning.

20.3 Motions of order and points of order

96

1) During debates, any delegation may, when it thinks fit, submit a motion of order or raise a point of order, which shall at once be settled by the chairman in accordance with these Rules of Procedure. Any delegation may appeal against the chairman’s ruling, which shall however stand unless a majority of the delegations present and voting are against it.

97

2) A delegation submitting a motion of order shall not, during its speech, discuss the substance of the matter in question.

20.4 Priority of motions of order and points of order

98

The motions and points of order mentioned in No. 96 above shall be dealt with in the following order:

99

a) any point of order regarding the application of these Rules of Procedure, including voting procedures;

100

b) suspension of a meeting;

101

c) adjournment of a meeting;

102

d) postponement of debate on the matter under discussion;

103

e) closure of debate on the matter under discussion;

104

f) any other motions of order or points of order that may be submitted, in which case it shall be for the chairman to decide the relative order in which they shall be considered.

20.5 Motion for suspension or adjournment of
a meeting

105

During the discussion of a question, a delegation may move that the meeting be suspended or adjourned, giving reasons for its proposal. If the proposal is seconded, the floor shall be given to two speakers to oppose the suspension or adjournment and solely for that purpose, after which the motion shall be put to the vote.

20.6 Motion for postponement of debate

106

During discussion of any question, a delegation may move that the debate be postponed for a stated period. Once such a proposal has been made, any discussion thereon shall be limited to no more than three speakers not counting the person submitting the proposal, one for the motion and two against, after which the motion shall be put to the vote.

20.7 Motion for closure of debate

107

A delegation may at any time move that discussions on the point at issue be closed. In such cases the floor shall be given to not more than three speakers, one for the motion and two against, after which the motion shall be put to the vote. If the motion succeeds, the chairman will immediately call for a vote on the point at issue.

20.8 Limitation of speeches

108

1) The Plenary Meeting may, if necessary, decide how many speeches any one delegation may make on any particular point, and how long they may last.

109

2) However, as regards questions of procedure, the chairman shall limit the speaking time allowed to a maximum of five minutes.

110

3) When a speaker has exceeded the time allowed, the chairman shall notify the meeting and request the speaker to conclude briefly.

20.9 Closing the list of speakers

111

1) During the debate, the chairman may rule that the list of speakers wishing to take the floor be read. The chairman shall add the names of other delegations which indicate that they wish to speak and may then, with the assent of the meeting, rule that the list be closed. Nevertheless, as an exceptional measure, the chairman may if finding it appropriate to do so rule that a reply may be made to any previous statement, even after the list of speakers has been closed.

112

2) The list of speakers having been exhausted, the chairman shall declare discussion on the matter closed.

20.10 Questions of competence

113

Any question of competence that may arise shall be settled before a vote is taken on the substance of the matter under discussion.

20.11 Withdrawal and resubmission of a motion

114

The author of a motion may withdraw it before it is put to a vote. Any motion, whether amended or not, which has been withdrawn from debate may be resubmitted or taken up by the author of the amendment or by another delegation.

21 Voting

21.1 Definition of a majority

115

1) A majority shall consist of more than half the delegations present and voting.

116

2) In computing a majority, delegations abstaining shall not be taken into account.

117

3) In case of a tie, a proposal or amendment shall be considered rejected.

118

4) For the purpose of these Rules of Procedure, a "delegation present and voting" shall be a delegation voting for or against a proposal.

21.2 Non-participation in voting

119

Delegations which are present but do not take part in a particular vote or expressly state they do not wish to take part shall not be considered as absent, for the purpose of determining a quorum as defined in No. 93 above, nor as abstaining for the purpose of applying the provisions of No. 121 below.

21.3 Special majority

120

In cases concerning the admission of new Member States, the majority described in Article 2 of the Constitution shall apply.

21.4 Abstentions of more than fifty per cent

121

When the number of abstentions exceeds half the number of votes cast (for, against, abstentions), consideration of the matter under discussion shall be postponed to a later meeting, at which time abstentions shall not be taken into account.

21.5 Voting procedures

122

1) The voting procedures are as follows:

123

a) by a show of hands as a general rule unless a roll call under b) or secret ballot under c) has been requested;

124

b) by a roll call in the alphabetical order of the French names of the Member States present and entitled to vote:

125

1 if at least two delegations, present and entitled to vote, so request before the beginning of the vote and if a secret ballot under c) has not been requested, or

126

2 if the procedure under a) shows no clear majority;

127

c) by a secret ballot, if at least five of the delegations present and entitled to vote so request before the beginning of the vote.

128

2) The chairman shall, before commencing a vote, observe any request as to the manner in which the voting shall be conducted, and then shall formally announce the voting procedure to be applied and the issue to be submitted to the vote. The chairman shall then declare the beginning of the vote and, when the vote has been taken, shall announce the results.

129

3) In the case of a secret ballot, the secretariat shall at once take steps to ensure the secrecy of the vote.

130

4) Voting may be conducted by an electronic system if a suitable system is available and if the conference so decides.

21.6 Prohibition of interruptions once the vote
has begun

131

No delegation may interrupt once a vote has begun, unless to raise a point of order in connection with the way in which the vote is being taken. The point of order cannot include any proposal entailing a change in the vote that is being taken or a change in the substance of the question put to the vote. Voting shall begin with the chairman’s announcement that the voting has begun and shall end with the chairman’s announcement of its results.

21.7 Reasons for votes

132

The chairman shall authorize any delegations which so request to give the reasons for their vote, after the vote has been taken.

21.8 Voting on parts of a proposal

133

1) When the author of a proposal so requests, or when the meeting thinks fit, or when the chairman, with the approval of the author, so proposes, that proposal shall be sub-divided and its various sections put to the vote separately. The parts of the proposal which have been adopted shall then be put to the vote as a whole.

134

2) If all the sections of a proposal are rejected, the proposal shall be regarded as rejected as a whole.

21.9 Order of voting on concurrent proposals

135

1) When there are two or more proposals on any one matter, they shall be put to the vote in the order in which they were presented, unless the meeting decides to the contrary.

136

2) After each vote, the meeting shall decide whether or not the following proposal shall be voted on.

21.10 Amendments

137

1) Any proposal for modification consisting only of a deletion from, an addition to, or a change in, a part of the original proposal shall be considered an amendment.

138

2) Any amendment to a proposal accepted by the delegation submitting the proposal shall at once be embodied in the original proposal.

139

3) No proposal for modification shall be regarded as an amendment if the meeting considers it to be incompatible with the original proposal.

21.11 Voting on amendments

140

1) When an amendment to a proposal is submitted, a vote shall first be taken on the amendment.

141

2) When two or more amendments to a proposal are submitted, the amendment furthest from the original text shall be put to the vote first; if this amendment does not obtain the support of the majority, of the remaining amendments, that furthest from the proposal shall then be put to the vote and the same procedure shall be followed until a subsequent amendment gains the support of the majority; if all the amendments submitted have been considered and none has gained a majority, the unamended proposal shall be put to the vote.

142

3) If one or more amendments are adopted, the proposal thus amended shall then be put to the vote.

21.12 Repetition of a vote

143

1) In the committees, subcommittees or working groups of a conference or a meeting, a proposal, a part of a proposal or an amendment which has already been decided by a vote within one of the committees, subcommittees or working groups may not be put to the vote again within the same committee, subcommittee or working group. This shall apply irrespective of the voting procedure chosen.

144

2) In plenary meetings, a proposal, a part of a proposal or an amendment shall not be put to the vote again unless:

145

a) the majority of the Member States entitled to vote so request, and

146

b) the request for a repetition of the vote is made at least one full day after the vote has been taken. This period shall not apply on the last day of a conference or other meeting.

22 Rules for debates and voting procedures
in committees and subcommittees

147

1 The chairmen of all committees and subcommittees shall have powers similar to those conferred by Section 11 above on the chairman of the conference.

148

2 The provisions of Section 20 above for the conduct of debates in the Plenary Meeting shall also apply to the discussions in committees and subcommittees, except in the matter of the quorum.

149

3 The provisions of Section 21 above shall also apply to votes taken in committees and subcommittees.

23 Minutes of plenary meetings of plenipotentiary conferences, radiocommunication conferences and world conferences on international telecommunications

150

1 The minutes of plenary meetings of the above-mentioned conferences shall be drawn up by the secretariat of the conference, which shall ensure that they are distributed to delegations as early as possible, and in any event not later than five working days after each meeting.

151

2 After the minutes have been distributed, delegations may submit in writing to the secretariat of the conference any corrections they consider to be justified; this shall be done in the shortest possible time. This shall not prevent them from presenting amendments orally during the meeting at which the minutes are approved.

152

3 1) As a general rule, the minutes shall contain only proposals and conclusions, together with the principal arguments on which they are based, presented in terms as concise as possible.

153

2) However, any delegation shall have the right to require the insertion in the minutes, either summarized or in full, of any statement it has made during the debates. In this case, the delegation should, as a general rule, announce this at the beginning of its statement in order to facilitate the work of the reporters and must itself hand in the text to the secretariat of the conference within two hours after the end of the meeting.

154

4 The right accorded in No. 153 above regarding the insertion of statements in the minutes shall in all cases be used with discretion.

24 Reports of plenary meetings of radiocommunication assemblies, world telecommunication standardization assemblies, telecommunication development conferences, committees and subcommittees

155

2 Plenary meetings of the above-mentioned assemblies and conferences and committees and subcommittees may prepare any interim reports they deem necessary and, if circumstances warrant, they may submit, at the end of their work, a final report recapitulating in concise terms the proposals and conclusions resulting from the studies entrusted to them.

25 Approval of minutes of plenary meetings of plenipotentiary conferences, radiocommunication conferences and world conferences on international telecommunications, and reports

156

1 1) As a general rule, at the beginning of each plenary meeting of the above-mentioned conferences the chairman shall inquire whether there are any comments on the minutes of the previous meeting. The minutes shall be considered approved if no amendments have been handed in to the secretariat and no objection is made orally. Otherwise, the appropriate amendments shall be made in the minutes.

157

2) Any interim or final report must be approved by the Plenary Meeting, committee or subcommittee concerned.

158

2 1) The minutes of the last plenary meetings of the above-mentioned conferences shall be examined and approved by the chairman.

26 Numbering

159

1 The numbers of the chapters, articles and paragraphs of the texts subjected to revision shall be preserved until the first reading in the Plenary Meeting. The passages added shall bear provisionally the number of the last preceding paragraph in the original text, with the addition of "A", "B", etc.

160

2 The final numbering of the chapters, articles and paragraphs shall normally be entrusted to the Editorial Committee after their adoption at the first reading but may, by a decision of the Plenary Meeting, be entrusted to the Secretary-General.

27 Final approval

161

The texts of the final acts of a plenipotentiary conference, a radiocommunication conference or a world conference on international telecommunications shall be considered final when they have been approved at the second reading in the Plenary Meeting.

28 Signature

162

The texts of the final acts approved by the conferences referred to in No. 161 above shall be submitted for signature, in the alphabetical order of the Member States’ names in French, to the delegates provided with the powers defined in Article 31 of the Convention.

29 Relations with the press and the public

163

1 Official releases to the press about the work of the conference shall be issued only as authorized by the chairman of the conference.

164

2 The press and the public may, to the extent practicable, be present at conferences in accordance with the guidelines approved by the meeting of heads of delegations referred to in No. 49 above and with the practical arrangements made by the Secretary-General. The presence of the press and the public shall in no way disturb the normal conduct of the work of the meeting.

165

3 Other meetings of the Union shall not be open to the press and the public, unless the meeting in question decides otherwise.

30 Franking privileges

166

During the conference, members of delegations, representatives of Member States of the Council, members of the Radio Regulations Board, senior officials of the General Secretariat and of the Sectors of the Union attending the conference and the staff of the secretariat of the Union seconded to the conference shall be entitled to postal, telegram, telephone and telex franking privileges to the extent arranged by the host government in agreement with the other governments and recognized operating agencies concerned.

CHAPTER III

Election Procedures

167

These election procedures shall apply to the election of the Secretary-General, the Deputy Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux of the Sectors, to the election of the members of the Radio Regulations Board, and to the election of the Member States which are to serve on the Council, in accordance with Articles 8 and 9 of the Constitution.

31 General rules on election procedures

168

1) At least six months prior to the opening of the conference, the Secretary-General shall invite Member States to submit candidatures.

169

2) Each candidature shall be accompanied by the curriculum vitae of the candidate, with the exception of candidatures for the election of Member States to the Council.

170

3) Candidatures must reach the Secretary-General not later than 23.59 hours (Geneva time) on the twenty-eighth day prior to the conference. That date shall be stated in the invitation sent by the Secretary-General.

171

4) Candidatures shall be published as conference documents as soon as they have been received by the Secretary-General.

172
PP-06

5) Elections shall begin on the fourth calendar day of the conference.

173

6) Elections shall be held in the following order: 1) Secretary-General, Deputy Secretary-General and Directors of the Bureaux of the Sectors, 2) members of the Radio Regulations Board and 3) Member States of the Council.

174

7) Elections shall be held by secret ballot.

175

8) Elections should preferably be held using an electronic system when a suitable system is available and if the conference does not decide otherwise.

176

9) Whenever ballot papers are used, before proceeding to the vote, one teller for each region shall be designated by the chairman of the conference from among the delegations present. The chairman of the conference shall hand them the list of delegations entitled to vote and the list of candidates.

177

10) Provisions relating to the right to vote and proxy votes are given in the Convention.

32 Specific rules of procedure for the election of the Secretary-General, the Deputy Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux of the Sectors

178

1) a) Elections shall be carried out in three stages, as follows: first, the election of the Secretary-General; second, the election of the Deputy Secretary-General; and third, the election of the Directors of the Bureaux of the Sectors. The election of the Deputy Secretary-General shall only start upon completion of the election of the Secretary-General. The election of the Directors of the Bureaux shall only start upon completion of the election of the Deputy Secretary-General.

179

b) If there is only one candidate for the post of Secretary-General or for the post of Deputy Secretary-General, elections shall be carried out in two stages: first, the election of the Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General, and then the election of the Directors of the Bureaux of the Sectors. The second group of elections shall only start upon completion of the first group of elections.

180

2) The same candidate may not stand for election to more than one post.

181

3) Before proceeding to the elections pertaining to each stage, each delegation entitled to vote shall receive:

182

a) a list of the posts included in the stage, bearing the names of all candidates in French alphabetical order, together with the names of the Member States which have nominated the candidates; or

183

b) when ballot papers are used to hold the elections, a separate ballot paper for each of the posts included in the stage, bearing the names of all candidates in French alphabetical order, together with the names of the Member States which have nominated the candidates.

184

4) Each delegation should indicate the candidate it supports:

185

a) by electronic means; or

186

b) when ballot papers are used to hold the elections, on its ballot paper by means of an “X” in the box against the name of that candidate.

187

5) Any candidate obtaining the majority (see No. 115 above) shall be elected.

188

6) Blank ballot papers shall be considered as abstentions. Ballot papers with more than one box marked, or bearing any mark other than an “X” inside a box, or bearing any mark whatsoever outside the boxes, shall be considered as invalid and shall not be counted. In computing the majority, delegations abstaining from voting shall not be taken into account.

189

7) When the number of abstentions exceeds half the number of votes cast, the provisions of No. 121 above shall apply.

190

8) When the counting of the votes is completed, the chairman of the conference shall announce the results of the ballot in the following order:

– number of delegations entitled to vote;

– number of delegations absent;

– number of abstentions;

– number of invalid ballot papers;

– number of votes recorded;

– number of votes constituting the required majority;

– number of votes secured by each of the candidates, in ascending order of the number of votes;

– name of the elected candidate, if any.

191

9) When, in the first ballot, no candidate obtains the necessary majority of the votes, then one or – if required – two further ballots shall be held after successive intervals of at least six hours, unless the conference decides otherwise, from the announcement of the results.

192

10) When, after the third ballot, no candidate has obtained the necessary majority of votes, then, after an interval of at least twelve hours, unless the conference decides otherwise, from the announcement of the results, a fourth ballot shall be held in which the two candidates having the largest number of votes at the third ballot shall be voted upon.

193

11) If however, after the third ballot, there is a tie between several candidates so that the two candidates to be voted upon at the fourth ballot cannot be selected, then one or, if necessary, two additional ballots shall first be held, after successive intervals of at least six hours, unless the conference decides otherwise, from the announcement of the results, to decide between the candidates in question.

194

12) When there is a tie in both the additional ballots mentioned in No. 193 above, then the eldest of the candidates still in contention shall be declared elected.

33 Specific rules of procedure for the election of the members of the Radio Regulations Board

195
PP-06

1) The total number of members of the Radio Regulations Board and the number of seats per region of the world shall be decided in accordance with Nos. 63 and 93A of the Constitution.

196

2) Before proceeding to the vote, each delegation entitled to vote shall receive:

197

a) a list bearing the names, in French alphabetical order, of the candidates, together with the names of the Member States which have nominated the candidates, grouped into the regions of the world; or

198

b) when ballot papers are used to hold the elections, a respective ballot paper bearing the names, in French alphabetical order, of the candidates, together with the names of the Member States which have nominated the candidates, grouped into the regions of the world.

199

3) Each delegation shall indicate the names of the candidates it supports, up to a maximum of the number of candidates per region whose election is permitted according to No. 195 above:

200

a) by electronic means; or

201

b) when ballot papers are used to hold the elections, on its ballot paper by means of an “X” in the box against each of these names.

202

4) Ballot papers bearing more than the permitted number of "X" per region shall be considered invalid and shall not be counted for the region or regions concerned. Ballot papers bearing any mark other than an "X" inside a box, or bearing any mark whatsoever outside the boxes, shall be considered invalid and shall not be counted.

203

5) After the count, a list shall be drawn up by the secretariat of the candidates in each region in decreasing order of the number of votes obtained. This list shall be handed to the chairman of the conference, after verification by the tellers in the case that ballot papers were used to hold the elections.

204

6) The candidates per region receiving the largest number of votes within the limit of the number of seats to be filled shall be elected as members of the Radio Regulations Board.

205

7) When required, a special ballot shall be held to decide between candidates for the same region having received an equal number of votes after an interval of at least six hours, unless the conference decides otherwise, from the announcement of the results.

206

8) When there is still a tie between several candidates for the same region following the special ballot, the eldest of the candidates still in contention shall be declared elected.

34 Specific rules of procedure for the election of the Member States of the Council

207
PP-10

1) The total number of Member States to be elected and the number of seats per region of the world shall be decided in accordance with No. 61 of the Constitution and No. 50A of the Convention and the methodology adopted by the Plenipotentiary Conference.

208

2) Before proceeding to the vote, each delegation entitled to vote shall receive:

209

a) a list bearing the names, in French alphabetical order, of the Member States which are candidates, grouped into the regions of the world; or

210

b) when ballot papers are used to hold the elections, a single ballot paper bearing the names, in French alphabetical order, of the Member States which are candidates, grouped into the regions of the world.

211

3) Each delegation shall indicate the names of the Member States it supports, but not more Member States per region than the number of countries whose election is permitted according to No. 207 above:

212

a) by electronic means; or

213

b) when ballot papers are used to hold the elections, on its ballot paper by means of an "X" in the box against each of these names.

214

4) Ballot papers bearing more than the maximum permitted number of "X" per region shall be considered as invalid and shall not be counted for the region or regions concerned. Ballot papers bearing any mark other than an "X" inside a box, or bearing any mark whatsoever outside the boxes, shall be considered invalid and shall not be counted.

215

5) After the count, a list shall be drawn up by the secretariat of candidate Member States in each region in decreasing order of the number of votes obtained. This list shall be handed to the chairman of the conference, after verification by the tellers in the case that ballot papers were used to hold the elections.

216

6) Those Member States which obtain the highest number of votes among the candidates from their region, within the limit of the number of seats to be filled for that region, shall be elected to the Council.

217

7) If, for any region, several Member States tie for the last seat or seats, then a special ballot shall be held, after an interval of at least six hours, unless the conference decides otherwise, from the announcement of the results, to decide between the candidates.

218

8) When there is a tie after the special ballot, the Chairman of the conference shall draw lots to determine the Member State(s) which shall be declared elected.

CHAPTER IV

Proposal, Adoption and Entry into Force of
Amendments to These General Rules

219

1 Any Member State may propose, at a plenipotentiary conference, any amendment to these General Rules. Amendments proposed must be submitted in conformity with the relevant provisions of Chapter I above.

220

2 The quorum required for the examination of any proposed amendment to these General Rules shall be as indicated in Section 20.1 above.

221

3 In order to be adopted, any proposed amendment must be approved at a plenary meeting by more than half of the delegations accredited to the plenipotentiary conference which have the right to vote.

222

4 Unless otherwise decided by the plenipotentiary conference itself by a decision adopted by a two-thirds majority of the delegations accredited to the plenipotentiary conference which have the right to vote, amendments to these General Rules adopted in accordance with the provisions of this chapter shall enter into force, for all conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union, on the date of signature of the final acts of the plenipotentiary conference which adopted them.

OPTIONAL PROTOCOL

ON THE COMPULSORY SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTES RELATING
TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION,
TO THE CONVENTION OF THE INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION AND
TO THE ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS

OPTIONAL PROTOCOL

on the Compulsory Settlement of Disputes Relating to the
Constitution of the International Telecommunication Union,
to the Convention of the International Telecommunication Union
and to the Administrative Regulations

At the time of signing the Constitution of the International Telecommunication Union and the Convention of the International Telecommunication Union (Geneva, 1992), the undersigned Plenipotentiaries have signed the present Optional Protocol on the Compulsory Settlement of Disputes.

The Members of the Union, parties to this Optional Protocol,

expressing the desire to resort to compulsory arbitration, so far as they are concerned, for the settlement of any disputes concerning the interpretation or application of the Constitution, the Convention or of the Administrative Regulations mentioned in Article 4 of the Constitution,

have agreed upon the following provisions:

ARTICLE 1

Unless one of the methods of settlement listed in Article 56 of the Constitution has been chosen by common agreement, disputes concerning the interpretation or application of the Constitution, the Convention or the Administrative Regulations mentioned in Article 4 of the Constitution shall, at the request of one of the parties to the dispute, be submitted for compulsory arbitration. The procedure to be followed is laid down in Article 41 of the Convention, paragraph 5 (No. 511) of which shall be amplified as follows:

“5. Within three months from the date of receipt of the notification of the submission of the dispute to arbitration, each of the two parties to the dispute shall appoint an arbitrator. If one of the parties has not appointed an arbitrator within this time-limit, this appointment shall be made, at the request of the other party, by the Secretary-General who shall act in accordance with Nos. 509 and 510 of the Convention.”

ARTICLE 2

This Protocol shall be open to signature by Members at the same time as they sign the Constitution and the Convention. It shall be ratified, accepted or approved by any Signatory Member in accordance with its constitutional rules. It may be acceded to by any Members parties to the Constitution and the Convention and by any States which become Members of the Union. The instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession shall be deposited with the Secretary-General.

ARTICLE 3

This Protocol shall come into force for the Parties hereto, who have ratified, accepted, approved or acceded to it, on the same date as the Constitution and the Convention, provided that at least two instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession in its respect have been deposited on that date. Otherwise, it shall come into force on the thirtieth day after the date on which the second instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession is deposited.

ARTICLE 4

This Protocol may be amended by the Parties hereto during a Plenipotentiary Conference of the Union.

ARTICLE 5

Each Member party to this Protocol may denounce it by a notification addressed to the Secretary-General, such denunciation taking effect at the expiration of a period of one year from the date of receipt of its notification by the Secretary-General.

ARTICLE 6

The Secretary-General shall notify all Members:

a) of the signatures appended to this Protocol and of the deposit of each instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession;

b) of the date on which this Protocol shall have come into force;

c) of the date of entry into force of any amendment;

d) of the effective date of any denunciation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed this Protocol in each of the Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish languages, in a single copy within which, in case of discrepancy, the French text shall prevail, and which shall remain deposited in the archives of the International Telecommunication Union, which shall forward a copy to each of the signatory countries.

Done at Geneva, 22 December 1992

DECISIONS*

_______________

* Note by the General Secretariat: For missing decision and resolution numbers, see list of adopted, revised or abrogated decisions, resolutions and recommendations on page 953.

DECISION 3 (MINNEAPOLIS, 1998)

Treatment of decisions, resolutions and recommendations
of plenipotentiary conferences

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Minneapolis, 1998),

considering

a) that the adoption of a permanent Constitution and Convention of the International Telecommunication Union by the Additional Plenipotentiary Conference (Geneva, 1992) has contributed to the efficiency of plenipotentiary conferences;

b) that, at past plenipotentiary conferences, all the decisions, resolutions and recommendations of the preceding conference have been examined and a new set adopted, even if it repeats, totally or partially, some of the previous output;

c) that the Plenipotentiary Conference (Kyoto, 1994) started a new numbering system for decisions, resolutions and recommendations, independent of the numbering system used in previous plenipotentiary conferences;

d) that these practices concerning decisions, resolutions and recommendations are not ideal, in that they have resulted in certain inefficiencies and potential for confusion;

e) that a new numbering system for decisions, resolutions and recommendations is required in order to avoid confusion,

decides

1 that resolutions of an ITU plenipotentiary conference remain in effect unless they are revised or abrogated by a subsequent plenipotentiary conference;

2 that the final acts of a plenipotentiary conference should also include:

– the full text of new and revised resolutions, together with a list of their titles and numbers;

– a list of abrogated resolutions showing their titles and numbers, but no text;

3 that resolutions should be identified as follows:

3.1 resolutions not amended:

i) a resolution of the Plenipotentiary Conference (Kyoto, 1994) the text of which is not amended by the Plenipotentiary Conference (Minneapolis, 1998) should continue to be identified by its existing number, with the addition of “(Kyoto, 1994)” after the number, e.g. Resolution AAA (Kyoto, 1994);

ii) resolutions not amended by plenipotentiary conferences subsequent to the Plenipotentiary Conference (Minneapolis, 1998) should retain their existing designation;

3.2 new resolutions:

new resolutions adopted by the Plenipotentiary Conference (Minneapolis, 1998) and subsequent plenipotentiary conferences should be numbered consecutively, starting from the next number to the last one adopted at the preceding plenipotentiary conference, together with the city and the year in parentheses, e.g. Resolution BBB (Minneapolis, 1998);

3.3 revised resolutions:

resolutions revised at the Plenipotentiary Conference (Minneapolis, 1998) and subsequent plenipotentiary conferences should retain the same number as before, together with the abbreviation “Rev.”, the city and the year in parentheses, e.g. Resolution CCC (Rev. Minneapolis, 1998);

4 that decisions and recommendations of plenipotentiary conferences should also be treated in the manner described in decides 1 to 3.3 above.

(Minneapolis, 1998)

DECISION 5 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Revenue and expenses for the Union for the period 2024-2027

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

considering

a) the strategic plan for the Union for 2024-2027, including the strategic goals, thematic priorities and product and service offerings of the Union, pursuant to Resolution 71 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference;

b) Resolution 91 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, on general principles for cost recovery;

c) Resolution 191 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on strategy for the coordination of efforts among the three Sectors of the Union and enhancing coordination and collaboration among the three Bureaux and the General Secretariat, with a view to avoiding internal duplication of effort and optimizing the use of resources,

considering further

a) that, in the consideration of the draft financial plan for the Union for 2024-2027, the challenge to use the Union's resources efficiently in order to achieve the strategic goals and thematic priorities in the strategic plan and increase revenues in support of programme demands is substantial;

b) the need to link strategic, financial and operational planning in ITU,

noting

Resolution 151 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on improvement of results-based management in ITU, an important component of which relates to planning, programming, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation, and the implementation of which should facilitate further strengthening of the management system of the Union, including financial management,

noting further

that Resolution 48 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference stresses the importance of management and development of the human resources of the Union for the fulfilment of its strategic goals, thematic priorities and product and service offerings,

decides

1 that the ITU Council is authorized to draw up the two biennial budgets of the Union in such a way that the total expenses of the General Secretariat and the three Sectors of the Union are balanced by the anticipated revenue, on the basis of Annex 1 to this decision, taking into account the following:

1.1 that the amount of the contributory unit of Member States for the years 2024-2027 shall remain unchanged at CHF 318 000;

1.2 that expenses for interpretation, translation and text processing in respect of the official languages of the Union shall not exceed CHF 85 million for the years 2024-2027;

1.3 that, when adopting the biennial budgets of the Union, the Council may decide to give the Secretary-General the possibility, in order to meet unanticipated demand, to increase the budget for products or services which are subject to cost recovery, within the limit of the revenue from cost recovery for that activity;

1.4 that, in preparing the biennial budgets of the Union, the allocation of resources among the General Secretariat and the three Sectors should take into account the importance of funding activities carried out in accordance with the thematic priorities of the strategic plan for the Union for 2024-2027, especially those related to the use of the radio-frequency spectrum, and relevant rules for its implementation;

1.5 that the Council shall each year review the revenue and expenses in the budget, the different activities and the related expenses, as well as key financial indicators relevant for the Union;

1.6 that the Council shall take measures to maintain at the appropriate level all types of reserve funds of ITU intended to ensure the Union's business continuity;

2 that, if no plenipotentiary conference is held in 2026, the Council shall establish the biennial budgets of the Union for 2028-2029 and 2030-2031 and thereafter, having first obtained approval for the budgeted annual values of the contributory unit from a majority of the Member States of the Union;

3 that the Council may authorize expenses exceeding the budget for conferences, meetings and seminars if such expenses can be compensated by savings from previous years or charged to the following year, subject to compliance with the provisions of the ITU Financial Regulations and Financial Rules;

4 that the Council shall, during each budgetary period and with the support of the secretariat, assess the changes that have taken place and the changes likely to take place in the current and coming budgetary periods under the following items:

4.1 salary scales, pension contributions and allowances, including post adjustments, established by the United Nations common system and applicable to the staff employed by the Union;

4.2 the exchange rate between the Swiss franc and the United States dollar insofar as this affects the staff costs for those staff members on United Nations salary scales;

4.3 the purchasing power of the Swiss franc in respect of non-staff items of expenses;

4.4 the interest rate applicable to ITU accounts;

5 that the Council shall have the task of effecting every possible economy, in particular taking into account the measures for enhancing efficiency in the use of available financial resources and reducing expenses contained in Annex 2 to this decision, and considering the possible funding gaps, and that it shall establish the lowest possible detailed balanced budget commensurate with the needs of the Union, taking into account the requirements established by decides 1 above;

6 that the following minimum guidelines should be applied in relation to any reductions in expenses with a view to ensuring the Union's business continuity and performance:

6.1 the financial control functions of the Union should continue to be maintained at a strong and effective level;

6.2 there should be no reductions in expenses which would affect cost-recovery revenue and in funding activities directly linked to the implementation of the Radio Regulations and associated studies;

6.3 fixed costs related to the reimbursement of loans shall not be reduced;

6.4 fixed costs related to after-service health insurance (ASHI) should be maintained at a level consistent with decisions taken by other organizations in the United Nations common system of salaries and benefits;

6.5 expenses in regular maintenance costs for ITU buildings which would be required to ensure the security and health of staff should be optimized;

6.6 the information services function in the Union should be maintained at an effective level, including by ensuring that the ITU website is properly maintained in view of the provisions of Resolution 154 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on use of the six official languages of the Union on an equal footing;

7 that the Council shall aim in all circumstances to keep the Reserve Account at a level above 6 per cent of total annual expenses,

instructs the Secretary-General, with the assistance of the Coordination Committee

1 to prepare draft balanced biennial budgets for the years 2024-2025 and 2026-2027, on the basis of the associated guidelines in decides above, the annexes to this decision and all relevant documents submitted to the Plenipotentiary Conference;

2 to draw up and implement a programme of appropriate revenue increases, cost efficiencies and reductions across all ITU operations so as to ensure a balanced budget;

3 to implement the aforementioned programme as soon as possible,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to provide to the Council, no less than seven weeks before its 2023 and 2025 ordinary sessions, complete and accurate data as needed for the development, consideration and establishment of a balanced biennial budget;

2 to implement, monitor and propose improvements to the risk-management policy, comprising all elements of the systematic and comprehensive risk-management and accountability frameworks, and to report annually to the Council;

3 to make every effort to achieve balanced biennial budgets, and to bring to the attention of the membership, through the Council Working Group on financial and human resources (CWG-FHR), any of its decisions that may have a financial impact likely to affect the achievement of such a balance, and to report annually to the Council;

4 to ensure coherence between the financial plan, the strategic plan, the operational plans and the biennial budgets in the pursuit of the Union's statutory activities;

5 to develop an ITU-wide financial resource mobilization strategy to address the need for additional funding to meet organizational priorities and present it to the Council for review and guidance on its implementation,

instructs the Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux

1 to provide to the Council, on an annual basis, a report on ITU budget implementation for the previous year and anticipated implementation of the ITU budget for the current year and outlining savings achieved through the implementation of each item in Annex 2 to this decision;

2 to make the necessary efforts to achieve reductions through a culture of efficiency and economy and to include the savings actually achieved within the overall approved budgets in the above report to the Council;

3 to include in the above report to the Council a report on extrabudgetary activities and related expenses,

instructs the ITU Council

1 to review and approve the balanced biennial budgets for 2024-2025 and 2026-2027, giving due consideration to the associated guidelines in decides above, the annexes to this decision and all relevant documents submitted to the Plenipotentiary Conference;

2 to authorize the Secretary-General, in accordance with Article 27 of the current Financial Regulations and Financial Rules, in the event that a surplus is achieved during budget implementation, to prioritize allocating an appropriate amount to the ASHI Fund, with a view to keeping the ASHI Fund at a sustainable level;

3 to authorize the Secretary-General, in the event that a surplus is achieved during budget implementation, to allocate an appropriate amount to the New Building Project Fund and/or the Risk Register Fund for the new building, subject to approval by the Council, to finance costs that cannot be financed through the loan agreement concluded with the host country;

4 to consider further appropriations in the event that additional sources of revenue are identified or savings achieved;

5 to examine programmes aimed at increasing revenues, enhancing efficiency in the use of financial resources and reducing the costs of ITU drawn up by the Secretary-General with the assistance of the Coordination Committee;

6 to take account of the impact of any cost-reduction programme on the staff of the Union, and to implement without delay, and preferably as of early 2023 at the latest, a voluntary separation and early retirement scheme, funded to the extent possible by budgetary surplus, but also through a withdrawal from the Reserve Account, for an amount up to but not exceeding CHF 6 million;

7 in considering measures that could be adopted to strengthen control of the finances of the Union, to take into account the financial impact of such issues as ASHI funding and the medium- to long-term maintenance and/or replacement of buildings at the premises of the Union;

8 to invite the external auditor, the Independent Management Advisory Committee and CWG-FHR to continue to develop recommendations to ensure greater financial control of the finances of the Union, taking into account, inter alia, the issues identified in instructs the ITU Council 7 above;

9 to consider the reports relating to the matter, and report to the next plenipotentiary conference, as appropriate,

invites the ITU Council

to fix, to the extent practicable, the preliminary amount of the contributory unit for the period 2028-2031 at its 2025 ordinary session,

invites Member States

to announce their provisional class of contribution for the period 2028-2031 before the end of the calendar year 2025.

(Minneapolis, 1998) – (Rev. Marrakesh, 2002) – (Rev. Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

ANNEX 1 TO DECISION 5 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Table 1

Financial plan for the Union for 2024-2027 – Revenue and expenses

Table 2

CHF (000)

ANNEX 2 TO DECISION 5 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Measures for improving ITU's efficiency and reducing its expenses

1) Regular assessment of the level of achievement of the strategic goals and thematic priorities with a view to increasing efficiency through budget reallocation, when necessary.

2) Member States, Sector Members and other ITU members taking all possible measures to settle/eliminate arrears to the Union.

3) Identification and elimination of all forms and instances of duplication of functions and activities between all ITU structural bodies and measures. Coordination, harmonization and closer cooperation among the Sectors, including optimization of management methods, logistics, coordination and support by the secretariat as well as centralization of finance and administrative tasks.

4) Coordination and harmonization of all seminars, workshops and cross-Sector activities by the secretariat's Inter-Sectoral Coordination Task Force (ISC-TF) in order to avoid duplication of topics, to optimize management, logistics, coordination and secretariat support and to benefit from synergy between the Sectors and a holistic approach to the subjects covered.

5) Enhanced efficiency in respect of the regional presence, including regional and area offices, in implementing the strategic goals and thematic priorities of ITU as a whole, including in the use of local experts and local networks of contacts and resources. Maximum coordination of activities with regional organizations in the rational use of existing financial and human resources, including savings on travel costs and costs associated with the planning and organization of events held outside Geneva.

6) Rational use of staff and savings from attrition, redeployment of staff and review and possible reduction of grades of vacant posts, in particular in non-sensitive parts of the General Secretariat and the three Bureaux and where there is no increased risk of a drop in performance, in order to reach optimal levels of productivity, efficiency and effectiveness.

7) Prioritizing staff redeployment for the implementation of new or additional activities. New hiring should be the last option, while taking into account gender balance, geographical distribution and new skill requirements.

8) The use of consultants should only occur when the relevant skills or experience cannot be found among existing staff and after confirmation of this requirement in writing by senior management.

9) Upgrading the capacity-building policy to qualify staff, including staff in regional and area offices, for multi-Sector proficiency, in order to improve staff mobility and their flexibility for redeployment to new or additional activities.

10) Reduction by the General Secretariat and the three Sectors of the Union of the cost of documentation by, among other measures, conducting paperless conferences and meetings of all kinds and at all levels; encouraging staff to avoid printing of e-mails and documents; reducing the archiving of additional paper documentation; pursuing initiatives aimed at making ITU a fully paperless organization; and fostering the adoption of innovative information and communication technology (ICT) solutions as viable and sustainable substitutes for paper, without any significant decrease in the quality of the information provided to event participants or to ITU staff in the course of their day-to-day work.

11) Reducing to the absolute minimum necessary the printing and distribution of ITU promotional/non-revenue-generating publications, including by using the ITU website to its fullest potential, in line with the provisions of Resolution 154 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of the Plenipotentiary Conference.

12) Implementation of practicable measures for making savings in the provision of interpretation and the translation of ITU documents, including minimizing the length of documents, and in the preparation of publications for events of all kinds and at all levels, without prejudice to the goals of Resolution 154 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022), as well as through optimization of resource use in the language services, including the use of alternative translation procedures, while maintaining translation quality and the accuracy of telecommunication/ICT terminology.

13) Increasing the efficiency of World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) programme activities and activities aimed at achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, consistent with the financial plan and the biennial budget and, as appropriate, through cost recovery and voluntary contributions, in accordance with the ITU Financial Regulations and Financial Rules. Participation by the regional and area offices, in collaboration with other United Nations agencies, in WSIS activities being carried out at the regional level.

14) Optimization of the number and duration of meetings, and holding such meetings with the aid of telecommunication/ICT capabilities. Reduction of the number of groups to the minimum necessary through their restructuring and/or termination of their work in the absence of any outcomes and/or where there is duplication of activities, while avoiding any risk, in particular, of failure to fulfil the strategic and operational goals and objectives of the Union.

15) For new activities or those having additional financial resource implications, a "value-added" assessment shall be made and implemented in order to improve efficiency and to avoid overlap and duplication.

16) Sound consideration of the size of, location of and resources allocated to regional initiatives, outputs and assistance to members; the regional presence, both in the regions and at headquarters; as well as those actions resulting from the outcome of the World Telecommunication Development Conference and the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector action plan, and financed directly as activities from the Sector budget.

17) Reduction of the cost of travel on duty, by developing and implementing criteria in order to reduce travel costs. The criteria should consider and aim at minimizing business travel, as far as possible, by prioritizing the allocation of staff from the regional and area offices, by limiting time on mission, through joint representation in meetings, and by rationalizing the number of staff sent on mission from various departments/divisions of the General Secretariat and the three Bureaux.

18) Appeals to Member States to reduce to a reasonable number the issues raised in order to save on the amount of time devoted to their consideration at all conferences, assemblies and other meetings, and to make broader use of interregional discussions during the preparatory process with a view to a greater alignment of positions.

19) Continued implementation by the Union of the comprehensive plan to improve the stability and predictability of the financial base of the Union, mobilizing the necessary resources and, inter alia, improving the management of internal corporate projects requiring significant long-term investments.

20) Optimization of expenses related to maintenance, routine repair and renovation/reconstruction of the ITU buildings and facilities and to the provision of safety in accordance with applicable United Nations system standards.

21) Increased use of virtual meetings and remote participation in physical meetings in order to reduce and/or eliminate travel to meetings being held interactively online and, preferably, captioned, with interpretation where necessary, including remote presentation of documents and contributions.

22) Use of innovative cross-cutting means and working methods for improving the effectiveness of the Union's activities.

23) Discontinuing to the greatest extent possible communications by fax and traditional postal mail between the Union and Member States, and replacing them with modern electronic communication methods.

24) Continuing the efforts to simplify, harmonize or eliminate, as appropriate, internal administrative processes, for subsequent digitalization and automation.

25) Consideration of further sharing of some common services with other United Nations organizations, and implementation of such sharing where beneficial to the Union.

26) Appeals to Member States, to the extent possible, with the support of the secretariat, to include in their proposals to ITU conferences an annex with relevant information in order to allow the Secretary-General/Directors of the Bureaux to identify the probable financial implications of such proposals in order to comply with Article 34 of the ITU Convention, on financial responsibilities of conferences.

27) Any additional measures adopted by the Council and the ITU management, including measures to increase the efficiency of the internal audit function, institutionalize evaluation functions, assess and minimize the risk of fraud and other risks, implement external auditor, internal auditor, Independent Management Advisory Committee and United Nations Joint Inspection Unit recommendations within the required time-frame for implementation of the strategic and financial plans of the Union.

DECISION 11 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Creation and management of Council working groups

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

considering

a) that the purposes of the Union are set out in Article 1 of the ITU Constitution;

b) that Article 7 of the Constitution states that the ITU Council acts on behalf of the Plenipotentiary Conference;

c) that Article 10 of the Constitution states that, in the interval between plenipotentiary conferences, the Council shall act, as governing body of the Union, on behalf of the Plenipotentiary Conference within the limits of the powers delegated to it by the latter;

d) that Resolution 71 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on the strategic plan for the Union for 2024-2027, identifies key issues, goals, strategies and priorities for the Union;

e) that the Council creates Council working groups (CWGs) in order to prepare recommendations regarding its activities;

f) that Annex 2 to Decision 5 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on options for reducing expenses, includes, inter alia, reduction of the number of CWGs to the absolute minimum necessary and reduction, to the extent possible, of the number and duration of physical meetings of CWGs;

g) Resolution 70 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on mainstreaming a gender perspective in ITU and promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls through telecommunications/information and communication technologies,

considering further

a) that the current Council and CWG schedule has caused considerable strain on Member State and Sector Member resources;

b) the growing demands placed on the activities of the Union and the limited resources available from Member States and Sector Members;

c) that there is an urgent need to seek innovative ways to rationalize internal costs, optimize resources and improve efficiency,

recognizing

that the Council has consistently appointed competent and qualified candidates for the leadership of CWGs, but that there remains a need to further promote and enhance equitable geographical distribution and gender balance,

decides

1 that the decision to create, continue or terminate CWGs is taken by the Plenipotentiary Conference or by the Council, as appropriate;

2 that the Council shall decide to create CWGs based on decisions of the Plenipotentiary Conference and/or for resolving key issues, achieving goals and implementing strategies and priorities identified in Resolution 71 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)[1];

3 that the Council shall decide on the CWG mandates and working procedures consistent with the Rules of Procedure of the Council;

4 that the Council shall examine CWG activities, including progress on the implementation of their mandates, taking into account the decisions of the Plenipotentiary Conference;

5 that, based on the results of the review carried out in accordance with decides 4 above, the Council shall:

i) maintain, terminate or establish CWGs; and

ii) modify or establish the terms of reference (ToRs) of CWGs,

as appropriate, and in accordance with relevant decisions of the Plenipotentiary Conference, as applicable;

6 that the Council shall decide on the leadership of CWGs, taking into account recognizing above, with a view to promoting and enhancing, inter alia, equitable geographical distribution and gender balance;

7 that the Council, when creating a CWG and defining the ToRs in line with decides 3 above, shall avoid duplication of activities among CWGs, as well as between CWGs and study groups, advisory groups and other groups of the ITU Sectors;

8 that CWG chairmen and vice-chairmen can serve up to two successive terms of office where a term of office is the interval between two consecutive plenipotentiary conferences, that a period in office in one CWG does not count towards a period in office in another CWG, and that steps shall be taken to provide some continuity between CWG chairmen and vice-chairmen;

9 that if a CWG chairman is unable to remain in office, a new chairman shall, as a rule, be appointed from among the current vice-chairmen of that CWG, in which case the "partial" term of office shall not be taken into account in any appointment for the subsequent term;

10 that, to the extent possible, the Council shall merge existing CWGs with a view to reducing their number and the number and duration of their meetings, and with the aim of avoiding duplication of effort, and minimizing budgetary impacts;

11 that, to the extent possible, the Council shall integrate CWG meetings into the agenda and time allocation of the annual sessions of the Council;

12 that, if it is not possible to fulfil decides 11 above, the meetings of various CWGs shall be collocated in order to hold them in sequence or back to back in a cluster;

13 that meetings of CWGs shall not be held during major conferences and assemblies of the Union, or during meetings of the Sector advisory groups;

14 that the Council, at its ordinary session before the plenipotentiary conference, shall consider the four-year reports of CWGs and submit recommendations to the plenipotentiary conference on the need to maintain, modify, terminate or establish CWGs for the next period.

(Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] Taking into account the decisions of the Plenipotentiary Conference.

DECISION 12 (REV. BUSAN, 2014)

Free online access to ITU publications

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Busan, 2014),

considering

a) that Article 4 of the ITU Constitution defines the Administrative Regulations (i.e. the International Telecommunication Regulations and the Radio Regulations) as instruments of the Union, and that Member States are bound to abide by the provisions of those texts;

b) Resolution 123 (Rev. Busan, 2014) of this conference, on bridging the standardization gap between developing[1] and developed countries, which recognizes that the implementation of recommendations of the ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) and the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) is a basic step towards bridging the standardization gap between developed and developing countries;

c) Resolution 64 (Rev. Busan, 2014) of this conference, as well as Resolution 20 (Rev. Hyderabad, 2010) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), on non-discriminatory access to modern telecommunication/information and communication technology (ICT) facilities and services, which notes that:

– modern telecommunication/ICT facilities and services are established, in the main, on the basis of ITU-R and ITU-T recommendations;

– ITU-R and ITU-T recommendations are the result of the collective efforts of all those taking part in the standardization process within ITU and are adopted by consensus by the members of the Union;

– limitations on the access to telecommunication/ICT facilities and services on which national telecommunication/ICT development depends and which are established on the basis of ITU-R and ITU-T recommendations constitute an obstacle to the harmonious development and compatibility of telecommunications/ICTs worldwide;

d) Resolution 9 (Rev. Dubai, 2014) of WTDC, on the participation of countries, particularly developing countries, in spectrum management, which recognizes the importance of facilitating access to radiocommunication-related documentation in order to facilitate the task of radio-frequency spectrum managers;

e) Resolution 34 (Rev. Dubai, 2014) of WTDC, on the role of telecommunications/ICTs in disaster preparedness, early warning, rescue, mitigation, relief and response, which notes the importance for humankind of ITU publications relating to this area of activity;

f) Resolution 47 (Rev. Dubai, 2014) of WTDC, on enhancement of knowledge and effective application of ITU recommendations in developing countries, which resolved to invite Member States and Sector Members to engage in activities to enhance knowledge and effective application of ITU-T and ITU-R recommendations in developing countries;

g) Council Decision 571 (2014), on free online access to the Administrative Regulations, Council resolutions and decisions and other publications of the Union;

h) Council Decision 574 (2013), on free online access to the final reports of WTDCs;

i) Council Decision 542 (2006), which approved free online access to ITU-T recommendations for the general public on a trial basis, later confirmed on a permanent basis by Decision 12 (Guadalajara, 2010) of the Plenipotentiary Conference;

j) that, according to Council Document C13/81, during the open free online access trial period, income from sales of the Radio Regulations in paper and DVD format in 2012 increased by more than 60 per cent compared with sales in all formats (including online purchases) during the same time interval in 2008 – the year when the previous edition of the Radio Regulations was published;

k) that free online access to the Radio Regulations for the general public, as indicated in Council Documents C13/21, C13/81 and C14/21, had no negative financial impact in 2012 and 2013;

l) the provisions of the WSIS+10 Statement on the implementation of WSIS outcomes and the WSIS+10 Vision for WSIS beyond 2015, adopted at the WSIS+10 High-Level Event, relating to the importance of free access to international standards, which enhance the efficiency of use of telecommunications/ICTs in various areas of human activity, including further development of the information society;

m) that free access to the basic texts of the Union helps to fulfil the core purposes of the Union, as defined in Article 1 of the Constitution,

recognizing

a) the difficulty faced by many countries, particularly developing countries, in participating in the activities of ITU-R, ITU-T and ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) study groups;

b) the various actions taken by the Council since 2000 to allow free online access to ITU recommendations and to the basic texts of the Union;

c) numerous requests made by Member States and Sector Members with respect to free online access to ITU-R and ITU-T recommendations, various ITU handbooks, the basic texts of the Union and the rules of procedure;

d) that, following the approval of ITU Council Decisions 542, 571 and 574, there was a considerable increase in downloads of all the publications made available free online under those decisions, as reported annually to the Council, thereby raising public interest in the areas and outcomes of ITU's work and facilitating more active participation of different organizations in the work of ITU;

e) that the financial implications of providing free online access to these publications have been reported as minimal, and have been compensated by the increase in the awareness of the work carried out by the Union in all three Sectors;

f) that, as a result of the introduction of free online access to ITU-R recommendations approved by Council-09, the number of downloads of these recommendations increased almost threefold between 2008 and 2010, thus improving radiocommunication experts' awareness of and participation in the work carried out in ITU-R,

recognizing further

a) that there is a general trend towards free online access to ICT-related standards;

b) the strategic need to increase the visibility and availability of ITU outputs;

c) that both of the objectives sought by the trial periods and the policies of free online access to ITU publications have been met, namely: ITU has achieved a great improvement in outreach, and the financial implications for ITU revenues were less than initially forecast;

d) that providing free online access to ITU publications facilitates awareness and participation of developing countries in the work of the Union;

e) that, regarding the instruments of ITU that are intended to be incorporated in national law, Member States have de facto freedom to reproduce, translate and publish such texts on official government department websites as well as in official journals or equivalent publications, in accordance with their respective national law,

noting

a) that increased involvement in ITU activities is a fundamental step towards enhanced capacity building and ICT development potential in developing countries, which will lead to a reduction of the digital divide;

b) that, in order to increase, improve and facilitate the participation of Member States and Sector Members from developing countries in ITU activities, these members need to be capable of interpreting and implementing ITU technical publications, the basic texts of the Union and the instruments of the Union;

c) that an efficient way to ensure that developing countries have access to ITU publications is to provide them free of charge online,

noting further

that providing free online access to ITU publications will reduce the demand for paper copies of these documents, which converges with the current ITU trend of soft format and of organizing paperless meetings, and with the overall goal of the United Nations to reduce paper usage and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,

decides

1 to provide free online access for the general public, on a permanent basis, to ITU-R, ITU-T and ITU-D recommendations and reports; ITU-R handbooks on radio-frequency spectrum management[2]; ITU publications concerning the use of telecommunications/ICTs for ensuring disaster preparedness, early warning, rescue, mitigation, relief and response; the International Telecommunication Regulations; the Radio Regulations; the Rules of Procedure; the basic texts of the Union (Constitution, Convention, General Rules of conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union, decisions, resolutions and recommendations); the final acts of plenipotentiary conferences; the final reports of WTDCs; the ITU Council resolutions and decisions; the final acts of world and regional radiocommunication conferences; and the final acts of world conferences on international telecommunications;

2 that paper copies of all ITU publications listed under decides 1 above will continue to be charged for on the basis of a two-tier pricing policy, whereby Member States, Sector Members and Associates pay a price based on cost recovery, whereas for all others, i.e. non-members, a "market price"[3] shall be set,

instructs the Secretary-General

to prepare a report on an ongoing basis on sales and free downloads of ITU publications, software and databases, and to present this report annually to the Council, detailing the following aspects:

– total sales and free downloads per year, covering last five years, beginning in 2009;

– comparison between sales of paper copies and free downloads of electronic copies, per year;

– sales and free downloads by country and by member category,

instructs the Council

to examine the report of the Secretary-General and to decide on policies for further improving access to ITU publications, software and databases.

(Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

[2] These include the ITU-R Handbooks on National Spectrum Management, Computer Aided Techniques for Spectrum Management, and Spectrum Monitoring.

[3] The term "market price" is defined as the price determined by the Sales and Marketing Division, which is established to maximize revenues without being so high as to discourage sales.

DECISION 14 (BUSAN, 2014)

Use of hyperlinks in ITU documents

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Busan, 2014),

considering

Document C09/36, which contains a report by the Secretary-General addressing the use of hyperlinks in ITU documents,

taking into account

the endorsement by the ITU Council[1] of the recommendations contained in the above report,

decides

that final documents submitted for approval shall not contain hyperlinks other than, where appropriate, internal hyperlinks to documents or parts of documents that are stable and have already been approved by the competent organ of the Union, and that the inclusion of an internal hyperlink in a document submitted for approval should not result in implicit approval of the content of the hyperlink's target; rather, any approval must be explicit (this procedure is not applicable to study groups).

(Busan, 2014)

[1] See § 12.3 of Document C09/90, 22 October 2009.

RESOLUTIONS*

_______________

* Note by the General Secretariat: For missing decision and resolution numbers, see list of adopted, revised or abrogated decisions, resolutions and recommendations on page 953.

RESOLUTION 2 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

World telecommunication/information and communication technology policy forum

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

considering

a) relevant resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA);

b) the WSIS+10 Statement on the implementation of World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) outcomes and the WSIS+10 Vision for WSIS beyond 2015, which were adopted at the ITU coordinated WSIS+10 High-Level Event (Geneva, 2014), based on the Multistakeholder Preparatory Platform process, together with other United Nations agencies and inclusive of all WSIS stakeholders, were endorsed by the Plenipotentiary Conference (Busan, 2014) and were submitted to the UNGA overall review on the implementation of WSIS outcomes;

c) Resolution 77 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on scheduling and duration of conferences, forums, assemblies and Council sessions of the Union for the following period;

d) that the telecommunication/information and communication technology (ICT) environment has undergone considerable changes under the combined influence of advances in technology, the globalization of markets and growing user demand for integrated cross-border services increasingly adapted to their needs;

e) that restructuring of the telecommunication/ICT sector, especially the separation of regulatory and operating functions, the liberalization of services and the continuing appearance of new regulatory players, is possible in the majority of ITU Member States;

f) that new and rapidly developing and emerging telecommunications/ICTs and services hold incredible promise for the advancement of human welfare;

g) that there remains a pressing need for a global framework to exchange information and best practices on telecommunication and ICT strategies and policies;

h) that national telecommunication/ICT policies and regulations have to be recognized and understood, so as to allow the development of global markets which can support the harmonious development of telecommunication/ICT services and technologies;

i) the important contributions provided by Member States and Sector Members to previous world telecommunication/ICT policy forums (WTPFs), and their preparatory process, and the results achieved by those forums,

conscious

a) that the purposes of the Union are, inter alia, to promote, at international level, the adoption of a broader approach to the issues of telecommunications/ICTs in the global information economy and society, to promote the extension of the benefits of the new telecommunication technologies to all the world's inhabitants and to harmonize the actions of Member States and Sector Members in the attainment of those ends (see the WSIS outcomes);

b) of the importance of enhancing international cooperation to strengthen collaborative efforts among the ITU membership, other United Nations agencies and committees, and international and regional organizations to address challenges across the telecommunication/ICT sector in the implementation of the WSIS outcomes and with the objective of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals;

c) that ITU remains uniquely positioned and is the single forum for the coordination of, exchange of information on, discussion of and harmonization of national, regional and international telecommunication/ICT strategies and policies;

d) that WTPF, which was established by the Plenipotentiary Conference (Kyoto, 1994) and successfully convened in 1996, 1998, 2001, 2009, 2013 and 2021, has provided a venue for discussion of global and cross-sectoral issues by high-level participants, thus contributing to the advancement of world telecommunications/ICTs, as well as to the establishment of procedures for the conduct of the forum itself;

e) that WTPF-21 was held virtually, under the difficult circumstances caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, from 16 to 18 December 2021, and was a successful edition of these forums, attended by Member States, Sector Members and other stakeholders, including ministers and deputy ministers as well as several heads of regulatory agencies,

emphasizing

a) that Member States and Sector Members, realizing the need for constant review of their own telecommunication/ICT policies and legislation, and for coordination in the rapidly changing telecommunication/ICT environment, adopted WTPF as a mechanism for discussing strategies and telecommunication/ICT policies;

b) that it is necessary for the Union, as the United Nations specialized agency for telecommunications/ICTs with its leading and unique role in the field of telecommunications/ICTs, to continue organizing WTPF to facilitate the exchange of views and information by high-level participants on telecommunication/ICT policies;

c) that the purpose of WTPF is to provide a venue for exchanging views and information and thereby creating a shared vision among policy-makers worldwide on challenges and opportunities arising from the new and emerging telecommunication/ICT services and technologies, and to consider any other policy issue in telecommunications/ICTs which would benefit from a global exchange of views, in addition to the adoption of opinions reflecting common viewpoints;

d) that WTPF should continue to give special attention to the interests and needs of the developing countries[1], where new and emerging telecommunication/ICT services and technologies can contribute significantly to telecommunication/ICT infrastructure development;

e) the continuing need for allowing adequate preparation time for WTPF;

f) the importance of regional preparation and consultation prior to convening WTPF;

g) that the discussion of issues relating to emerging telecommunication/ICT services and technologies benefits from the participation of all interested stakeholders, in their respective roles,

resolves

1 to hold WTPF preferably back to back with the WSIS Forum, taking account of the need to ensure adequate preparation by Member States;

2 that WTPF, as established by Resolution 2 (Kyoto, 1994) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, shall be maintained, in order to continue discussing and exchanging views and information on telecommunication/ICT policy and regulatory matters, including those related to opportunities and pressing challenges arising from the new and emerging telecommunication/ICT services and technologies, especially on global and cross-sectoral issues;

3 that WTPF shall not produce prescriptive regulatory outcomes; however, it shall prepare reports and adopt opinions by consensus for consideration by Member States, Sector Members and relevant ITU meetings;

4 to share the reports and adopted opinions with relevant United Nations agencies and committees and international and regional organizations for their information;

5 that WTPF shall be open to all Member States and Sector Members; however, if appropriate, by decision of a majority of the representatives of Member States, a special session may be held for Member States only;

6 that WTPF shall be convened to respond quickly to policy issues arising from the telecommunication/ICT environment, taking into account the past practices followed and experience acquired by ITU in the holding of previous WTPFs;

7 that WTPF should be convened within existing budgetary resources and, as far as possible, in conjunction with one of the meetings or forums of the Union in order to minimize the impact on the budget of the Union;

8 that the ITU Council shall continue to decide on the duration and the date, allowing ample time for preparations, and on the venue, the agenda and the themes of WTPF;

9 that the agenda and 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, taking into account the past practices followed and experience acquired by ITU, including in respect of the preparatory process, in the holding of previous WTPFs;

10 that, in order to ensure that they are well focused, discussions at WTPF shall be based solely on a single report by the Secretary-General, and contributions from participants based on that report, prepared in accordance with a procedure adopted by the Council and based on the proposals of Member States and Sector Members, and on the views of Associates, Academia and stakeholders, and WTPF shall not consider drafts of any new opinions that were not presented during the preparatory period foreseen for drawing up the Secretary-General's report prior to the forum;

11 that broad participation in WTPF and operational efficiency during the forum shall be facilitated,

instructs the Secretary-General

to make the necessary preparations for convening WTPF based on resolves above,

instructs the ITU Council

1 to continue to decide on the duration, date, venue, agenda and themes of any future WTPF;

2 to adopt a procedure for preparation of the report by the Secretary-General referred to in resolves 9 above;

3 that the procedure referred to in instructs the ITU Council 2 should include, as appropriate, participation open to all Member States and Sector Members, and online public consultations open to all interested stakeholders, taking into account the past practices followed and experience acquired by ITU, including in respect of the preparatory process, in the holding of previous WTPFs,

further instructs the ITU Council

to submit to the next plenipotentiary conference a report on WTPF for any necessary action.

(Kyoto, 1994) – (Rev. Minneapolis, 1998) – (Rev. Marrakesh, 2002) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 5 (KYOTO, 1994)

Invitations to hold conferences
or meetings away from Geneva

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Kyoto, 1994),

considering

that expenditure on conferences and meetings of the Union is distinctly lower when they are held in Geneva,

considering, however

that there are advantages in holding certain conferences and meetings in countries other than the headquarters country,

bearing in mind

that the United Nations General Assembly, in Resolution 1202 (XII), decided that meetings of organs of the United Nations should, as a general rule, be held at the headquarters of the organ concerned, but that a meeting could be held away from headquarters if an inviting government agreed to defray the additional expenditure involved,

recommends

that world conferences and assemblies of the Union should normally be held at the seat of the Union,

resolves

1 that invitations to hold conferences and assemblies of the Union away from Geneva should not be accepted unless the host government agrees to defray the additional expenditure involved;

2 that invitations to hold development conferences and meetings of the study groups of the Sectors away from Geneva should not be accepted unless the host government provides at least adequate premises and the necessary furniture and equipment free of charge, except that in the case of developing countries equipment need not necessarily be provided free of charge by the host government, if the government so requests.

(Kyoto, 1994)

RESOLUTION 6 (KYOTO, 1994)

Attendance of liberation organizations recognized by the United Nations at conferences and meetings of the International
Telecommunication Union as observers

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Kyoto, 1994),

considering

a) Article 8 of the Constitution of the International Telecommunication Union (Geneva, 1992), vesting full powers in Plenipotentiary Conferences;

b) Article 49 of that Constitution, defining the relations of the Union with the United Nations;

c) Article 50 of that Constitution, defining the relations of the Union with other international organizations,

having regard to

relevant resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly dealing with the question of liberation movements,

resolves

that the liberation organizations recognized by the United Nations may attend at any time conferences, assemblies and meetings of the International Telecommunication Union as observers,

instructs the Council

to take the necessary action to implement this Resolution.

(Kyoto, 1994)

RESOLUTION 7 (KYOTO, 1994)

Procedure for defining a region for the purpose of convening
a regional radiocommunication conference

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Kyoto, 1994),

recognizing

a) that certain provisions of the Constitution and the Convention of the International Telecommunication Union (Geneva, 1992) (in particular No. 43 of the Constitution and No. 138 of the Convention) relate to the convening of a regional radiocommunication conference;

b) that some regions and areas are defined in the Radio Regulations;

c) that a Plenipotentiary Conference and a world radiocommunication conference have the competence to define a region for a regional radiocommunication conference;

d) that, whereas a regional radiocommunication conference may be convened on a proposal by the Council, the Council has not been explicitly authorized to take a decision on the definition of a region,

considering

a) that it may be necessary to define a region for the purpose of convening a regional radiocommunication conference;

b) that the Council is the most appropriate body for defining a region, when such action is necessary in the interval between competent world radiocommunication conferences or Plenipotentiary Conferences,

resolves

1 that, if and when it becomes necessary to define a region for the purpose of convening a regional radiocommunication conference, the Council shall propose a definition of the region;

2 that all Members of the proposed region shall be consulted on and all Members of the Union informed of that proposal;

3 that the region shall be deemed to have been defined when two thirds of the Members of the proposed region have responded in the affirmative within a time period determined by the Council;

4 that the composition of the region shall be communicated to all Members,

invites the Council

1 to take note of this Resolution and to take any appropriate action;

2 where appropriate, to consider combining the consultation of Members on the definition of the region with the consultation on convening the regional radiocommunication conference.

(Kyoto, 1994)

RESOLUTION 14 (REV. ANTALYA, 2006)

Recognition of the rights and obligations
of all Sector Members of the Union

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Antalya, 2006),

considering

a) that the rights and obligations of Member States and Sector Members of the Union are set out in Article 3 of the ITU Constitution;

b) that Article 19 of the ITU Convention lists the types of entities and organizations which may be authorized to participate in the activities of the Sectors as Sector Members;

c) that, except for the provisions of Nos 239 and 340C of the Convention, only Member States have the right to vote, particularly for the approval of recommendations and questions, in accordance with Article 3 of the Constitution,

recognizing

that Sector Members referred to in the lists established by the Secretary-General in accordance with No. 237 of the Convention may participate in all activities of the Sector concerned, with the exception of formal votes and some treaty-making conferences, and in this regard each Sector Member is entitled to:

a) receive from the Bureau of that Sector all the documents which they have requested relating to the Sector’s study groups, assemblies or conferences in which they may participate under the relevant provisions of the Convention and under the working methods and procedures of the Sector concerned;

b) send contributions to study groups, notably those in which they have requested to participate in due time, in accordance with the Sector’s working methods and procedures;

c) send representatives to such meetings, after having announced their names to the Bureau in due time, in accordance with the Sector’s working methods and procedures;

d) propose items for inclusion in the agendas of such meetings, except in relation to the structure and functioning of the Union;

e) take part in all discussions, and assume responsibilities such as chairmanship or vice-chairmanship of a study group, working party, expert group, rapporteur’s group or any other ad hoc group, according to the competence and availability of its experts;

f) take part in the drafting work and editorial work necessary prior to the adoption of recommendations,

recognizing further

that coordination between Member States and Sector Members at the national level has proved to increase the efficiency of the work,

resolves

to invite Sector Members to take part in any decision-finding procedure aimed at facilitating the achievement of a consensus in study groups, in particular in the field of standardization,

invites the world telecommunication development conference, radiocommunication assembly and world telecommunication standardization assembly

to adopt respective provisions in the working methods and procedures of their Sectors,

invites administrations of Member States

to conduct, at the national level, broad coordination among all Sector Members from their countries.

(Kyoto, 1994) – (Rev. Antalya, 2006)

RESOLUTION 16 (REV. MINNEAPOLIS, 1998)

Refinement of the Radiocommunication
Sector and Telecommunication
Standardization Sector

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Minneapolis, 1998),

noting

the report by the Council on the results of the implementation of Resolution 16 (Kyoto, 1994),

considering

a) that ITU should be the pre-eminent global standardization body in the telecommunication field, including radiocommunication;

b) that ITU is the pre-eminent body for efficient worldwide cooperation in the radio regulatory field;

c) that the Additional Plenipotentiary Conference (Geneva, 1992) recognized Nos. 78 and 104 of the Constitution as an initial allocation of work between the Radiocommunication (ITU-R) and Telecommunication Standardization (ITU-T) Sectors and outlined general principles and guidelines pertaining to the allocation of work between ITU-R and ITU-T;

d) that, in application of instructions handed down by the Additional Plenipotentiary Conference (Geneva, 1992), the World Telecommunication Standardization Conference (Helsinki, 1993) and the Radiocommunication Assembly (Geneva, 1993) adopted resolutions that establish procedures for ongoing review and, as appropriate, allocation of work, in order to achieve goals in terms of effectiveness and efficiency;

e) the need to involve all interested participants of ITU-R and ITU-T in this ongoing review;

f) that, when implementing this resolution, questions that may have implications for the International Telecommunication Regulations and the Radio Regulations require a more cautious approach,

resolves

1 that the current process, in conformity with the relevant resolutions of the world telecommunication standardization conference and the radiocommunication assembly which provide for ongoing review of new and existing work and its allocation to ITU-R and ITU-T, shall be maintained;

2 that changes in the allocation of work between ITU-R and ITU-T on matters that may be related to the International Telecommunication Regulations or the Radio Regulations shall not be considered within that process.

(Kyoto, 1994) – (Rev. Minneapolis, 1998)

RESOLUTION 21 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Measures concerning alternative calling procedures
on international telecommunication networks

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recognizing

a) Resolution 20 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA), on procedures for allocation and management of international telecommunication numbering, naming, addressing and identification resources;

b) Resolution 29 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of WTSA, on alternative calling procedures on international telecommunication networks;

c) Resolution 22 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference, on alternative calling procedures on international telecommunication networks and identification of origin in providing international telecommunication services;

d) Resolution 61 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of WTSA, on countering and combating misappropriation and misuse of international telecommunication numbering resources;

e) Resolution 65 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of WTSA, on calling party number (CPN) delivery, calling line identification (CLI) and origin identification (OI) information;

f) that each Member State has the sovereign right to allow or prohibit certain forms of alternative calling procedures in order to address their impact on its national telecommunication networks;

g) the interests of developing countries[1];

h) the interests of consumers and users of telecommunication services;

i) the need of some Member States to identify the origin of calls, consistent with their national requirements, including protection of consumer rights, taking into account the relevant ITU recommendations;

j) that some forms of alternative calling procedures may have an impact on quality of service (QoS), quality of experience (QoE) and the performance of telecommunication networks;

k) the benefits of competition in delivering lower costs and choice to consumers;

l) that there is a myriad of different stakeholders impacted by alternative calling procedures;

m) that the understanding of what is an alternative calling procedure has evolved over time, and how alternative calling procedures can serve persons with specific needs;

n) that some forms of alternative calling procedures, which route voice traffic outside standard international calling and charging mechanisms, are highly used in telecommunication/information and communication technology (ICT) markets;

o) that alternative calling procedures have transformed the economies of both developed and developing countries, and need collaboration between multiple Member States and Sector Members, which should be strongly recommended;

p) ongoing studies and existing recommendations on call bypass within the relevant ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) study groups, particularly Study Groups 2 and 3,

considering

a) that the use of some alternative calling procedures may adversely affect the economies of developing countries and may seriously hamper the efforts made by those countries to ensure the sound development of their telecommunication/ICT networks and services;

b) that some forms of alternative calling procedures may have an impact on traffic management, network planning and the quality and performance of telecommunication networks;

c) that the use of certain alternative calling procedures that are not harmful to networks may contribute to competition in the interests of consumers;

d) that some alternative calling procedures may have an impact on consumers;

e) that national approaches could promote competition, consumer protection, consumer benefits, dynamic innovation, sustainable investment and infrastructure development, accessibility and affordability in relation to the global growth of alternative calling procedures;

f) that a number of relevant ITU-T recommendations, particularly those of ITU-T Study Groups 2 and 3, address, from several points of view, including technical and financial, the effects of alternative calling procedures on the performance and development of telecommunication networks,

aware

a) that ITU-T has concluded that certain alternative calling procedures such as constant calling (or bombardment or polling) and answer suppression seriously degrade the quality and the performance of the telecommunication networks;

b) that appropriate ITU-T study groups and ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) study groups are cooperating on issues related to alternative calling procedures and telecommunication origin identification,

resolves

1 to continue work to identify and describe all forms of alternative calling procedures and assess their impact on all parties, in order to review or develop as needed relevant ITU-T recommendations to address any negative effects that alternative calling procedures have on all parties;

2 to encourage administrations and operating agencies authorized by Member States to take the appropriate measures to provide an acceptable level of QoS and QoE, to ensure the delivery of international CPN, CLI and OI information, wherever possible, and consistent with national law, and to ensure the appropriate charging taking into account the relevant ITU recommendations;

3 to develop guidelines for administrations and operating agencies authorized by Member States on the measures that can be considered, within the constraints of their national laws, to address the impact of alternative calling procedures;

4 to request the appropriate ITU-T study groups, particularly Study Groups 2 and 3, and ITU-D Study Group 1, through contributions of Member States and Sector Members, to continue to study, within their respective mandates:

i) alternative calling procedures, based on resolves 1, in order to update or develop as needed relevant ITU-T recommendations regarding service definition, and their impact;

ii) issues related to CPN, OI, CLI and call bypass and their impact, in order to take into account the importance of these studies as they relate to next-generation networks and network degradation;

iii) countering, combating and addressing fraudulent activities due to number misappropriation and misuse of alternative calling procedures;

iv) operational aspects of interworking between traditional telecommunication networks and evolving and emerging telecommunication/ICT architectures, capabilities, technologies, applications and services;

5 to encourage ITU-T Study Group 12 to develop recommendations and guidelines regarding the minimum QoS and QoE requirements for alternative calling procedures in accordance with its mandate,

instructs the Directors of the Telecommunication Development Bureau and the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau

1 to collaborate on further studies, based on contributions from Member States, Sector Members and other members, in order to evaluate the effects of alternative calling procedures on consumers, the effect on countries with economies in transition, developing countries and especially least developed countries, for sound development of their local telecommunication networks and services in respect of originating and terminating calls using alternative calling procedures;

2 to develop guidelines for Member States and Sector Members with regard to all aspects of alternative calling procedures, based on resolves 1, 4 and 5 above;

3 to evaluate the effectiveness of the suggested guidelines for consultation on alternative calling procedures;

4 to collaborate so as to avoid overlap and duplication of effort in studying issues related to different forms of alternative calling procedures,

invites Member States

1 to encourage their administrations and operating agencies authorized by Member States to implement the ITU-T recommendations referred to in considering f) in order to limit the negative effects that, in some cases, certain types of alternative calling procedures have on developing countries, as well as the impact on consumers;

2 which permit the use of alternative calling procedures on their territory in accordance with their national regulations to pay due regard to the decisions of other administrations and operating agencies authorized by Member States whose regulations do not permit such alternative calling procedures;

3 to cooperate to resolve difficulties in order to ensure that national laws and regulations of ITU Member States are respected;

4 to consider national legal and regulatory frameworks that support alternative calling procedures which aim to maintain acceptable levels of QoS and QoE that consumers may choose, and to ensure the delivery of international CLI and OI information, at least to the destination operating agency, taking into account recognizing h) and k) and considering c) and d) above;

5 to contribute to this work,

invites Sector Members

1 in their international operations, to pay due regard to the decisions of other administrations whose regulations do not permit such alternative calling procedures;

2 to contribute to this work.

(Kyoto, 1994) – (Rev. Minneapolis, 1998) – (Rev. Marrakesh, 2002) – (Rev. Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 22 (REV. ANTALYA, 2006)

Apportionment of revenues in providing
international telecommunication services

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Antalya, 2006),

considering

a) the importance of telecommunications/information and communication technology (ICT) for the social and economic development of all countries;

b) ITU's continued leading role in stimulating the universal development of telecommunications/ICT;

c) the increasing imbalance, under the current circumstances, between developed and developing countries, in terms of economic growth and technological progress;

d) that the Independent Commission for World-Wide Telecommunications Development, in its report “The Missing Link”, recommended, inter alia, that Member States should consider setting aside a small portion of revenues from calls between developing and industrialized countries to be devoted to telecommunications in developing countries;

e) that Recommendation D.150 of the Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T), which provides for the apportionment of accounting revenues from international traffic between terminal countries, in principle on a 50/50 basis, has been amended to provide for sharing in a different proportion where there are differences in the costs of providing and operating telecommunication services, although ITU-T has not obtained any information on its implementation;

f) Resolution 3 (Melbourne, 1988) adopted by the World Administrative Telegraph and Telephone Conference;

g) that ITU, in pursuance of Resolution 23 (Nice, 1989) of the Plenipotentiary Conference and as a follow-up to the recommendation in “The Missing Link”, carried out a study of the costs of providing and operating international telecommunication services between developing and industrialized countries and established that the cost of providing telecommunication services is much higher in developing countries than in developed ones, and this remains the case;

h) that ITU-T has conducted the necessary studies for completion of Recommendation D.140 which establish the principles of cost-oriented accounting rates and accounting-rate shares in each relation,

recognizing

a) that the continuing social and economic underdevelopment of a large part of the world is one of the most serious problems affecting not only the countries concerned but also the international community as a whole;

b) that the development of telecommunication/ICT infrastructure and services is a precondition for social and economic development;

c) that inequalities in access to telecommunication facilities globally result in a widening of the gap between the developed and the developing world in terms of economic growth and technological progress;

d) that the trend is towards falling costs of international telecommunication transmission and switching, contributing towards a lowering of accounting-rate levels, especially between developed nations, but that the conditions for lowering rates are not uniformly present throughout the world;

e) that raising telecommunication network quality and telephone access levels to developed-country levels throughout the world would assist significantly in achieving economic equilibrium and in diminishing existing call and cost imbalances,

recalling

a) the relevant resolutions of various development conferences, especially their declarations on the recognition of the need to pay special attention to the requirements of the least developed countries when devising development cooperation programmes;

b) the recommendation in “The Missing Link” that Member States should consider a rearrangement of their international traffic accounting procedures in relations between developing and industrialized countries such that a small proportion of call revenue be used for development purposes;

c) Recommendation 3 (Kyoto, 1994) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, which recommends that developed countries take into account requests for favourable treatment made by developing countries in service, commercial or other relations in telecommunications, thus helping to achieve the desired economic equilibrium conducive to a relaxation of present world tensions,

noting

a) that the concept of network externalities may apply to international traffic between developing and developed countries;

b) that information regarding the concept of network externalities and its possible application to international traffic may be found in an ITU-T Report;

c) that if the concept of network externalities were found to apply, it might be appropriate, subject to certain conditions being fulfilled, for the apportionment of accounting revenues to be on a basis other than 50/50, with the higher proportion being payable by the developed country to take account of the value of the network externalities;

d) that ITU-T is studying the applicability of network externalities to international traffic,

resolves to urge the Telecommunication Standardization Sector

1 to expedite its work on completing its study on the concept of network externalities for international traffic in relation to both fixed and mobile services;

2 to follow up its work on developing the appropriate costing methodologies for both fixed and mobile services;

3 to agree on transitional arrangements which may allow for some flexibility, taking into account the situation of the developing countries and the rapidly changing international telecommunication environment;

4 to take into consideration the interests of all users of telecommunications as a high priority,

invites administrations of the Member States

1 to make available to the General Secretariat all the information necessary for the implementation of this resolution;

2 to contribute to the work of ITU-T on network externalities, with a view to completing the required studies, taking due account of the legitimate interests of all involved parties,

instructs the Secretary-General and the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau

to monitor and report to the Council on progress achieved,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau

to submit a report to the Council on the implementation of this resolution,

instructs the Council

1 to review achieved results, and to take all necessary measures so as to contribute to the achievement of the objectives of this resolution;

2 to report to the next plenipotentiary conference on the progress made with respect to this resolution.

(Kyoto, 1994) – (Rev. Minneapolis, 1998) – (Rev. Antalya, 2006)

RESOLUTION 25 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Strengthening the ITU regional presence

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

considering

a) the benefits of telecommunications/information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the need to promote their greater availability for all, in particular in developing countries[1];

b) that the development of national and regional telecommunication/ICT infrastructures assists in narrowing the national and global digital divides and achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals;

c) the efforts of the ITU Member States to promote access to telecommunications/ICTs at affordable prices, with special attention to the most disadvantaged, including people in vulnerable situations and in remote and hard-to-reach areas,

considering further

a) the relevant provisions of Article 1 and Article 21 of the ITU Constitution and Article 5 of the ITU Convention;

b) the relevant resolutions and decisions of this conference on the strategic, financial and human resources plans for the Union for 2024-2027 and related matters, including, among others, Resolution 157 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on strengthening of the project execution and monitoring functions in ITU, and Resolution 135 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on ITU's role in the durable and sustainable development of telecommunications/ICTs, in providing technical assistance and advice to developing countries and in implementing relevant national, regional and interregional projects;

c) relevant resolutions and decisions of the main conferences and assemblies of the three Sectors of ITU on enhanced participation by developing countries in the activities of the Union, strengthening the regional presence in the work of the study groups, and bridging the standardization gap between developing and developed countries;

d) relevant ITU Council decisions on the regional presence regarding, inter alia, the report by an external company on review of ITU's regional presence (2020);

e) reports of the United Nations Joint Inspection Unit (JIU), which made recommendations to improve the ITU regional presence and highlighted the need to mainstream regional presence in the strategic plan for the Union and to appropriately cascade it down into the operational plans of each Sector in order to achieve "One ITU",

noting with appreciation

a) the efforts of ITU to implement United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolutions, in support of United Nations operational activities to promote development and assist Member States in their activities to implement UNGA Resolutions 70/1, on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and 70/125, on the overall review of the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society;

b) relevant UNGA resolutions on reaffirming the role and functions of the United Nations development system at the regional level and the need to continue to make it fit for purpose in supporting, inter alia, the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action of the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and the Quadrennial comprehensive policy review of operational activities for development of the United Nations system, recognizing the specificities of each region;

c) that the Inter-Sectoral Coordination Task Force, led by the ITU Deputy Secretary-General, was established to enhance coordination and collaboration among the three Bureaux and the General Secretariat, with a view to avoiding internal duplication of effort and optimizing the use of resources;

d) the efforts of the Inter-Sector Coordination Group on issues of mutual interest, which is composed of representatives from the three advisory groups, in identifying subjects of common interest and mechanisms to enhance collaboration and cooperation;

e) the work being carried out by the Ad Hoc Group of the Council Working Group on financial and human resources (CWG-FHR) on the regional presence review, especially its recommendation to produce and publish a regional presence dashboard so as to allow the membership to access the status of the work plan;

f) the adoption of the ITU Accountability Framework, established to further strengthen accountability mechanisms within the Union,

noting with concern

a) the external auditor's special reports and documents of the Working Group on internal controls, presented to the Council in 2019-2022, recommending actions for more effective management to strengthen internal controls across ITU in order to avoid fraud in the future;

b) the need to improve the number and distribution of staff members at regional and area offices, by duty station and by category,

recognizing

a) the difficulty faced by many countries, particularly developing countries with stringent budgetary constraints, in participating in the activities of ITU;

b) that regional and area offices are an extension of ITU as a whole;

c) that ITU's capacity to hold fully virtual meetings and physical meetings with remote participation, as provided for by Resolution 167 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, contributes to reinforcing the effectiveness of the Union's activities, including project implementation as set forth in Resolution 157 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference,

convinced

a) that the regional presence enables ITU to work as closely as possible with its membership, serving as a channel for executing programmes, projects and activities, disseminating information on the Union's activities, developing closer ties with regional and subregional organizations and providing technical assistance to countries with specific needs;

b) the importance of collaboration between the Radiocommunication Bureau (BR), the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB), the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) and the General Secretariat in order to promote and improve the work of the regional and area offices and mainstream the "One ITU" concept, to serve the membership;

c) that the regional and area offices enable ITU to be more aware of and more responsive to the priorities and specific needs of the regions;

d) that activities within the framework of the regional presence system are based on principles derived from the criteria of coherence, relevance, control, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability;

e) that both the Plenipotentiary Conference and the Council have endorsed the principle that regional and area offices should be entrusted with clear and specific functions, and that, to be effective, the regional presence must have the necessary level of authority to meet the diverse requirements of the membership;

f) that resources are limited, and that efficiency and effectiveness are therefore key considerations for activities to be undertaken by ITU, as well as of the need to consolidate the technical expertise and knowledge of the human resources assigned to regional and area offices, to represent the three ITU Sectors;

g) that adequate online access between headquarters and the regional and area offices significantly enhances technical cooperation activities;

h) that all regional and area offices should have access to the same relevant electronic information available at headquarters, in order to be able to keep the countries of the region informed;

i) that full engagement and commitment from the regional and area offices is fundamental for the successful implementation of the strategic plan for the Union, the operational plans of the three Sectors and General Secretariat, and the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) action plan,

noting

a) that the role of the ITU regional and area offices is to assist countries in the regions in many areas, such as in execution of and follow-up to projects, including ones related to the regional initiatives, bridging the standardization gap, capacity building related to frequency management, updating the regions on ITU activities and strengthening collaboration with regional telecommunication organizations;

b) that there should be greater cooperation and coordination among the three Bureaux and the General Secretariat in order to encourage participation by the regional and area offices in their respective spheres;

c) that there is a need for ongoing evaluation of the resourcing requirement, including staff, for regional and area offices to deliver on their agreed mandates,

noting also

a) that regional and area offices represent the entire Union, that their activities should be linked to ITU headquarters and should reflect the coordinated objectives of all three Sectors and the General Secretariat, and that regional activities should enhance the effective participation of all members in ITU work;

b) the recruitment of United Nations coordination officers in the ITU regional offices, preparing strategies and deepening and expanding coordination with United Nations resident coordinator's offices, the United Nations Development Coordination Office and United Nations country teams, which lead ITU to better engage in the reform of the United Nations development system, and, in particular, contribute to development of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework at country level;

c) that regional and area offices, in performing their respective functions, should seek to avoid duplication of activities and efforts, and maximize efficiency and optimize human and financial resources,

resolves

1 to continue to strengthen the functions of the regional and area offices so that they can play an important role in implementation of the ITU strategic plan, programmes and projects, and the regional initiatives set out in the Kigali Action Plan, pursuant to Resolution 17 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), within available resources, including those allocated by the financial plan and from other relevant sources such as voluntary contributions and sponsorships;

2 that regional and area offices play a key role in facilitating discussions on regional matters and the dissemination of information and results of activities of all three Sectors of the Union and the General Secretariat, while avoiding the duplication of such functions with headquarters;

3 that the regional and area offices should continue to strengthen their relations with regional and subregional telecommunication organizations and with United Nations organizations, through ongoing cooperation, to stimulate the mutual exchange of experience and assistance with the implementation of the ITU regional initiatives and other activities;

4 that the regional and area offices shall be empowered to make decisions within their mandate, while the coordination functions and the balance between ITU headquarters and the regional and area offices should be facilitated and improved;

5 that the regional and area offices should contribute to the annual four-year rolling operational plans of the General Secretariat and of the three Sectors, with content specific to each regional and area office, linked to the strategic plan for the Union for 2024-2027 and the Kigali Action Plan, then set up and continue to publish the annual plan/events on the ITU website for implementation;

6 that regional and area offices shall actively engage in the implementation of the strategic plan for the Union;

7 that regional and area offices shall actively engage in the implementation of the Kigali Action Plan, in particular with respect to the thematic priorities and their respective outcomes, outputs and regional initiatives consistent with the overarching ITU strategic plan;

8 that the regional and area offices shall actively engage in the realization of the outcomes identified in the Kigali Action Plan and shall engage in development of the related key performance indicators by the Telecommunication Development Advisory Group;

9 to foster improved collaboration between the ITU regional and area offices, relevant regional organizations, United Nations agencies and other international organizations dealing with telecommunication development and financial matters, in the interests of optimizing the use of resources and avoiding duplication, and that Member States should be kept updated, through BDT, where necessary, in order to ensure that their needs are being met in a coordinated and consultative fashion;

10 that the regional and area offices shall be fully involved in the organization of all ITU events/meetings/conferences, in close collaboration with the General Secretariat, the relevant Bureau(x) and the regional organizations, taking into consideration the priorities identified by the membership in the regions, in order to increase efficiency in the coordination of such events, avoid duplication of events/topics and derive benefit from synergy between the Bureaux and regional and area offices;

11 that, for the effective performance of their duties, regional and area offices must have sufficient human and financial resources, within the resources allocated by the financial plan, including the technological platforms to hold fully virtual meetings and physical meetings with remote participation and utilize electronic working methods, and also to disseminate relevant information through the various existing electronic tools to their respective Member States;

12 that the strategic goals and thematic priorities identified in the strategic plan for the Union, along with the four-year rolling operational plans of the General Secretariat and the three Sectors, shall be used to review the regional presence, and, where regional and area offices do not meet the agreed review criteria, the Council should assess the reasons and take the necessary corrective actions that it considers appropriate, in consultation with the countries concerned;

13 that, to promote the participation of developing countries in ITU activities, delegates of any developing countries which have made input contributions to ITU events can be eligible for a fellowship if the related budget allows;

14 to strive to increase human and financial resources in regional and area offices for the implementation, inter alia, of regional initiatives, to the extent practicable, within the limits of budgetary resources,

further resolves

1 whenever requested by the Council, but at least once in the interval between two plenipotentiary conferences, to review the ITU regional presence;

2 that regional and area offices need to pay greater attention to LDCs, develop per-country assessments and action plans in terms of telecommunication/ICT development and report to the Council, as part of the overall regional presence report;

3 that regional and area offices shall regularly provide reports to the Sector advisory groups, as appropriate, and inform the Directors of BR, TSB and BDT on regional activities related to their respective Sectors,

instructs the ITU Council

1 to continue including an item on strengthening of the regional presence on the agenda of each ordinary session of the Council in order to examine its evolution and adopt decisions for its continuing structural adaptation and operation, with the aim of fully implementing the mandate and the objectives of the strategic and financial plans for the Union through the coordination and complementary aspects of activities between ITU and regional and subregional telecommunication organizations;

2 to take into account the requirements of the Union's membership and give effect to the decisions adopted at conferences and assemblies of the Union, bearing in mind instructs the ITU Council 4 below;

3 to allocate the appropriate human and financial resources within the financial limits established by the Plenipotentiary Conference to implement this resolution;

4 to report to the next plenipotentiary conference on the progress made in implementing this resolution, taking into account the implementation of relevant JIU reports and recommendations of CWG-FHR, the external and internal auditors, the Independent Management Advisory Committee and the Working Group on internal controls, and Ethics Office reports, among others, including the results of the review of the regional presence referred to in further resolves 1 with a view to strengthening the regional presence;

5 to ensure the effective performance of regional and area offices based on the annual report of the Secretary-General, the results of the satisfaction survey conducted by the Secretary-General, the regular review by the Council, the implementation of the strategic plan for the Union for 2024-2027 and the implementation of the four-year rolling operational plans of the General Secretariat and the three Sectors, and to take appropriate measures and establish guidelines and recommendations for improving and strengthening the ITU regional presence;

6 to consider the outcomes of the review conducted by the Secretary-General and take appropriate action;

7 to continue to oversee the regional presence dashboard, especially in regard to the relevant remaining actions, and provide accordingly any guidance as deemed appropriate;

8 to pay greater attention to the organizational culture and skills gap in the regional presence and provide the necessary up-to-date training accordingly;

9 to consider the possibility of increasing the budget allocated to the regional initiatives, taking into consideration the characteristics of the needs of each region;

10 to continue to oversee the implementation of the recommendations made by an external company on forensic audit for more effective management,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to facilitate the tasks of the Council by providing all necessary support for strengthening the regional presence as described in this resolution;

2 to adapt, where necessary, the prevailing terms and conditions of host-country agreement(s) to the changing environment in the respective host country, after prior consultations with countries concerned and the representatives of the regional intergovernmental organizations of the affected countries;

3 to submit each year to the Council a report on the regional presence containing, for each specific regional and area office, detailed information on how the goals and objectives identified in the strategic plan and the four-year rolling operational plans of the General Secretariat and the three Sectors are being delivered in the context of Resolution 151 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on the improvement of results-based management (RBM) in ITU; the report should include detailed information on:

i) staffing of regional and area offices, including number of staff members, their category of employment and other factors in accordance with Resolution 48 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference;

ii) financial information, including budget allocated to the regional and area offices and expenses per thematic priority and planned output;

iii) activities related to the three Sectors, outcomes of projects, including regional initiatives, events/meetings/conferences and regional preparatory meetings, and attraction of new Sector Members, in coordination with regional intergovernmental organizations;

iv) fellowships awarded;

v) how RBM, results-based budgeting and the human resources strategic plan are being implemented in each regional and area office;

vi) how relevant recommendations from ITU's oversight bodies are being implemented in each regional and area office;

4 to conduct, once every four years, within the existing financial resources, a survey of the level of satisfaction of Member States, Sector Members and regional telecommunication organizations with ITU's regional presence, and to present the results in a report to the session of the Council prior to each plenipotentiary conference;

5 to continue to engage with the United Nations, other United Nations development system entities and Member States with a view to enhancing the system of the ITU regional presence and supporting implementation of relevant UNGA resolutions on this matter,

instructs the Secretary-General, in close consultation with the Directors of the three Bureaux

1 to take measures to further strengthen the regional presence as an extension of ITU as a whole, as well as measures to ensure that the activities of BR, TSB and BDT are effectively incorporated in the regional and area offices, as described in this resolution;

2 to ensure that all planned activities of the three Sectors and the General Secretariat in the regions are consolidated into the parts of the operational plans relating to the regions and implemented under the coordination of the regional and area offices;

3 to ensure the availability of expertise from the three ITU Sectors in the regional and area offices;

4 to ensure that the annual operational plans of the regional and area offices are based on input from the respective regions prior to implementation;

5 to report annually to the Council on the implementation of all activities of the three Sectors and the General Secretariat in the regions under the coordination of the regional and area offices,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

1 to implement the following measures for further strengthening the regional presence:

i) to identify functions which could be decentralized and implement them as soon as possible subject to the Council's approval;

ii) to strive to have in the regional and area offices staff who have expertise in each of the three Sectors;

iii) to review the internal administrative procedures pertaining to the work of the regional and area offices, with a view to their simplification and transparency and enhancing work efficiency;

iv) to assist countries in implementing the regional initiatives in accordance with resolutions of WTDC through transparent project funding mechanisms;

v) to establish clear procedures for consulting Member States, in order to prioritize the consolidated regional initiatives and keep Member States informed on project selection and funding;

vi) to solicit specialized input from the regional and area offices to better inform decision-making and address the crucial needs of the ITU membership in the region;

vii) to provide the regional and area offices with greater flexibility, including, but not limited to:

• functions relating to the dissemination of information, provision of expert advice and hosting of meetings, courses and seminars, as well as availability of all electronic tools required to carry out these activities;

• any functions and tasks that may be delegated to them relating to the preparation and implementation of their allocated budgets;

• ensuring their effective participation in discussions on the future of the Union and on strategic issues concerning the telecommunication/ICT sector;

• empowering them to further contribute to the implementation of key organizational decisions;

viii) to fully engage the regional and area offices in the activities of ITU-D, including those related to the Network of Women, Generation Connect and Partner2Connect initiatives;

ix) to engage the regional and area offices in the capacity-building and development activities in the framework of the ITU Academy training centres;

x) to make the utmost effort for the regional and area offices to support and facilitate the implementation of regional initiatives outlined in the Kigali Action Plan and requests for assistance made by Member States;

xi) to allocate the necessary human resources to regional and area offices, by leveraging staff mobility policy, taking into consideration the characteristics of the needs of each region,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, in close consultation with the Secretary-General and the Directors of the Radiocommunication Bureau and the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau

1 to take the necessary measures to further strengthen the regional presence as an extension of ITU as a whole, as well as measures to ensure that the activities of BR and TSB are effectively incorporated in the regional and area offices, as described in this resolution;

2 to strongly encourage the participation of regional and area office staff in ITU conferences, assemblies and meetings, taking into consideration budget availability;

3 to support the review of the ITU's regional presence as defined under further resolves 1 above;

4 to review and determine the appropriate posts, including permanent posts, in regional and area offices, and strive to ensure that each region has at least one professional with relevant skills and knowledge to act as the focal point for each of the three Sectors, reporting to the regional director, including by training existing staff, while hiring specialized staff on an as-needed basis to meet particular needs;

5 to fill in a timely manner vacant posts in the regional and area offices, where appropriate, planning staff availability and giving due consideration to the regional distribution of staff positions and the knowledge and the expertise in the three Sectors of the Union to the extent possible;

6 to ensure that the regional and area offices are given the necessary priority among the activities and programmes of the Union as a whole, and that, to supervise the implementation of funds-in-trust projects and projects financed from the ICT Development Fund, they have the required autonomy, the decision-making authority and responsibility, and the appropriate means;

7 to take the necessary measures to improve the exchange of information, in a timely manner, between headquarters and regional and area offices;

8 to strengthen the human resource capabilities and provide the regional and area offices with a measure of flexibility in terms of the recruitment of professional staff as well as support staff;

9 to initiate internal consultations within the Sectors and with regional and area office staff to list expectations for the regional presence, and to define the type and appropriate level of contribution from each Sector;

10 to clearly communicate the linkage between the role played by an individual and the achievement of key objectives and priorities of the region concerned,

instructs the Directors of the Radiocommunication Bureau and the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau

1 to continue coordinating with the Director of BDT to provide information on their Sectors' activities, as well as the necessary expertise, and submit requests and/or proposals from regional and area offices, to strengthen cooperation and coordination with the relevant regional and United Nations organizations and to facilitate the participation of all Member States and Sector Members in the activities of the three Sectors of the Union in accordance with the "One ITU" concept;

2 to provide Sectoral regional activities through regional and area offices;

3 to identify focal points from BR and TSB to coordinate with regional and area offices.

(Kyoto, 1994) – (Rev. Minneapolis, 1998) – (Rev. Marrakesh, 2002) – (Rev. Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 30 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Special measures for the least developed countries, small island
developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries
with economies in transition

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

considering

a) United Nations resolutions on programmes of action for the least developed countries (LDCs), small island developing states (SIDS), landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) and countries with economies in transition;

b) Resolution 72/200 of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), on information and communication technologies (ICTs) for sustainable development;

c) UNGA Resolution 72/228, on science, technology and innovation for development;

d) UNGA Resolution 70/1, on transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

e) Resolution 135 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on ITU's role in the durable and sustainable development of telecommunications/ICTs, in providing technical assistance and advice to developing countries[1] and in implementing relevant national, regional and interregional projects,

recognizing

a) the importance of telecommunications/ICTs as an enabler that harnesses the potential of and opportunities resulting from digital innovation which can benefit the socio-economic development of the countries concerned and help achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in UNGA Resolution 70/1;

b) that the vision of an information society and its economic benefits cannot be achieved without embracing the principle of inclusiveness,

having noted

a) Resolution 16 (Rev. Buenos Aires, 2017) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), on special actions and measures for LDCs, SIDS, LLDCs and countries with economies in transition;

b) Output 4.1 of Objective 4 of the Buenos Aires Action Plan for concentrated assistance to LDCs, SIDS and LLDCs and countries with economies in transition;

c) Resolution 1 (Dubai, 2012) of the World Conference on International Telecommunications, on special measures for LLDCs and SIDS for greater access to international optical fibre networks,

concerned

a) that the number of LDCs remains high despite the progress that has been made in recent years, and that it is necessary to address the situation;

b) that the challenges confronting LDCs, SIDS, LLDCs and countries with economies in transition continue to pose a threat to the development agenda of these countries;

c) that LDCs, SIDS and LLDCs are vulnerable to devastation caused by natural disasters and lack the resources needed to respond effectively to such disasters;

d) that there is very limited Sector Member and Academia representation from within the industry and academia of these countries, in particular in the ITU Telecommunication Standardization and Radiocommunication Sectors;

e) that the geographical location of SIDS and LLDCs is an obstacle to international connectivity of telecommunication networks with these countries,

aware

a) that improvement of telecommunication networks and their international interconnectivity in these countries will give an impetus towards social and economic integration across sectors and overall development, and provide the opportunity to create knowledge societies and participate in the digital economy, as well as achieving the 17 SDGs;

b) that enhanced and effective participation of industry and academia from these countries in ITU activities would facilitate development of ICT ecosystems in these countries,

recalling

a) abrogated Resolution 49 (Doha, 2006) of WTDC, on special actions for LDCs and SIDS;

b) that, given that the United Nations recognized LDCs as a category of State back in 1971, which is over 50 years ago, more focused efforts are required to bridge the digital divide in LDCs and other categories of country in order to spread the development of telecommunications/ICTs;

c) that the Doha Programme of Action of the fifth United Nations Conference on LDCs, held in 2022, identified a goal of leveraging the power of science, technology and innovation to fight against multidimensional vulnerabilities and to achieve the SDGs, emphasizing the urgent need to accelerate investment in the development and scaling of innovation and technology solutions for the most pressing problems that LDCs face across economic, social and environmental fields that support their digital transition and strengthen efforts to bridge digital divides,

resolves to instruct the Secretary-General and the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

1 to continue to review the state of telecommunication/ICT services in LDCs, SIDS, LLDCs and countries with economies in transition, so identified by the United Nations and needing special measures for the development of telecommunications/ICTs that contribute to economic growth, and to identify areas of critical weakness requiring priority action;

2 to support LDCs, LLDCs, SIDS and countries with economies in transition in enhancing engagement by academia and industry in ITU, including by disseminating information on ITU activities and considering the creation of a network for industry and academia in LDCs, LLDCs, SIDS and countries with economies in transition;

3 to continue submitting to the ITU Council concrete measures intended to bring about genuine improvements and effective assistance to these countries, from the Special Voluntary Programme for Technical Cooperation, the Union's own resources and other sources of finance;

4 to work towards providing the necessary administrative and operational structure for identifying the needs of these countries and for proper administration of the resources appropriated for LDCs, SIDS, LLDCs and countries with economies in transition;

5 to propose new and innovative measures, as well as partnerships or alliances with other international and regional bodies, that may generate additional funds or joint projects to be used for telecommunication/ICT development in these countries, in order to benefit from the opportunities that financial mechanisms offer in using ICTs for development, as indicated in the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society;

6 to continue enhancing ITU's web-based tools, in an effort to make it easier to locate guidelines, recommendations, technical reports, best practices and use cases developed by the ITU Sectors, as well as identifying strategies and mechanisms to help and allow Member States to proactively use these tools to speed up the transfer of knowledge;

7 to report annually on this matter to the Council,

instructs the ITU Council

1 to consider the reports referred to in resolves to instruct the Secretary-General and the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau 7 above and take appropriate action so that the Union may continue to display its keen interest and cooperate actively in the development of telecommunication/ICT services in these countries;

2 to make appropriations for this purpose from the Special Voluntary Programme for Technical Cooperation, the Union's own resources and any other sources of finance, and promote partnerships among all stakeholders in this regard;

3 to keep the situation under constant review and to report on this matter to the next plenipotentiary conference,

encourages least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition

1 to continue according high priority to telecommunication/ICT activities and projects that promote overall socio-economic development, including those that make it possible to improve international connectivity conditions, by adopting cooperation activities funded from bilateral or multilateral sources, for the benefit of the wider population;

2 to complement ITU efforts for enhanced engagement from academia and industry in telecommunication/ICT activities,

invites Member States

to cooperate with LDCs, SIDS, LLDCs and countries with economies in transition in promoting and supporting regional, subregional, multilateral and bilateral projects and programmes for the development of telecommunications/ICTs and the integration of telecommunication infrastructure making it possible to improve international connectivity conditions.

(Kyoto, 1994) – (Rev. Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 32 (KYOTO, 1994)

Technical assistance to the Palestinian Authority
for the development of telecommunications

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Kyoto, 1994),

recalling

a) the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

b) the peace process now in progress in the Middle East and particularly the agreements signed by Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization,

considering

a) that the peace process has fundamentally changed the situation in the Middle East;

b) that the fundamental principles of the Constitution and Convention of the International Telecommunication Union (Geneva, 1992) are designed to strengthen peace and security in the world for the development of international cooperation and better understanding among peoples,

considering further

a) that a reliable telecommunication network is essential for consolidation and enhancement of the common understanding among the peoples concerned;

b) that it is essential for the international community, either jointly through international organizations or by individual action, to assist the Palestinian Authority in developing a modern and reliable telecommunication network infrastructure,

noting

a) the report of the Secretary-General submitted to the Plenipotentiary Conference (Kyoto, 1994) (Document 52);

b) that in a recent study the World Bank recognized that technical assistance in telecommunications for the Palestinian Authority would facilitate the development of a regulatory framework and the transfer of authority over public services from the Israelis to the Palestinians, and help the Palestinian Authority receive training to manage those services,

resolves

to explore and study the needs of the Palestinian Authority in order to improve the telecommunication infrastructure and identify where assistance is needed,

instructs the Secretary-General

to circulate among Members the results of that study, inviting them to contribute to the improvement of the Palestinian Authority’s telecommunication networks,

invites Members

to offer assistance needed by the Palestinian Authority based upon that study report, as well as any other available assistance,

instructs the Council

1 to review that report and, together with the three Sectors of the ITU, to find the means of providing the assistance;

2 to cooperate with the World Bank in its projects concerning telecommunications for the Palestinian Authority.

(Kyoto, 1994)

RESOLUTION 33 (REV. MARRAKESH, 2002)

Assistance and support to Bosnia and Herzegovina
for rebuilding its telecommunication network

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Marrakesh, 2002),

recalling

a) the efforts of the United Nations to promote sustainable development and the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions concerning the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina;

b) the purposes of the Union as enshrined in Article 1 of the ITU Constitution,

noting

a) with appreciation the efforts deployed by the Secretary-General and the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) towards the implementation of previous versions of this resolution;

b) that the key role played by ITU in the rebuilding of the country’s telecommunication sector has been widely recognized;

c) with appreciation that the mobile monitoring and direction-finding station offered by ITU using Telecom surplus funds has been very useful for starting the implementation of a radiomonitoring system,

recognizing

a) that considerable progress has been made in the implementation of previous versions of this resolution since its initial adoption in 1994;

b) that, under the present conditions and in the foreseeable future, Bosnia and Herzegovina will not be able to bring its telecommunication system up to an acceptable level without help from the international community, provided bilaterally or through international organizations,

resolves

that the plan of action initiated after the Plenipotentiary Conferences (Kyoto, 1994 and Minneapolis, 1998) within the framework of the activities of the Telecommunication Development Sector of the Union, with specialized assistance from the Radiocommunication Sector and the Telecommunication Standardization Sector, should be continued in order to provide appropriate assistance and support to Bosnia and Herzegovina in rebuilding its telecommunication network and to its Telecommunication Regulatory Authority,

calls upon Member States

to offer all possible assistance and support to Bosnia and Herzegovina, either bilaterally or through, and at any rate in coordination with, the special action of the Union referred to above,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

to ensure that ITU’s action with regard to Bosnia and Herzegovina is as effective as possible and to report on the matter to the next plenipotentiary conference.

(Kyoto, 1994) – (Rev. Minneapolis, 1998) – (Rev. Marrakesh, 2002)

RESOLUTION 34 (REV. DUBAI, 2018)

Assistance and support to countries in special need for rebuilding
their telecommunication sector

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Dubai, 2018),

recalling

a) the noble principles, purpose and objectives enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as in the Declaration of Principles adopted by the World Summit on the Information Society;

b) the efforts of the United Nations to promote sustainable development;

c) the purposes of the Union as enshrined in Article 1 of the ITU Constitution,

recalling further

a) Resolution 127 (Marrakesh, 2002) of the Plenipotentiary Conference;

b) Resolution 160 (Antalya, 2006) of the Plenipotentiary Conference;

c) Resolution 161 (Antalya, 2006) of the Plenipotentiary Conference;

d) Resolutions 25 (Rev. Buenos Aires, 2017), 26 (Rev. Doha, 2006), 51 (Rev. Hyderabad, 2010) and 57 (Rev. Hyderabad, 2010) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference,

recognizing

a) that reliable telecommunication systems are indispensable for promoting the socio-economic development of countries, in particular of countries in special need, which are those having suffered from natural disasters, domestic conflicts or war;

b) that, under the present conditions and in the foreseeable future, these countries will not be able to ensure effective operation of their telecommunication sector without help from the international community, provided bilaterally or through international organizations,

noting

that the conditions of order and security sought by United Nations resolutions have been only partially achieved and hence Resolution 34 (Rev. Busan, 2014) of the Plenipotentiary Conference has only been partially implemented,

resolves

that the special action undertaken by the Secretary-General and the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, with specialized assistance from the ITU Radiocommunication Sector and the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector, should continue to be activated in order to provide appropriate assistance and support to countries in special need referred to in the annex to this resolution in rebuilding their telecommunication sector,

calls upon Member States

to offer all possible assistance and support to the countries in special need, either bilaterally or through the special action of the Union referred to above, and, in any case, in coordination with that action,

instructs the ITU Council

1 to allocate the necessary funds to the aforesaid action, within the financial limits set by the Plenipotentiary Conference, and proceed with its implementation;

2 to consider and take the decisions it deems appropriate related to the needs for urgent assistance and support to countries in special need for rebuilding their telecommunication sector that are not mentioned in the annex to this resolution, if necessary,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

1 to carry out an assessment of the particular needs of each of these countries;

2 to ensure adequate resource mobilization, including under the internal budget and the Information and Communication Technology Development Fund, for the implementation of the proposed actions,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to coordinate the activities carried out by the three Sectors of the Union in accordance with resolves above, to ensure that the Union's action in favour of the countries in special need is as effective as possible, and to report annually on the matter to the ITU Council;

2 with the approval of the Council, upon request from the countries concerned, to update the annex to this resolution as needed.

(Kyoto, 1994) – (Rev. Minneapolis, 1998) – (Rev. Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018)

ANNEX TO RESOLUTION 34 (REV. DUBAI, 2018)

Afghanistan

As a result of the past 24 years of war in Afghanistan, the telecommunication system has been destroyed and needs urgent attention for its basic reconstruction.

Within the framework of Resolution 34 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, appropriate assistance and support shall be provided to the Government of Afghanistan in rebuilding its telecommunication system.

Burundi, Timor-Leste, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone

Within the framework of Resolution 34 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, appropriate assistance and support shall be provided to these countries in rebuilding their telecommunication networks.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

The basic telecommunication infrastructure of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been severely damaged by the conflicts and wars from which the country has suffered for more than a decade.

As part of the reform of the telecommunication sector undertaken by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, involving the separation of the operating and regulatory functions, two regulatory bodies have been instituted along with a basic telecommunication network, which requires adequate financial resources in order to be built.

Within the framework of Resolution 34 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) of this conference, appropriate assistance and support shall be provided to the Democratic Republic of the Congo for rebuilding its basic telecommunication network.

Lebanon

Lebanon's telecommunication facilities have been severely damaged due to wars in that country.

Within the framework of Resolution 34 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, Lebanon shall be provided with appropriate assistance and support in rebuilding its telecommunication network. As Lebanon has not received any financial assistance, it shall continue to be supported within the framework of Resolution 34 (Rev. Dubai, 2018), with a view to pursuing work for Lebanon to obtain the necessary financial assistance.

Central African Republic

The Central African Republic's telecommunication facilities have been severely damaged due to military-political wars in that country. It is acknowledged, however, that a reliable telecommunication network is essential in promoting the socio-economic development of countries, especially those that have suffered natural disasters, domestic conflict or war, in order to enable them to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Within the framework of Resolution 34 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, the Central African Republic shall be provided with appropriate assistance and support in rebuilding its telecommunication network and in constructing its national and international optical fibre network. As the Central African Republic has not received any financial assistance, it shall continue to be supported within the framework of Resolution 34 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) with a view to pursuing work for the Central African Republic to obtain the necessary financial assistance.

Somalia

The telecommunication infrastructure in the Federal Republic of Somalia has been completely destroyed by two and a half decades of war and, in addition, the regulatory framework and the rule of law in the communication sector in the country need to be re-established.

Somalia has not benefited adequately from the Union's assistance over a long period due to war in the country and lack of a functioning government for two and a half decades.

Within the framework of Resolution 34 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, and using funds allocated to the programme of assistance for the least developed countries, a special initiative shall be launched, aimed at providing assistance and support to Somalia in rebuilding and modernizing its telecommunication infrastructure, re-establishing a well-equipped ministry of telecommunications and establishing institutions, and developing telecommunication/information and communication technology policy, legislation and regulation, including a numbering plan, spectrum management, tariff and human resource capacity building, and all other necessary forms of assistance.

South Sudan

The Republic of South Sudan has gone through more than two decades of civil war which shattered lives, destroyed property, broke down institutions and wrecked the existing rudimentary infrastructure. With the onset of peace, South Sudan emerged as a sovereign country, but completely lacking in telecommunication infrastructure, which is now badly needed for the development of its people.

Within the framework of Resolution 34 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, appropriate assistance and support shall be provided to the Government of the Republic of South Sudan in building its telecommunication system, policy and regulatory framework as well as its capacities.

Yemen

The telecommunication infrastructure in the Republic of Yemen requires appropriate assistance and support, within the framework of Resolution 34 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, for the rebuilding of its basic telecommunication networks, overhauling of telecommunication and information technology infrastructure, development of human resources through the setting up of training operations inside and outside Yemeni territory as necessary, secondment of experts to address the shortfall in expertise in some areas and the provision of other forms of support and assistance.

RESOLUTION 37 (KYOTO, 1994)

Training of refugees

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Kyoto, 1994),

having noted

United Nations General Assembly Resolution 36/68 on the implementation of the declaration on the granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples and other resolutions relevant to assistance to refugees,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to continue his efforts with a view to the application of the United Nations resolution;

2 to collaborate fully with the organizations concerned with the training of refugees, both within and outside the United Nations system;

3 to report to the next Plenipotentiary Conference on the implementation of this Resolution,

invites the Members of the Union

to do even more to receive certain selected refugees and to arrange for their training in telecommunications in professional centres or schools.

(Kyoto, 1994)

RESOLUTION 38 (KYOTO, 1994)

Contributory shares in Union expenditure

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Kyoto, 1994),

considering

a) that No. 468 of the Convention of the International Telecommunication Union (Geneva, 1992) allows the least developed countries as listed by the United Nations to contribute to Union expenditure in the 1/8 or 1/16 unit class;

b) that, under this provision, the 1/8 or 1/16 unit class may also be chosen by other countries determined by the Council;

c) that some countries with a small population and a low per capita gross national product may encounter financial difficulties in contributing to Union expenditure in the 1/4 unit class;

d) that it is in the interest of the Union that participation should be universal, that all countries should be encouraged to become Members of the Union and that all Members are able to pay their contributions,

instructs the Council

at each session to review, on request, the situation of countries not included in the United Nations list of the least developed countries in order to decide which of them may be considered as being entitled to contribute to Union expenditure in the 1/8 or 1/16 unit class.

(Kyoto, 1994)

RESOLUTION 41 (REV. DUBAI, 2018)

Arrears and special arrears accounts

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Dubai, 2018),

taking into account

a) the report of the ITU Council to the Plenipotentiary Conference on the situation with regard to amounts owed to the Union by ITU members;

b) Resolution 152 (Rev. Busan, 2014) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, which recognizes the need to increase the recovery of contributions and considerably reduce arrears of Sector Members and Associates, and which may provide the Secretary-General with flexibility in negotiating repayment plans with Sector Members and Associates,

noting

a) that, in accordance with No. 168 of the ITU Constitution, Member States and Sector Members shall pay in advance their annual contributory shares;

b) the level of the arrears,

considering

a) that, in accordance with No. 160 of the Constitution, all ITU members shall be free to choose their class of contribution for defraying Union expenses;

b) that it is in the interest of all ITU members to maintain the finances of the Union on a stable and sound footing,

considering further

a) that debt restructuring is the main instrument for reduction of the total accumulated debt;

b) that some ITU members for which special arrears accounts have been established have up to now not complied with their obligation to submit a repayment schedule to the Secretary-General, and to agree on such a schedule with the Secretary-General, and that their special account has accordingly been cancelled,

urges

ITU members in arrears, especially those for which special arrears accounts have been cancelled, to submit an arrears repayment schedule to the Secretary-General, and to agree on such a schedule with the Secretary-General,

confirms

the decision to open any new special arrears account only after the conclusion of an agreement with the Secretary-General establishing a specific repayment schedule at the latest within one year of the receipt of the request for such a special arrears account,

resolves

that the amounts due shall not be taken into account when applying No. 169 of the Constitution, provided that the Member States concerned have submitted their arrears repayment schedules to the Secretary-General, and agreed on those schedules with the Secretary-General, and for as long as they strictly comply with them and with the associated conditions, and that failure to comply with the repayment schedule and associated conditions shall result in the cancellation of the special arrears account,

instructs the ITU Council

1 to review the guidelines (Document C99/27) for repayment schedules, including a maximum duration, which would be up to five years for developed countries, up to ten years for developing countries and up to fifteen years for least developed countries, as well as up to five years for Sector Members and Associates, and to monitor the work of the ITU Secretary-General on implementation of this resolution;

2 to consider the following appropriate additional measures in exceptional circumstances:

• temporary reduction in class of contribution in conformity with No. 165A of the Constitution and No. 480B of the ITU Convention;

• the write-off of interest on overdue payments, subject to the debtors' complying with the agreed repayment schedule for settlement of the unpaid contributions;

• a repayment schedule for up to thirty years maximum for countries in special need due to natural disasters, civil conflicts or extreme economic hardship;

• an adjustment in the amount of the instalments, provided that the total accrued amount is the same at the end of the repayment schedule;

3 to take additional measures in respect of non-compliance with the agreed terms of settlement and/or arrears in payment of annual contributory shares not included in repayment schedules, in particular to include suspending ITU members' participation in the work of the Union;

4 to report to the Plenipotentiary Conference on the implementation of this resolution,

authorizes the Secretary-General

to negotiate and agree upon, with all Member States in arrears, especially those for which special arrears accounts have been cancelled, as well as with Sector Members, Associates and Academia in arrears, schedules for the repayment of their debts in accordance with the "Guidelines for repayment schedules for the settlement of arrears and special arrears accounts" (Document C99/27) and, where appropriate, to submit for decision by the Council proposals for additional measures as indicated under instructs the ITU Council above, including those related to non-compliance,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to inform ITU members in arrears or having special arrears accounts or cancelled special arrears accounts of this resolution;

2 to report to the Council on the measures taken and progress made towards the settlement of debts in respect of special arrears accounts or cancelled special arrears accounts, as well as on any non-compliance with the agreed terms of settlement,

urges the ITU membership

to assist the Secretary-General and the Council in the implementation of this resolution.

(Kyoto, 1994) – (Rev. Minneapolis, 1998) – (Rev. Marrakesh, 2002) – (Rev. Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018)

RESOLUTION 45 (REV. MINNEAPOLIS, 1998)

Assistance given by the Government of the
Swiss Confederation in connection
with the finances of the Union

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Minneapolis, 1998),

considering

that the Government of the Swiss Confederation, under the existing arrangements, places at the disposal of the Secretary-General, if necessary and if the Secretary-General so requests, funds to meet the temporary cash requirements of the Union,

further considering

the assistance provided and the financial arrangements put in place by the Government of the Swiss Confederation enabling the Union to erect the new Montbrillant building,

resolves to express its appreciation

to the Government of the Swiss Confederation for its generous assistance in financial matters and hopes that the existing arrangements in this connection may be continued,

instructs the Secretary-General

to bring this resolution to the notice of the Government of the Swiss Confederation.

(Kyoto, 1994) – (Rev. Minneapolis, 1998)

RESOLUTION 46 (KYOTO, 1994)

Remuneration and representation allowances
of elected officials

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Kyoto, 1994),

having regard to

Resolution 42 of the Plenipotentiary Conference (Nice, 1989),

recognizing

that the salaries of elected officials should be set at an adequate level above those paid to appointed staff in the United Nations common system,

resolves

1 that, subject to the measures which could be proposed by the Council to the Members of the Union in accordance with the instructions below, the Secretary-General, the Deputy Secretary-General, the Directors of the Radiocommunication, Telecommunication Standardization and Telecommunication Development Bureaux shall be paid with effect from 1 January 1995 salaries fixed in relation to the maximum salary paid to appointed staff on the basis of the following percentages:

Secretary-General

134%

Deputy Secretary-General, Directors of the
Radiocommunication, Telecommunication
Standardization and Telecommunication
Development Bureaux

123%

2 that the above percentages shall apply to the net base salary at the dependency rate; all other elements of the remuneration shall be derived therefrom by applying the methodology in force in the United Nations common system, provided that an appropriate percentage is applied to each individual element of the remuneration,

instructs the Council

1 if a relevant adjustment is made in common system salary scales, to approve any modification of the salaries of elected officials which might result from the application of the above-mentioned percentages;

2 in the event of overriding factors appearing to the Council to justify a change in the above-mentioned percentages, to propose to the Members of the Union for approval by a majority, revised percentages with appropriate justifications,

further resolves

that representation expenses will be reimbursed against vouchers within the following limits:

Swiss francs per year

Secretary-General

29 000

Deputy Secretary-General, Directors of the
Radiocommunication, Telecommunication
Standardization and Telecommunication
Development Bureaux

14 500

(Kyoto, 1994)

RESOLUTION 48 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Human resources management and development

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recognizing

No. 154 of the ITU Constitution[1], according to which ITU is required to recruit staff on the basis of the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity,

recalling

a) Article 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 217 A (III);

b) Decision 5 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, which determines the resources of the Union for 2024-2027 and specifies goals and objectives in regard to improving the efficiency of ITU's activities;

c) Resolution 70 (Rev. Bucharest 2022) of this conference, which resolves to accord high priority to the incorporation of gender policies in the management, staffing and operation of ITU;

d) the strategic plan for the Union, as described in Resolution 71 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, and the need for highly skilled and motivated staff to attain the goals and related targets contained therein;

e) Resolution 151 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, which resolves to instruct the Secretary-General and the Directors of the three Bureaux to continue to improve processes and methodologies associated with the full implementation of results-based management and results-based budgeting at the levels of processing and implementation,

noting

a) the various aspects and principles of ITU policy on planning, contracts, succession, human resources training and development, etc., including, inter alia, the Standards of Conduct for the International Civil Service established by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), the ITU Staff Regulations and Staff Rules and the ITU ethics policies, which have an impact on ITU staff;

b) the adoption of a number of resolutions since 1996 by UNGA, highlighting the need for strengthening transparency and gender balance throughout the United Nations system;

c) UNGA Resolution 70/1, on transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which affirmed a comprehensive, far-reaching and people-centred set of universal and transformative goals and targets;

d) UNGA Resolution 71/263, on human resources management, which highlights many essential aspects of a human resources management system and the fact that the overarching objectives of a performance-management system are to measure performance, reward good performance and address underperformance in a credible and effective manner;

e) UNGA Resolution 72/235, on human resources development, which stresses among other things that technological changes and breakthroughs are expanding at a rapid pace and impacting the world of work and that, in this regard, the development of human resources needs to keep pace and be supported by proactive strategies, investments and normative frameworks to address emerging issues relating to the future of work, education and training;

f) Resolution 25 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on strengthening the regional presence, and specifically on the need for ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness and staffing requirements of regional and area offices within the concept of "One ITU";

g) ITU Council Resolution 1299 (last amended 2020), which approved a human resources strategic plan (HRSP);

h) Council Decision 517 (2004, last modified 2009), on strengthening the dialogue between the Secretary-General and the ITU Staff Council;

i) other Council decisions and resolutions relating to various aspects of human resources management;

j) the United Nations Secretary-General's report on special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and abuse and the zero-tolerance policy;

k) the recommendations relevant to human resources management in United Nations Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) Report 2016/1: Review of management and administration in ITU;

l) the recommendations in JIU Report 2019/4: Review of change management in United Nations system organizations;

m) that UNGA Resolution 71/243 urges the United Nations development system to align its staff capacities to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including by building transformative and empowered leadership, repositioning staff capacities to respond to the cross-sectoral requirements of the 2030 Agenda, promoting inter-agency mobility and facilitating a mobile and flexible global workforce;

n) the recommendations in JIU Report 2020/2: Policies and platforms in support of learning: towards more coherence, coordination and convergence;

o) the United Nations Secretary-General's reports on various issues related to human resources within the organizations of the United Nations system,

noting further

a) the findings of JIU Report 2018/4, on the review of whistle-blower policies and practices in United Nations system organizations, with respect to the Union;

b) the need to optimize distribution of staff members at the regional level, by duty station and by category, in line with the substance of this resolution, in order to represent the entire Union and closely assist its membership;

c) the recommendations contained in JIU reports relevant to human resources within the United Nations system,

welcoming

a) the report of the United Nations Secretary-General on shifting the management paradigm in the United Nations (Document A/72/492), in which, inter alia, it is proposed to "streamline and simplify human resources rules, processes and procedures to ensure timely recruitment, deployment and staff development, with clear delegation of authority to managers, together with clear rules of accountability";

b) the report of the United Nations Secretary-General on the review of progress in the implementation of management reform (Document A/75/201);

c) the secretariat's initiatives to gather input from ITU staff on revenue generation, reducing expenditures and balancing the draft financial plan;

d) the statements provided by the Staff Council, in providing and reflecting staff's views and concerns on matters related to the Union;

e) the adoption of the ITU Accountability Framework, set up to further strengthen the accountability mechanisms within the organization,

considering

a) the high value of the human resources of ITU and of the effective management of those resources for the fulfilment of its goals;

b) that ITU's human resources strategies should emphasize the importance of developing and maintaining a well-trained, diverse and geographically equitable staff, while recognizing budget constraints;

c) the value, both to the Union and to the staff, of developing those resources to the fullest extent possible through various human resources development activities, including in-service training and training activities in accordance with staffing levels;

d) the impact on the Union and its staff of the continuing evolution of activities in the field of telecommunications/information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the need for the Union and its human resources to adapt to this evolution through training and staff development;

e) the importance of human resources management and development in support of ITU's strategic orientations and goals;

f) the need to follow a recruitment policy appropriate to the requirements of the Union, including the redeployment of posts and recruitment of specialists both at the start of their career and with experience in other organizations;

g) the importance of ongoing strengthening of transparency in recruitment policy and selection processes to mitigate risks of inefficiency;

h) the need to achieve equitable geographical distribution of appointed staff of the Union;

i) the need to facilitate the recruitment and retention of more women in the Professional and higher categories, especially at the senior levels, in particular from developing countries[2], and taking into consideration geographical representation;

j) the constant advances made in telecommunication and information and communication technology and operation and the corresponding need to recruit specialists of the highest standard of competence;

k) the importance of promoting gender mainstreaming and equal representation of women and men;

l) the report by the Secretary-General to the virtual consultation of councillors during the 2021 session of the Council on the digital transformation initiative (DT-I), in which it is stated that one of the goals of DT-I is to improve the efficiency of the internal business processes and management, streamline, and digitalize workflows and that DT-I should focus primarily on cultural and managerial changes during Phase 1;

m) that the implementation plan of the staff working conditions strategy for the interim period and beyond in the new ITU headquarters building is being prepared;

n) the United Nations System Leadership Framework approved by the High-Level Committee on Programmes and the High Level Committee on Management (HLCM), and endorsed by the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination in April 2017, reinforced by the five Senior Leadership Commitments for the Future of Work in the United Nations, approved by HLCM in March 2021 and developed to help prepare United Nations leaders to steer the transition of their organizations and workforce towards the future of work,

resolves

1 that the management and development of ITU's human resources should continue to be compatible with the mission, values, goals and activities of the Union and with the United Nations common system;

2 that ICSC recommendations approved by UNGA should continue to be implemented;

3 that within available financial resources, and to the extent practicable, vacancies should be filled through greater mobility of existing staff;

4 that internal mobility should, to the extent practicable, be coupled with training so that staff can be used where they are most needed;

5 that internal mobility should be applied, to the extent feasible, to cover needs when staff retire or leave ITU in order to reduce staffing levels without terminating contracts;

6 that, pursuant to recognizing above, staff in the Professional and higher categories shall continue to be recruited on an international basis and that posts identified for external recruitment shall be advertised as widely as possible and communicated to the administrations of all Member States of the Union and through the regional and area offices; however, reasonable promotion possibilities must continue to be offered to existing staff;

7 that, when filling vacant posts by international recruitment, in choosing between candidates who meet the qualification requirements for a post, preference shall be given to candidates from regions of the world which are under-represented in the staffing of the Union, taking into account the balance between female and male staff mandated by the United Nations common system;

8 that, when filling vacant posts by international recruitment and when no candidate fulfils all the qualification requirements, recruitment can take place at one grade below, on the understanding that the candidate will have to fulfil certain conditions before being given the full responsibilities of the post and promotion to the grade of the post;

9 that the recruitment policy and the selection processes should keep following the best practices of transparency, considering the importance of documentation, notifications, and feedback to candidates as practices to improve compliance and avoid bias and discrimination of any kind;

10 that, in accordance with the provisions of the Union's Gender Equality and Mainstreaming Policy, endorsed by the Council at its 2022 session, the various UNGA resolutions highlighting the need for gender balance throughout the United Nations system, as well as the United Nations System-wide Strategy on Gender Parity and the second generation of the United Nations System-wide Action Plan on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-SWAP 2.0), the Union must aim to become a model organization for gender equality and leverage the power of ICTs to empower both women and men;

11 that it is necessary to assess the impact of the decisions taken under this resolution to ensure that it is delivering the expected outputs, relevant to the implementation of the Union's mission, plans and programmes,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to implement best-practice human resources management policies and practices to ensure ITU achieves its management goals, taking into account the United Nations Secretary-General's system-wide parity strategy and equitable geographical representation;

2 to prepare and implement, with the assistance of the Coordination Committee, and in collaboration with the regional offices, a four-year HRSP aligned with the ITU strategic and financial plans, that includes benchmarks, to respond to the needs of the Union, its membership and its staff;

3 to improve and implement transparent recruitment policies and procedures designed to facilitate equitable geographical and gender representation among appointed staff;

4 to recruit, as appropriate within the available financial resources, and taking into account geographical distribution and balance between female and male staff, specialists who are starting their careers at the P.1/P.2 level;

5 with a view to further training in order to enhance professional competence in the Union, based on consultations with staff members, as appropriate, to examine and report to the Council how a programme of training for both managers and their staff could be implemented within available financial resources throughout the Union;

6 to continue to submit to the Council annual reports on the implementation of the HRSP, including issues relating to relations between management and staff, and to provide to the Council, electronically where possible, statistics related to the HRSP, and on other measures adopted in pursuance of this resolution;

7 as required under the United Nations Secretary-General's report on special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and abuse, to report and provide updates to the Council on progress made with regard to sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment in the workplace, as appropriate;

8 to address the findings of JIU Report 2018/4, on the review of whistle-blower policies and practices in United Nations system organizations, with respect to the Union, and report to the Council on actions taken;

9 to provide mechanisms and measures that promote implementation within ITU of the United Nations System Leadership Framework, including the five Senior Leadership Commitments for the Future of Work in the United Nations;

10 to review human resources capacities in the regional and area offices with a view to strengthening their presence, taking into consideration staff mobility policy and the characteristics and needs of each ITU region;

11 to update internal recruitment guidelines and procedures to facilitate the recruitment of women at ITU, and align with United Nations system best practices, including, but not limited to, those stated in resolves 10 above,

instructs the ITU Council

1 to examine and approve the four-year HRSP drawn up in accordance with instructs the Secretary-General, and consider annual reports on the implementation of the HRSP and of this resolution, and decide on the measures needed, taking into account the recommendations of the ITU oversight bodies and the proposals of the Staff Council;

2 to ensure that the necessary staff and financial resources are made available for addressing issues related to human resources management and development in ITU as they emerge, within approved budget levels;

3 to allocate the appropriate resources for in-service training in accordance with an established programme, representing, to the extent practicable, a target of 3 per cent of the budget allocated to staff costs;

4 to follow with the greatest attention the question of recruitment and to adopt, within existing resources and consistent with the United Nations common system, the measures it deems necessary to secure an adequate number of qualified candidates for Union posts, particularly taking account of considering b), c), g) and i) above;

5 to develop a framework on matters for reporting to the Council on staff issues, including staff in regional and area offices, and recruitment issues.

(Kyoto, 1994) – (Rev. Minneapolis, 1998) – (Rev. Marrakesh, 2002) – (Rev. Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] No. 154 of the Constitution: "2. The paramount consideration in the recruitment of staff and in the determination of the conditions of service shall be the necessity of securing for the Union the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity. Due regard shall be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible."

[2] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 51 (REV. MINNEAPOLIS, 1998)

ITU staff participation in conferences of the Union

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Minneapolis, 1998),

considering

a) that staff are a key element in the achievement of the Union’s objectives;

b) the importance of good human resources management to the achievement of the Union’s objectives;

c) the importance of fruitful working relations between the staff and its employer and of staff participation in the management of the Union,

d) that it is important for the Staff Council to be consulted by the Secretary-General before decisions of a general nature are taken concerning human resources management and working conditions at ITU, in accordance with Staff Rule 8.1.1.b),

recognizing

the rights of staff under Chapter VIII of the Staff Regulations and Staff Rules,

noting

the initiative of the Council in creating a consultative group comprising representatives of the secretariat of the Union, staff representatives and Council Members States,

considering further

that the participation of staff representatives is beneficial to the Plenipotentiary Conference,

resolves

1 that staff will be represented by a maximum of two persons who will attend sessions of the ITU Council and plenipotentiary conferences;

2 that the staff representatives will be entitled to state the staff’s opinion concerning staff matters at the invitation of the Chairman of the meeting dealing with staff matters, or, as appropriate, at the request of a Member State of the Council, at Council sessions, or of a delegation at plenipotentiary conferences.

(Kyoto, 1994) – (Rev. Minneapolis, 1998)

RESOLUTION 53 (KYOTO, 1994)

Measures to enable the United Nations
to carry out fully any mandate under Article 75
of the Charter of the United Nations

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Kyoto, 1994),

conscious

of the decision taken by the Plenipotentiary Conference (Malaga-Torremolinos, 1973) to abolish associate membership in the Union and of Additional Protocol III to the International Telecommunication Convention (Nairobi, 1982),

taking into account

that the Plenipotentiary Conference (Nice, 1989) decided not to continue the use of additional protocols and adopted its Resolution 47 on the matter which is also the subject of the present Resolution,

mindful

of the request recently reiterated by the Secretary-General of the United Nations to continue, as in the past, the application, if the need arises, of measures enabling the United Nations to carry out fully any mandate under Article 75 of the Charter of the United Nations,

resolves

1 that the possibility enjoyed by the United Nations, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the International Telecommunication Convention (Montreux, 1965) concerning associated membership, when carrying out any mandate in accordance with Article 75 of the Charter of the United Nations shall be continued under the Constitution and the Convention of the International Telecommunication Union (Geneva, 1992);

2 that each case related to resolves 1 shall be considered by the Council of the Union.

(Kyoto, 1994)

RESOLUTION 55 (KYOTO, 1994)

Use of the United Nations telecommunication
network for the telecommunication traffic
of the specialized agencies

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Kyoto, 1994),

considering

a) the Agreement between the United Nations and the International Telecommunication Union (Atlantic City, 1947), and in particular Article 16 thereof;

b) that, by its Resolution 50, the Plenipotentiary Conference (Nice, 1989) resolved that the United Nations telecommunication network may carry the traffic of the specialized agencies under specific conditions,

noting

a) that the Secretary-General of the United Nations has requested that the International Telecommunication Union take such action as would allow the use of the United Nations telecommunication network by the specialized agencies;

b) that, since 1989, ITU has been collaborating closely with the United Nations Telecommunication Service in the enhancement of the United Nations telecommunication network,

resolves

that the United Nations telecommunication network may carry the traffic of the specialized agencies which wish to use it, on condition that:

1 the specialized agencies pay for the telecommunication service on the basis of the cost of operation of the service by the United Nations and tariffs established by administrations within the framework of the Constitution and Convention (Geneva, 1992), Administrative Regulations and practices of the Union;

2 the use of the network is restricted to the principal organs of the United Nations, the United Nations offices and programmes, and the specialized agencies of the United Nations;

3 the transmissions are limited to information exchanges concerned with the conduct of the business of the United Nations system;

4 the network is operated in conformity with the Constitution and Convention (Geneva, 1992), Administrative Regulations and practices of the Union,

instructs the Secretary-General

to follow carefully the evolution of the United Nations telecommunication network, to continue cooperation with the United Nations Telecommunication Service and to provide guidance as appropriate,

further instructs the Secretary-General

to transmit the text of this Resolution to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

(Kyoto, 1994)

RESOLUTION 56 (KYOTO, 1994)

Possible revision of Article IV, Section 11,
of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities
of the Specialized Agencies

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Kyoto, 1994),

in view of

Resolution 28 of the Plenipotentiary Conference (Buenos Aires, 1952), Resolution 31 of the Plenipotentiary Conference (Geneva, 1959), Resolution 23 of the Plenipotentiary Conference (Montreux, 1965), Resolution 34 of the Plenipotentiary Conference (Malaga-Torremolinos, 1973), Resolution 40 of the Plenipotentiary Conference (Nairobi, 1982), and Resolution 53 of the Plenipotentiary Conference (Nice, 1989),

considering

a) the apparent conflict between the definition of Government Telecommunications contained in the Annex to the Constitution of the International Telecommunication Union (Geneva, 1992) and the provisions of Article IV, Section 11, of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Specialized Agencies;

b) that the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Specialized Agencies has not been amended in the manner requested by the Plenipotentiary Conferences of Buenos Aires (1952), Geneva (1959), Montreux (1965), Malaga-Torremolinos (1973), Nairobi (1982) and Nice (1989),

resolves

to confirm the decisions of the Plenipotentiary Conferences of Buenos Aires (1952), Geneva (1959), Montreux (1965), Malaga-Torremolinos (1973), Nairobi (1982) and Nice (1989) and of the Additional Plenipotentiary Conference (Geneva, 1992) not to include the Heads of the specialized agencies among the authorities listed in the Annex to the Constitution (Geneva, 1992) as entitled to send or reply to Government Telecommunications,

expresses the hope

that the United Nations will agree to reconsider the matter and, bearing in mind the above decision, will make the necessary amendment to Article IV, Section 11, of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Specialized Agencies,

instructs the Council

to take the necessary steps with the appropriate organs of the United Nations with a view to reaching a satisfactory solution.

(Kyoto, 1994)

RESOLUTION 57 (KYOTO, 1994)

Joint Inspection Unit

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Kyoto, 1994),

recalling

Resolution 52 of the Plenipotentiary Conference (Nice, 1989),

having noted

the relevant section of the report of the Council to the Plenipotentiary Conference (Kyoto, 1994),

considering

that it is appropriate that the International Telecommunication Union continue to benefit from the useful role played by the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) as an independent inspection and evaluation unit of the United Nations system,

instructs the Secretary-General

to continue to cooperate with the JIU and to submit to the Council reports of the JIU having a bearing on the Union, together with comments he considers appropriate,

instructs the Council

to consider the JIU reports submitted by the Secretary-General, and to take action thereon as it deems fit.

(Kyoto, 1994)

RESOLUTION 58 (REV. BUSAN, 2014)

Strengthening of relations between ITU and regional telecommunication organizations and regional preparations
for the Plenipotentiary Conference

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Busan, 2014),

recalling

a) Resolution 58 (Kyoto, 1994) of the Plenipotentiary Conference;

b) Resolution 112 (Marrakesh, 2002) of the Plenipotentiary Conference;

c) the following resolutions:

– Resolution 72 (Rev. WRC-07) of the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC), on world and regional preparations for WRCs;

– Resolution 43 (Rev. Dubai, 2012) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA), on regional preparations for WTSAs;

– Resolution 31 (Rev. Hyderabad, 2010) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), on regional preparations for WTDCs, this resolution having been adopted for the first time in 2006, by WTDC-06 in Doha, Qatar,

acknowledging

that Article 43 of the ITU Constitution states that: "Member States reserve the right to convene regional conferences, to make regional arrangements and to form regional organizations, for the purpose of settling telecommunication questions which are susceptible of being treated on a regional basis ...",

considering

a) that the Union and regional organizations share a common belief that close cooperation can promote regional telecommunication development through, inter alia, organizational synergy;

b) that the six principal regional telecommunication organizations[1], namely the 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), seek close cooperation with the Union;

c) that there is a continued need for the Union to strengthen close cooperation with these regional telecommunication organizations, given the increasing importance of regional organizations concerned with regional issues, and to cooperate with them in regard to preparation of conferences and assemblies of the three Sectors and plenipotentiary conferences, through six preparatory meetings in the year preceding the conference;

d) that the ITU Convention encourages the participation of the regional telecommunication organizations in the Union's activities and provides for their attendance at conferences of the Union as observers;

e) that all six regional telecommunication organizations have coordinated their preparations for this conference;

f) that many common proposals submitted to this conference have been developed by administrations having participated in the preparatory work carried out by the six regional telecommunication organizations;

g) that this consolidation of views at regional level, together with the opportunity for interregional discussions prior to conferences, has eased the task of reaching a consensus during these conferences;

h) that there is a need for overall coordination of the interregional consultations;

i) the benefits of regional coordination as already experienced in the preparation of WRCs and WTDCs, and latterly WTSAs,

noting

a) that the Secretary-General's report under former Resolution 16 (Geneva, 1992) of the Additional Plenipotentiary Conference, when available, should facilitate evaluation by the ITU Council of the Union's own regional presence;

b) that the relationship between ITU regional offices and regional telecommunication organizations has proved to be of great benefit;

c) that some ITU Member States are not members of these regional telecommunication organizations mentioned in considering b) above,

taking into account

the efficiency benefits that plenipotentiary conferences and other Sector conferences and assemblies would gain from an increased amount and level of prior preparation by the Member States,

resolves

1 that the Union should continue developing stronger relations with regional telecommunication organizations, including the organization of six ITU regional preparatory meetings for plenipotentiary conferences, as well as other Sector conferences and assemblies as necessary;

2 that the Union, in strengthening its relations with the regional telecommunication organizations and by means of ITU regional preparations for plenipotentiary conferences, world conferences on international telecommunications, radiocommunication conferences and assemblies, WTDCs and WTSAs shall, with assistance of its regional offices when necessary, cover all Member States without exception, even if they do not belong to any of the six regional telecommunication organizations mentioned in considering b) above,

resolves further

to invite regional telecommunication organizations to continue their preparations for plenipotentiary conferences, including, to the extent possible, the convening of interregional coordination meetings,

instructs the Secretary-General, in close cooperation with the Directors of the three Bureaux

1 to continue to consult with Member States and regional and subregional telecommunication organizations on the means by which assistance can be provided in support of their preparations for future plenipotentiary conferences;

2 to follow up on the submission of a report on the results of the aforementioned consultation to the Council for its consideration, taking into account similar experiences, and to report regularly to the Council thereafter;

3 on the basis of such consultations, and ensuring that all the Member States are associated with this process, to assist Member States and regional and subregional telecommunication organizations with preparatory work, in particular for developing countries[2], in such areas as:

− the organization of ITU preparatory meetings, preferably before or after major ITU events (as referred to in resolves 2 above);

− facilitating interregional coordination meetings, with the objective of reaching a possible convergence of interregional views on major issues;

− assisting representatives of regional telecommunication organizations to attend the above-mentioned interregional coordination meetings, including, where necessary, by providing, within the budgetary limits of the Union and the approved financial plan, fellowships for representatives of developing countries wishing to attend the above-mentioned meetings;

− identifying major issues to be resolved by the future conferences and assemblies referred to in resolves 2 above,

instructs the Council

to consider the reports submitted and take appropriate measures to strengthen this cooperation, including arranging for dissemination of the findings in the reports and the Council's conclusions to non-Council members and to regional telecommunication organizations, taking into account the actions referred to in instructs the Secretary-General, in close cooperation with the Directors of the three Bureaux 3 above,

invites the Member States

to participate actively in the implementation of this resolution.

(Kyoto, 1994) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014)

[1] There are eleven regional telecommunication organizations as referred to in Article 43 of the Constitution. The list can be found in Council Resolution 925. The five regional organizations other than the six principal ones may choose to participate in regional preparatory meetings and other activities of the Union.

[2] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 59 (KYOTO, 1994)

Request to the International Court of Justice
for advisory opinions

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Kyoto, 1994),

in view of

a) Article VII of the Agreement between the United Nations and the International Telecommunication Union which provides that requests for advisory opinions may be addressed to the International Court of Justice by the Plenipotentiary Conference, or by the Council acting in pursuance of an authorization by the Plenipotentiary Conference;

b) the decision of the Council “to affiliate the Union to the Administrative Tribunal of the International Labour Organisation”, and the declaration recognizing the jurisdiction of the Tribunal which was made by the Secretary-General pursuant to that decision;

c) the provisions in the Annex to the Statute of the Administrative Tribunal of the International Labour Organisation under which that Statute applies in its entirety to any intergovernmental organization which has recognized the jurisdiction of the Tribunal in accordance with paragraph 5 of Article II of the Statute of the Tribunal;

d) Article XII of the Statute of the Administrative Tribunal of the International Labour Organisation under which, in consequence of the above-mentioned declaration, the Council of the International Telecommunication Union may submit to the International Court of Justice the question of the validity of a decision given by the Tribunal,

notes

that the Council is authorized to request advisory opinions from the International Court of Justice as provided under Article XII of the Statute of the Administrative Tribunal of the International Labour Organisation.

(Kyoto, 1994)

RESOLUTION 60 (KYOTO, 1994)

Juridical status

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Kyoto, 1994),

in view of

the agreement concluded on 22 July 1971 between the Swiss Federal Council and the International Telecommunication Union to define the legal status of this organization in Switzerland and the associated implementing arrangements,

having noted with satisfaction

the Council’s remarks in section 2.2.7.1 of its report to the Plenipotentiary Conference (Document 20) concerning Resolution 56 of the Plenipotentiary Conference (Nice, 1989),

instructs the Secretary-General

to keep the agreement and the manner of its application under review in order to ensure that the privileges and immunities accorded to the ITU are equivalent to those obtained by other organizations of the United Nations family with their headquarters in Switzerland and report to the Council as necessary,

requests the Council

to report as necessary on this subject to the next Plenipotentiary Conference.

(Kyoto, 1994)

RESOLUTION 64 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Non-discriminatory access to telecommunication/information and communication technology facilities, services and applications, including applied research and transfer of technology, and e-meetings, on mutually agreed terms

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) the outcomes of the Geneva (2003) and Tunis (2005) phases of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), especially §§ 15, 18 and 19 of the Tunis Commitment, and §§ 90 and 107 of the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society;

b) the outcomes of the World Telecommunication Development Conference, especially Resolution 15 (Rev. Kigali, 2022), on applied research and transfer of technology, Resolution 20 (Rev. Buenos Aires, 2017), on non-discriminatory access to modern telecommunication/information and communication technology (ICT) facilities, services and related applications and Resolution 37 (Rev. Kigali, 2022), on bridging the digital divide;

c) the outcomes of the WSIS+10 High-Level Event (Geneva, 2014), especially those related to transfer of know-how and technology and non-discriminatory access by conducting the needed activities in that regard;

d) Resolution 167 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on strengthening and developing ITU capabilities for fully virtual meetings and physical meetings with remote participation, and the electronic means to advance the work of the Union, which emphasizes that there is a need for procedures to ensure fair and equitable participation by all;

e) Resolution 71 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference,

taking into account

a) the importance of telecommunications/ICTs for political, economic, social and cultural progress, including in the fight against pandemics;

b) the preamble and challenges chapters of the WSIS+10 Statement on the implementation of the WSIS outcomes, adopted by the WSIS+10 High-Level Event, especially §§ 4 and 8 thereof,

taking into account also

a) that ITU plays an essential role in the promotion of global development of telecommunications/ICTs and ICT applications, within the mandate of ITU, specifically with respect to Action Lines C2, C5 and C6 of the Tunis Agenda, in addition to participating in the implementation of other action lines, particularly Action Lines C7 and C8 of the Tunis Agenda;

b) that, to this end the Union coordinates efforts aimed at securing harmonious development of telecommunication/ICT facilities, permitting non-discriminatory access to these facilities and to modern telecommunication services and applications;

c) that this access will help to bridge the digital divide,

taking into account further

the need to draw up proposals on issues determining a worldwide strategy for the development of telecommunications/ICTs and ICT applications, within the mandate of ITU, and to facilitate mobilization of the necessary resources to that end,

emphasizing

that fair and equitable e-participation of Member States in ITU meetings will bring considerable benefits by facilitating and widening the scope for participation in ITU work and meetings,

noting

a) that modern telecommunication/ICT facilities, services and applications are established, in the main, on the basis of recommendations of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) and the ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R);

b) that ITU-T and ITU-R recommendations are the result of the collective efforts of all those taking part in the standardization process within ITU and are adopted by consensus by the members of the Union;

c) that limitations on the access to telecommunication/ICT facilities, services and applications on which national telecommunication development depends and which are established on the basis of ITU-T and ITU-R recommendations constitute an obstacle to the harmonious development and compatibility of telecommunications worldwide;

d) Resolution 15 (Rev. Kigali, 2022), on applied research and transfer of technology;

e) Resolution 20 (Rev. Buenos Aires, 2017), on non-discriminatory access to modern telecommunication/ICT facilities, services and related applications;

f) the strategic plan for the Union set out in Resolution 71 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022),

recognizing

a) that full harmonization of telecommunication networks is impossible unless all countries participating in the work of the Union, without exception, have non-discriminatory access to new telecommunication technologies and modern telecommunication/ICT facilities, services and related applications, including applied research and transfer of technology, on mutually agreed terms, without prejudice to national regulations and international commitments within the competence of other international organizations;

b) that the need to ensure the access of Member States to international telecommunication services should be reaffirmed;

c) Resolution 69 (Rev. Hammamet, 2016) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly, on non-discriminatory access and use of Internet resources and telecommunications/ICTs,

resolves

1 to continue, within the mandate of ITU, fulfilling the need to endeavour to ensure non-discriminatory access to telecommunication and information technologies, facilities, services and related applications, including applied research and transfer of technology, on mutually agreed terms, established on the basis of ITU-T and ITU-R recommendations;

2 that ITU should facilitate non-discriminatory access to telecommunication and information technologies, facilities, services and applications established on the basis of ITU-T and ITU-R recommendations;

3 that ITU should encourage to the greatest extent possible cooperation among the members of the Union on the question of non-discriminatory access to telecommunication and information technologies, facilities, services and applications established on the basis of ITU-T and ITU-R recommendations with a view to satisfying user demand for modern telecommunication/ICT services and applications,

instructs the Directors of the three Bureaux

within their respective spheres of competence, to implement this resolution and achieve its goals,

invites Member States

1 to refrain from taking any unilateral and/or discriminatory actions that could impede technically another Member State from having full access to the Internet, within the spirit of Article 1 of the ITU Constitution and the WSIS principles;

2 to help telecommunication/ICT equipment manufacturers and providers of services and applications in ensuring that telecommunication/ICT facilities, services and applications established on the basis of ITU-T and ITU-R recommendations may be generally available to the public without any discrimination, and in facilitating applied research and technology transfer, considering, where relevant, the WSIS+10 High-Level Event outcomes;

3 to explore ways and means for greater collaboration and coordination with one another in the implementation of this resolution,

instructs the Secretary-General, in close cooperation with the Directors of the three Bureaux

1 to compile and distribute a list of available online services and applications relevant to ITU activities and identify those that cannot be accessed, based on information received from ITU Member States;

2 to take appropriate measures and steps to promote broad participation, as far as practical, to ensure the fair and equitable participation of all members in ITU online services and applications;

3 to cooperate and coordinate with the relevant organizations to take the appropriate measures to promote access to ITU online services and materials for all ITU members;

4 to dedicate attention to the activities described in instructs the Secretary-General, in close cooperation with the Directors of the three Bureaux 1-3 above during pandemics;

5 to report to the ITU Council on the implementation of this resolution,

further instructs the Secretary-General

to transmit the text of this resolution, including its recommendations, to the Secretary-General of the United Nations with a view to bringing to the attention of the world community the viewpoint of ITU, as a specialized agency of the United Nations, on the issue of non-discriminatory access to new telecommunication and information technologies and modern telecommunication/ICT services and related applications, within the mandate of ITU, as an important factor for world technological progress, and on applied research and technology transfer between Member States, on mutually agreed terms, as a factor that may help to bridge the digital divide.

(Kyoto, 1994) – (Rev. Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

RESOLUTION 66 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Documents and publications of the Union

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

considering

a) No. 484 of the ITU Convention;

b) the need for efficient marketing and distribution of documentation and publications of the Union in order to promote increased use of ITU recommendations and other publications;

c) the evolution of electronic handling and transmission of information;

d) the continued development of new publishing technologies and methods of distribution;

e) the desirability of cooperation with bodies engaged in relevant standards development;

f) the continued importance of the Union's copyright in its publications;

g) the need to derive revenue from publications;

h) the need to provide a timely and efficient global standardization process;

i) the pricing policies of other relevant standardization bodies;

j) the importance of adopting open-standard document formats to facilitate access to information,

considering further

a) that a primary purpose of the Union is to extend the benefits of new telecommunication technologies to all the world's inhabitants;

b) the need to maintain a coherent financing and pricing policy which reflects the costs of production, marketing and distribution, while ensuring the continuity of publications, including the development of new products and the use of modern channels/methods of distribution;

c) the activity carried out by the Internet Governance Forum Dynamic Coalition on Accessibility and Disability (DCAD) sponsored by the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB), and the partnership between the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector and DCAD for the purposes of maximizing the benefits for all sectors of the global community of electronic communications and online information through the Internet,

resolves

1 that documents intended to facilitate the timely development of recommendations of the Union shall be made available also in electronic and open format and be accessible to any Member State, Sector Member and Associate;

2 that documents should be published in various open formats, i.e. data file formats that are based on an underlying open standard, developed by an open community, affirmed and maintained by a standards body, fully documented and publicly available;

3 that, notwithstanding the objectives of free online access, publications of the Union, including all recommendations of the Sectors, shall, where appropriate, also be made available to the Member States, Sector Members and Associates, and to the public in electronic format and through electronic sale or distribution, with appropriate provision for payment to the Union for a particular publication or set of publications requested;

4 that a request for any publication of the Union, regardless of its format, obliges those who obtain or purchase the publication to respect the copyright of the Union set forth in that publication;

5 that a publication containing a recommendation of an ITU Sector obtained from ITU, regardless of its format, may be utilized by the receiving entity or purchaser for uses including furthering the work of the Union or any relevant standards body or forum developing related standards, providing guidance for product or service development and implementation and serving as support for documentation associated with a product or service;

6 that none of the above is intended to breach the copyright held by the Union, so that any person or entity wishing to reproduce or duplicate all or parts of ITU publications for resale must obtain a specific agreement for such purpose;

7 that a two-tier pricing policy be established whereby Member States, Sector Members and Associates pay a price based on cost recovery, whereas all others, i.e. non-members, should pay a market price[1];

8 that pursuant to Resolution 169 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, which encourages the participation of academia in the development of technical work in the Union, ITU Academia should be given free access to all ITU publications available in digital format,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to take the necessary steps to facilitate the implementation of this resolution;

2 to implement, within the financial constraints of the Union, strategies and mechanisms to enable all Member States, Sector Members and Associates to acquire and use the facilities required to access documents and publications of the Union in electronic format;

3 to ensure that prices for all forms of publications of the Union are reasonable in order to promote their wide distribution;

4 to seek consultation with the advisory groups of the three ITU Sectors to assist in developing and updating policies on documents and publications;

5 to report annually to the ITU Council,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

to implement, as a priority, in close coordination with the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau and the Director of TSB, strategies and mechanisms to encourage and facilitate the efficient use of web-based documents and publications by developing countries, and in particular least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

(Kyoto, 1994) – (Rev. Minneapolis, 1998) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] The term "market price" is defined as the price determined by the Sales and Marketing Division, which is established to maximize revenues without being so high as to discourage sales.

RESOLUTION 68 (REV. GUADALAJARA, 2010)

World Telecommunication and
Information Society Day

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Guadalajara, 2010),

considering

a) the value of the annual celebration of World Telecommunication Day and World Information Society Day in supporting the main strategic orientations of the Union;

b) the rapid rise and evolution of the information society using information and communication technology (ICT), in which information in all its forms is an important element of everyday life,

bearing in mind

a) Resolution 46 (Malaga-Torremolinos, 1973) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, instituting a World Telecommunication Day celebrated annually on 17 May, date of the signature of the first International Telegraph Convention marking the founding of ITU;

b) United Nations General Assembly Resolution 60/252 of 27 March 2006, stipulating that World Information Society Day shall be celebrated every year on 17 May;

c) the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society adopted by the World Summit on the Information Society, in which it is acknowledged that there is a need to build more awareness of the Internet;

d) the exponential growth experienced by Member States of the Union over the past decade in the use of telecommunications and ICT,

resolves to invite Member States and Sector Members

to celebrate the day annually by organizing appropriate national programmes with a view to:

– stimulating reflection and exchanges of ideas on the theme adopted by the ITU Council;

– debating the various aspects of the theme with all partners in society;

– formulating a report reflecting national discussions on the issues underlying the theme, to be fed back to ITU and the rest of the membership;

– raising awareness regarding use of preventive mechanisms to avert the growing risks and threats in cyberspace,

invites the Council

to adopt, for each World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, a specific theme relating to the main challenges which the changing telecommunication/ICT environment poses for both developed and developing countries,

invites Member States

to make available to the Secretary-General reports which may be produced on the main issues discussed at the national level,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to circulate to the entire membership a consolidated document based on the national reports submitted in accordance with this resolution for the purpose of fostering the exchange of information and views among and with the membership on a host of selected strategic issues;

2 to liaise with the United Nations and consult United Nations agencies.

(Kyoto, 1994) – (Rev. Minneapolis, 1998) – (Rev. Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010)

RESOLUTION 69 (KYOTO, 1994)

Provisional application of the Constitution and Convention
of the International Telecommunication Union (Geneva, 1992)
by Members of the Union which have not yet become
States Parties to those instruments

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Kyoto, 1994),

recalling

Resolution 1 of the Additional Plenipotentiary Conference of the Union (Geneva, 1992) on the provisional application of certain parts of the Constitution and Convention of the International Telecommunication Union (Geneva, 1992) and Recommendation 1 of that Conference on the deposit of instruments and entry into force of the said Constitution and Convention,

noting

that, although the said Constitution and Convention entered into force on 1 July 1994 between Members having deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession before that date, only 56 out of the 184 Members of the Union have deposited with the Secretary-General their respective instruments of consent to be bound by the said treaties,

mindful

of its call for expeditious deposit of such instruments as contained in Recommendation 1 of this Conference,

considering

that it is indispensable, for the proper functioning of the Union as an intergovernmental organization, that it be governed by one single set of provisions and rules as contained in its basic instrument, the Constitution (Geneva, 1992), and in the Convention (Geneva, 1992), the provisions of which complement those of the said Constitution,

resolves

to appeal to all Members of the Union which have not yet become States Parties to the Constitution and Convention of the International Telecommunication Union (Geneva, 1992) provisionally to apply the provisions thereof, until such time as they have become States Parties thereto by depositing with the Secretary-General their respective instruments of consent to be bound by the two treaties, and to confirm that the provisions of No. 210 of the said Constitution shall continue to apply until such time of deposit.

(Kyoto, 1994)

RESOLUTION 70 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Mainstreaming a gender perspective in ITU and promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls through telecommunications/information and communication technologies

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) Resolution 70/1 of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 (Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls);

b) the endorsement of Resolution 7 (Valletta, 1998) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) by the Plenipotentiary Conference in its Resolution 70 (Minneapolis, 1998), in which the conference resolved, inter alia, to incorporate a gender perspective[1] in the implementation of all programmes and plans of ITU;

c) Resolution 55 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly, which encourages mainstreaming a gender perspective in the activities of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T);

d) Resolution 55 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of WTDC, resolving that the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) should maintain close links and collaborate, as appropriate, with the ITU Gender Task Force, set up by the Secretary-General to support gender mainstreaming in the Union's activities, with the aim of eliminating inequalities in access to and use of telecommunications/information and communication technologies (ICTs);

e) Resolution 1327 adopted by the ITU Council at its 2011 session, on ITU's role in ICTs and the empowerment of women and girls;

f) the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Agreed Conclusions 1997-2, and ECOSOC Resolution 2012/24, on incorporating and mainstreaming a gender perspective into all policies and programmes in the United Nations system, which welcomed the development of the United Nations System-wide Action Plan on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-SWAP)[2];

g) UNGA Resolution 70/125, on the outcome document of the UNGA high-level meeting on the overall review of the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), as well as the preamble to the WSIS+10 Statement on the implementation of WSIS outcomes, which reaffirmed the importance of promoting and maintaining gender equality and women's empowerment and guaranteeing the inclusion of women in the emerging global ICT society, taking into account the mandate of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women);

h) the Declaration on Promoting Gender Equality, Equity and Parity in the ITU Radiocommunication Sector, approved at the World Radiocommunication Conference (Sharm el-Sheikh, 2019),

noting

a) the United Nations Secretary-General's commitment to achieving full gender parity across the United Nations system through the launch of a strategy in 2017 as the start of a system-wide campaign to advance this priority, referenced in UNGA Resolution 72/234;

b) UNGA Resolution 64/289, on system-wide coherence, adopted on 21 July 2010, establishing UN Women, with a triple mandate for normative support, coordination and operational functions to provide an effective platform for delivering results on gender equality and women's empowerment;

c) that the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination, in April 2013, advocated UN-SWAP, under which ITU will participate in the dissemination, coordination and communication and networking activities that are part of the strategy;

d) the conclusions agreed at the 55th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), held in March 2011, regarding the access and participation of women and girls in education, training and science and technology;

e) that the Agreed Conclusions of the 61st and 62nd sessions of CSW promote digital change for the empowerment of women, including rural women, and support women's access to skills development by expanding the scope of education and training opportunities, including communications technology and digital fluency;

f) the United Nations Guidelines for gender-inclusive language[3],

noting also

a) the decision of the Council at its 2013 session endorsing the ITU Gender Equality and Mainstreaming Policy (GEM), with the aim of integrating a gender perspective throughout the Union and leveraging the power of telecommunications/ICTs to empower both women and men;

b) that ITU, in its strategic plan, includes issues related to gender equality, empowerment and inclusion with a view to debating and exchanging ideas to define, throughout the organization, a concrete action plan to address issues and barriers, with clear deadlines and goals,

recognizing

a) that equal access to ICTs for women and men and equal participation at all levels and in all fields, especially in policy- and decision-making, are beneficial to society as a whole, particularly in the context of the information and knowledge society;

b) that women's and girls' unequal access to ICTs harms everyone, including in terms of, inter alia, reduced economic activity, innovation and entrepreneurship;

c) that failure to ensure that women have equal access to the Internet particularly harms low-income countries;

d) the importance of fully engaging men and boys, as agents and beneficiaries of change, in the achievement of gender equality;

e) that ICTs are tools through which gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls can be advanced, and are recognized as being integral to societies in which both women and men can substantively contribute and participate;

f) that SDG 5 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development strives to achieve gender equality and to empower all women and girls and foster gender mainstreaming as a cross-cutting issue over all goals and targets of the agenda;

g) that the outcomes of WSIS, namely the Geneva Declaration of Principles, the Geneva Plan of Action, the Tunis Commitment and the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society, outlined the concept of the information society, and that continued efforts must be undertaken in this context to bridge the gender digital divide;

h) that the WSIS+10 Statement on the implementation of WSIS outcomes states the need to ensure that the information society enables women's empowerment and their full participation on the basis of equality in all spheres of society and in all decision-making processes;

i) that it is fundamental for the ITU membership and partners to encourage women and girls to choose a career in the field of telecommunications/ICTs and to foster the use of ICTs for the social and economic empowerment of women and girls and the achievement of gender equality;

j) that women and girls experience multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and that there is a need to address this discrimination and to bridge the gender digital divide, with special attention to women in rural and marginalized urban areas;

k) that affordability and lack of digital skills remain some of the key barriers to the uptake and effective use of telecommunications/ICTs, especially in the world's least developed countries (LDCs) and in particular among women and girls;

l) that bridging the gender digital divide requires fostering digital skills, education and mentorship for women and girls, so as to advance their participation and leadership in the creation, development and deployment of telecommunications/ICTs, and also requires connectivity to be affordable and accessible;

m) that there is a gap between women and men in the use of Internet, especially in LDCs[4];

n) that the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau has established the ITU Women in Standardization Expert Group (WISE), launched at the meeting of the Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group in February 2016, dedicated to promoting women in standardization, telecommunications/ICTs and related fields;

o) that, at the 2016 World Radiocommunication Seminar, the Radiocommunication Bureau launched a Network of Women initiative dedicated to promoting women in radiocommunications, telecommunications/ICTs and related fields;

p) that a Network of Women initiative was launched in the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) in January 2021 as a way to improve the number of women taking up leadership roles in the structures that make up ITU-D, such as chairmanships of committees and working groups and other key management roles related to the preparation of the next WTDC and beyond,

recognizing further

a) the progress achieved in raising awareness, both within ITU and among Member States, of the importance of mainstreaming a gender perspective in all ITU work programmes and of increasing the number of women professionals in ITU, especially at the senior management level, while at the same time working towards the equal access of women and men to posts in the General Service category;

b) the success of the international Girls in ICT Day organized by ITU, which is held every year on the fourth Thursday of April;

c) the EQUALS global partnership[5], of which ITU is a founder member and which is made up of other United Nations agencies, governments, the private sector, academia and civil-society organizations, and which aims to reduce the gender digital divide in the world;

d) that the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, in its General Recommendation No. 37, on the gender-related dimensions of disaster risk reduction within the context of climate change, recommends that States make sure women have access to technologies to prevent and mitigate the adverse effects of natural disasters and climate change, and that they be able to use and take advantage of technologies for climate-change adaptation and mitigation, including those related to renewable energy and sustainable agriculture;

e) that the Buenos Aires Declaration adopted by WTDC-17 states that elaborating proper and comparable indicators/statistics, in sex-disaggregated form, as well as analysing ICT trends, is important for both Member States and the private sector,

considering

a) the progress made by ITU, and in particular BDT, in the development and implementation of actions and projects that use ICTs for the economic and social empowerment of women and girls, as well as in increasing awareness of the links between gender issues and ICTs within the Union and among Member States and Sector Members;

b) the progress made by ITU in gathering and publishing data and analyses that help communicate the differences in access to and involvement with telecommunications/ICTs and their effects on gender equality;

c) the results achieved by ITU's internal Gender Task Force in promoting gender equality;

d) the study conducted by ITU-T on women in telecommunication standardization, exploring perspectives and activities related to mainstreaming a gender perspective in ITU-T and determining the degree to which women are active participants in all ITU-T activities;

e) the importance of carrying out an impact assessment based on data collected by ITU, as well as on programmes and projects, to determine the effects of, and promote a better understanding of, the impact of telecommunications/ICTs on the achievement of gender equality and women's empowerment,

noting further

a) that there is a need for ITU to continue to study, gather data disaggregated by social and economic factors and in particular sex and age, analyse, generate statistics on, assess and evaluate the effects of and promote a better understanding of the impact of telecommunications/ICTs on the achievement of gender equality and women's empowerment;

b) that ITU should have a role in establishing and reporting on gender-relevant indicators for the telecommunication/ICT sector that would contribute to reducing disparities in terms of access to and appropriation of ICTs and to mainstreaming gender equality at the national, regional and international levels;

c) that more work needs to be done to ensure the mainstreaming of gender equality in all work of the Union;

d) that there is a need to continue fostering the participation of women and girls in the telecommunication/ICT domain at an early age and to provide input for further policy developments in the required areas, so as to ensure that the information and knowledge society contributes to their empowerment;

e) the need for ICT tools and applications to empower women and girls and to facilitate their access to the job market, especially in fields related to ICTs and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers,

taking into account

the amendments made in Resolution 48 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on human resources management and development, outlining procedures to facilitate the recruitment of women at ITU,

encourages Member States and Sector Members

1 to undertake actions to mainstream gender equality across government, the public and private sectors and academia, for the purpose of promoting innovation in telecommunication/ICT learning so as to foster the empowerment of women and girls, including those in rural and remote areas;

2 to review and revise, as appropriate, their respective policies and practices to ensure that recruitment, employment, training and advancement of women and men in the ICT sector are undertaken on a fair and equitable basis;

3 to facilitate the capacity building, skills development and employment of women and men equally in the telecommunication/ICT field, including at senior levels of responsibility in telecommunication/ICT administrations, government and regulatory bodies and intergovernmental organizations and in the private sector;

4 to review their policies and strategies related to the information society so as to ensure the inclusion of a gender perspective in all activities and the fostering of gender balance to secure equal opportunities through the use and appropriation of telecommunications/ICTs;

5 to strengthen educational policies and study plans in science and technology and to promote and increase the interest of, and opportunities for, women and girls in STEM and telecommunication/ICT careers, including women and girls in rural and remote areas, during elementary, secondary and higher education and lifelong education;

6 to attract more women and girls to study for and to pursue STEM careers, and acknowledge the achievements of leading women in these fields, particularly in innovation;

7 to encourage and support more women to take advantage of the opportunities offered by ICTs to establish and develop businesses and to foster potential contributions to economic growth;

8 to engage men in tackling gender inequality and encourage them to support women and girls in taking advantage of the opportunities offered by telecommunications/ICTs;

9 to make efforts to ensure gender-balanced representation in delegations to ITU conferences, assemblies and other meetings, as well as in candidatures for leadership roles, and encourage participation in Network of Women initiatives;

10 to actively participate in and promote EQUALS, the global partnership to bridge the gender digital divide;

11 to collect and provide to ITU data that are disaggregated by sex so as to support its activities in compiling and processing statistical data from countries to draw up indicators that take into account gender-equality issues, highlight trends in the sector and set benchmarks towards achieving equality,

resolves

1 to continue the work being done at ITU, and particularly in BDT, to promote gender equality in telecommunications/ICTs by recommending measures at the international, regional and national level on policies and programmes that improve socio-economic conditions for women and girls, particularly in developing countries[6];

2 to accord high priority to the incorporation of gender policies in the management, staffing and operation of ITU, so that ITU can become a leading organization in the implementation and achievement of gender equality so as to take advantage of the possibilities offered by ICTs to empower both men and women;

3 to incorporate the gender perspective in the implementation and evaluation of the ITU strategic and financial plans, as well as in the operational plans of the Sectors and the General Secretariat;

4 to have ITU compile and process statistical data from countries and draw up indicators that take into account gender-equality issues and highlight trends in the sector, disaggregated by social and economic factors, in particular sex and age;

5 to encourage, to the extent practicable, the adoption of gender-inclusive language in the work of the Union,

instructs the ITU Council

1 to accord high priority to monitoring the implementation of GEM, so that ITU can integrate a gender perspective throughout the organization and leverage the power of telecommunications/ICTs to empower women, girls, men and boys;

2 to continue and expand existing initiatives, and to accelerate the gender mainstreaming process, including through affirmative measures when necessary, in ITU as a whole, within existing budgetary resources, so as to ensure capacity building, skills development and the appointment of women to senior-level positions, including ITU elected positions, and also in recruitment for internships;

3 to allocate resources within ITU's budget to facilitate the implementation of this resolution to the fullest extent possible;

4 to examine the possibility for ITU, in close collaboration with relevant regional organizations, to take appropriate measures to establish a regional platform for women, devoted to using ICTs in order to promote gender equality and empowerment of women and girls,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to continue to ensure that the gender perspective is incorporated in the work programmes, management approaches and human resources development activities of ITU, and to submit an annual written report to the Council on progress made in the implementation of the GEM policy and action plan reflecting, with statistics broken down by sex and age, the gender balance by category within ITU, as well as the gender balance in ITU conferences and meetings, to be disseminated among the Member States;

2 to ensure the inclusion of a gender perspective in all ITU contributions with respect to the priority areas that must be tackled for the implementation of WSIS action lines;

3 to give priority to gender parity for posts in the Professional and higher categories in ITU, particularly in senior positions, in line with the United Nations Secretary-General's gender parity strategy;

4 to give appropriate priority to gender parity when choosing candidates who have equal qualifications for a post, taking into account geographical distribution (No. 154 of the ITU Constitution) and gender balance;

5 to amend ITU recruitment procedures to ensure that, under the requirements of these procedures, as a target at least 50 per cent of the candidates who move up to the next recruitment stage are women;

6 to continue to collect statistics on gender equality in recruitment and promotion, within ITU, and report these annually to the Council and publish them on the ITU website;

7 to report to the next plenipotentiary conference on the results and progress made on the inclusion of a gender perspective in the work of ITU, and on the implementation of this resolution;

8 to make sure that each shortlist submitted to the Secretary-General for appointment includes at least one woman among the candidates;

9 to ensure gender parity in the composition of ITU statutory committees;

10 to continue to provide training in gender equality for all staff, including training for staff in senior and leadership positions;

11 to continue to support gender equality mainstreaming in cooperation with other relevant organizations, including through initiatives such as EQUALS;

12 to make efforts to mobilize voluntary contributions from Member States, Sector Members and others for the purpose of supporting gender-equality mainstreaming and outcomes in cooperation with other relevant organizations;

13 to encourage administrations to give equal opportunities to women and men candidates for elected official posts and for membership of the Radio Regulations Board;

14 to encourage the launch of a Global Network of Women ICT Decision-makers;

15 to bring this resolution to the attention of the United Nations Secretary-General in an effort to promote greater cooperation and coordination in the policies, programmes and projects being implemented by ITU and interlinking access, use and appropriation of telecommunications/ICT and broadband among women and girls, and to promote gender equality and empowerment of women and girls;

16 to fulfil the obligations of submitting reports as required by UN-SWAP and ensure compliance with performance indicators;

17 to facilitate the creation of a mechanism that supports the alignment, cooperation and coordination of activities in ITU that empower women across the Sectors, including Network of Women initiatives and WISE activities, in close consultation with these networks and groups, and to encourage alignment of shared activities;

18 to continue to support cross-cutting and cross-sectoral training and upskilling of women delegates to ITU meetings, within the available resources of the Union;

19 to consider the creation of a sponsorship programme that supports women delegates who have completed training and upskilling initiatives to attend ITU meetings in order to facilitate a pipeline of women delegates to ITU conferences and assemblies,

instructs the Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux

1 to explore options for delivering a mentoring programme open to participation of the ITU membership under which young women and girls beginning their schooling in ICTs and STEM curricula may have mentors to accompany them and to transfer to them their expertise and knowledge throughout their careers;

2 to continue and expand existing initiatives ensuring gender balance in granting ITU fellowships to participate in ITU meetings and activities,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

1 to continue promoting, among the other United Nations agencies, ITU Member States and Sector Members, the international Girls in ICT Day, which, since 2011, takes place every fourth Thursday of April, and during which telecommunication/ICT companies, other enterprises with telecommunication/ICT departments, telecommunication/ICT training institutions, universities, research centres and all telecommunication/ICT-related institutions are invited to organize activities for girls and young women, as well as online training and/or workshops, day camps and summer camps, in order to promote and increase the interest of, and opportunities for, women and girls in telecommunication/ICT careers during elementary, secondary and higher education;

2 to call upon women's organizations and non-governmental and civil-society organizations throughout the world to join in the celebration of the international Girls in ICT Day, as well as to provide, inter alia, online training and/or workshops and day camps;

3 to maintain the ITU website in the six official languages of the Union in order to ensure broad dissemination of the actions and activities developed by the membership around the world on the occasion of the celebration of the international Girls in ICT Day, as well as the achievements of these actions;

4 to continue the work of BDT in promoting the use of telecommunications/ICTs for the economic and social empowerment of women and girls, working with them to tackle disparities and facilitating the acquisition of skills for life;

5 to continue to assist developing countries in order to expedite bridging the digital gender divide;

6 to ensure significant contributions to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including SDG 5,

invites Member States and Sector Members

1 to make voluntary contributions to ITU to support the implementation of this resolution to the fullest extent possible;

2 to collect data disaggregated by social and economic factors and in particular by sex and age in order to facilitate better understanding of the impact of telecommunications/ICTs on the achievement of gender equality and women's empowerment;

3 to observe and promote annually the international Girls in ICT Day, held on the fourth Thursday of April, to share with BDT lessons learned from the Girls in ICT Day activities whenever necessary, and to invite ICT companies, other companies with ICT departments, ICT training institutions, universities, research centres and all ICT-related institutions to organize an open day for girls;

4 to actively support and participate in the work of BDT in promoting the use of telecommunications/ICTs for the economic and social empowerment of women and girls;

5 to actively encourage the participation of women in activities of ITU that empower women, including Network of Women initiatives and WISE activities;

6 to actively participate in the launch of a Global Network of Women ICT Decision-makers aimed at promoting the work of ITU in using ICTs for the social and economic empowerment of women and girls, including by building partnerships and synergies between existing networks at national, regional and international levels;

7 to foster successful strategies to strengthen gender equality in senior-level positions in telecommunication/ICT administrations, government, regulatory bodies and intergovernmental organizations, including ITU, and in the private sector;

8 to highlight a gender perspective in the questions under study in the ITU-D study groups and the programmes of the Kigali Action Plan;

9 to further develop internal tools and programming guidelines in the area of promotion of gender equality in the use of ICTs;

10 to collaborate with relevant stakeholders that have significant experience in mainstreaming gender equality in projects and programmes, in order to provide specialized training for women and girls on ICT use;

11 to provide support so that women and girls can have equal access to studies and careers in telecommunications/ICTs, by creating opportunities, fostering their incorporation into teaching and learning processes, and/or encouraging their professional training;

12 to support and/or promote the funding of studies, projects and proposals that contribute to overcoming gender inequalities and discrimination in the field of telecommunications/ICTs and to fostering and promoting telecommunications/ICTs to empower women and girls, including those who live in rural and remote areas and are in vulnerable situations;

13 to nominate on an annual basis deserving organizations and individuals for the EQUALS in Tech Awards;

14 to achieve SDG 5 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

15 to encourage greater participation of women within their delegations to ITU events.

(Minneapolis, 1998) – (Rev. Marrakesh, 2002) – (Rev. Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] "Gender perspective": Mainstreaming a gender perspective is the process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes in all areas and at all levels. It is a strategy for making women's as well as men's concerns and experiences an integral dimension of design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation so that women and men benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated. The ultimate goal is to achieve gender equality. (Source: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/GMS.PDF)

[2] http://www.unwomen.org/en/how-we-work/un-system-coordination/promoting-un-accountability

[3] These Guidelines include a number of strategies to help United Nations staff use gender-inclusive language. They may be applied to any type of communication, whether it is oral or written, formal or informal, or addressed to an internal or external audience. The guidelines can be found online: https://www.un.org/en/gender-inclusive-language/guidelines.shtml.

[4] https://itu.foleon.com/itu/measuring-digital-development/gender-gap/

[5] https://www.equalsintech.org/

[6] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 71 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Strategic plan for the Union for 2024-2027

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

considering

a) the articles and provisions of the ITU Constitution and ITU Convention relating to strategic policies and plans and the participation of Sector Members in the Union's activities;

b) Resolution 25 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, which resolves, among other things, to strengthen the functions of the regional and area offices so that they can play an important role in implementation of the ITU strategic plan, programmes and projects, and regional initiatives;

c) Resolution 48 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, which resolves, among other things, that the management and development of ITU's human resources should continue to be compatible with the mission, values, goals and activities of the Union and the United Nations common system;

d) Resolution 70 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, which resolves to incorporate the gender perspective in the implementation and evaluation of the ITU strategic and financial plans, as well as in the operational plans of the Sectors and the General Secretariat;

e) Resolution 140 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference on ITU's role in implementing the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as in their follow-up and review processes;

f) Resolution 151 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, which instructs the Secretary-General and the Directors of the three Bureaux to continue to develop a comprehensive ITU results framework to support implementation of the strategic, financial and operational plans and budget and increase the capability of the Union's membership to assess progress in the achievement of ITU's goals, and to prepare their coordinated and consolidated operational plans reflecting the linkages with the strategic and financial plans of the Union;

g) Resolution 191 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, which instructs the Secretary-General to continue enhancing a coordination and cooperation strategy for effective and efficient efforts in areas of mutual interest to the three ITU Sectors and the General Secretariat, in order to avoid duplication of effort and optimize the use of resources of the Union;

h) Resolution 200 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on the implementation of the Connect 2030 Agenda and the contribution towards the worldwide efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,

considering further

a) United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolutions 75/233 of 21 December 2020, on the quadrennial comprehensive policy review of operational activities for development of the United Nations system, 72/279 of 31 May 2018, on the repositioning of the United Nations development system in the context of the quadrennial comprehensive policy review of operational activities for development of the United Nations system, and 74/297 of 11 August 2020, on progress in the implementation of UNGA Resolution 71/243;

b) that, in the declaration adopted on 21 September 2020 in UNGA Resolution 75/1, on the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, United Nations Member States acknowledged the importance of technology as a major global issue and undertook to improve digital cooperation in order to maximize the benefits of digital technologies while reducing their risks,

noting

a) the challenges faced by the Union in achieving its purposes in the constantly changing telecommunication/information and communication technology (ICT) environment as well as the context for the development and implementation of the strategic plan, as outlined in Annex 2 to this resolution;

b) the glossary of terms presented in Annex 3 to this resolution,

recognizing

a) the experience gained in implementing the previous strategic plans for the Union;

b) the recommendations of United Nations Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) Report 2012/12: Strategic planning in the United Nations system;

c) the persistent digital divide and ITU's role in expanding connectivity worldwide and in the use of telecommunications/ICTs for social, economic and environmentally sustainable development, particularly in the context of the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19);

d) the recommendations relevant to strategic planning and risk management in the JIU report on review of management and administration in ITU;

e) that the effective linkage between the strategic plan and the financial plan is detailed in Annex 1 to Decision 5 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, as presented in Appendix А to Annex 1 to this resolution;

f) the new ITU Accountability Framework, endorsed by the ITU Council at its 2022 session, aiming to further strengthen the Union's accountability mechanisms and internal controls,

resolves

to adopt the strategic plan for the Union for 2024-2027 contained in Annex 1 to this resolution,

instructs the Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux

1 to continue improving the ITU results framework for monitoring the implementation of the strategic plan for the Union, following the principles of results-based management and results-based budgeting;

2 to coordinate the implementation of the strategic plan, ensuring coherence between the strategic plan, the financial plan, the operational plans and the biennial budgets;

3 to recommend to the Council making adjustments to the strategic and financial plans in line with its mandate and in the light of changes in the telecommunication/ICT environment and/or as a result of the performance evaluation and the risk-management framework, in particular by:

i) making all necessary modifications to ensure that the strategic plan facilitates the accomplishment of ITU's goals and priorities, taking account of proposals by the Sector advisory groups, decisions by conferences and by assemblies of the Sectors and changes in the strategic focus of the Union's activities, within the financial limits established by the Plenipotentiary Conference;

ii) ensuring the linkage between the strategic, financial and operational plans in ITU, and the corresponding human resources strategic plan;

4 to report annually to the Council on the implementation of the strategic plan and on the performance of the Union towards the achievement of its goals;

5 to distribute these reports to all Member States, after consideration by the Council, urging them to circulate the reports to Sector Members, as well as to those entities and organizations referred to in No. 235 of the Convention which have participated in the implementation of the plans;

6 to continue to engage with the United Nations with a view to supporting full implementation of UNGA resolutions related to telecommunications/ICTs,

instructs the ITU Council

1 to oversee the development and implementation of the ITU results framework, including the adoption of the related indicators to better measure the effectiveness and efficiency of the implementation of the strategic plan for the Union;

2 to oversee the development and implementation of the strategic plan, and when necessary adjust the strategic plan, on the basis of the Secretary-General's reports;

3 to present an assessment of the results of the strategic plan to the next plenipotentiary conference, along with a proposed draft strategic plan for the next quadrennial period for adoption;

4 to take appropriate action to support the implementation of the relevant UNGA resolutions;

5 to ensure that the rolling operational plans from the General Secretariat and the three Sectors approved annually by the Council are fully aligned and compliant with this resolution and its annexes and with the financial plan for the Union approved in Decision 5 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference,

invites Member States

to contribute national and regional insights on policy, regulatory and operational matters in the domain of telecommunications/ICTs to the strategic planning process undertaken by the Union in the period before the next plenipotentiary conference, in order to:

− strengthen the effectiveness of the Union in fulfilling its purposes as set out in the instruments of the Union, by cooperating in the implementation of the strategic plan, keeping in mind the values and principles of "One ITU";

− assist the Union in meeting the changing expectations of all its constituents as national structures for the provision of telecommunication/ICT services continue to evolve,

invites Sector Members

to communicate their views on the strategic plan for the Union through their relevant Sectors and the corresponding advisory groups.

(Minneapolis, 1998) – (Rev. Marrakesh, 2002) – (Rev. Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

ANNEX 1 TO RESOLUTION 71 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

ITU strategic plan for 2024-2027

1 Overview of ITU's structure

1 Pursuant to the ITU Constitution and ITU Convention, the Union comprises: a) the Plenipotentiary Conference, which is the supreme organ of the Union; b) the ITU Council, which acts on behalf of the Plenipotentiary Conference in the interval between plenipotentiary conferences; c) world conferences on international telecommunications; d) the ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R), including world and regional radiocommunication conferences, radiocommunication assemblies, the Radio Regulations Board, the radiocommunication study groups and advisory group, and the Radiocommunication Bureau (BR); e) the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T), including world telecommunication standardization assemblies, the telecommunication standardization study groups and advisory group, and the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB); f) the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D), including world and regional telecommunication development conferences, the telecommunication development study groups and advisory group and the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT); and g) the General Secretariat. The three Bureaux serve as the secretariat to each respective Sector.

2 As outlined in ITU's basic instruments, ITU-R is responsible for ensuring the rational, equitable, efficient and economical use of the radio-frequency spectrum by all radiocommunication services, including those using the geostationary-satellite or other satellite orbits, and for carrying out studies without limit of frequency range and adopting recommendations on radiocommunication matters.

3 The functions of ITU-T are to fulfil the purposes of the Union relating to telecommunication standardization, bearing in mind the particular concerns of developing countries[1], by studying technical, operating and tariff questions and adopting recommendations on them with a view to standardizing telecommunications on a worldwide basis.

4 The functions of ITU-D include discharging the Union's dual responsibility as a United Nations specialized agency and executing agency for implementing projects under the United Nations development system or other funding arrangements so as to facilitate and enhance telecommunication development by offering, organizing and coordinating technical cooperation and assistance activities, to close the digital divide.

5 The ITU Sectors have complementary mandates and cooperate under the implementation of this strategic plan to fulfil the purposes of the Union.

6 The functions of the General Secretariat include coordinating and reporting on the implementation of the strategic plan and being responsible for the overall management of the Union's resources. The General Secretariat aims to provide high-quality and efficient services to the membership of the Union.

2 ITU strategic framework for 2024-2027

2.1 Overall framework

7 The figure below outlines the key components of the strategic framework. These include vision, mission, strategic goals and targets, thematic priorities and outcomes, product and service offerings, and enablers.

Components of strategic plan

Definition

Vision

The better world ITU wants to see.

Mission

Main overall purposes of the Union, as per the basic instruments of ITU.

Strategic goals

The Union's high-level goals which enable the realization of its mission.

Targets

The desired results the Union aims to achieve in order to deliver on its strategic goals, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the World Summit on the Information Society action lines.

Thematic priorities

Areas of work that the Union focuses on and in which outcomes will be achieved to meet the strategic goals.

Outcomes

Key results the Union aims to achieve under its thematic priorities.

Product and service offerings

The range of ITU's products and services that are deployed to support the Union's work under its thematic priorities.

Enablers

Ways of working that allow the Union to deliver on its goals and priorities more effectively and efficiently.

Operational plan and Sectors' priorities

The operational plan is prepared on a yearly basis by each Bureau, in consultation with the relevant advisory group, and by the General Secretariat, in accordance with the strategic and financial plans. It contains the detailed plan for the subsequent year and a forecast for the following three-year period for each Sector and the General Secretariat. The Council reviews and approves the four-year rolling operational plans.

2.2 Vision

8 "An information society, empowered by the interconnected world, where telecommunications/information and communication technologies enable and accelerate social, economic and environmentally sustainable growth and development for everyone."

2.3 Mission

9 "ITU's mission is to promote, facilitate and foster affordable and universal access to telecommunication/information and communication technology networks, services and applications and their use for social, economic and environmentally sustainable growth and development."

2.4 Strategic goals

10 The strategic goals of the Union are listed hereafter and support ITU's realization of its mission and role in facilitating progress towards the implementation of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) action lines and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

11 Goal 1 – Universal Connectivity: Enable and foster universal access to affordable, high-quality and secure telecommunications/ICTs. To advance universal connectivity, ITU will make efforts to achieve universally accessible, affordable, high-quality, interoperable and secure telecommunication/information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure, services and applications. ITU will coordinate efforts to prevent and eliminate harmful interference to radiocommunication services, facilitate the worldwide standardization of telecommunications, and leverage existing and emerging technologies, connectivity solutions and business models to close the digital divide in access in all countries, regions and for all humanity.

12 Goal 2 – Sustainable Digital Transformation: Foster equitable and inclusive use of telecommunications/ICTs to empower people and societies for sustainable development. By leveraging telecommunications/information and communication technologies (ICTs), ITU will strive to facilitate digital transformation to help build an inclusive society and economy for sustainable development. ITU will thereby work to close the digital divide in the use of telecommunications/ICTs in all countries and for all peoples, including women and girls, youth, indigenous peoples, older persons, persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs. ITU will work to promote and enable digital transformation across spheres of life and activity, to address the dual climate and environmental crisis, and to foster the advancement of science, sustainable exploration of Earth and space, and the use of their resources for the benefit of all.

2.5 Targets for the Union's Connect 2030 Agenda

13 The targets represent the effect and long-term impact of ITU's work, providing an indication of progress towards achievement of the strategic goals of the Union, and ITU's commitment to enabling the implementation of the WSIS action lines and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). ITU will work collaboratively with the full range of other organizations and entities around the world committed to advancing the use of telecommunications/ICTs for a connected world by 2030.

Targets for Goal 1: Universal Connectivity – by 2030:

1.1: Universal broadband coverage

1.2: Broadband services to be affordable for all

1.3: Broadband access to every household

1.4: Ownership of and access to Internet-enabled devices

1.5: Access to the Internet for all schools

1.6: Improved cybersecurity preparedness of countries (with key capabilities: presence of strategy, national computer incident/emergency response teams and legislation)

1.7: Universal access to the Internet by all individuals

Targets for Goal 2: Sustainable Digital Transformation – by 2030:

2.1: All digital gaps to be bridged (in particular gender, age and urban/rural)

2.2: Majority of individuals to have digital skills

2.3: Universal usage of Internet services by businesses

2.4: Majority of individuals accessing government services online

2.5: Significant improvement of ICTs' contribution to climate and environment action

2.6 Thematic priorities

14 The Sectors and General Secretariat will work together under ITU's thematic priorities to deliver outcomes towards achieving the Union's strategic goals. These thematic priorities and associated outcomes are described below.

Spectrum use for space and terrestrial services

15 The radio-frequency spectrum and associated satellite-orbit resources are limited natural resources that must be used rationally, efficiently and economically, in conformity with the provisions of the Radio Regulations, so that countries or groups of countries may have equitable access to those orbits and frequencies, taking into account the special needs of developing countries and the geographical situation of particular countries.

16 ITU activities under this thematic priority are focused on improving the use of the radio-frequency spectrum for radiocommunication services and of the geostationary-satellite and other satellite orbits, while coordinating efforts to prevent and resolve harmful interference between radio stations of different countries and facilitating the efficient and effective operation of all radiocommunication services. ITU also carries out studies and develops recommendations on radiocommunication technologies and systems facilitating more efficient use of spectrum/orbit resources.

17 ITU's work under spectrum use for space and terrestrial services is expected to deliver the following outcomes:

1) Radio-frequency spectrum and orbit resources are used efficiently, economically, rationally and equitably.

2) Avoidance of causing harmful interference.

3) Enhanced application of ITU-R recommendations, including those dealing with propagation modelling, used for efficient spectrum management, as well as for sharing and compatibility.

International telecommunication numbering resources

18 International telecommunication numbering resources include numbering, naming, addressing and identification (NNAI), all of which are instrumental to the functioning of international telecommunication/ICT networks and services and applications. International telecommunication numbering resources are essential to fixed and mobile interpersonal communications services, as well as to non-interpersonal machine-to-machine communications and Internet of Things connectivity services.

19 Effective management of these limited resources on a global level is vital in order to respond to ever-growing demand from the telecommunication/ICT sector and other communities.

20 ITU has the unique responsibility to allocate and manage these resources and contributes to the optimum functioning of international telecommunication networks and services.

21 ITU's work under international telecommunication numbering resources is expected to deliver the following outcomes:

1) Effective allocation and management of international telecommunication numbering, naming, addressing and identification (NNAI) resources in accordance with ITU-T recommendations and procedures.

2) Enhanced availability of international telecommunication networks and services.

3) Reduced misappropriation and misuse of numbering, naming, addressing and identification (NNAI) resources.

Inclusive and secure telecommunication/ICT infrastructure and services

22 Inclusive and secure telecommunication/ICT infrastructure and services are the fundamental and integral components of digital transformation. An important aspect of this thematic priority is to focus on inclusive and worldwide connectivity by way of enabling interoperability, improving performance, quality and affordability and enhancing sustainability of telecommunication/ICT infrastructure and services. Another important element of this thematic priority is the promotion of inclusion, digital literacy and skills.

23 The work under this priority shall also provide for greater compatibility and coexistence of different radio services free from harmful interference.

24 Building confidence and security in telecommunications/ICTs is essential for their widespread adoption and use.

25 Another important aspect of this thematic priority is to assist Member States in technical and organizational aspects of building confidence and security in the use of telecommunications/ICTs by way of, inter alia, enhancing the quality, reliability and resilience of networks and systems with minimal negative impacts.

26 To achieve this, the Union will work to foster the development of inclusive and secure telecommunication/ICT infrastructure and services, including through the development of international standards and new technologies for radiocommunication services and for the operation and interworking of telecommunication networks, and by providing assistance to the membership on new and emerging telecommunication/ICT services and technologies.

27 ITU's work under inclusive and secure telecommunication/ICT infrastructure and services is expected to deliver the following outcomes:

1) Enhanced connectivity and access for all to fixed and mobile broadband services.

2) Enhanced use of radiocommunication services.

3) Enhanced digital skills and literacy.

4) Enhanced knowledge of the ITU membership on interoperability and performance with respect to inclusive and secure telecommunication/ICT infrastructure, services and applications.

5) Enhanced capacity of the ITU membership to deploy inclusive, secure and resilient telecommunication/ICT infrastructures, to address cybersecurity-related incidents, to build confidence and security in the use of telecommunications/ICTs, and to adopt risk-management practices.

6) Enhanced utilization of ITU's unique partnerships for capacity building and training on digital skills and public awareness of cybersecurity issues.

7) Assisting the ITU membership in developing their national cybersecurity strategies.

8) Assisting the ITU membership in implementing international standards that are relevant to this thematic priority.

Digital applications

28 Widespread availability of telecommunication/ICT infrastructure and services has acted as a catalyst for uptake and innovation in related digital applications, improving people's lives and empowering society for sustainable digital transformation. Telecommunication/ICT applications and fostering their development through ICT entrepreneurship and increased ICT innovation in the ICT ecosystem have shown great promise in areas including, but not limited to, health care, education, banking and the provision of public services to citizens.

29 ITU contributes to increasing the availability, interoperability, scalability and impact of telecommunication/ICT applications, including in underserved areas, by developing digital strategies and international standards, by strengthening ICT-centric innovation ecosystems and entrepreneurship through development of strategies, initiatives and support for institutional and human capacity building, and by providing technical assistance to meet the needs and requirements of the ITU membership.

30 ITU's work under digital applications is expected to deliver the following outcomes:

1) Enhanced interoperability and performance of telecommunication/ICT applications.

2) Enhanced adoption and use of telecommunication/ICT applications, including for e-government.

3) Increased deployment of telecommunication/ICT networks and services needed for such applications.

4) Improved capacity to leverage telecommunication/ICT-centric innovation and entrepreneurship for sustainable development.

Enabling environment

31 An enabling environment consists of a policy and regulatory environment conducive to sustainable telecommunication/ICT development that encourages innovation and investment in infrastructure and ICTs and that increases adoption of telecommunications/ICTs to reduce the digital divide and promote a more inclusive and equal society.

32 To foster an enabling environment, the Union will work to provide assistance to Member States on technical and organizational aspects in developing an innovative and meaningful environment, by establishing new partnerships and utilizing existing, as well as new and emerging, telecommunication/ICT services and technologies, connectivity solutions and new business models, with a focus on digital inclusion and environmental sustainability.

33 ITU's role in creating an enabling environment also entails the promotion of active participation of the membership, in particular developing countries, including least developed countries (LDCs), small island developing states (SIDS), landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), and countries with economies in transition; the definition and adoption of international telecommunication/ICT standards and regulations with a view to bridging the standardization gap; the fostering of equitable access to radio-frequency spectrum, satellite-orbit and other essential resources; and the development of best practices and capacity to close the digital divide.

34 ITU's work under enabling environment is expected to deliver the following outcomes:

1) Conducive policy and regulatory environment for innovation and investment to drive social and economic growth.

2) Digitally skilled users.

3) Enhanced digital inclusion[2].

4) Enhanced ability of all countries, in particular developing countries, to develop and implement strategies, policies and practices for digital inclusion, access and use telecommunications/ICTs, implement, and participate in the development of, ITU's international standards, recommendations, best practices and regulations.

5) Enhanced adoption of policies and strategies for the environmentally sustainable use of telecommunications/ICTs.

2.7 Product and service offerings

35 To achieve the outcomes under the thematic priorities, ITU deploys a range of products and services for its members, United Nations agencies and other stakeholders; this range of products and services is presented below. Each Sector and the General Secretariat will provide more detailed information on how they will deploy these products and services in their respective operational plans.

Development and application of the ITU Administrative Regulations

36 The ITU Administrative Regulations, which complement the Constitution and Convention, regulate the use of telecommunications/ICTs and are binding on all Member States.

37 The foundation of international frequency management is the Radio Regulations, the binding international treaty that contains regulatory provisions and procedures which describe how the administrations from all ITU Member States may exercise rights to use the radio-frequency spectrum in the various frequency bands for the purpose for which they are allocated, and the corresponding obligations.

38 The Radio Regulations have the following objectives: to facilitate equitable access to and rational use of the natural resources of the radio-frequency spectrum and the geostationary and other satellite orbits; to ensure the availability and protection from harmful interference of the frequencies provided for distress and safety purposes; to assist in the prevention and resolution of cases of harmful interference between the radio services of different administrations; to facilitate the efficient and effective operation of all radiocommunication services; to provide for and, where necessary, regulate new applications of radiocommunication technology.

39 The Radio Regulations and regional agreements are updated by world and regional radiocommunication conferences, preceded by a period of supporting technical and regulatory studies. Additionally, ITU continues to oversee the implementation and execution of these legal instruments, and to develop enabling processes and associated software tools that facilitate their application by ITU Member States.

40 The International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs) and the Radio Regulations comprise the Administrative Regulations, and as such complement the Constitution and Convention. The ITRs establish general principles which relate to the provision and operation of international telecommunication services offered to the public. The World Conference on International Telecommunications may partially or in exceptional cases completely revise the ITRs.

Allocation and management of resources

41 ITU performs effective allocation of bands of the radio-frequency spectrum, the allotment of radio frequencies and the registration of radio-frequency assignments and, for space services, of any associated orbital position in the geostationary satellite orbit or of any associated characteristics of satellites in other orbits.

42 At the same time, ITU coordinates efforts to prevent and eliminate harmful interference between radio stations of different countries and to improve the use of spectrum and satellite orbits by radiocommunication services.

43 ITU also ensures the effective allocation and management of international telecommunication numbering, naming, addressing and identification resources in accordance with ITU recommendations and procedures.

Development of international standards

44 ITU assembles experts from around the world to develop international standards, known as ITU-R and ITU-T recommendations, which act as defining elements for global telecommunication/ICT infrastructure, services and applications.

45 ITU carries out studies and adopts recommendations and reports on radiocommunication matters that provide for greater sharing and compatibility of different radio services, more efficient and equitable use of the radio-frequency spectrum free from harmful interference, worldwide connectivity and interoperability, improved performance, quality, affordability, timeliness of service and overall system economy in telecommunications/ICTs.

46 ITU studies technical, operating and tariff questions and adopts recommendations on them with a view to standardizing telecommunications on a worldwide basis.

47 ITU's work includes the establishment of international technical standards for new and emerging telecommunications/ICTs, creating an enabling environment for their introduction and utilization.

Development of policy frameworks and knowledge products

48 ITU assists its Member States in promoting increased connectivity, closing digital divides, enabling digital transformation and building smart societies by developing and providing policy frameworks and best-practice guidelines.

49 ITU develops handbooks, technical reports and papers on telecommunication/ICT matters to assist the ITU membership, through its study group process.

50 Best practices from Member States, the private sector, research and academia are collected and shared back with Member States.

51 ITU provides knowledge-exchange products and tools to enable inclusive dialogue and enhanced cooperation to help countries achieve a more inclusive society, and supports its membership in understanding and navigating the challenges and opportunities that come with promoting connectivity and digital transformation.

Provision of data and statistics

52 ITU collects and disseminates vital data and carries out world-class research to track and make sense of connectivity and digital transformation globally. Through a range of tools and activities, ITU supports Member States and other stakeholders throughout the data lifecycle, from setting standards and methods for data collection to promoting the use of data in decision-making.

53 Being responsible for the international statistical standards for telecommunication/ICT indicators, ITU regularly publishes standards, definitions and collection methods for over 200 indicators, which represent a key reference for statisticians and economists seeking to measure digital development.

54 As the custodian agency for several SDG indicators on connectivity and digital skills (4.4.1, 5.b.1, 9.c.1, 17.6.1 and 17.8.1), ITU is responsible for monitoring these indicators and actively contributing to advancing the statistics agenda within the United Nations system.

Capacity development

55 ITU develops the capacity of telecommunication/ICT professionals and works towards boosting digital literacy and skills of citizens. Through its capacity-development programme, ITU aims to achieve a society where all people use knowledge and skills on digital technologies to improve their livelihoods.

56 ITU also develops capacity and provides tools for the membership to engage in and benefit from the activities of the Union. This enables them to exercise their rights and obligations under the Radio Regulations, ITRs and regional agreements, and to develop, access, implement and influence ITU's international standards with a view to bridging the standardization gap.

57 ITU also promotes, especially by means of partnership, the development, expansion and use of telecommunication/ICT networks, services and applications, particularly in developing countries, taking into account the activities of other relevant bodies, by reinforcing capacity development.

Provision of technical assistance

58 ITU promotes and offers technical assistance to Member States, in particular to developing countries, including LDCs, SIDS, LLDCs and countries with economies in transition, and regional telecommunication organizations, in the field of telecommunications.

59 ITU offers tailor-made projects and solutions for multistakeholder needs, with recognized long-standing technical expertise in the telecommunication/ICT field and comprehensive experience in project development, management, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, with a focus on results-based management. This also provides opportunities for public-private partnerships and a trusted platform to address development needs through the use of telecommunications/ICTs.

60 ITU also provides assistance for the implementation of decisions of world and regional conferences, as well as support for radio-frequency spectrum coordination activities among ITU members, and software tools to assist the administrations of developing countries to undertake their spectrum-management responsibilities more effectively.

61 In addition, ITU collaborates and cooperates with other United Nations bodies/agencies within the framework of their respective mandates.

Convening platforms

62 ITU is uniquely positioned to bring together a wide range of stakeholders as a convening platform in telecommunications/ICTs, to share experiences and knowledge, collaborate and identify means to bring affordable, safe, secure and trusted connectivity and use to people everywhere.

63 Through its convening platforms, ITU encourages international cooperation and partnerships for the growth of telecommunications/ICTs, especially with regional telecommunication organizations and with global and regional development financing institutions.

2.8 Enablers

64 Enablers are ITU's ways of working that allow it to deliver on its goals and priorities more effectively and efficiently. They reflect the Union's values of efficiency, transparency and accountability, openness, universality and neutrality, and being people-centred, service-oriented and results-based, and leverage its key strengths and address its weaknesses so that it can support its membership.

Membership-driven

65 ITU will continue to work as a membership-driven organization, to effectively support and reflect the needs of its diverse members. ITU recognizes the needs of all countries, in particular those of developing countries, including LDCs, SIDS, LLDCs and countries with economies in transition, as well as underserved and vulnerable populations, which should be prioritized and given due attention. ITU will also work to deepen its engagement with representatives of the telecommunication/ICT and other industry sectors, to demonstrate ITU's value proposition in the context of the strategic goals.

Regional presence

66 As an extension of ITU as a whole, the regional presence plays a vital role in the achievement of ITU's mission, enhancing the Union's understanding of local contexts and its ability to respond to countries' needs effectively. The regional presence will consolidate strategic planning at the level of each regional/area office, implementing programmes and initiatives that are consistent with and based on the Union's strategic goals and priorities.

67 By applying the global targets and clarifying programme priorities at the regional level, ITU will also seek to enhance its overall global effectiveness and impact.

68 The regional presence will strengthen ITU's position as a shaper/doer and enhance United Nations cooperation, to build enhanced regional opportunities and thereby reach more countries and define clearer, more impactful priorities for country-level engagements.

69 Efforts will also be made to strengthen capacity at the regional level to ensure the ability of the regional and area offices to implement the programmes and engagements determined based on the Union's strategic goals and priorities.

Diversity and inclusion

70 ITU remains committed to mainstreaming diversity and inclusion practices across its work, to ensure equality and promote the rights of marginalized groups. In the pursuit of its goals, ITU will work to bridge the digital divide and build an inclusive society, by fostering telecommunication/ICT access, affordability and use in all countries and for all peoples, including women and girls, youth, indigenous peoples, older persons, persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs. Internally, ITU continues to cultivate an inclusive culture that promotes diversity among its workforce and members.

Commitment to environmental sustainability

71 ITU recognizes that telecommunications/ICTs come with risks, challenges and opportunities for the environment. ITU is committed to helping to use telecommunications/ICTs for monitoring, mitigating and adapting to climate change, facilitating digital solutions for energy efficiency and reduced carbon emissions, and protecting human health and the environment from e-waste. ITU will apply an environmental lens across its work to promote sustainable digital transformation, while at the same time continuing to address climate change from within and systematically integrating environmental sustainability considerations across its operations in line with the Strategy for sustainability management in the United Nations system, 2020-2030.

Partnerships and international cooperation

72 To increase global collaboration towards its mission, ITU continues to strengthen partnerships among its members and other stakeholders. In doing so, ITU can leverage its diverse membership and multilateral convening power to foster cooperation among governments and regulators, the private sector and the academic community. ITU also recognizes the importance of cultivating strategic partnerships with United Nations agencies and other organizations, including standardization bodies, to enhance cooperation across the telecommunication/ICT sector towards the delivery of the WSIS action lines and the achievement of SDGs.

Resource mobilization

73 Accelerated resource-mobilization efforts and increased financing are critical to achieving the goals of the Union and enhancing ITU support for the membership. ITU, therefore, recognizes the need to identify the most effective ways to mobilize extrabudgetary resources, build its resource-mobilization capacity and enhance its current fundraising strategy while leveraging partner inputs to complement these efforts.

74 ITU will develop long-term financial commitment frameworks in order to effectively plan, programme and deliver on projects and enhance predictability of resource flows.

Excellence in human resources and organizational innovation

75 Enhancing operational efficiency and effectiveness enables ITU to respond to changes in the telecommunication/ICT landscape and evolving membership needs. ITU, therefore, aims to improve internal processes and accelerate internal decision-making by addressing operational inefficiencies, duplication and perceived bureaucracy, reflecting the values of transparency and accountability. ITU also recognizes the need to build operational effectiveness, by increasing cross-functional synergies, encouraging internal innovation, providing consistent guidance on the organization's scope and developing a stronger performance- and talent-management approach. The greatest resource of ITU is a skilled, motivated and dedicated workforce of the highest competence and integrity, geographically diverse and gender balanced, empowered to achieve ITU's mission and strategic priorities through a commitment to managing results. The main focus of the organization is on modernizing ITU's human capacity, processes, procedures and tools, as well as on integration and harmonization with the United Nations common system and the values of the international civil service. To this end, ITU will be implementing a culture and skills transformation plan that will strengthen organizational openness, agility and efficiency, to be based on four main tracks: strategic planning, digital transformation, innovation and human resources management.

2.9 Strategic risk management

76 Bearing in mind the prevailing challenges, evolutions and transformations that have the most potential to impact on ITU activities during the period of the strategic plan, a list of strategic risks with corresponding mitigation measures has been identified by the Council. ITU will further analyse, assess and evaluate these strategic risks as part of the ITU Risk-Management Framework, to be reviewed annually by the Council.

3 ITU results framework

A Strategic goals and targets

Goal

Targets

Target indicators

Universal Connectivity

1.1: Universal broadband coverage

– Percentage of the world population covered by broadband services (SDG indicator 9.c.1 – ITU is custodian agency)

1.2: Broadband services to be affordable for all

– Cost of entry-level broadband services in developing countries as percentage of monthly gross national income (GNI) per capita

1.3: Broadband access to every household

– Percentage of households with access to the Internet (by level of development; urban/rural)

1.4: Ownership of and access to Internet-enabled devices

– Percentage of individuals using a smart telephone

– Percentage of individuals who own a smart telephone

1.5: Access to the Internet for all schools

– Percentage of schools with entry-level Internet service (at least 500 MB per month)

1.6: Improved cybersecurity preparedness of countries (with key capabilities: presence of strategy, national computer incident/emergency response teams and legislation)

– Increased commitment measured through the pillars of the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI)

1.7: Universal access to the Internet by all individuals

– Percentage of individuals using the Internet (by urban/rural; aggregated by region, level of development) (SDG indicator 17.8.1 – ITU is custodian agency)

Goal

Targets

Target indicators

Sustainable Digital Transformation

2.1: All digital gaps to be bridged (in particular gender, age and urban/rural)

– Percentage of individuals using the Internet (by gender, age and urban/rural)

2.2: Majority of individuals to have digital skills

– Percentage of youth and adults with ICT skills (by type of skill) (SDG indicator 4.4.1 – ITU is custodian agency)

2.3: Universal usage of Internet services by businesses

– Percentage of businesses using the Internet (total and by size)

2.4: Majority of individuals accessing government services online

– Percentage of population interacting with government services online

2.5: Significant improvement of ICTs' contribution to climate and environment action

– Global e-waste recycling rate

– Contribution of telecommunications/ICTs to global greenhouse gas emissions

B Thematic priorities and outcomes

Thematic priorities

Outcome

Outcome indicators

Spectrum use for space and terrestrial services

1) Radio-frequency spectrum and orbit resources are used efficiently, economically, rationally and equitably

a) Space services

b) Terrestrial services

– Number of countries having notified frequency assignments for recording in the MIFR with completion of coordination

– Number of countries having notified frequency assignments for recording in the MIFR with completion of coordination in the last four-year period

– Number of countries having earth stations recorded in the MIFR

– Number of countries which notified earth stations in the MIFR in the last four-year period

– Number of countries having terrestrial assignments recorded in the MIFR with favourable findings

– Number of countries having terrestrial assignments recorded in the MIFR in the last four-year period

Thematic priorities

Outcome

Outcome indicators

2) Avoidance of causing harmful interference

a) To space services

b) To terrestrial services

– Percentage of spectrum assigned to satellite networks that is free from reported harmful interference

– Percentage of spectrum used for space services within the admissible interference criteria contained in the Radio Regulations

– Cases of harmful interference (space services) reported to the BR and resolved/to be resolved in the last four-year period (percentage)

– Cases of harmful interference (terrestrial services) reported to BR and resolved/to be resolved in the last four-year period (percentage)

– Percentage of spectrum use for terrestrial services within the admissible interference criteria, where applicable, contained in the Radio Regulations

3) Enhanced application of ITU-R recommendations, including those dealing with propagation modelling, used for efficient spectrum management, as well as for sharing and compatibility

– Number of downloads of ITU-R recommendations

Thematic priorities

Outcome

Outcome indicators

International telecom- munication numbering resources

1) Effective allocation and management of international telecommunication numbering, naming, addressing and identification (NNAI) resources in accordance with ITU-T recommendations and procedures

– Number of notifications on changes to national numbering plans

2) Enhanced availability of international telecommunication networks and services

– Number and type of assignments

3) Reduced misappropriation and misuse of numbering, naming, addressing and identification (NNAI) resources

– Number of E.164 misuse notifications

Inclusive and secure telecommu- nication/ICT infrastruc-ture and services

1) Enhanced connectivity and access for all to fixed and mobile broadband services

– Number and percentage of fixed/mobile broadband subscriptions (SDG indicator 17.6.2 – ITU is custodian agency)

– Percentage of fixed and mobile broadband subscriptions (by throughput)

– Percentage of fixed and mobile broadband subscriptions (by technology: copper, fibre, 4G/5G, FWA, other)

– Percentage of population covered (by type of network)

– Number of countries with a national emergency telecommunication plan as part of their national and local disaster risk reduction strategies

Thematic priorities

Outcome

Outcome indicators

2) Enhanced use of radiocommunication services

– Percentage of countries which have completed the transition to digital terrestrial television

– Number of operational GNSS constellations/satellites (the number of satellites may include the same operational satellite several times since more than one satellite network may support the operations of an actual satellite)

– Number of devices with GNSS embedded Rx (billions)

– Number of Earth exploration satellites (constellations/GSO systems/all satellites)

– Number of countries operating Earth exploration satellites/number of countries using data or products from Earth exploration satellites

3) Enhanced digital skills and literacy

– Percentage of digitally skilled users (by level: basic skills, standard skills and advanced skills)

4) Enhanced knowledge of the ITU membership on interoperability and performance with respect to inclusive and secure telecommunication/ICT infrastructure, services and applications

– Total number of events/participants/countries in ITU seminars, workshops and capacity-building events related to this outcome

5) Enhanced capacity of the ITU membership to deploy inclusive, secure and resilient telecommunication/ICT infrastructures, to address cybersecurity-related incidents, to build confidence and security in the use of telecommunications/ICTs, and to adopt risk-management practices

– Number of countries receiving technical assistance from ITU to build confidence and security in the use of telecommunications/ICTs and to adopt risk-management practices

– Number of countries receiving technical assistance from ITU to address cybersecurity-related incidents

Thematic priorities

Outcome

Outcome indicators

6) Enhanced utilization of ITU's unique partnerships for capacity building and training on digital skills and public awareness of cybersecurity issues

– Total number of events/participants/countries in ITU seminars, workshops and capacity-building events related to this outcome

7) Assisting the ITU membership in developing their national cybersecurity strategies

– Number of countries receiving technical assistance from ITU to develop their national cybersecurity strategies

8) Assisting the ITU membership in implementing international standards that are relevant to this thematic priority

– Number of countries receiving technical assistance from ITU to implement international standards related to this outcome

Digital applications

1) Enhanced interoperability and performance of telecommunication/ICT applications

– Number of approved ITU-T recommendations, corrigenda, amendments and supplements pertaining to applications

– Number of downloads of ITU-T recommendations, corrigenda, amendments and supplements pertaining to applications

2) Enhanced adoption and use of telecommunication/ICT applications, including for e-government

– Adoption of digital strategies

– Percentage of individuals accessing e-government services online

3) Increased deployment of telecommunication/ICT networks and services needed for such applications

– Population covered by at least a 4G mobile network

– Fixed broadband (percentage of total): >10 Mbit/s

4) Improved capacity to leverage telecommunication/ICT-centric innovation and entrepreneurship for sustainable development

– Adoption of ICT-centric innovation and entrepreneurship strategies

Thematic priorities

Outcome

Outcome indicators

Enabling environment

1) Conducive policy and regulatory environment for innovation and investment to drive social and economic growth

– Number of countries advancing to the next generation of regulation (G1-G4) and/or to a higher level of preparedness for the digital transformation (G5)

– Proportion of investment in ICT from total investment

2) Digitally skilled users

– Percentage of digitally skilled users (by level: basic skills, standard skills and advanced skills)

3) Enhanced digital inclusion (including women and girls, youth, indigenous peoples, older persons, persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs)

– Mobile-telephone ownership (by gender) (SDG indicator 5.b.1 – ITU is custodian agency)

– Internet use gender gap

– Internet use generational gap – Youth (<15, 15-24) and older persons (>75)

– Number of countries with enabling environments ensuring accessible telecommunications/ICTs for persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs

Thematic priorities

Outcome

Outcome indicators

4) Enhanced ability of all countries, in particular developing countries, to develop and implement strategies, policies and practices for digital inclusion, access and use telecommunications/ICTs, implement, and participate in the development of, ITU's international standards, recommendations, best practices and regulations

a) Bridging the standardization gap – enhanced ability of all countries, in particular developing countries, to develop, access, implement and influence ITU-T recommendations

– Number of countries receiving technical assistance through BDT actions to enhance policy and regulatory frameworks for telecommunication/ICT connectivity, access, affordability and inclusion

– Percentage of individuals using the Internet and owning a mobile and digital device

– Percentage of persons with disabilities using the Internet and owning a mobile and digital device

– Percentage of females using the Internet and owning a mobile and digital device

– Percentage of youth using the Internet and owning a mobile and digital device

– Total number of ITU-T study group leadership positions held (by level of development)

Thematic priorities

Outcome

Outcome indicators

b) Increased knowledge and know-how on the Radio Regulations, Rules of Procedure, regional agreements, recommendations and best practices on spectrum use

c) Increased participation in ITU-R activities (including through remote participation), in particular by developing countries

– Total number of ITU-T study group meetings/participants

– Total number of countries represented in ITU-T study group meetings (by level of development)

– Total number of contributions submitted to ITU-T study group meetings (by level of development of the country of the contributing organization)

– Total number of ITU-T recommendation downloads

– Total number of workshops and other events in support of ITU-T study groups/participants

– Number of ITU-R free online publication downloads (millions)

– Total number of events/participants/countries in ITU seminars, workshops and capacity-building events (world and regional seminars, and symposia) organized by BR

– Number of technical assistance actions for terrestrial services provided/countries receiving/time spent (days)

– Total number of events/participants/countries/contributions in ITU-R conferences, assemblies and study group-related meetings

5) Enhanced adoption of policies and strategies for the environmentally sustainable use of telecommunications/ICTs

– Number of countries applying harmonized data-collection methodology

– Number of countries with a WEEE policy, legislation or regulation

Appendix A – Allocation of resources (linkage with the financial plan)

APPENDIX A

Allocation of resources – Linkage between the 2024-2027 strategic and financial plans

ANNEX 2 TO RESOLUTION 71 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Situational analysis

1 ITU as a part of the United Nations system

1 ITU is the United Nations (UN) specialized agency for telecommunications/information and communication technologies (ICTs). ITU allocates global radio-frequency spectrum and associated satellite-orbit resources, develops technical standards that ensure networks and technologies seamlessly interconnect, and strives to improve access to and use of telecommunications/ICTs for underserved communities worldwide. ITU is committed to connecting all the world's people – wherever they live and whatever their means, leaving no one behind. ITU's work aims to protect and support everyone's fundamental right to communicate.

2 ITU has been based on the partnership of diverse members since its inception in 1865. It is therefore unique in the UN system, as it brings together 193 Member States and over 900 private-sector companies, universities and civil-society organizations, that work together to harness the power of telecommunications/ICTs to promote universal and affordable connectivity for all.

2 Developments since the ITU 2018 Plenipotentiary Conference

2.1 Developments in the UN system

3 Digital transformation and cooperation have become one of the top priorities across the UN. The rapid advancement of digital technologies is transforming economic and social activities globally. In response, digital transformation has been considered as a top priority across the UN system, especially to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Notably, the UN Secretary-General's strategies and priorities are increasingly focused on digital and cybersecurity issues, the number of resolutions on digital technologies in the UN General Assembly and other UN entities has grown, while many UN entities have launched digital transformation strategies and initiatives for their programmes, funds and internal processes. Digital-themed UN conferences and international days are also becoming more frequent. In particular, the UN Secretary-General outlined his vision of an open, free and secure digital future for all in the Roadmap for Digital Cooperation, released in June 2020.[3] This was reinforced through a set of recommendations, responding to the commitments made by Member States in the declaration on the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations[4], in his recent report "Our Common Agenda", released in September 2021.[5]

4 These evolutions in the UN system may create parallel workstreams and related inefficiencies across UN entities whose work overlaps with ITU's mandate in areas of telecommunications/ICTs, such as universal connectivity. They may also hinder ITU's value added in supporting digital transformation across its membership. However, these developments can also create opportunities to enhance ITU's unique role as a leading organization in the telecommunication/ICT landscape. In particular, ITU can collaborate and participate across UN agencies' workstreams, to increase synergies and knowledge-sharing and generate new and increased funding, as well as support for telecommunication/ICT initiatives at global, regional and local levels. For example, ITU has already been part of the UN workstreams to lead the implementation of the Secretary-General's Roadmap for Digital Cooperation, as well as to support the UN-wide effort to put forward "Our Common Agenda". Overall, this will enable ITU to fulfil its programmatic, operational and management mandates in a more coherent and coordinated manner within the UN system and ensure that its priorities are strengthened and reflected in related UN system-wide work, outputs and agenda-setting.

5 The UN development system reform involves a set of far-reaching changes to support Member States in achieving the SDGs. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development resulted in bold changes to the UN development system (UNDS), including the development of a new generation of UN country teams (UNCTs), focused on common country analysis (CCA) and a strategic UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) led by independent and empowered UN Resident Coordinators (RC).[6] UNSDCF, in particular, underscores UNDS's collective commitment to help countries address SDG priorities and gaps; it also enhances the accountability of UNCTs and host governments, to collectively deliver development results. To do this, the UN system employs CCA further to conduct independent, impartial and collective analyses of countries' progress, opportunities and challenges in delivering their commitments to the 2030 Agenda, UN norms and standards, and the principles of the UN Charter, as reflected in the Cooperation Framework Guiding Principles. UNDS has also enhanced and promoted common business operations through the mutual recognition of policy and procedure best practices.[7] This allows UN entities to adopt each other's policies, procedures, system contracts and related operational mechanisms to deliver on their mandates, without further evaluation, checks or approvals.

6 To ensure the UN system works for ITU, the Union can continue to engage with the reformed UNDS, especially with the empowered RC system. In particular, the Union can work to raise awareness among RCs on ITU's mandate and functions, by involving them in meetings and consultations with the membership. It can also further leverage ITU's regional presence and support the regional and area offices on engagements with RCs, in CCAs and UNSDCF. Moreover, to enhance its involvement in the CCA and other UN periodic reviews, ITU can provide telecommunication/ICT-related guidelines or data for specific countries or regions. Meanwhile, ITU can continue to build on its existing role in the UN system. The organization is a signatory to UNSCDF and has worked closely with the UN Development Coordination Office (DCO) to provide an offer to RCs, and has participated in virtual briefings organized with DCO. The directors of the ITU regional offices are also regularly updated on new developments, including updated guidance on RC-UN agency engagement, such as the revised management and accountability framework that was recently published with national, regional and global chapters.

2.2 Developments in the telecommunication and ICT landscape

7 Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) demonstrated the critical role of telecommunications and ICTs in connecting societies and accelerating digital transformation. The COVID-19 crisis created unprecedented demand for communication networks. As a result of global lockdowns and the rise of teleworking, distance learning, remote entertainment and telemedicine, Internet traffic has risen by 30 per cent.[8] Consumers have also become more reliant on digital tools, with 74 per cent of global users reporting significant increases in their Internet use during COVID-19 lockdowns.[9] To meet these evolving consumer needs, new technologies are scaling rapidly. 5G network rollouts have continued unabated and enabled faster connectivity across longer distances. From March 2020, an average of eight new 5G networks have launched monthly, up from six for the same period in 2019.[10] ICT infrastructure is also evolving and becoming more democratized. Cloud Internet traffic doubled its 2019 volume during the pandemic.[11] Meanwhile, the Internet of Things, quantum computing and artificial intelligence are becoming more sophisticated and widespread. These technologies have the potential to improve operational efficiency, accelerate automation and unlock new capabilities.[12] The COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated that emerging technologies are essential to the functioning of our society and economy and provide critical infrastructure. As digitalization advances, ensuring equitable and sustainable development is increasingly pressing.

8 However, the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have left vulnerable communities behind. The pandemic has widened differences in telecommunication/ICT investments and infrastructure development between countries. In developed countries, telecommunication/ICT capital investment has increased to accommodate rising Internet traffic and led to an expansion of 5G and optical fibre infrastructure. In developing countries, capital investment and expenditures per capita have fallen, while the deployment of 4G and 5G coverage is lagging. 5G currently reaches 3 per cent of the population in Latin America and 0 per cent in Africa. Thus, with the rapid pace of digitalization after the COVID-19 pandemic, those without affordable connectivity risk being left further behind. In 2021, some 2.9 billion people remain offline, 96 per cent of whom live in developing countries.[13] In the UN-designated least developed countries (LDCs)[14] in particular, affordability and lack of literacy and digital skills remain significant barriers to the adoption of digital tools. There are almost six times more people in the usage gap than the coverage gap, and while handset affordability has improved, over 50 per cent of LDCs fall short of international affordability targets.[15] As more services are delivered online, the most vulnerable in society will have increasingly limited access to education, medicine, government services, e-commerce and communication tools.

9 Meanwhile, as the climate crisis intensifies, it is increasingly urgent for the telecommunication/ICT sector to advance progress towards the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) action lines and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Human influence has warmed the climate at a rate unprecedented in the last 2000 years. Meanwhile, the rapid advancement and deployment of telecommunications/ICTs globally has led to an increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, energy consumption and electronic waste. According to recent estimates, the telecommunication/ICT sector accounts for 3-4 per cent of global CO_2 emissions, about twice that of civil aviation. With global data traffic expected to grow around 60 per cent per year, the industry's share is expected to grow further.[16] However, while the sector requires energy resources, telecommunications/ICTs also offer new opportunities to mitigate and adapt to climate change. For example, telecommunications/ICTs play a crucial role in monitoring and analysing short- and long-term climate trends, enabling disaster risk reduction and management and raising awareness to help protect the environment and reduce GHG emissions. In this context, as 2030 approaches, it is increasingly pressing to leverage the power of telecommunications/ICTs to drive sustainable development and accelerate progress towards the WSIS action lines and the SDGs.

10 To respond to these challenges and unlock the potential of digitalization, ITU has the opportunity to play a vital role in bridging the digital divide and enabling sustainable digital transformation. ITU's diverse membership is uniquely positioned to address digital inequalities. In particular, governments and regulators in developing countries can launch initiatives targeted at reversing declining capital spending and stimulating investments to enable network roll-out. They can also collaborate to reduce demand-side barriers to connectivity, through efforts to enhance affordability, digital literacy, local content development and adoption of mobile broadband. As an organization, ITU can continue to serve as a platform to drive responsive technical and regulatory action and encourage collaboration between regulators and industry. ITU could also further harness data to enhance digital regulation, by building analytics capabilities, adopting data-driven tools in decision-making and providing regulators with regulatory solutions to respond to changes in the telecommunication/ICT landscape.[17] Finally, to support the achievement of the SDGs, ITU can continue to play a crucial role in helping members leverage the power of telecommunications/ICTs to promote sustainability, tackle the climate crisis and reduce the environmental footprint of the sector. In particular, ITU's work could contribute to addressing rising energy consumption, GHG emissions and e-waste generation through the application of an environmental lens across its work.

2.3 Progress on ITU's targets in the 2020-2023 strategic plan

11 The strategic plan for the Union for 2020-2023 contained five strategic goals (Growth, Inclusiveness, Sustainability, Innovation and Partnership) measured through 24 targets contributing to the achievement of the Connect 2030 Agenda.

12 Uptake of the Internet has accelerated during the pandemic. An estimated 4.9 billion people are using the Internet in 2021,[18] meaning that roughly 63 per cent of the world's population is online – an increase of 17 per cent – with almost 800 million people estimated to have come online since 2019. Internet penetration increased more than 20 per cent on average in Africa, in Asia and the Pacific, and in the UN-designated LDCs.

13 Growth has been necessarily much weaker in developed economies, given that Internet use is already almost universal, at more than 90 per cent. This growth differential has contributed to a modest narrowing of the divide between the world's most- and least-connected countries: for example, the divide between developed economies and LDCs went from 66 percentage points in 2017 to 63 percentage points in 2021.

14 Broadband subscriptions have picked up in 2021: Following a small decline in 2020, the penetration of mobile-cellular subscriptions worldwide rose again in 2021, reaching a record 110 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. Mobile subscriptions with broadband capability (3G or better) followed the same trend, reaching 83 subscriptions per 100 people.

15 The urban-rural gap, though less severe in developed countries, remains a major challenge for digital connectivity in the rest of the world. Globally, people in urban areas are twice as likely to use the Internet than those in rural areas (76 per cent urban compared to 39 per cent rural). In developed economies, the urban-rural gap appears negligible in terms of Internet usage (with 89 per cent of people in urban areas having used the Internet in the last three months, compared to 85 per cent in rural areas), whereas in developing countries, people in urban areas are twice as likely to use the Internet as those in rural areas (72 per cent urban compared to 34 per cent rural). In LDCs, urban dwellers are almost four times as likely to use the Internet as people living in rural areas (47 per cent urban compared to 13 per cent rural).

16 The digital gender divide is also narrowing globally, but large gaps remain in poorer countries. In the developed world, the digital gender divide has been virtually eliminated (89 per cent of men and 88 per cent of women online) but wide gaps remain in LDCs (31 per cent of men compared to just 19 per cent of women) and in landlocked developing countries (38 per cent of men compared to 27 per cent of women).

17 A generational gap is evident across all world regions. On average, 71 per cent of the world's population aged 15-24 is using the Internet, compared with 57 per cent of all other age groups. This generational gap is reflected across all regions. It is most pronounced in LDCs, where 34 per cent of young people are connected, compared to only 22 per cent of the rest of the population. Greater uptake among young people bodes well for connectivity and development. In LDCs, for example, half of the population is less than 20 years old, suggesting that local labour markets will become progressively more connected and technology-savvy as the younger generation enters the workforce.

18 Monitoring the world's evolving digital divide. ITU figures also point to a glaring gap between digital network availability versus actual connection. While 95 per cent of people in the world could theoretically access a 3G or 4G mobile broadband network, billions of them do not connect.

19 Affordability of devices and services remains a major barrier. The widely accepted target for affordable broadband connectivity in developing countries sets the cost of an entry-level mobile broadband package at 2 per cent of gross national income (GNI) per capita. Yet in some of the world's poorest nations, getting online can cost a staggering 20 per cent or more of per capita GNI.

20 Lack of digital skills and an appreciation of the benefits of an online connection is another bottleneck, compounded by a lack of content in local languages, as well as by interfaces that demand literacy and numeracy skills that many people do not possess.

2.4 Assessing ITU's value proposition and its organizational effectiveness

21 Several projects and initiatives undertaken in the last strategic planning cycle reviewed ITU's capabilities and provided recommendations on how to further improve its value proposition to its membership and advice to ITU management on enhancing organizational effectiveness. These included the review of ITU's regional presence, the ITU Culture and Skills project and informal consultations with members during the strategic planning process.

22 In particular, feedback gathered from the membership underscored the need to establish clear areas of impact and leverage synergies across the ITU Sectors. To enhance ITU's membership offering, it was also suggested providing members with a catalogue of services. Finally, the feedback reinforced the need to improve internal management through results-based management and enhance transparency and accountability.

23 The ITU Culture and Skills project report emphasized the need for ITU to reform its organizational culture, by fostering cross-functional collaboration, bottom-up innovation, and responsiveness to changes in the telecommunication/ICT landscape. It also highlighted the need to tackle process inefficiencies, duplication and perceived bureaucracy that lead to reactive and slow decision-making. Other areas of improvement regarding culture included providing staff with clearer ownership and accountability through performance-driven talent management, while also reinforcing inspirational leadership by minimizing organizational hierarchy.

24 Finally, in terms of regional presence, the review of ITU's regional presence recommended that ITU further integrate its regional and global planning instruments to enhance the alignment and focus of regional programmes and initiatives. Specifically, it emphasized the need to clarify regional mandates and responsibilities and to ensure ITU's regional presence represents the ITU as a whole, aligns with the organization's vision and mission, and takes a leading role in coordinating specific activities.

2.5 Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis

25 To respond to the rapid changes in the digital landscape, it will be vital for ITU to leverage its existing strengths as the leading UN agency focused on telecommunications/ICTs and clearly demonstrate its critical role in enhancing access to and use of these technologies for sustainable development. ITU will also strive to leverage both internal and external opportunities to reinforce the added value of its services, products and initiatives. However, to build and maintain its vital role in the telecommunication and ICT sector, the Union must also focus on remedying its weaknesses as an organization and responding to emerging threats.

26 The SWOT analysis will be considered and reflected in the organization's overall risk-management framework, presented to and reviewed by the ITU Council annually.

ANNEX 3 TO RESOLUTION 71 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Glossary of terms

Term

Definition

Activities

Activities are various actions/services for transforming resources (inputs) into outputs[19].

Enablers

Ways of working that allow the Union to deliver on its goals and priorities more effectively and efficiently.

Financial plan

The financial plan covers a four-year period and sets the financial basis from which biennial budgets are elaborated.

The financial plan is elaborated within the context of Decision 5 (Revenue and expenses for the Union), which reflects, inter alia, the amount of the contributory unit approved by the Plenipotentiary Conference. It is linked to the strategic plan, in accordance with Resolution 71, by the allocation of financial resources to the strategic goals of the Union.

Indicators

Indicators are the criteria used to measure the achievement of outcomes and targets in the results framework.

Inputs

Inputs are resources, such as financial, human, material and technological resources, used by activities to produce outputs.

Mission

Mission refers to the main overall purposes of the Union, as per the basic instruments of ITU.

Operational plan

The operational plan is prepared on a yearly basis by each Bureau, in consultation with the relevant advisory group, and by the General Secretariat, in accordance with the strategic and financial plans. It contains the detailed plan for the subsequent year and a forecast for the following three-year period for each Sector and the General Secretariat. The Council reviews and approves the four-year rolling operational plans.

Outcomes

Outcomes provide an indication as to whether the key results under the thematic priorities are being achieved. Outcomes are usually partly, but not entirely, within the control of the organization.

Outputs

Outputs are the final tangible results, deliverables, products and services achieved by the Union in the implementation of the operational plans. Outputs are cost objects and are represented in the applicable cost-accounting system by internal orders. Outputs will be defined and measured in operational plans for each Sector and the General Secretariat.

Term

Definition

Product and service offerings

The range of ITU's products and services that are deployed to support the Union's work under its thematic priorities.

Results-based budgeting (RBB)

Results-based budgeting (RBB) is the programme budget process in which: (a) the programme is formulated in order to meet a set of predefined thematic priorities and outcomes; (b) the outcomes justify resource requirements, under the thematic priorities; and (c) actual performance in achieving outcomes is measured by outcome indicators.

Results-based management (RBM)

Results-based management (RBM) is a management approach that directs organizational processes, resources, products and services towards the achievement of measurable results. It provides the management frameworks and tools for strategic planning, risk management, performance monitoring and evaluation and financing activities based on targeted results.

Results framework

A results framework is the strategic management tool used to plan, monitor, evaluate and report within the RBM methodology. It provides the necessary sequence to achieve desired results (results chain) – beginning with inputs, moving through activities and outputs, grouped under product and service offerings, to outcomes – at the level of thematic priorities, and desired impact – at the level of the ITU strategic goals and targets. It explains how results are to be achieved, including causal relationships and underlying assumptions and risks. The results framework reflects strategic-level thinking across the entire organization.

Strategic goals

The Union's high-level goals which enable the realization of its mission.

Strategic plan

The strategic plan defines the strategy of the Union for a four-year period in order to fulfil its mission. It defines strategic goals, thematic priorities, outcomes, product and service offerings, and enablers, representing the plan of the Union within that period. It is the main instrument embodying the Union's vision. The strategic plan should be implemented within the context of the financial limits established by the Plenipotentiary Conference.

Strategic risks

Strategic risks refer to the uncertainties and untapped opportunities that affect an organization's strategy and strategy execution.

Strategic risk management (SRM)

Strategic risk management (SRM) is a management practice that identifies and focuses action on uncertainties and untapped opportunities that affect an organization's ability to deliver on its mission.

Term

Definition

Strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis

A study done by an organization in order to find its strengths and weaknesses, and what problems or opportunities it should deal with. SWOT is formed from the initial letters of "strengths", "weaknesses", "opportunities" and "threats".

Internal factors:

− Strengths are capabilities that enable the organization to perform well – capabilities that need to be leveraged.

− Weaknesses are characteristics that affect the good performance of the organization and need to be addressed.

External factors:

− Opportunities are trends, forces, events and ideas that the organization can capitalize on.

− Threats are possible events or forces outside the control of the organization that the organization needs to mitigate.

Targets and target indicators

Targets are the desired results the Union aims to achieve to deliver on its strategic goals. The target indicators provide an indication as to whether the goal is being achieved during the period of the strategic plan. Targets may not always be achieved for reasons that may be beyond the control of the Union.

Thematic priorities

Areas of work that the Union focuses on and in which outcomes will be achieved to meet the strategic goals.

Values

ITU's shared and common beliefs that drive its priorities and guide all decision-making processes.

Vision

The better world ITU wants to see.

List of terms in all six official languages

English

Arabic

Chinese

French

Russian

Spanish

Activities

الأنشطة

活动

Activités

Виды деятельности

Actividades

Enablers

العوامل التمكينية

推动因素

Catalyseurs

Средства достижения целей

Factores habilitadores

Financial plan

الخطة المالية

财务规划

Plan financier

Финансовый план

Plan Financiero

Indicators

المؤشرات

指标

Indicateurs

Индикаторы

Indicadores

Inputs

المدخلات

投入

Contributions

Исходные ресурсы

Insumos

Mission

الرسالة

使命

Mission

Миссия

Misión

Operational plan

الخطة التشغيلية

运作规划

Plan opérationnel

Оперативный план

Plan Operacional

Outcomes

النتائج

成果

Résultats

Конечные результаты

Resultados

Outputs

النواتج

输出成果

Produits

Намеченные результаты деятельности

Productos

Performance indicators

مؤشرات الأداء

绩效指标

Indicateurs de performance

Показатели деятельности

Indicadores de Rendimiento

Product and service offerings

عروض المنتجات والخدمات

所提供的产品和服务

Offres de produits et de services

Предлагаемые продукты и услуги

Ofertas de productos y servicios

Results-based budgeting

الميزنة على أساس النتائج

基于结果的预算制定

Budgétisation axée sur les résultats

Составление бюджета, ориентированного на результаты

Elaboración del Presupuesto basado en los resultados

Results-based management

الإدارة على أساس النتائج

基于结果的管理

Gestion axée sur les résultats

Управление, ориентированное на результаты

Gestión basada en los resultados

Results framework

إطار النتائج

结果框架

Cadre de présentation des résultats

Структура результатов

Marco de resultados

English

Arabic

Chinese

French

Russian

Spanish

Strategic goals

الغايات الاستراتيجية

总体战略目标

Buts stratégiques

Стратегические цели

Metas estratégicas

Strategic plan

الخطة الاستراتيجية

战略规划

Plan stratégique

Стратегический план

Plan Estratégico

Strategic risks

المخاطر الاستراتيجية

战略风险

Risques stratégiques

Стратегические риски

Riesgos estratégicos

Strategic risk management

إدارة المخاطر الاستراتيجية

战略风险管理

Gestion des risques stratégiques

Управление стратегическими рисками

Gestión de riesgos estratégicos

Strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis

تحليل مواطن القوة والضَعْف والفرص والمخاطر (SWOT)

优势、劣势、
机会与威胁
（SWOT）
分析

Analyse des forces, faiblesses, possibilités et menaces (SWOT)

Анализ сильных и слабых сторон, возможностей и угроз (SWOT)

Análisis de fortalezas, debilidades, oportunidades y amenazas (SWOT)

Targets and target indicators

المقاصد ومؤشرات المقاصد

具体目标和具体目标指标

Cibles et indicateurs relatifs aux cibles

Целевые показатели и индикаторы целевых показателей

Finalidades e indicadores de finalidad

Thematic priorities

الأولويات المواضيعية

主题重点

Priorités thématiques

Тематические приоритеты

Prioridades temáticas

Values

القيم

价值/价值观

Valeurs

Ценности

Valores

Vision

الرؤية

愿景

Vision

Концепция

Visión

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

[2] Including women and girls, youth, indigenous peoples, older persons, persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs.

[3] United Nations, May 2020.

[4] United Nations, September 2020.

[5] United Nations, September 2021.

[6] United Nations, June 2019.

[7] United Nations, 1 February 2017.

[8] ITU, June 2021.

[9] Ericsson, April 2020.

[10] GSMA, December 2020.

[11] Deloitte, December 2020.

[12] McKinsey, June 2021.

[13] ITU, June 2021.

[14] ITU, 2021.

[15] GSMA, December 2020.

[16] BCG, June 2021.

[17] ITU, June 2021.

[18] ITU, November 2021.

[19] The activities and outputs are defined in detail in the operational planning process, thereby ensuring a strong linkage between strategic and operational planning.

RESOLUTION 75 (MINNEAPOLIS, 1998)

Publication of the ITU Constitution and Convention,
decisions, resolutions and recommendations and the Optional
Protocol on the Compulsory Settlement of Disputes

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Minneapolis, 1998),

noting

a) that the instruments of the Union are the Constitution, the Convention and the Administrative Regulations;

b) that this conference has adopted a new instrument containing the Rules of Procedure of conferences and other meetings of the International Telecommunication Union;

c) that an Optional Protocol on the compulsory settlement of disputes relating to the Constitution, the Convention and the Administrative Regulations is open for ratification, acceptance, approval or accession by Member States of ITU,

considering

a) that revisions of the Radio Regulations are published in a reference publication containing an updated version of the Radio Regulations and of the resolutions and recommendations adopted by world radiocommunication conferences;

b) that, despite their permanent nature, the ITU Constitution and Convention have been amended by the Plenipotentiary Conference (Kyoto, 1994) and by this conference;

c) that this conference has adopted Decision 3 relating to the treatment of decisions, resolutions and recommendations of plenipotentiary conferences,

resolves to instruct the Secretary-General

to publish a reference document containing:

– the Constitution and the Convention as amended by plenipotentiary conferences, indicating, for amended provisions, the conference having adopted those amendments;

– the full text of all decisions, resolutions and recommendations in force;

– a list of abrogated decisions, resolutions and recommendations including the year in which they were abrogated;

– the full text of the Optional Protocol on the compulsory settlement of disputes relating to the Constitution, the Convention and the Administrative Regulations.

(Minneapolis, 1998)

RESOLUTION 77 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Scheduling and duration of conferences, forums, assemblies and
Council sessions of the Union (2023-2027)

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) No. 47 in Article 8 of the ITU Constitution, which stipulates that the Plenipotentiary Conference shall be convened every four years;

b) Nos. 90 and 91 in Article 13 of the Constitution, which stipulate that world radiocommunication conferences (WRCs) and radiocommunication assemblies (RAs) shall normally be convened every three to four years, and shall be associated in place and time;

c) No. 114 in Article 18 of the Constitution, which stipulates that world telecommunication standardization assemblies (WTSAs) shall be convened every four years;

d) No. 141 in Article 22 of the Constitution, which stipulates that, between two plenipotentiary conferences, there shall be one world telecommunication development conference (WTDC);

e) No. 51 in Article 4 of the ITU Convention, which stipulates that the ITU Council shall hold an ordinary session annually at the seat of the Union;

f) Resolution 111 (Rev. Busan, 2014) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, on considering major religious periods in the scheduling of ITU conferences, assemblies and Council sessions,

recognizing

a) Resolution 71 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on the strategic plan for the Union for 2024-2027, and the thematic priorities identified therein;

b) that, in the consideration of the draft financial plan for the Union for 2024-2027, the challenge to increase revenues in order to meet increasing programme demands is substantial,

considering

a) the need to take into account the financial resources of the Union when scheduling conferences, assemblies and forums, particularly the necessity of ensuring efficient Union operations within limited resources;

b) the need to take into account the availability of sufficient meeting space to accommodate core ITU Sector activities;

c) that holding conferences, assemblies and forums in the same year as the plenipotentiary conference represents a burden for the Union's membership and staff;

d) that travel restrictions during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic resulted in a compressed and extraordinary schedule of conferences in 2022;

e) that, to the greatest extent possible, it is important to undertake an orderly transition to the regular scheduling of conferences in the coming years,

having considered

a) Document PP-22/37 submitted by the Secretary-General, on planned conferences and assemblies;

b) the proposals submitted by several Member States,

bearing in mind

a) the various provisions of the Constitution and Convention establishing the three Sectors of the Union and their constituent elements, including conferences, assemblies, study groups and advisory groups;

b) the increasing demands placed on and necessary preparatory work to be carried out by Member States, Sector Members, the General Secretariat and the Sectors of the Union before each conference, assembly and forum of the Union;

c) that scheduling the Council earlier in the calendar year improves the linkage between the strategic, financial and operational plans and the budget and other activities to be carried out by the Council;

d) that in the period 2023-2027, the dates and places of certain meetings may change due to possible disruptions caused by demolition works and the construction of the new ITU headquarters building,

noting

a) that Council Decision 623 set the dates for WRC-23 as 20 November to 15 December 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, preceded by RA-23 from 13 to 17 November 2023 and followed by the Conference Preparatory Meeting (CPM27-1) from 18 to 19 December 2023;

b) that the external auditor's reports on the Union's finances should normally be available to the Council in due time prior to its sessions,

resolves

1 that ITU conferences and assemblies shall, in principle, be held in the last quarter of the year, and not in the same year, except as provided in recalling b) above;

2 that plenipotentiary conferences shall, unless there is a pressing need otherwise, be limited to a duration of three weeks;

3 that the Union and its Member States should make every effort, as far as practicable, in order that the planned period of any ITU conference, assembly or Council session not be scheduled during a period which coincides with other major ICT events;

4 that ITU exhibitions, forums, high-level events and symposia of a worldwide character shall be scheduled within the allocated resources in the financial plan and biennial budget approved by the Council, and subject to the schedule and meeting space requirements of core activities of ITU and other mandatory Union events, such as conferences, assemblies and Council sessions;

5 that the schedule of future conferences, forums, assemblies and Council sessions for the years 2023-2027 shall be as follows:

5.1 the Council shall, in principle, hold its ordinary session within or around June-July of the calendar year;

5.2 WRC-23 shall be held in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) from 20 November to 15 December 2023, preceded by RA-23 from 13 to 17 November 2023;

5.3 WTSA shall be held in the last quarter of 2024 in India;

5.4 WTDC shall be held in the last quarter of 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand;

5.5 the Plenipotentiary Conference shall be held in the last quarter of 2026 in Doha, Qatar;

5.6 an RA and a WRC, after 2023, shall be held in the last quarter of 2027;

6 that the agendas of world and regional conferences shall be established in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Convention and the agendas of assemblies shall be established, as appropriate, taking into account the resolutions and recommendations of the relevant conferences and assemblies;

7 that the conferences and assemblies mentioned in resolves 5 should be held within the periods indicated there, that the precise dates and places will be set by the Council after consultation of the Member States, leaving sufficient time between the various conferences, and that the precise duration shall be decided by the Council after their agendas have been established,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to take appropriate measures to facilitate the most efficient use of time and resources during such conferences;

2 to give scheduling priority to the study groups and advisory groups of the three ITU Sectors, the Council and the Council working groups when the meetings listed are held at ITU headquarters;

3 to report to the Council on the implementation of this resolution, proposing further improvements, as appropriate,

instructs the ITU Council

1 at each ordinary session, to schedule its next three ordinary sessions in June-July and to review the Council's schedule on a rolling basis;

2 to take appropriate measures to facilitate the implementation of this resolution, and report to future plenipotentiary conferences on possible improvements in the implementation of this resolution.

(Minneapolis, 1998) – (Rev. Marrakesh, 2002) – (Rev. Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) ) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

RESOLUTION 80 (REV. MARRAKESH, 2002)

World radiocommunication conference process

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Marrakesh, 2002),

considering

a) that the agenda for the 2003 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-03) was amended and approved by the Council at its 2001 session;

b) that the radiocommunication sector has experienced rapid technological growth, and demand for new services is increasing rapidly in an environment that requires timely and efficient action,

considering further

a) that, for the World Radiocommunication Conference (Geneva, 1997) (WRC-97) and the World Radiocommunication Conference (Istanbul, 2000) (WRC-2000), many administrations submitted common regional proposals, which greatly assisted in the efficiency of the conference proceedings;

b) that informal groups and general liaison between regions played an important role in smoothing the work of those conferences;

c) that, by Resolution 72 (Rev. WRC-2000), WRC-2000 encourages both formal and informal collaboration in order to resolve differences,

noting

a) that this conference has adopted many of the recommendations of the Working Group on ITU Reform aimed at increasing the effectiveness of ITU in a rapidly changing environment;

b) that, in accordance with Nos. 118 and 126 of the ITU Convention, the general scope of a world radiocommunication conference (WRC) cycle is based on a period covering two conferences, whereby agenda items requiring long periods of study can be foreseen for a future conference, while those that may be studied within two to three years can be placed on the agenda for the first conference in the cycle;

c) that the strategic plan highlights a strategy aimed at more efficient world radiocommunication conferences;

d) that No. 126 of the Convention requires a WRC to estimate the financial implications of its proposed agenda,

resolves

1 that world radiocommunication conference preparations and administration, including budgetary appropriations, should be planned on the basis of two consecutive world radiocommunication conferences: a WRC shall propose the draft agenda of the next WRC and a provisional agenda for the second WRC;

2 to support the regional harmonization of common proposals, as stated in Resolution 72 (Rev. WRC-2000), for submission to world radiocommunication conferences;

3 to encourage both formal and informal collaboration in the interval between conferences with a view to resolving differences on items already on the agenda of a conference or new items;

4 that administrations, when proposing specific agenda items for WRC, should to the extent possible include some indication of the possible financial and resource implications (preparatory studies and decision implementation), to which effect they may request the assistance of the Radiocommunication Bureau,

instructs the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau

to study, with advice from the Radiocommunication Advisory Group, ways of improving the preparations for, and the structure and organization of, world radiocommunication conferences, for consideration by WRC,

further instructs the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau

1 to consult with Member States and regional and subregional telecommunication organizations on the means by which assistance can be provided in support of their preparations for future WRCs;

2 on the basis of such consultations and in collaboration with the Telecommunication Development Bureau, to assist Member States and regional and subregional telecommunication organizations in the organization of information sessions, and of formal and informal regional and interregional preparatory meetings in their respective regions and at conference venues;

3 to submit to the Council a report on the application of further instructs the Director of the Radicommunication Bureau 2 above,

instructs the Secretary-General

to encourage the participation of all Member States and Sector Members in addressing this issue.

(Minneapolis, 1998) – (Rev. Marrakesh, 2002)

RESOLUTION 86 (REV. MARRAKESH, 2002)

Advance publication, coordination, notification and
recording procedures for frequency assignments
pertaining to satellite networks

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Marrakesh, 2002),

considering

a) that the Voluntary Group of Experts (VGE) created to study allocation and improved use of the radio-frequency spectrum and the simplification of the Radio Regulations proposed changes to the Radio Regulations, including the coordination and notification procedures for satellite networks, with the aim of simplifying the procedures;

b) that Resolution 18 (Kyoto, 1994) of the Plenipotentiary Conference instructed the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau (BR) to initiate a review of some issues concerning international satellite network coordination;

c) that the World Radiocommunication Conference (Geneva, 1997) adopted changes to the Radio Regulations that entered into force 1 January 1999;

d) that the coordination and notification procedures for satellite networks are the foundation for discharging the ITU’s role and mandate in space telecommunication matters;

e) that the scope of application of this resolution has already been extended beyond its intended objectives;

f) that there are no criteria for how this resolution is to be applied in order to properly achieve the objectives set forth therein,

considering further

that it is important that these procedures be kept as current and simple as possible in order to reduce the cost for administrations and BR,

noting

a) that all matters relating to administrative due diligence are covered in Resolution 85 (Minneapolis, 1998) of the Plenipotentiary Conference and Resolution 49 (Rev. WRC-2000) of the World Radiocommunication Conference;

b) Resolution 80 (Rev. WRC-2000) of the World Radiocommunication Conference, regarding due diligence in applying the principles embodied in the ITU Constitution,

resolves to request the 2003 and subsequent world radiocommunication conferences

to review and update the advance publication, coordination, notification and recording procedures for frequency assignments pertaining to satellite networks, including the associated technical characteristics, and the related appendices of the Radio Regulations, so as to:

i) facilitate, in accordance with Article 44 of the Constitution, the rational, efficient, and economical use of radio frequencies and any associated orbits, including the geostationary-satellite orbit, in conformity with the provisions of the Radio Regulations, so that countries or groups of countries may have equitable access to those orbits and frequencies, taking into account the special needs of the developing countries and the geographical situation of particular countries;

ii) ensure that these procedures, characteristics and appendices reflect the latest technologies;

iii) achieve simplification and cost savings for BR and administrations,

further resolves to request the 2003 World Radiocommunication Conference

to determine the scope and the criteria to be used for the implementation of this resolution.

(Minneapolis, 1998) – (Rev. Marrakesh, 2002)

RESOLUTION 91 (REV. GUADALAJARA, 2010)

Cost recovery for some ITU products and services

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Guadalajara, 2010),

considering

a) that the examination of options for strengthening the financial base of the Union has been endorsed by previous plenipotentiary conferences, including reducing costs, more effective allocation of resources, ranking of activities according to the objectives of the strategic plan, wider participation of entities other than Member States and, where appropriate, charging fees for ITU services, particularly where these services are sought on a discretionary basis or to a greater extent than the level of facilities generally provided;

b) that ITU Council Resolution 1210 instructed the Secretary-General to establish a cost-accounting process that results in the cost of individual ITU projects and activities being identifiable and auditable, such a process being essential for the development of an accurate activities-based budget and for implementing cost recovery;

c) that solidarity among Member States and Sector Members in sharing equitably in the defrayal of financial obligations should continue to be an important principle for the financial base of the Union;

d) that the Union has developed a contributory system in which some Member States have voluntarily assumed a large share of financial support for the Union's core activities, from which all Member States benefit, although the importance of those activities may be weighted differently by different Member States,

noting

a) the results-based budgeting concept that has been developed and implemented as from the 2006-2007 budget of the Union, in line with Council Resolution 1216;

b) that the Plenipotentiary Conference (Minneapolis, 1998) decided to implement operational planning in the three Sectors and the General Secretariat, in order to link financial planning and the strategic plan, by adopting Resolution 72 (Minneapolis, 1998), which was subsequently amended by the Plenipotentiary Conference (Marrakesh, 2002), by the Plenipotentiary Conference (Antalya, 2006) and by this conference;

c) the adoption, by Council Decision 535, of a cost-allocation methodology which provides accuracy in the cost-accounting process and in the allocation of costs to outputs, through the design and implementation of a time-tracking system, and enables the full costs of activities and outputs to be identified, including, inter alia, the costs of development and the costs of production, sales, marketing and distribution;

d) the role of the Council in establishing safeguards and controls on income and expenditure when adopting biennial budgets and when reviewing annual operational plans and financial operating reports,

recognizing

a) that the application of cost-recovery mechanisms are specific to the relevant business processes of the various products and services subject to cost recovery;

b) that the methodology applied to the implementation of cost recovery for satellite network filings is set by Council Decision 482 (modified 2008) (Document C08/103);

c) that cost-recovery charges for products and services are segregated to the specific product or service, covering direct and indirect costs of providing the product or service to which they relate, and should not be considered as generating profit from members;

d) that limits on indirect cost allocations should be applied since, despite best efforts to define a fair cost-allocation methodology as referred to in noting c) above, it is not possible to guarantee that such a methodology will always result in a reasonable level of allocation of indirect costs for a given product or service;

e) that cost recovery can be a means of promoting efficiency by discouraging unnecessary or wasteful use of products and services;

f) that non-payment of invoices issued for products and services subject to cost recovery has a negative impact on the financial state of the Union,

resolves

1 to continue to endorse the use of cost recovery on a prepaid basis, to the maximum extent possible, as a means of funding the products and services of the Union for which the cost-recovery approach is adopted;

2 that further application of cost recovery should be considered by the Council, and, if appropriate, implemented:

i) for new ITU products and services;

ii) for products and services recommended by a conference or assembly of a Sector;

iii) in such other cases as the Council will consider appropriate;

3 that, when the Council is addressing the application of cost recovery for a particular product or service, the following factors shall continue to be taken into account:

i) when a product or service is provided for the benefit of a limited number of Member States or Sector Members;

ii) when a product or service is requested to a significantly greater extent by a small number of users;

iii) when products or services are requested on a discretionary basis;

4 that cost recovery should be implemented by the Council in a way which:

i) ensures that direct and indirect costs of providing products and services are recovered as referred to in noting c) above;

ii) allows for open and transparent accounting for costs and receipts;

iii) provides a means of adjusting the charge for the product or service based on direct and indirect costs in accordance with noting c) above;

iv) provides for a methodology that lists all the specific indirect costs which can contribute to the overall cost of the product or service;

v) provides for an upper limit on the level of indirect costs to be allocated to a product or service, in terms of a globally defined maximum percentage of the fixed costs not to be exceeded;

vi) takes account of the special needs of developing countries, particularly the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economics in transition, to ensure that cost recovery is not an impediment to the development of telecommunication services or networks in those countries;

vii) allows all Member States an adequate level of the product or service free of charge, where appropriate;

viii) ensures that charges are not applied to products or services requested prior to the date of the decision by the Council or the Plenipotentiary Conference to apply cost recovery;

ix) allows for relevant products and services to be delivered in the most efficient and cost-effective manner, taking into account best practices from other relevant international organizations where appropriate,

instructs the Secretary-General

in consultation with the Directors of the Bureaux, Member States and Sector Members,

1 to continue considering and recommending a set of criteria for the application of cost recovery, consistent with, but not limited to, resolves 1, 2, 3 and 4 above;

2 to define the products and services for cost recovery and propose additional products and services to which the cost-recovery approach may be applied;

3 to determine the cost structure of each product and service for cost recovery;

4 to establish procedures and mechanisms for implementing prepayment for products and services subject to cost recovery, including invoicing, to be considered and approved by the Council;

5 to prepare a report for consideration at each annual session of the Council, including further actions which may be required for the implementation of cost recovery in order to allow for an increase of revenue in line with Resolution 158 (Antalya, 2006) of the Plenipotentiary Conference,

instructs the Council

1 to continue considering the report and the proposals of the Secretary-General and adopt new criteria or modifications to the previous criteria for the application of cost recovery in a manner consistent with resolves 1, 2, 3 and 4 above;

2 to continue considering, on a case by case basis, products and services which meet the criteria referred to above, and decide which products and services should be subject to cost recovery;

3 to continue developing appropriate charges based on full attribution of the costs of providing the service;

4 to continue implementing appropriate arrangements to meet the needs of developing countries, particularly the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition;

5 to continue promoting efficiency in the delivery of and payment for products and services which are subject to cost-recovery charges;

6 to ensure that any shortfall in income is properly managed, by reviewing annually the actual performance of activities subject to cost recovery, so that timely corrective measures can be taken, as appropriate;

7 to improve the forecasting of cost-recovery income by using the results-based budgeting framework, time-tracking system and cost-allocation methodology;

8 to continue amending the Financial Regulations as required in order to enable the implementation of cost recovery and ensure accountability and accuracy;

9 to report to the subsequent plenipotentiary conference on action taken to implement this resolution.

(Minneapolis, 1998) – (Rev. Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010)

RESOLUTION 94 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Auditing of the accounts of the Union

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

considering

a) that the External Auditor since 2012, the Italian Supreme Court of Audit, member of the United Nations Panel of External Auditors, audited the Union's accounts for the years 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 in the most careful, competent and accurate manner;

b) that, following an open, fair and transparent selection and appointment process, the National Audit Office of the United Kingdom was appointed by the ITU Council at its 2020 session for a term of four years to audit the accounts of the Union from 2022,

recognizing

that only the Plenipotentiary Conference can make the decision regarding the appointment of the external auditor,

resolves to express

its warmest thanks and deepest gratitude to the Italian Supreme Court of Audit for the auditing of the Union's accounts,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to bring this resolution to the notice of the President of the Italian Supreme Court of Audit;

2 to publish on an annual basis, and after their consideration by the Council, the reports of the external auditor, on a publicly accessible page of the Union's website.

(Minneapolis, 1998) – (Rev. Marrakesh, 2002) – (Rev. Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014)  – (Rev. Dubai, 2018)  – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

RESOLUTION 96 (MINNEAPOLIS, 1998)

Introduction of a long-term care insurance
scheme in the Union

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Minneapolis, 1998),

recalling

a) Article 20 of the Headquarters Agreement of 22 July 1971 between the Swiss Federal Council and the Union under which ITU has to provide its staff with a social protection coverage equivalent to the one in force in the host country;

b) that the current health provisions of the United Nations organizations do not allow for payments for long-term care;

c) its commitment to the welfare of the Union’s staff;

d) the study by the Consultative Committee on Administrative Questions (CCAQ) – (Personnel and General Administrative Questions) and the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC) on the possibility of introducing an affordable long-term care insurance in the United Nations common system,

considering

a) that, before and after retirement, some international civil servants may be excluded from their national social security arrangements;

b) that life expectancy is increasing rapidly and most of those surviving into old age will have some degree of handicap,

resolves to instruct the Secretary-General

1 to consult the executive heads of other United Nations common system organizations regarding their interest in the possible introduction of a long-term care insurance in their organizations, comprising a mandatory low-premium component and a voluntary component, as proposed by CCAQ and ACC;

2 to compile and prepare appropriate data regarding the possible introduction of a long-term care insurance, comprising a mandatory low-premium component and a voluntary component, as proposed by CCAQ and ACC, and in particular, regarding the cost of such an insurance for the Union and for the participant staff members;

3 to report to the next Council session on the outcome of deliberations in ACC on the above-mentioned proposal and other progress made with respect to this resolution.

(Minneapolis, 1998)

RESOLUTION 98 (MINNEAPOLIS, 1998)

The use of telecommunications for the safety and
security of humanitarian personnel in the field

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Minneapolis, 1998),

recognizing

that, in fulfilling their duties, humanitarian personnel are frequently exposed to a high degree of risk,

gravely concerned

about the increasing number of tragic incidents of injury or loss of life involving humanitarian personnel in the field,

noting

a) the provisions of Nos. 9, 17 and 191 of the Constitution of the International Telecommunication Union which state, respectively, that the Union is to promote, at the international level, the adoption of a broader approach to the issues of telecommunications in the global information economy and society by cooperating with other organizations; that the Union shall in particular promote the adoption of measures for ensuring the safety of life through the cooperation of telecommunication services; and that international telecommunication services must give absolute priority to all telecommunications concerning safety of life;

b) the Tampere Convention on the Provision of Telecommunication Resources for Disaster Mitigation and Relief Operations which recalls the essential role of telecommunication resources in facilitating the safety of humanitarian relief and assistance personnel;

c) the Convention on the Safety and Security of United Nations and Associated Personnel, adopted by the 49th session of the United Nations General Assembly, laying down principles and duties to ensure the safety and security of United Nations and associated personnel,

convinced

that the unhindered use of telecommunication equipment and services can greatly improve the safety and security of humanitarian personnel in the field,

recalling

a) Resolution 644 of the World Radiocommunication Conference (Geneva, 1997) which recognizes the vital role of telecommunications for the safety and security of relief workers in the field;

b) Resolution 19 of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (Valletta, 1998) which recognizes the vital role of telecommunications for the safety and security of relief workers in the field,

desiring

to ensure the full application of telecommunication technology and services for the safety and security of humanitarian personnel,

resolves to instruct the Secretary-General

to study the possibilities for increased use of telecommunications for the safety and security of humanitarian personnel in the field and to report to the Council at its 1999 session,

instructs the Council

to address the issue of the use of telecommunications for the safety and security of humanitarian personnel in the field and to take appropriate actions to improve that use,

urges Member States

to ensure that humanitarian personnel have unhindered and uninterrupted use of telecommunication resources required for their safety and security in accordance with the national rules and regulations of the States concerned.

(Minneapolis, 1998)

RESOLUTION 99 (REV. DUBAI, 2018)

Status of Palestine in ITU

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Dubai, 2018),

recalling

a) the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

b) Resolution 67/19 of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), which decides to accord to Palestine non-member observer State status in the United Nations and the Palestinian request dated 12 December 2012 to use the term "State of Palestine" following adoption of this UNGA resolution;

c) that recognition of a State is a matter of national decision;

d) Resolutions 32 (Kyoto, 1994) and 125 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) of the Plenipotentiary Conference;

e) Resolution 18 (Rev. Buenos Aires, 2017) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference;

f) that Nos 6 and 7 of Article 1 of the ITU Constitution provide "to promote the extension of the benefits of the new telecommunication technologies to all the world's inhabitants" and "to promote the use of telecommunication services with the objective of facilitating peaceful relations",

considering

a) that the basic instruments of the Union have as a purpose to strengthen peace and security in the world by means of international cooperation and better understanding among peoples;

b) that, to achieve the above purpose, ITU needs to have a universal character,

considering further

a) the outcomes of both the Geneva (2003) and Tunis (2005) phases of the World Summit on the Information Society;

b) the participation of Palestine in the Regional Radiocommunication Conference (Geneva, 2006), and the acceptance of Palestinian requirements in the digital broadcasting plan, subject to its notifying the ITU Secretary-General that it accepts the rights and commits to observe the obligations arising therefrom;

c) successive developments and changes in the information and communication technology sector under the responsibility of the Palestinian Authority, towards restructuring and liberalization of the sector and competition;

d) that the State of Palestine is a member of the League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO);

e) that many, but not all, ITU Member States recognize the State of Palestine,

bearing in mind

the basic principles in the Preamble to the Constitution,

resolves

that, pending any further change in the current status of the State of Palestine as observer in ITU, the following shall apply:

1 the provisions of the Administrative Regulations, and related resolutions and recommendations, shall be applied to the Palestinian Authority in the same manner as they are applied to administrations as defined in No. 1002 of the Constitution, and the General Secretariat and the three Bureaux shall act accordingly, in particular in relation to international access code, call signs and the processing of frequency assignment notifications;

2 the delegation of the State of Palestine shall participate in all ITU conferences, assemblies and meetings, including treaty-making conferences, with the following additional rights:

– the right to raise points of order;

– the right to submit proposals, except proposals to amend the Constitution, the Convention and the General Rules of conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union;

– the right to participate in debates;

– the right to be included on the list of speakers under any agenda item, subject to the provisions of the second indent above;

– the right of reply;

– the right to attend the heads of delegation meeting;

– the right to request the verbatim insertion of any declaration made during the course of the debates;

– the right to provide chairmen and vice-chairmen of technical meetings and groups, including study group meetings and subgroup meetings;

3 the delegation of the State of Palestine shall be seated among the delegations of Member States in the French alphabetical order;

4 Palestinian operating agencies, scientific or industrial organizations and financial and development institutions dealing with telecommunication matters may apply directly to the Secretary-General to participate in the activities of the Union as Sector Members or Associates, and said requests will be duly acted upon,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to ensure the implementation of this resolution and all other resolutions adopted by plenipotentiary conferences on Palestine, particularly decisions relating to international access code and processing of frequency assignment notifications, and to report periodically to the ITU Council on progress in these matters;

2 to coordinate activities of the three Sectors of the Union in accordance with resolves above in order to ensure maximum effectiveness of actions taken by the Union in favour of the State of Palestine and to report progress in these matters to the next session of the Council and the next plenipotentiary conference.

(Minneapolis, 1998) – (Rev. Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018)

RESOLUTION 100 (MINNEAPOLIS, 1998)

Role of the Secretary-General of ITU as depositary
for memoranda of understanding

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Minneapolis, 1998),

considering

a) that one of the purposes of the Union as set out in Article 1 of the Constitution is to maintain and extend international cooperation between all its Member States for the improvement and rational use of telecommunications of all kinds;

b) that another purpose of the Union is to promote, at the international level, the adoption of a broader approach to the issues of telecommunications in the global information economy and society, by cooperating with other world and regional intergovernmental organizations and those non-governmental organizations concerned with telecommunications,

noting

that cooperative multilateral action in the field of telecommunications is increasingly being achieved through the conclusion of memoranda of understanding (”MoUs”), which are generally non-binding instruments used to reflect international consensus on a matter, and in which both Member States and Sector Members may participate,

appreciating

the successful implementation of the MoU on global mobile personal communications by satellite (GMPCS), which is open to Member States, Sector Members and other telecommunication entities to sign, and the role of the Secretary-General as depositary for that MoU, as approved by Council,

observing

that the Secretary-General has recently received a number of requests to serve as depositary for other MoUs that relate to telecommunications,

believing

that the Secretary-General’s role as depositary for any MoU must follow established criteria and guidelines and must be in line with the general practices of the United Nations system,

instructs the Council

1 to formulate criteria and guidelines for the Secretary-General to respond to requests to serve as depositary for MoUs, based on the following principles:

a) that any involvement of the Secretary-General in this capacity should contribute to and be within the purposes of the Union as set forth in Article 1 of the Constitution;

b) that such involvement be on the basis of cost recovery;

c) that interested Member States and Sector Members will be kept informed of the activities of the Secretary-General in serving as depositary of the MoUs and will not be restricted from joining relevant MoUs;

d) that the sovereignty and rights of ITU Member States are fully respected and preserved;

2 to implement a mechanism to review the Secretary-General’s activities in these matters;

3 to report on the application of this resolution to the next plenipotentiary conference,

resolves

that in keeping with the criteria and guidelines to be established by the Council, the Secretary-General may, with the approval of the Council, serve as depositary for MoUs that relate to telecommunications and that are in the overall interest of the Union.

(Minneapolis, 1998)

RESOLUTION 101 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Internet Protocol-based networks

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) Resolution 101 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of the Plenipotentiary Conference;

b) Resolutions 102, 130, 133, 180 and 197 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference;

c) United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 70/1, on transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

d) UNGA Resolution 70/125, on the outcome document of the UNGA high-level meeting on the overall review of the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS);

e) the outcomes of the Geneva (2003) and Tunis (2005) phases of WSIS, especially §§ 27 c) and 50 d) of the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society, relating to international Internet connectivity;

f) the WSIS+10 Statement on the implementation of WSIS outcomes and the WSIS+10 Vision for WSIS beyond 2015, which were adopted at the ITU-coordinated WSIS+10 High-Level Event (Geneva, 2014), based on the Multistakeholder Preparatory Platform (MPP) process, together with other United Nations agencies and inclusive of all WSIS stakeholders, were endorsed by the Plenipotentiary Conference (Busan, 2014) and were submitted to the UNGA overall review;

g) No. 196 of the ITU Convention, which stipulates that telecommunication standardization study groups shall pay due attention to the study of questions and to the formulation of recommendations directly connected with the establishment, development and improvement of telecommunications in developing countries[1] at both the regional and international levels;

h) Resolution 23 (Rev. Buenos Aires, 2017) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), on Internet access and availability for developing countries and charging principles for international Internet connection;

i) Resolution 69 (Rev. Hammamet, 2016) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA), on non-discriminatory access and use of Internet resources and telecommunications/information and communication technologies (ICTs);

j) Recommendation ITU-T D.50 of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T), on general tariff principles – principles applicable to international Internet connection;

k) Resolution 64 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of WTSA, on Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and facilitating the transition to and deployment of IP version 6 (IPv6);

l) UNGA Resolution 68/302, on the review of WSIS;

m) Opinion 1 (Geneva, 2013) of the World Telecommunication/ICT Policy Forum (WTPF), on promoting Internet exchange points (IXPs) as a long-term solution to advance connectivity;

n) Opinion 2 (Geneva, 2013) of WTPF, on fostering an enabling environment for the greater growth and development of broadband connectivity;

o) Opinion 3 (Geneva, 2013) of WTPF, on supporting capacity building for the deployment of IPv6;

p) Opinion 4 (Geneva, 2013) of WTPF, in support of IPv6 adoption and transition from IPv4;

q) Opinion 5 (Geneva, 2013) of WTPF, on supporting multistakeholderism in Internet governance;

r) Opinion 6 (Geneva, 2013) of WTPF, on supporting operationalizing the enhanced cooperation process;

s) the relevant opinions of WTPF-21,

aware

a) that one of the purposes of the Union is to promote the extension of new telecommunication technologies to all the world's inhabitants;

b) that one of the purposes of the Union is to promote and enhance participation of entities and organizations in the activities of the Union and foster fruitful cooperation and partnership between them and Member States;

c) that, in order to fulfil its purposes, the Union should, among other things, facilitate the worldwide standardization of telecommunications, with a satisfactory quality of service,

considering

a) that advances in the global information infrastructure, including the development of IP-based networks used for the Internet, and future protocol developments, continue to be an issue of crucial importance, as an important enabler of achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as social, economic, environmental and cultural development in the 21st century;

b) that emerging telecommunications/ICTs will continue to transform both the Internet and overall achievement of the SDGs;

c) the need for preserving and promoting multilingualism on the Internet for an integrating and inclusive information society;

d) that the Internet permits the introduction of new additional applications in telecommunication/ICT services based on its highly advanced technology, e.g. steady progress in adopting cloud computing, and that e-mail and text messaging, voice over IP, video and real-time TV (IPTV) over the Internet continue to record high levels of use, even though there are challenges regarding quality of service, uncertainty of origin and the high cost of international connectivity;

e) that current and future IP-based networks and future IP developments will continue to introduce dramatic changes in the way we acquire, produce, circulate and consume information;

f) that the broadband development and rising demand for Internet access being experienced particularly in developing countries lead to the need for affordable international Internet connectivity;

g) that Resolution 23 (Rev. Buenos Aires, 2017) noted that the composition of costs for operators, whether regional or local, is, in part, significantly dependent on the type of connection (transit or peering) and the availability and cost of backhaul and long-haul infrastructure, as it relates to developing countries;

h) that Opinion 1 (Geneva, 2013) of WTPF deems that the establishment of IXPs is a priority to tackle connectivity problems, improve service quality and increase network connectivity and resilience, fostering competition and reducing interconnection costs;

i) that Resolution 77 (Rev. Buenos Aires, 2017) of WTDC recognizes the work of the Internet Society (ISOC), the Internet Exchange Federation and the regional IXP associations and other stakeholders to support the establishment of IXPs in developing countries in order to promote better connectivity;

j) that results of studies on international Internet connection costs, especially for developing countries, should continue to be examined in order to improve affordable Internet connectivity;

k) Resolution 1 (Dubai, 2012) of the World Conference on International Telecommunications, on special measures for landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS) for access to international optical fibre networks,

considering further

a) that the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector has made significant progress and carried out several studies on the promotion of infrastructure and the use of the Internet in developing countries under its 2010 Hyderabad Action Plan, its 2014 Dubai Action Plan and its 2017 Buenos Aires Action Plan, which endorsed the continuation of these studies, through human capacity-building efforts such as its Internet training centre initiative;

b) that studies are ongoing in ITU-T on IP-based network issues, including service interoperability with other telecommunication networks, numbering, signalling requirements and protocol aspects, security and infrastructure component costs, issues associated with migration from existing networks to next-generation networks and evolution to future networks, and implementation of the requirements of Recommendation ITU-T D.50;

c) that the general cooperation agreement between ITU-T and ISOC/Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), as referred to in Supplement 3 to the ITU-T Series A recommendations, continues to exist,

recognizing

a) that IP-based networks have evolved to a widely accessible medium used for global commerce and communication, and there is therefore a need to continue to identify the global and regional activities related to IP-based networks with respect to, for example:

i) infrastructure, interoperability and standardization;

ii) Internet naming and addressing;

iii) dissemination of information about IP-based networks and the implications of their development for ITU Member States, particularly the developing countries;

iv) support and advice available for ITU Member States, particularly the developing countries, from ITU and other entities and organizations;

b) that significant work on IP-related issues and the future Internet is being conducted within ITU and many other international bodies;

c) that the quality of service of IP-based networks should be consistent with ITU-T recommendations and other recognized international standards;

d) that it is in the public interest that IP-based networks and other telecommunication networks should be both interoperable and provide global reachability, bearing in mind recognizing c) above;

e) that the significance of interoperability and seamless transfer of data enabled by IP-based networks and other telecommunication networks is an important factor to enable growth of the economy, including the digital economy,

requests the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector

to continue its collaborative activities on IP-based networks with ISOC/IETF and other relevant recognized organizations, in respect of interconnectivity with existing telecommunication networks and migration to future networks,

requests the three Sectors

to continue to consider and update their work programmes on IP-based networks and on migration to future networks, including strengthening collaboration with other entities and organizations for the benefit of Member States and ITU members, taking into account the impact of new and emerging telecommunication/ICT services and technologies,

resolves

1 to explore ways and means, in accordance with the Tunis Agenda, for greater reciprocal collaboration and coordination between ITU and relevant organizations[2] involved in the development of IP-based networks and the future Internet in the context of emerging telecommunications/ICTs, through cooperation agreements, as appropriate, in order to increase the role of ITU in Internet governance, and to promote greater participation by Member States in Internet governance, so as to ensure maximum benefits to the global community and promote affordable international connectivity;

2 that ITU shall fully embrace and promote the opportunities for telecommunication/ICT development that arise from the growth of IP-based services, including services using new and emerging telecommunications/ICTs, in conformity with the Union's purposes and the outcomes of the Geneva (2003) and Tunis (2005) phases of WSIS, taking into account the quality and security of services and the affordability of international connectivity for all, especially for developing countries, LLDCs and SIDS;

3 that ITU shall clearly identify, for its Member States and Sector Members and for the general public, the range of Internet-related issues that fall within the responsibilities incumbent on the Union under its basic texts and the activities in the WSIS outcome documents and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, where ITU has a role;

4 that ITU shall continue to collaborate with other relevant organizations and stakeholders to ensure that growth in IP-based networks, along with and taking into consideration traditional networks, delivers maximum benefits to the global community, and shall continue to participate, as appropriate, in any directly related new international initiatives, such as the initiative in cooperation with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on the joint ITU/UNESCO Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development formed for this purpose;

5 to continue the study of international Internet connectivity as an urgent matter, as called for in § 50 d) of the Tunis Agenda (2005);

6 to take into account the provisions of Resolution 23 (Rev. Buenos Aires, 2017), in particular undertaking studies on the structure of international Internet connection costs for developing countries, with emphasis on the influence and effects of the connection mode (transit and peering), secure cross-border connectivity, the deployment of IXPs, and the availability and cost of backhaul and long-haul physical infrastructure,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to prepare a detailed annual report on the implementation of this resolution to the ITU Council with the appropriate input from Member States, Sector Members, the three Sectors and the General Secretariat, that provides a comprehensive summary of the activities that ITU is already undertaking in regard to IP-based networks and the related impact of new and emerging telecommunications/ICTs in these networks as well as any changes thereto, including the development and deployment of future networks, and of the roles and activities of other relevant international organizations, describing their involvement in IP-based network issues; the report shall indicate the degree of cooperation between ITU and these organizations, drawing the required information wherever possible from existing sources, and containing concrete proposals on improving ITU activities and such cooperation, and shall be distributed widely among the Member States and Sector Members, the advisory groups of the three Sectors and other groups involved one month before the Council session;

2 based on this report, to continue collaborative activities related to IP-based networks, especially those related to the implementation of the relevant outcomes of the two phases of WSIS (Geneva, 2003, and Tunis, 2005), and to consider the WSIS+10 Statement on the implementation of WSIS outcomes and the WSIS+10 Vision for WSIS beyond 2015, which were adopted at the ITU-coordinated WSIS+10 High-Level Event, based on the MPP process, together with other United Nations agencies and inclusive of all WSIS Stakeholders, were endorsed by the Plenipotentiary Conference (Busan, 2014) and were submitted to the UNGA overall review;

3 to continue to raise awareness of the critical importance for sustainable development of affordable connectivity for all, including in the United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

1 to provide capacity building to developing countries, including least developed countries, SIDS and LLDCs, in order to connect the unconnected, including through provision of the necessary assistance by the ITU regional offices to achieve this goal through collaboration and cooperation with relevant entities and organizations;

2 to promote awareness among ITU members about the support available from ITU and from other relevant organizations to promote the development and deployment of IP-based networks;

3 to provide the necessary information and best-practice guidance related to the implementation of this resolution;

4 to coordinate actions to provide training and technical assistance with regard to the implementation of this resolution,

invites the ITU Council

to study the report of the Secretary-General, take into account comments, if any, made by the advisory groups of the three Sectors through their respective Bureau Directors on implementation of this resolution, and take necessary action, including to continue supporting efforts related to this resolution, as appropriate,

invites Member States and Sector Members

1 to participate in, and follow the progress of, the current work of the Sectors of the Union related to this resolution;

2 to increase awareness at national, regional and international level among all interested stakeholders to facilitate their participation in relevant ITU activities, and in any other relevant activities emanating from the Geneva (2003) and Tunis (2005) phases of WSIS.

(Minneapolis, 1998) – (Rev. Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

[2] Including, but not limited to, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the regional Internet registries (RIRs), the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the Internet Society (ISOC) and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), on the basis of reciprocity.

RESOLUTION 102 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

ITU's role with regard to international public policy issues pertaining to the Internet and the management of Internet resources, including domain names and addresses

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) relevant resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), including UNGA Resolution 70/1, on transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UNGA Resolution 70/125, on the outcome document of the UNGA high-level meeting on the overall review of the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS);

b) the WSIS+10 Statement on the implementation of WSIS outcomes and the WSIS+10 Vision for WSIS beyond 2015, which were adopted at the ITU-coordinated WSIS+10 High-Level Event (Geneva, 2014), based on the Multistakeholder Preparatory Platform process, together with other United Nations agencies and inclusive of all WSIS stakeholders, were endorsed by the Plenipotentiary Conference (Busan, 2014) and were submitted to the UNGA overall review;

c) the results of the World Telecommunication/Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Policy Forum in regard to issues related to Resolutions 101, 102 and 133 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference;

d) Resolutions 47 (Rev. Dubai, 2012), 48 (Rev. Geneva, 2022), 49 (Rev. Hammamet, 2016), 50 (Rev. Geneva, 2022), 52 (Rev. Hammamet, 2016), 64 (Rev. Geneva, 2022), 69 (Rev. Hammamet, 2016) and 75 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA),

recognizing

a) all relevant resolutions of the Plenipotentiary Conference;

b) all relevant WSIS outcomes;

c) Internet-related activities of ITU, undertaken within its mandate with respect to the implementation of this resolution and other relevant ITU resolutions;

d) that emerging telecommunications/ICTs will transform both the Internet and the digital economy and will have an impact on overall achievement of Sustainable Development Goals;

e) that the Internet promises social, economic, cultural and environmental development that can bring out the best in humanity;

f) that increased availability of online services will contribute to bringing sustainable social and economic development to all the world's inhabitants;

g) that the Council Working Group on international Internet-related public policy issues (CWG-Internet) has significantly contributed over the years to discourse on international Internet-related public policy issues,

considering

a) that the purposes of the Union are, inter alia:

i) to promote and enhance participation of entities and organizations in the activities of the Union and foster fruitful cooperation and partnership between them and Member States for the fulfilment of the overall objectives as embodied in the purposes of the Union;

ii) to promote, at the international level, the adoption of a broad approach to the issues of telecommunications/ICTs in the global information economy and society, by cooperating with other world and regional intergovernmental organizations and those non-governmental organizations concerned with telecommunications;

iii) to promote the extension of the benefits of new telecommunication technologies to all the world's inhabitants;

iv) to harmonize the actions of Member States and Sector Members and promote fruitful and constructive cooperation and partnership between Member States and Sector Members in the attainment of those ends;

v) to maintain and extend international cooperation among all its Member States for the improvement and rational use of telecommunications/ICTs of all kinds;

vi) to promote and offer technical assistance to developing countries[1] in the field of telecommunications and to promote the mobilization of the material, human and financial resources needed for its implementation, as well as access to information;

b) the need for preserving and promoting multilingualism on the Internet for an integrating and inclusive information society;

c) that advances in the global information infrastructure, including the development of Internet Protocol (IP)-based networks and the Internet, taking into account the requirements, features and interoperability of next-generation networks (NGN) and future networks, are of crucial importance as an important engine for growth in the world economy in the twenty-first century;

d) that the development of the Internet is essentially market-led and driven by private and government initiatives;

e) that the private sector continues to play a very important role in the expansion and development of the Internet, for example through investments in infrastructures and services;

f) that the public sector and public-private and regional initiatives continue to play a very important role in the expansion and development of the Internet, for example through investments in infrastructures and services;

g) that management of the registration and allocation of Internet domain names and addresses must fully reflect the geographical nature of the Internet, taking into account an equitable balance of interests of all stakeholders;

h) the role played by ITU in the successful organization of the two phases of WSIS, and that the Geneva Declaration of Principles and the Geneva Plan of Action, adopted in 2003, and the Tunis Commitment and the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society, adopted in 2005, have been endorsed by UNGA;

i) that UNGA agreed, at its high-level meeting on 15-16 December 2015, that Internet governance should continue to follow the Tunis Agenda;

j) that the management of the Internet is a subject of valid international interest and must flow from full international and multistakeholder cooperation on the basis of the outcomes of the two phases of WSIS;

k) that, as stated in the WSIS outcomes, all governments should have an equal role and responsibility for international Internet governance and for ensuring the stability, security and continuity of the existing Internet and its future development and of the future Internet, and that the need for development of public policy by governments in consultation with all stakeholders is also recognized;

l) work being carried out by the Commission on Science and Technology for Development relevant to this resolution;

m) work being carried out by the Telecommunication Development Bureau to develop its capacity-building activities in the field of Internet governance,

recognizing further

a) that ITU is dealing with technical and policy issues related to IP-based networks, including the existing Internet and evolution to NGN as well as studies into the future Internet;

b) that ITU performs worldwide coordination of a number of radiocommunication-related and telecommunication-related resource allocation systems and acts as a forum for policy discussion in this area;

c) that significant effort has been put in by ITU on ENUM, ".int", internationalized domain name (IDN), and country code top-level domain (ccTLD) issues through workshops and standardization activities;

d) that ITU has published a comprehensive and useful Handbook on IP-based networks and related topics and issues;

e) §§ 71 and 78 a) of the Tunis Agenda with regard to the establishment of enhanced cooperation on Internet governance and the establishment of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), as two distinct processes;

f) the relevant WSIS outcomes in §§ 29-82 of the Tunis Agenda concerning Internet governance and §§ 55-65 of UNGA Resolution 70/125, on the outcome document of the UNGA high-level meeting on the overall review of the implementation of the WSIS outcomes;

g) that ITU should be encouraged to facilitate cooperation with all stakeholders as referred to in § 35 of the Tunis Agenda;

h) that Member States represent the interests of the population of the country or territory for which a ccTLD has been delegated;

i) that countries should not be involved in decisions regarding another country's ccTLD;

j) to take account of the results of the Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation on public policy issues pertaining to the Internet,

emphasizing

a) that the management of the Internet encompasses both technical and public policy issues and should involve all stakeholders and relevant intergovernmental and international organizations, in accordance with §§ 35 a) – e) of the Tunis Agenda;

b) that emerging telecommunications/ICTs will transform the Internet, and policy-makers need to keep pace with change in the Internet to harness the benefits of that transformation;

c) that the role of governments includes providing a clear, consistent and predictable legal framework, in order to promote a favourable environment in which global ICT networks are interoperable with Internet networks and widely accessible to all citizens without any discrimination and to ensure adequate protection of public interests in the management of Internet resources, including domain names and addresses;

d) that WSIS recognized the need for enhanced cooperation in the future, to enable governments, on an equal footing, to carry out their roles and responsibilities, in international public policy issues pertaining to the Internet, but not in the day-to-day technical and operational matters that do not impact on international public policy issues;

e) that ITU, for its part, has started the process towards enhanced cooperation as one of the relevant organizations referred to in § 71 of the Tunis Agenda, and that CWG-Internet should continue its work on Internet-related public policy issues;

f) that ITU can play a positive role by offering all interested parties a platform for encouraging discussions and for the dissemination of information on the management of Internet domain names and addresses and other Internet resources within the mandate of ITU,

noting

a) that CWG-Internet has furthered the objectives of Resolution 75 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of WTSA and Resolution 30 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) regarding public policy issues pertaining to the Internet;

b) Resolutions 1305 and 1336 adopted by the ITU Council;

c) that CWG-Internet shall include in its work all relevant decisions of this conference and all other resolutions relevant to the work of the group as stated in Council Resolution 1305 and the annex thereto;

d) the continued importance of openness and transparency in the development of international Internet public policy issues, in line with § 35 of the Tunis Agenda;

e) the need for development of international Internet public policy by governments in consultation with all stakeholders;

f) ongoing activities in relevant ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) and ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) study groups relevant to this resolution,

resolves

1 to explore ways and means, in accordance with the Tunis Agenda, for greater reciprocal collaboration and coordination between ITU and relevant organizations[2] involved in the development of IP-based networks and the future Internet in the context of new and emerging telecommunications/ICTs, through cooperation agreements, as appropriate, in order to increase the role of ITU in Internet governance, and to promote greater participation by Member States in Internet governance, so as to ensure maximum benefits to the global community and promote affordable international connectivity;

2 that ITU may assist Member States to identify and access the advice and support that is available from other relevant entities and organizations;

3 that the sovereign and legitimate interests, as expressed and defined by each country, in diverse ways, regarding decisions affecting their ccTLDs, need to be respected and ensured, upheld and addressed via flexible and improved frameworks and mechanisms;

4 to continue to undertake activities on international Internet related public policy issues within ITU's mandate, including in CWG-Internet, in collaboration and cooperation with relevant organizations and stakeholders, as appropriate, with special attention to the needs of developing countries;

5 to continue the CWG-Internet activities as listed in the relevant Council resolutions;

6 that CWG-Internet should strengthen its work to continue to address international Internet-related public policy issues,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to continue to take a significant role and participate in international discussions and initiatives on the management of Internet domain names and addresses and other Internet resources, taking into account the impact of new and emerging telecommunications/ICTs, within the mandate of ITU, in order to contribute to international efforts and promote fruitful and constructive cooperation and partnership with relevant organizations, in particular the work of the United Nations;

2 to continue promoting the importance of Internet connectivity for sustainable development, taking into account future developments of the Internet, the purposes of the Union and the interests of its membership as expressed in its instruments, resolutions and decisions;

3 to take the necessary steps for ITU to continue to play a facilitating role in the coordination of international public policy issues pertaining to the Internet, as expressed in §35 d) of the Tunis Agenda, interacting as necessary with other intergovernmental organizations in these domains;

4 to continue to raise awareness of the critical importance of sustainable development in discussions and initiatives on international public policy issues pertaining to the Internet and the management of Internet resources;

5 in line with § 78 a) of the Tunis Agenda, to continue to contribute as appropriate to the work of IGF;

6 to continue to take the necessary steps for ITU to play an active and constructive role in the process towards enhanced cooperation as expressed in § 71 of the Tunis Agenda;

7 to continue to take the necessary steps in ITU's own internal process towards enhanced cooperation on international public policy issues pertaining to the Internet as expressed in § 71 of the Tunis Agenda, involving all stakeholders, in their respective roles and responsibilities;

8 to continue to report annually to the Council on the activities undertaken on these subjects and the implementation of this resolution and to submit proposals as appropriate, and, after the endorsement of this report by Member States through consultation procedures in force, to submit the report to the Secretary-General of the United Nations;

9 to continue to disseminate, as appropriate, the reports of CWG-Internet to all relevant international organizations and stakeholders actively involved in such matters for their consideration in their policy-making processes;

10 to engage, as appropriate, in other relevant United Nations activities on international Internet-related public policy issues and to promote the work of ITU and its members,

instructs the Directors of the Bureaux

1 to contribute to CWG-Internet concerning the activities undertaken by their respective Sectors, considering Council Resolutions 1305 and 1336, which are relevant to the work of the group;

2 to provide advice and assistance, within the Union's expertise, and within available resources, as appropriate, in cooperation with relevant organizations, to Member States, if so requested, in order to achieve their stated policy objectives with respect to the management of Internet domain names and addresses, other Internet resources and international Internet connectivity, within the remit of ITU, such as capacity building, availability and costs related to infrastructure, and with respect to Internet-related public policy issues, as stated in the annex to Council Resolution 1305, which identifies the role of CWG-Internet, within their mandate;

3 to liaise and to cooperate with the regional telecommunication organizations pursuant to this resolution;

4 that the sovereign and legitimate interests, as expressed and defined by each country, in diverse ways, regarding decisions affecting their ccTLDs, need to be respected and ensured, upheld and addressed via flexible and improved frameworks and mechanisms,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau

1 to ensure that ITU-T performs its role in technical issues, and to continue to contribute ITU-T expertise and to liaise and cooperate with appropriate entities on issues related to the management of Internet domain names and addresses and other Internet resources within the mandate of ITU, such as IP version 6 (IPv6), ENUM and IDNs, as well as any other related technological developments and issues, including facilitating appropriate studies on these issues by relevant ITU-T study groups and other groups;

2 in accordance with ITU rules and procedures, and calling upon contributions from the ITU membership, to continue to play a facilitating role in coordination and assistance in the development of public policy issues pertaining to Internet domain names and addresses and other Internet resources within the mandate of ITU and their possible evolution;

3 to work with Member States, Sector Members and relevant regional and international organizations on issues concerning Member States' ccTLDs, related experiences and best practices, fostering cooperation among them;

4 to report annually to the Council and the Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group, and also to WTSA, on the activities undertaken and achievements on these subjects, including proposals for further consideration,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

1 to organize international and regional forums and carry out necessary activities, in conjunction with appropriate entities, to discuss policy, operational and technical issues on the Internet in general, and on the management of Internet domain names and addresses and other Internet resources within the mandate of ITU in particular, including with regard to multilingualism, for the benefit of Member States, especially for developing countries, taking into consideration the content of the relevant resolutions of this conference, including this resolution, in addition to the content of the relevant resolutions of WTDC;

2 to continue promoting, through ITU-D programmes and study groups, the exchange of information, fostering debate and the development and sharing of best practices on Internet issues, and to continue to play a key role in outreach by contributing to capacity building, providing technical assistance and encouraging the involvement of developing countries in international Internet forums and issues;

3 to continue reporting annually to the Council and the Telecommunication Development Advisory Group, and also to WTDC, on the activities undertaken and achievements on these subjects, including proposals for further consideration as appropriate;

4 to liaise with the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau and to collaborate with other relevant organizations involved in the development and deployment of IP-based networks and the growth of the Internet, aiming to make available to Member States widely accepted best practices for the design, installation and operation of Internet exchange points,

instructs the ITU Council Working Group on international Internet-related public policy issues

1 to consider and discuss the activities of the Secretary-General and Directors of the Bureaux in relation to the implementation of this resolution;

2 to prepare ITU inputs into the above-mentioned activities as appropriate;

3 to continue to identify, study and develop matters on international Internet-related public policy issues, taking into account relevant ITU resolutions,

instructs the ITU Council

1 to revise its Resolution 1344 to direct CWG-Internet, limited to Member States, with open consultation to all stakeholders, and to conduct such open consultation according to the following guidelines:

• CWG-Internet will decide on the international Internet-related public policy issues for open consultation, drawing primarily from Council Resolution 1305;

• CWG-Internet should generally hold both open online consultation and physical open consultation meetings, with remote participation, within a reasonable period, prior to each CWG-Internet meeting;

• relevant inputs received from stakeholders will be submitted to CWG-Internet for consideration of the issues chosen for its next meeting;

2 taking into account the annual reports presented by the Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux, to take appropriate measures in order to contribute actively to the implementation of this resolution and international initiatives related to this resolution, within the mandate of ITU;

3 to consider the reports of CWG-Internet and take the necessary actions;

4 to report to the 2026 plenipotentiary conference on the activities undertaken and achievements in respect of the implementation of this resolution, including proposals for further consideration as appropriate,

invites Member States

1 to participate in the discussions on international management of Internet resources, including domain names and addresses, and in the process towards enhanced cooperation on Internet governance and international public policy issues pertaining to the Internet, so that worldwide representation in the debates can be ensured;

2 to continue to participate actively in the discussions and development of public policy issues related to Internet resources, including international Internet connectivity, within the remit of ITU, such as capacity building, availability and costs related to infrastructure, domain names and addresses, their possible evolution and the impact of new usages and applications, cooperating with the relevant organizations, and to contribute to CWG-Internet and ITU study groups on related matters;

3 to support a resilient, inclusive and interoperable Internet that is accessible to all, and to strive to ensure universal and affordable Internet access for all citizens, including persons with specific needs, pursuant to Resolution 175 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, taking into account the annual reports presented by the Secretary-General and the Council,

invites Member States and Sector Members

to seek the appropriate means to contribute to enhanced cooperation on international public policy issues pertaining to the Internet, in their respective roles and responsibilities.

(Minneapolis, 1998) – (Rev. Marrakesh, 2002) – (Rev. Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

[2] Including, but not limited to, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the regional Internet registries (RIRs), the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the Internet Society (ISOC) and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), on the basis of reciprocity.

RESOLUTION 111 (REV. BUSAN, 2014)

Considering major religious periods in the scheduling of
ITU conferences, assemblies and Council sessions

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Busan, 2014),

having considered

a) the importance of mutual respect for the religious and spiritual requirements of delegates to ITU conferences, assemblies and Council sessions;

b) the importance of including all delegates in the crucial work of ITU conferences, assemblies and Council sessions and of not precluding such participation;

c) the scheduling and invitation process for ITU conferences, assemblies and Council sessions as set out in the ITU Convention,

resolves

1 that the Union and its Member States should make every effort, as far as practicable, in order that the planned period of any ITU conference or assembly not be scheduled during a period which is considered a major religious period by a Member State;

2 that the Union and the Member States of the Council should make every effort, as far as practicable, in order that the planned period of any Council session not be scheduled during a period which is considered a major religious period by a Member State of the Council;

3 that the inviting government for a given ITU conference or assembly or, in the absence of an inviting government, the Secretary-General, shall be responsible for verifying with Member States that the proposed period of that conference or assembly does not coincide with a major religious period.

(Marrakesh, 2002) – (Rev. Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Busan, 2014)

RESOLUTION 114 (MARRAKESH, 2002)

Interpretation of No. 224 of the ITU Constitution and No. 519
of the ITU Convention with regard to deadlines
for submitting proposals for amendments

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Marrakesh, 2002),

considering

No. 224 of the ITU Constitution and No. 519 of the ITU Convention, specifying the deadlines for submitting proposals by Member States with respect to amendments to the Constitution and Convention, respectively,

noting

a) that, given the time between two plenipotentiary conferences (four years) and the need for preparatory meetings between two conferences, it is difficult for some Member States to submit their proposals within the specified time-limit;

b) that, in order for Member States to prepare adequately for a plenipotentiary conference, proposals should be received well in advance of such conference,

noting further

the manner in which the Plenipotentiary Conference (Minneapolis, 1998) addressed this issue (see Document PP-98/341),

resolves

to endorse the view expressed by the Plenipotentiary Conference (Minneapolis, 1998) in the aforementioned document to the effect that No. 224 of the Constitution should be interpreted as “intended to encourage Member States to submit their proposals as early as possible and, preferably, eight months before the opening of the conference”, and that the same applies to No. 519 of the Convention.

(Marrakesh, 2002)

RESOLUTION 118 (MARRAKESH, 2002)

Use of spectrum at frequencies above 3 000 GHz

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Marrakesh, 2002),

considering

a) that No. 78 of the ITU Constitution and No. 1005 of the Annex to the ITU Convention allow study groups of the ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) to study questions and adopt recommendations dealing with frequency bands without limit in frequency;

b) that studies are being carried out within ITU-R study groups that consider technology operating above 3 000 GHz;

c) that the frequencies that can be regulated in the Radio Regulations are limited to those below 3 000 GHz by the definition of “radiocommunication” in No. 1005 of the Annex to the Convention;

d) that radiocommunication technologies have demonstrated the ability to use electromagnetic waves in space without artificial guide above 3 000 GHz, and that some Member States are of the opinion that the 3 000 GHz limit should be removed in order to allow competent world radiocommunication conferences to introduce, if needed, provisions in the Radio Regulations;

e) that frequency bands above 3 000 GHz have been used for a long time, especially in the infrared and visible bands, by systems/applications regulated by national and non-ITU provisions, and that some Member States are of the opinion that the relationship between those provisions and ITU provisions should be thoroughly considered before changing the definition contained in the Convention,

invites the Radiocommunication Assembly

to include, in its programme of work, studies of the possibility and relevance of including in the Radio Regulations frequency bands above 3 000 GHz,

instructs the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau

to report to world radiocommunication conferences on the progress of ITU-R studies concerning the use of frequencies above 3 000 GHz,

resolves

that world radiocommunication conferences can include in agendas for future conferences, items relevant to spectrum regulation of frequencies above 3 000 GHz and take any appropriate measures, including revision of the relevant parts of the Radio Regulations[1],

urges Member States

to continue participating in the work taking place in ITU-R on the use of spectrum above 3 000 GHz.

(Marrakesh, 2002)

[1] Entry into force of such new regulations would depend on consequential changes to No. 1005 of the Annex to the Convention at the following plenipotentiary conference.

RESOLUTION 119 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Methods to improve the efficiency and effectiveness
of the Radio Regulations Board

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

that the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) (Geneva, 2003) introduced important amendments to Article 13 of the Radio Regulations, including two new important additions in Nos. 13.0.1 and 13.0.2, and that the same conference also introduced amendments to the working methods of the Radio Regulations Board (RRB),

considering

a) that WRC-03 considered that further improvements are both possible and necessary in order to ensure a high degree of transparency in RRB's work;

b) that WRC-03 introduced improvements to the working methods of RRB on the basis of Resolution 119 (Marrakesh, 2002), such as, inter alia, inclusion of the reasons for every RRB decision in the summary of decisions;

c) the continued importance of efficient and effective RRB working methods in meeting the requirements of the Radio Regulations and in preserving the rights of Member States;

d) the continued concerns expressed by some Member States at the plenipotentiary conferences in 2002 (Marrakesh) and 2006 (Antalya) and at this conference in regard to transparency and efficiency of RRB's working methods;

e) that, since RRB has an important role to consider appeals by Member States as prescribed in the Radio Regulations, appropriate facilities and resources are necessary for it to continue discharging its responsibilities expeditiously,

recognizing

the importance that the Union attaches to RRB's activities,

resolves to instruct the Radio Regulations Board

1 to continue to review periodically its working methods and internal processes and develop appropriate changes in its methods and decision-making processes and their overall effectiveness in order to attain a higher degree of transparency, and report the results to the next WRC through the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau (BR);

2 to continue to include in the summary of its decisions (No. 13.18 of the Radio Regulations):

– the reasons for each decision taken by RRB;

– comments received from administrations on the Rules of Procedure;

this summary of decisions, including the associated reasons, shall be published by circular letter and on the RRB website; upon request from an administration, RRB may also consider, if appropriate, publishing relevant information on that request on the RRB and BR websites;

3 to continue to give advice to WRC and regional radiocommunication conferences, at an appropriate time, on difficulties in the application of any regulatory provision in force as well as those under discussion at the conference;

4 to prepare the necessary input to the report of the Director of BR to WRC in accordance with Nos. 13.0.1 and 13.0.2 of the Radio Regulations with respect to the implementation of the above-mentioned provisions;

5 to schedule its meetings with a view to facilitating consideration and action by administrations in accordance with No. 13.14 of the Radio Regulations,

instructs the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau

to continue to provide to RRB:

− detailed explanations from BR on matters to be considered at RRB meetings;

− any relevant information from appropriate staff within BR,

calls upon all Member States

to continue to provide all necessary assistance and support to RRB members individually, and RRB as a whole, in carrying out their functions,

invites world radiocommunication conferences

to review, and to continue developing, principles applied or to be applied by RRB in the preparation of new Rules of Procedure in accordance with Article 13 of the Radio Regulations, with particular attention to Nos. 13.0.1 and 13.0.2 thereof,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to continue to make available the necessary facilities and resources for RRB members in conducting their meetings;

2 to continue to facilitate the recognition of the status of RRB members pursuant to No. 142A of the ITU Convention;

3 to provide the necessary logistical support, such as computer hardware and software, to RRB members from developing countries[1], if required, in order to perform their duties as RRB members,

further instructs the Secretary-General

to report to the 2023 session of the ITU Council, to subsequent sessions of the Council and to the next plenipotentiary conference on actions taken pursuant to this resolution and the results thereof.

(Marrakesh, 2002) – (Rev. Antalya, 2006) ) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 122 (REV. GUADALAJARA, 2010)

The evolving role of the World Telecommunication
Standardization Assembly

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Guadalajara, 2010),

considering

a) Article 13 of the ITU Convention, which specifies the roles and responsibilities of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA), as well as Articles 14 and 14A, concerning the telecommunication standardization study groups and Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group (TSAG);

b) the decisions of previous plenipotentiary conferences concerning the functioning and management of ITU standardization activities;

c) Resolutions 1, 7, 22, 33 and 45 (Rev. Johannesburg, 2008) of WTSA, pursuant to which:

– the membership is able to revise existing questions and create new questions between WTSAs;

– the membership is continuing to collaborate with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC);

– the membership, working through TSAG, is able to restructure and establish study groups between WTSAs;

– the membership, working through TSAG, is able to identify new and converging technologies and the need to develop appropriate standards, rapidly and reliably;

– the membership, working through TSAG, is able to create, terminate or maintain other groups between WTSAs, in order to enhance and improve the effectiveness of the work of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T), for purposes including the coordination of ITU-T's work and flexible response to high-priority issues that span several study groups;

– TSAG is instructed to take an active role in ensuring coordination between study groups, as appropriate, on high-priority standardization issues that are being studied in more than one study group, and to take into account, and implement as necessary, advice given to it by other groups on effective coordination on high-priority standardization topics;

d) the work of Member States and ITU-T Sector Members in the Sector study groups and TSAG in implementing these decisions and in adopting working procedures that have improved the timeliness and efficiency of standards activities while maintaining their quality;

e) Resolution 123 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) of this conference, on bridging the standardization development gap between developed and developing countries;

f) § 64 of the Geneva Declaration of Principles of the World Summit on the Information Society, which recognizes that ITU's core competences in the fields of information and communication technologies – assistance in bridging the digital divide, international and regional cooperation, radio spectrum management, standards development and the dissemination of information – are of crucial importance for building the information society,

considering further

the analysis of ITU's standardization activities by the Working Group on ITU Reform (WGR) and the emphasis placed by WGR on the need for continued improvement in the effectiveness of the standardization process and the need to achieve an effective partnership between Member States and Sector Members,

recognizing

a) the positive results of the alternative approval process in ITU-T's working methods, in particular the reduction of the time taken for the approval of relevant questions and recommendations, in accordance with the procedures adopted by the Sector;

b) the position of WTSA as a broad and inclusive forum where Member States and ITU-T Sector Members are able to discuss the future of ITU-T, review the progress of the ITU-T standardization work programme, consider the Sector's overall structure and functioning and set goals for ITU-T;

c) that WTSA serves all the Member States and ITU-T Sector Members, as a decision-making forum to resolve issues within its competence that may be brought before it;

d) that a Global Standards Symposium (GSS) was held the day before WTSA-08,

aware

a) of the continual challenges posed to the membership by the current financial state of the Union, of the number of ITU-T meetings and related events and of the important role of WTSA as the oversight body for ITU-T;

b) of the need for Member States and ITU-T Sector Members to work closely in ITU-T, in a proactive, cooperative and forward-looking way, taking into account their respective responsibilities and objectives, in order to promote the continued evolution of ITU-T;

c) that ITU-T aims to continue to provide a unique, worldwide venue for government and industry to work together to foster the development and use of interoperable and non-discriminatory standards based on openness, and which are both demand-driven and sensitive to the needs of users;

d) that the rapid pace of change in the telecommunication environment demands that, in order to maintain its role, ITU-T must have the flexibility to make timely decisions between WTSAs on matters such as work priorities, study group structure and meeting schedules,

resolves

1 to encourage WTSA to further develop its working methods and procedures for the purpose of improving the management of ITU-T's standardization activities;

2 that WTSA shall continue, in accordance with its responsibilities, and subject to available financial resources, to promote the continued evolution of the standardization sector by means such as, but not limited to, the strengthening of the role of TSAG;

3 that WTSA shall continue to adequately address strategic issues in standardization and, through the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, provide its proposals and comments to the ITU Council;

4 that WTSA, in its conclusions, should continue to take into account the Union's strategic plan and, consistent with No. 188 of the ITU Convention, take into consideration the financial status of the Sector;

5 that WTSA encourage continuing close cooperation and coordination with international, regional and national organizations that formulate standards relevant to the work of ITU-T,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau

1 in preparing the Director's report to WTSA, to include a report on the financial status of the Sector in order to assist WTSA in its functions;

2 to continue, in consultation with relevant bodies, and the ITU membership, and in collaboration with the ITU Radiocommunication Sector and the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector, as appropriate, to organize GSS;

invites the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly

to continue to take into consideration the conclusions of GSS,

encourages

1 Member States and ITU-T Sector Members to support the evolving role of WTSA;

2 Member States, ITU-T Sector Members, and the chairmen and vice-chairmen of TSAG and the study groups to concentrate, inter alia, on the identification and analysis of strategic issues in standardization in their preparations for WTSA so as to facilitate the work of the assembly.

(Marrakesh, 2002) – (Rev. Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010)

RESOLUTION 123 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Bridging the standardization gap between developing and
developed countries

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) No. 13 of Article 1 of the ITU Constitution, which establishes that the Union shall in particular facilitate the worldwide standardization of telecommunications, with a satisfactory quality of service;

b) that, in Article 17, the Constitution indicates that the functions of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) shall be, bearing in mind the particular concerns of the developing countries[1], to fulfil the purposes of the Union;

c) that the strategic plan for the Union for 2020-2023, approved by means of Resolution 71 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) of the Plenipotentiary Conference and its annexes, includes under the objectives of ITU-T to promote the active participation of the membership, in particular developing countries, in the definition and adoption of non-discriminatory international standards (ITU-T recommendations) with a view to bridging the standardization gap;

d) that the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA) adopted Resolution 44 (Rev. Geneva, 2022);

e) Resolution 54 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of WTSA, on regional groups of ITU-T study groups, whose purpose is to help bridge the standardization gap between developing and developed countries;

f) that the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) adopted Resolution 47 (Rev. Kigali, 2022), in which it resolves to continue engaging in activities to enhance knowledge and effective application of information and communication technology (ICT) standards, including ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) and ITU-T recommendations, in developing countries;

g) Resolution 37 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of WTDC, which recognizes the need to create digital opportunities in developing countries;

h) Resolution 32 (Rev. Hammamet, 2016) of WTSA, on strengthening electronic working methods for the work of ITU-T;

i) that the Geneva Plan of Action and Tunis Agenda for the Information Society of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) emphasize efforts to overcome the digital divide and development divides,

considering

a) that the strategic plan for the Union for 2020-2023, adopted in Resolution 71 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) includes:

i) Outcome T.2-a: Increased participation in the ITU-T standardization process, including attendance of meetings, submission of contributions, taking leadership positions and hosting of meetings/workshops, especially from developing countries;

ii) Output T.2-1: Bridging the standardization gap;

to promote the active participation of the membership, in particular developing countries (e.g. remote participation, fellowships, establishment of regional study groups),

b) that focus on the following activities is still needed:

• to develop interoperable, non-discriminatory international standards (ITU-T recommendations);

• to assist in bridging the standardization gap between developed and developing countries;

• to extend and facilitate international cooperation among international and regional standardization bodies;

• to provide assistance to developing countries in bridging the digital divide by achieving broader telecommunication/ICT-enabled socio-economic development,

c) the continued shortage of skilled human resources in the standardization field in developing countries, resulting in a low level of developing-country participation in ITU-T and ITU-R meetings, and, consequently, in the standards-making process, leading to difficulties when interpreting and applying ITU-T and ITU-R recommendations;

d) ongoing challenges relating to capacity building, in particular for developing countries, in the light of rapid technological innovation and increased convergence of services;

e) the difficulty faced by developing countries with stringent budgetary constraints in participating in the activities of ITU, especially regular meetings of study groups and advisory groups, for which the meeting duration could be up to two weeks;

f) the moderate level of participation by representatives of developing countries in ITU standardization activities, whether through lack of awareness of these activities, difficulties in accessing information, lack of training for human talent in standardization-related matters, or lack of financial resources to travel to meeting sites, which are factors with impact in terms of widening the existing knowledge gap;

g) that technological needs and realities vary from country to country and region to region, and in many cases developing countries do not have opportunities or mechanisms to make them known;

h) that, for developing countries at the initial stage of introducing and/or switching to a new technology, it is important to have guidelines for the new technology in question that can be used to develop a national standard, which would make it possible to introduce or switch to the new technology in a timely manner;

i) the need for high-quality, demand-driven international standards, which should be developed rapidly in line with the principles of global connectivity, openness, affordability, reliability, interoperability and security, and which are critical for generating confidence for further investments, specifically in telecommunication/ICT infrastructure;

j) digital transformation through the emergence of key technologies, enabling new services and applications and promoting the building of the information society and progress towards sustainable development, which must be taken into account in the work of ITU-T;

k) that cooperation and collaboration with other standardization bodies and relevant consortia and forums are key to avoiding duplication of work and achieving efficient use of resources;

l) that rapidly evolving technology continues to create a standardization gap between developed and developing countries, and this gap is an obstacle for countries to transition towards the development of their economy, including the digital economy, enabled by access to affordable and interoperable technologies,

considering further

that the achievements of ITU-T in transformative digital technologies will contribute towards achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,

taking into account

a) that developing countries could benefit from improved capability in the application and development of standards;

b) that ITU-T and ITU-R activities and the telecommunication/ICT market could also benefit from better involvement of developing countries in standards-making and standards application;

c) that initiatives to assist in bridging the standardization gap are intrinsic to, and are a high priority task of, the Union;

d) that although ITU is making efforts to reduce the standardization gap, major disparities in knowledge and management of standards remain between developing and developed countries;

e) that WTSA adopted Resolutions 32 (Rev. Hammamet, 2016) and 44 and 54 (Rev. Geneva, 2022), all of which share the clear objective of contributing to bridging the standardization gap between developing and developed countries by means of:

i) providing installations, facilities and capacities in electronic working methods in ITU-T meetings, workshops and training courses, especially for developing countries in order to promote their participation;

ii) intensifying the participation of the ITU regional offices in the activities of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, in order to promote and coordinate standardization activities in their regions, to apply the relevant parts of the resolution, and to initiate campaigns aimed at encouraging the affiliation to ITU of new Sector Members, Associates and Academia from developing countries;

iii) inviting the new regions and Member States to create regional groups within the sphere of the ITU-T study groups, and to create corresponding regional standardization bodies in order to work closely with the ITU-D study groups and the Telecommunication Development Advisory Group;

f) Resolution 37 (Rev. Kigali, 2022), on bridging the digital divide, which aims at the establishment of international methods and specific mechanisms to strengthen international cooperation for narrowing the digital divide, including through implementation of studies or projects and activities, in collaboration with ITU-R, with a view to building capacities in efficient use of the orbit/spectrum resource for the provision of terrestrial, stratospheric and space-based technologies, including radiocommunication technologies, in order to support utilization of the orbit/spectrum resource to stimulate broadband development and bridge the digital divide, especially in the developing countries, in accordance with the WSIS Geneva Plan of Action and Tunis Agenda;

g) that joint meetings of regional groups of study groups, in particular if concatenated with a regional workshop and/or a meeting of a regional standardization body and meetings of the regional organizations, such as the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL), the Regional Commonwealth in the Field of Communications (RCC), 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), the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) and the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT), could encourage the participation of developing countries in those meetings and increase the effectiveness of such meetings;

h) that holding ITU meetings in developing countries has shown the potential to increase the participation of ITU members from the region concerned in those meetings,

resolves to instruct the Secretary-General and the Directors of the three Bureaux

1 to work closely with each other on the follow-up and implementation of this resolution, as well as Resolutions 32 (Rev. Hammamet, 2016) and 44 and 54 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of WTSA, Resolutions 37 and 47 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of WTDC and Resolution ITU-R 7-4 (Rev. Sharm el-Sheikh, 2019) of the Radiocommunication Assembly, in order to step up intended actions and to reduce the standardization gap between developing and developed countries;

2 to maintain a close coordination mechanism among the three Sectors at the regional level for bridging the digital divide, through activities carried out by the ITU regional offices to that end;

3 to engage ITU regional offices in activities related to bridging the standardization gap, including the necessary assistance to raise awareness within developing countries;

4 to provide developing countries with assistance to enhance capacity building in the standardization field, including through collaboration with the relevant academia, in close collaboration between ITU-T and ITU-R, and taking into consideration the activities carried out by the ITU Academy training centres and other capacity-building initiatives of the Telecommunication Development Bureau;

5 to identify ways and means to support the participation of representatives of developing countries, including prioritizing fellowships for those who submit contributions to attend the meetings of the three Sectors of ITU and the dissemination of information on standardization;

6 to further collaborate with the relevant regional organizations and support their work in this area;

7 to strengthen the mechanisms for preparing and submitting reports on the implementation of the action plan associated with Resolution 44 (Rev. Geneva, 2022), taking into account the four-year rolling operational plans of each Bureau;

8 to continue collaboration at the regional level in order to lend further impetus to the development of ITU-T's Bridging the Standardization Gap (BSG) programme in these regions;

9 to promote equal access to fully virtual ITU meetings and physical ITU meetings with remote participation, to the maximum extent possible;

10 to promote the timely development of guidelines for developing countries on the basis of ITU-R and ITU-T recommendations, particularly those related to priority standardization issues, including the introduction of and switchover to new technologies, as well as the preparation and application of ITU recommendations;

11 to effectively consolidate all guidelines, recommendations, technical reports, best practices and use cases developed by ITU-R and ITU-T, through the use of ITU web-based tools, and to identify strategies and mechanisms to facilitate and allow Member States to proactively use these tools to hasten the transfer of knowledge;

12 to encourage the participation of members, particularly Academia, from developing countries in ITU's activities towards bridging the standardization gap, including through, whenever possible, the holding of workshops and study group and other meetings in the regions,

invites Member States and Sector Members

to make voluntary contributions (financial and in-kind) to the fund for bridging the standardization gap, as well as to undertake concrete actions to support ITU's actions and the initiatives of its three Sectors and its regional offices in this matter,

invites Member States

1 to study the possibility of implementing "national standardization secretariats", taking into account the guidelines provided under the ITU-T BSG programme, in particular in developing countries;

2 to promote active participation and propose candidates for study group chairmanship and vice-chairmanship positions in the three ITU Sectors, particularly from developing countries;

3 to continue the creation of national and regional standardization bodies, as appropriate, and encourage the involvement of these entities in ITU standardization work and the coordination of meetings with ITU-T regional groups, mainly to enable developing countries to communicate about their standardization priorities and requirements;

4 to host regional group and study group meetings as well as international or regional events (forums, workshops, etc.) related to ITU standardization activities in particular in developing countries;

5 to urge national small and medium enterprises, academia and relevant actors, in particular from developing countries, to participate in ITU's standardization activities.

(Marrakesh, 2002) – (Rev. Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 124 (REV. ANTALYA, 2006)

Support for the New Partnership for Africa’s Development[1]

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Antalya, 2006),

considering

the provisions of the ITU Constitution, as contained in Chapter IV thereof on the Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D), particularly with regard, inter alia, to the functions of ITU-D for building awareness of the impact of telecommunications on national economic and social development, its catalytic role in promoting the development, expansion and operation of telecommunication services and networks, especially in developing countries, and the need to maintain and enhance cooperation with regional and other telecommunication organizations,

considering further

Resolution 31 (Rev. Marrakesh, 2002) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, on telecommunication infrastructure for socio-economic and cultural development, which highlights:

− telecommunications as a prerequisite for development;

− the impact of telecommunications on agriculture, health, education, transport, human settlement, etc.;

− the continuing decline in development resources available to developing countries,

noting

a) that, in their declarations and resolutions, world telecommunication development conferences (WTDC) have reaffirmed a commitment to enhancing expansion and development of telecommunication services in developing countries and harnessing capacity for the application of new and innovative services;

b) the adoption of the Doha Action Plan, incorporating key chapters on global information infrastructure development and the special programme for least developed countries,

aware

that the Council, in its Resolution 1184 on WTDC (Istanbul, 2002), urged that conference to place special emphasis on the problem of “bridging the digital divide”,

taking note of

a) the recognition by the United Nations General Assembly in its Resolution 56/37 of the adoption by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity at its thirty-seventh ordinary session (Lusaka, July 2001) of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD);

b) the actions for NEPAD set out in annex hereto;

c) the declaration by the Economic and Social Council on the role of the United Nations system in supporting the efforts of African countries to achieve sustainable development,

taking cognizance of

a) the operative paragraphs of Resolution 56/218 of the United Nations General Assembly, on the final review and appraisal of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa, relating to consideration of plans and modalities during 2002 for future engagement with NEPAD and calling on the United Nations system and the international community to support the New African Initiative and to ensure effective representation;

b) the outcomes of the Geneva (2003) and Tunis (2005) phases of the World Summit on the Information Society and the work under way to implement the African Regional Action Plan for the Knowledge Economy (ARAPKE);

c) the call made on 23 November 2004 by the Summit of the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementing Committee (HSGIC) for an effective implementation of the NEPAD information and communication technology (ICT) programme;

d) the request made in the Abuja Declaration of African ministers in charge of telecommunications and ICT concerning infrastructure development, to provide appropriate financial resources to support NEPAD ICT activities,

recognizing

that, in spite of the impressive growth and expansion in telecommunications/ICTs recorded in the African region since WTDC (Valletta, 1998), many areas of major concern still exist and considerable disparities persist in the region, and the digital divide continues to widen,

recognizing further

that ICT development and the development of telecommunication infrastructures in Africa require regional and interregional support for the programmes and initiatives,

resolves to instruct the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

to pay particular attention to implementation of the provisions of the ITU-D Action Plan relating to support for NEPAD, earmarking resources so that this can be permanently monitored,

requests the Secretary-General

to mobilize and release appropriate financial resources for activities to support NEPAD, in particular from the ICT Development Fund.

(Marrakesh, 2002) – (Rev. Antalya, 2006)

ANNEX TO RESOLUTION 124 (REV. ANTALYA, 2006)

Actions for NEPAD

1 Infrastructure

i) Preparation of master plans for ICT infrastructure development

ii) Facilitation of the introduction of digital technologies, especially for broadcasting

iii) Support for all projects which promote ICT development and subregional and regional integration, for example, the East African Submarine Cable project (EASSy), the NEPAD e-school initiative, RASCOM, e-Post Africa, COMTEL, SRII, INTELCOM II, the ARAPKE projects, etc.

iv) Establishment and interconnection of national Internet exchange points

v) Evaluation of the impact and adoption of measures for strengthening functional capacities and the new missions of subregional maintenance centres

vi) Encourage the establishment of technological alliances in order to promote research and development at a regional level

2 Environment: development and implementation

i) An Africa-wide vision, strategy and action plan for ICT

ii) A national vision and strategies for the development of ICT with maximum linkage to other national development strategies, notably the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP)

iii) Elaboration of a national policy framework and strategy for universal access

iv) Provision of support for the harmonization of policy and regulatory frameworks at the subregional level

3 Capacity building, cooperation and partnerships

i) Support to the African Telecommunications Union by providing administrative support and assistance in technical expertise

ii) Support for the elaboration of the planning and management of the frequency spectrum at national, subregional and regional levels

iii) Support the strengthening of ICT training institutions and the network of centres of excellence in the region

iv) Establishment of a cooperation mechanism amongst regional institutions that provide development assistance to African countries in the ICT sector

v) Establishment of an ad hoc regional ICT think tank

vi) Strengthening of subregional telecommunication regulatory associations

vii) Strengthening of public-private partnership

viii) Establishment of an African ICT database

ix) Strengthening the capacities of regional economic communities (RECs) for better implementation of the ICT projects and initiatives

[1] Subject to the financial limits set by the Plenipotentiary Conference.

RESOLUTION 125 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Assistance and support to Palestine
for infrastructure development and capacity building in the telecommunication and information technology sector

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) Resolutions 125 (Rev. Dubai, 2018), 125 (Rev. Busan, 2014), 125 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010), 125 (Rev. Antalya, 2006), 125 (Marrakesh, 2002), 99 (Rev. Dubai, 2018), 99 (Rev. Busan, 2014) and 32 (Kyoto, 1994) of the Plenipotentiary Conference;

b) Resolutions 18 (Rev. Kigali, 2022), 18 (Rev. Buenos Aires, 2017), 18 (Rev. Dubai, 2014), 18 (Rev. Hyderabad, 2010), 18 (Rev. Doha, 2006), 18 (Rev. Istanbul, 2002) and 18 (Valletta, 1998) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), on special technical assistance to Palestine;

c) the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

d) Nos. 6 and 7 of the ITU Constitution indicating among the purposes of the Union "to promote the extension of the benefits of the new telecommunication technologies to all the world's inhabitants" and "to promote the use of telecommunication services with the objective of facilitating peaceful relations";

e) the terms of Resolution 67/19 of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), under which it was decided to accord to Palestine non-member observer State status in the United Nations;

f) UNGA Resolution 67/229, which recognizes the Palestinian people's right to permanent sovereignty over their natural resources, specifically land, water, energy and other natural resources, in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem;

g) Resolution 9 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of WTDC, which recognizes that it is the sovereign right of every State to manage spectrum use within its territories;

h) Resolution 93 (Hammamet, 2016) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly, on interconnection of 4G, IMT-2020 networks and beyond;

i) Resolutions 137 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) and 137 (Rev. Busan, 2014) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, on deployment of future networks in developing countries;

j) Resolution 34 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, on assistance and support to countries in special need for rebuilding their telecommunication sector;

k) the Geneva Declaration of Principles adopted by the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS);

l) the efforts undertaken by ITU towards the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030,

considering

a) that the ITU Constitution and Convention are designed to strengthen peace and security in the world for the development of international cooperation and better understanding among the peoples concerned;

b) that ITU's policy of assistance to Palestine for the development of its telecommunication sector has been efficient but has not yet fulfilled its goals, due to the prevailing situation;

c) that, for Palestine to take an effective part in the new information society, it has to build its information society;

d) that the ITU Constitution aims to promote the development of technical facilities and their most efficient operation with a view to improving the efficiency of telecommunication services, increasing their usefulness and making them, so far as possible, generally available to the public;

e) that a purpose of ITU is to promote the use of telecommunication services with the objective of facilitating peaceful relations;

f) that ITU has an important role in assisting developing countries to establish a modern and reliable telecommunication network,

considering further

a) that the development, establishment and deployment of reliable and modern telecommunication networks are an essential part of economic and social development and are of the utmost importance to the future of the Palestinian people;

b) that the international community has an important role in assisting Palestine to develop a modern and reliable telecommunication network;

c) that Palestine at present does not have international telecommunication networks on account of difficulties for their establishment,

mindful

of the fundamental principles contained in the Preamble of the Constitution,

noting

the Telecommunication Development Bureau's (BDT) long-term technical assistance to Palestine for the development of its telecommunications in implementation of Resolution 32 (Kyoto, 1994) and the urgent need for assistance to be provided in the various fields of communication and information,

noting also

the restrictions and difficulties related to the current situation in Palestine that are preventing access to telecommunication/information and communication technology (ICT) means, services and applications and which constitute a continuing obstacle to telecommunication/ICT development in Palestine,

welcomes

the recent bilateral progress made for assignment of frequencies which will enable the deployment of IMT Advanced and IMT-2020 technologies in Palestine;

resolves

1 that the plan of action initiated after the Plenipotentiary Conference (Kyoto, 1994) within the framework of the activities of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D), with the specialized assistance of the ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) and the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T), shall be continued and enhanced in order to provide assistance and support to Palestine for building and developing its telecommunication infrastructure, re-establishing institutions in this sector, developing telecommunication legislation and a regulatory framework including a numbering plan, radio-frequency spectrum management in accordance with the Interim Agreement, tariff and human resource development and all other forms of assistance;

2 to ensure that Palestine is promptly empowered by providing assistance to it, to enable Palestine in acquiring and managing frequencies required for the operation of single- and multi-frequency digital terrestrial television, and identify mechanisms for ensuring that Palestine can exploit additional necessary bands for new modern mobile networks, such as IMT-2020, and all in accordance with the Interim Agreement;

3 to provide urgent assistance to Palestine in operating and managing the required radio-frequency spectrum resource for the operation of 4G and 5G networks, in furtherance of ongoing efforts to address technical issues and overcoming the challenges of introducing new technologies, in accordance with the Interim Agreement;

4 to enable Palestine to urgently extend, install, own, manage and operate fibre-optic broadband telecommunication networks and fibre-optic links between governorates and major cities to ensure a more robust digital transformation in Palestine in accordance with the Interim Agreement signed between the Parties;

5 to instruct the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau and the Director of BDT to ensure that this resolution is implemented,

urges Member States

to make every effort with a view to:

i) preserving the Palestinian telecommunication infrastructure;

ii) enabling the establishment of Palestine's own international gateway networks, including satellite earth stations, submarine cables, optical fibre and microwave systems in accordance with the Interim Agreement signed between the Parties;

iii) providing all forms of assistance and support to Palestine, bilaterally or through executive measures taken by ITU, in rebuilding, restoring and developing the Palestinian telecommunication network;

iv) assisting Palestine in recovering its entitlements accruing from incoming and outgoing international traffic;

v) providing assistance to Palestine in support of the implementation of BDT projects, including human resources capacity building;

vi) enabling Palestine to operate and manage the assigned radio-frequency spectrum to operate 4G and 5G networks;

vii) providing assistance in the implementation of projects of the three ITU Bureaux and regional initiatives relating to Palestine,

invites the ITU Council

1 to allocate the necessary funds within available resources for the implementation of this resolution;

2 to study the reports and proposals of the Secretary-General and of the three Bureaux of the Union in relation to the implementation of this resolution,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

1 to continue and enhance the technical assistance provided to Palestine for the development of its telecommunications, taking into consideration the need to overcome the increasing and escalating difficulties encountered in the provision of this assistance during the previous cycle since 2002;

2 to take appropriate measures within the mandate of BDT aimed at facilitating the establishment of international access networks, including terrestrial and satellite stations, submarine cables, optical fibre and microwave systems in accordance with the Interim Agreement signed between the Parties;

3 to implement projects such as e-health, e-education, e-government, spectrum planning and management and human resources development and all other forms of assistance such as consultations,

4 to ensure support and assistance in the mobilization and development of financial and human resources and capacity building in the Palestinian telecommunication and information technology sector through innovation and financing in the following areas:

i) digital transformation to usher in rapid transition to the digital economy;

ii) e-applications (e-government, e-business, e-learning, e-health, e-employment, e-environment, e-agriculture and e-science) based on WSIS Action Line C7;

iii) expanding broadband, connectivity and modern technology infrastructure;

iv) assisting in the development, financing and implementation of plans and network infrastructure for 4G and 5G services, given the pivotal role that these services play in transforming economies and societies;

v) managing the planning of the frequency spectrum assigned to Palestine;

vi) assisting in the delivery of telecommunication networks and Internet services to remote areas and all health centres in Palestine in accordance with the Interim Agreement signed between the Parties;

vii) developing and supporting quality of service control in the telecommunication sector with the necessary hardware and software;

5 to assist in the implementation of projects of the three ITU Bureaux, including regional initiatives,

instructs the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau

to ensure that ITU-R continues the collaboration with ITU-D in the implementation of this resolution,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to ensure that this resolution and all other resolutions adopted by the Plenipotentiary Conference on Palestine, in particular in relation to the international access code and the processing of frequency assignment notifications, are implemented, and to submit periodic reports to the ITU Council on progress on these questions;

2 to coordinate the activities carried out by the three ITU Sectors in accordance with resolves above, to ensure that the Union's action in favour of Palestine is as effective as possible, and to report on the matter to the Council and to the next plenipotentiary conference on the progress achieved on these issues;

3 to submit an annual report to the Council on progress made in implementing this resolution.

(Marrakesh, 2002) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

RESOLUTION 126 (REV. GUADALAJARA, 2010)

Assistance and support to the Republic of Serbia for rebuilding
its destroyed public broadcasting system

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Guadalajara, 2010),

recalling

a) the noble principles, purpose and objectives enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

b) the purposes of the Union as enshrined in Article 1 of the ITU Constitution,

noting

a) Resolution 126 (Rev. Antalya, 2006) of the Plenipotentiary Conference;

b) Resolution 33 (Rev. Doha, 2006) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference;

c) that the key role played by ITU in the rebuilding of the country's telecommunication sector has been widely recognized,

noting with appreciation

the efforts deployed by the Secretary-General and the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau towards the implementation of the above-mentioned resolutions,

recognizing

a) that reliable public broadcasting and telecommunication systems are indispensable for promoting the socio-economic development of countries, in particular those having suffered from natural disasters, domestic conflicts or war;

b) that the newly established public broadcasting facility in the Republic of Serbia, the public entity "Broadcast Multiplex and Network Operator" (ETV), formerly a part of Radio Television of Serbia, has been severely damaged;

c) that the damage to public broadcasting (ETV) in Serbia should concern the whole international community, in particular ITU;

d) that, as public broadcaster, ETV is a public entity, which should start broadcasting digital television programmes on 4 April 2012;

e) that, under the present conditions and in the foreseeable future, Serbia will not be able to bring its public broadcasting system and the digital switchover process up to an acceptable level without help from the international community, provided bilaterally or through international organizations,

resolves

1 to continue special action, within the framework and available budgetary resources of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector, with specialized assistance from the ITU Radiocommunication Sector and the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector;

2 to provide appropriate assistance;

3 to support Serbia in rebuilding its public broadcasting systems,

calls upon Member States

1 to offer all possible assistance;

2 to support the Government of Serbia, either bilaterally or through, or, in any case, in coordination with, the special action of the Union referred above,

instructs the Council

to allocate the necessary funds, within available resources, in order to continue this action,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

to use the necessary funds, within available resources, in order to continue appropriate action,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to coordinate the activities carried out by the ITU Sectors in accordance with the above;

2 to ensure that ITU action in favour of Serbia is as effective as possible;

3 to report on the matter to the ITU Council.

(Marrakesh, 2002) – (Rev. Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010)

RESOLUTION 127 (MARRAKESH, 2002)

Assistance and support to the Government of Afghanistan for
rebuilding its telecommunication system

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Marrakesh, 2002),

recalling

the noble principles and purposes of ITU and the key role the Union can play in the rebuilding of a telecommunication sector,

recognizing

a) that a reliable telecommunication system is a prerequisite for promoting the economic development of countries, in particular those having suffered from conflicts or war;

b) that, as the result of the past 24 years of war in Afghanistan, the telecommunication system has been destroyed and needs urgent attention for its basic reconstruction;

c) that the present state of the telecommunication system in Afghanistan, as a post-conflict country, should concern the whole international community, in particular ITU;

d) that without the assistance and comprehensive support of the international community, Afghanistan, as a war-torn country, will not be able to rebuild its basic telecommunication infrastructure, which is very necessary for the social and economic reconstruction of the country,

resolves

1 to initiate special action, within the framework of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector, with specialized assistance from the Telecommunication Standardization Sector;

2 to provide appropriate assistance and support to the Government of Afghanistan in rebuilding its telecommunication system,

calls upon Member States

to offer all possible assistance and support to the Government of Afghanistan either bilaterally or through the special action of the Union referred to above,

instructs the Council

to allocate the necessary funds, within available resources, in order to initiate the above-mentioned action,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

1 to ensure adequate resource mobilization, including within the internal budget, for the implementation of the proposed actions;

2 to ensure that the ITU action in favour of Afghanistan is as effective as possible;

3 to report on the matter to the Council.

(Marrakesh, 2002)

RESOLUTION 130 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Strengthening the role of ITU in building confidence and security
in the use of information and communication technologies

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 68/198, on information and communication technologies (ICTs) for development;

b) UNGA Resolution 71/199, on the right to privacy in the digital age;

c) UNGA Resolution 68/243, on developments in the field of information and telecommunications in the context of international security;

d) UNGA Resolution 57/239, on the creation of a global culture of cybersecurity;

e) UNGA Resolution 64/211, on the creation of a global culture of cybersecurity and taking stock of national efforts to protect critical information infrastructures;

f) the WSIS+10 Statement on the implementation of outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and the WSIS+10 Vision for WSIS beyond 2015, which were adopted at the ITU-coordinated WSIS+10 High-Level Event (Geneva, 2014), based on the Multistakeholder Preparatory Platform, together with other United Nations agencies and inclusive of all WSIS stakeholders, were endorsed by the Plenipotentiary Conference (Busan, 2014) and were submitted to the UNGA overall review;

g) UNGA Resolution 70/125, on the outcome document of the UNGA high-level meeting on the overall review of the implementation of the WSIS outcomes;

h) Resolution 174 (Rev. Busan, 2014) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, on ITU's role with regard to international public policy issues relating to the risk of illicit use of ICTs;

i) Resolution 179 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on ITU's role in child online protection;

j) Resolution 181 (Guadalajara, 2010) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, on definitions and terminology relating to building confidence and security in the use of ICTs;

k) Resolution 196 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on protecting telecommunication service users/consumers;

l) Resolution 45 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), on mechanisms for enhancing cooperation on cybersecurity, including countering and combating spam;

m) Resolution 140 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on ITU's role in implementing the WSIS outcomes and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as in their follow-up and review processes;

n) Resolution 50 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA), on cybersecurity;

o) Resolution 58 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of WTSA, on encouraging the creation of national computer incident response teams (CIRTs), particularly for developing countries[1];

p) Resolution 67 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of WTDC, on the role of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) in child online protection;

q) Resolution 69 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of WTDC, on facilitating the creation of national CIRTs, particularly for developing countries, and cooperation among them;

r) that ITU Council Resolution 1305, adopted at its 2009 session, identified the security, safety, continuity, sustainability and robustness of the Internet as public policy issues that fall within the scope of ITU,

considering

a) that ITU has played a valuable role during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, providing a platform for ICT regulators, policy-makers and other stakeholders to share information and best practices, for example through the ITU's Global Network Resiliency Platform;

b) that the ITU-coordinated WSIS+10 High-Level Event reaffirmed the importance of building confidence and security in the use of ICTs, as mentioned in relevant paragraphs of the WSIS+10 outcome documents (Geneva, 2014);

c) the crucial importance of information and communication infrastructures and their applications to practically all forms of social and economic activity;

d) the cybersecurity-related provisions of the Tunis Commitment and the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society and the outcome document of the UNGA high-level meeting on the overall review of the implementation of WSIS;

e) that, with the application and development of ICTs, new threats from various sources have emerged that have had an impact on confidence and security in the use of ICTs by all Member States, Sector Members and other stakeholders, including all users of ICTs, and on the preservation of peace and economic and social development of all Member States, and that threats to and vulnerabilities of infrastructures, networks and devices continue to give rise to ever-growing security challenges across national borders for all countries, in particular developing countries, while noting in this context the strengthening of ITU's role in building confidence and security in the use of ICTs and the need to further enhance international cooperation and capacity building and develop appropriate existing national, regional and international mechanisms (for example agreements, best practices, memoranda of understanding (MoU), etc.);

f) that the ITU Secretary-General has been invited to support other global or regional cybersecurity projects, as appropriate, and all countries, particularly developing countries, have been invited to take part in their activities that are relevant to ITU;

g) the ITU Global Cybersecurity Agenda (GCA), which encourages international cooperation aimed at proposing strategies for solutions to enhance confidence and security in the use of telecommunications/ICTs;

h) that the Council approved, at its 2022 session, guidelines for the utilization of the GCA by ITU in its work;

i) that, in order to protect these infrastructures and address these challenges and threats, coordinated national, regional and international action is required for prevention, preparation, response and recovery from computer security incidents, on the part of government authorities, at the national (including the creation of national CIRTs) and sub-national levels, the private sector and citizens and users, in addition to international and regional cooperation and coordination, and that ITU has a lead role to play within its mandate and competencies in this field;

j) that an iterative, risk-based approach to cybersecurity enables cybersecurity practices to be developed and applied as needed to address constantly evolving threats and vulnerabilities, and that security is a continuous and iterative process which must be built into the development and deployment of technologies and their applications from the beginning and continue throughout their lifetime;

k) the need for continual evolution in new technologies to support the early detection of, and coordinated and timely response to, events or incidents compromising computer security, or computer network security incidents that could compromise the availability, integrity and confidentiality of critical infrastructures in ITU Member States, and for strategies that will minimize the impact of such incidents and mitigate the growing risks and threats to which such platforms are exposed;

l) that UNGA Resolution 70/125, on the outcome document of the UNGA high-level meeting on the overall review of the implementation of the WSIS outcomes, recognized the challenges that States, in particular developing countries, face in building confidence and security in the use of ICTs and called for renewed focus on capacity building, education, knowledge-sharing and regulatory practice, as well as promoting multistakeholder cooperation at all levels and raising awareness among ICT users, particularly the poorest and most vulnerable;

m) that the number of cyberthreats and cyberattacks is growing, as is dependence on the Internet and other networks that are essential for accessing services and information;

n) that the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) has adopted around 300 standards relating to building confidence and security in the use of ICTs;

o) the final report on ITU-D study Question 3/2, on securing information and communication networks: best practices for developing a culture of cybersecurity;

p) that the multidisciplinary nature of the cybersecurity standards landscape calls for shared actions, cooperation and synergies between ITU and other national organizations of Member States and regional, global and sectoral organizations;

q) that many developing countries are elaborating or implementing national cybersecurity strategies;

r) that although progress has been made in some areas, many countries face challenges in developing effective qualifications and career pathways, and this is a significant barrier to promoting confidence and security in ICTs;

s) that cybersecurity has become a very important issue at the international level, and that the role and involvement of the United Nations and its relevant specialized agencies such as ITU in building confidence and security in the use of ICTs is therefore important;

t) the different roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders in ensuring confidence and security in the use of ICTs;

u) that some small and medium enterprises (SMEs) face additional challenges in implementing cybersecurity practices;

v) the need to raise awareness and promote basic security measures for cyberhygiene that everyone should take to protect themselves, including women, children, persons with disabilities, persons with specific needs and persons with age-related disabilities, from cybersecurity risks,

recognizing

a) that cybersecurity is a fundamental element for securing telecommunication/ICT infrastructures and an essential foundation for social and economic development;

b) that the development of ICTs has been and continues to be instrumental for the growth and development of the global economy, including the digital economy, underpinned by security and trust;

c) that WSIS affirmed the importance of building confidence and security in the use of ICTs and the great importance of multistakeholder implementation at the international level, and established Action Line C5 (Building confidence and security in the use of ICTs), with ITU identified in the Tunis Agenda as moderator/facilitator for the action line, and that this task has been carried out by the Union in recent years, for example under the GCA;

d) that the Kigali Declaration adopted by WTDC-22 declares: "In the digital era, universal, secure and affordable broadband connectivity is indispensable and provides opportunities for boosting productivity and efficiency, ending poverty, improving livelihoods and ensuring that sustainable development becomes a reality for all. Continuing to build confidence, trust and security in the use of telecommunications/ICTs remains of vital importance.";

e) that WTDC-22 adopted the Kigali Action Plan and the ITU-D priority on inclusive and secure telecommunications/ICTs for sustainable development, which declares: "The focus of this priority is on providing support for Member States to achieve secure telecommunications/ICTs for digital development for all. The following topics can be considered as the supporting components of this priority: fostering digital literacy and raising awareness of cybersecurity issues and best practice; strengthening the security of users online and promoting consumer protection; assisting Member States to develop national cybersecurity strategies and computer incident response teams (CIRTs); promoting digital skills development and digital training programmes, including training for public authorities; investment in secure infrastructure, particularly in underserved areas.";

f) that WTDC-22 revised Resolution 45 (Rev. Kigali, 2022), on mechanisms for enhancing cooperation on cybersecurity, including countering and combating spam, as appropriate; WTDC-22 adopted Resolution 69 (Rev. Kigali, 2022), on facilitating the creation of national CIRTs, particularly for developing countries, and cooperation among them; and WTSA-20 adopted Resolution 58 (Rev. Geneva, 2022), on encouraging the creation of national CIRTs, particularly for developing countries;

g) § 15 of the Tunis Commitment, which states: "Recognizing the principles of universal and non-discriminatory access to ICTs for all nations, the need to take into account the level of social and economic development of each country, and respecting the development-oriented aspects of the information society, we underscore that ICTs are effective tools to promote peace, security and stability, to enhance democracy, social cohesion, good governance and the rule of law, at national, regional and international levels. ICTs can be used to promote economic growth and enterprise development. Infrastructure development, human capacity building, information security and network security are critical to achieve these goals. We further recognize the need to effectively confront challenges and threats resulting from use of ICTs for purposes that are inconsistent with objectives of maintaining international stability and security and may adversely affect the integrity of the infrastructure within States, to the detriment of their security. It is necessary to prevent the abuse of information resources and technologies for criminal and terrorist purposes, while respecting human rights", and that the challenges created by such misuse of ICT resources have only continued to increase since WSIS;

h) that the ITU-coordinated WSIS+10 High-Level Event identified several challenges in the implementation of the WSIS action lines that still remain and that will need to be addressed beyond 2015;

i) that Member States, in particular developing countries, in the elaboration of appropriate and workable legal measures relating to protection against cyberthreats at the national, regional and international levels, may require assistance from ITU in establishing technical and procedural measures, aimed at securing national ICT infrastructures, on request from these Member States, while noting that there are a number of regional and international initiatives which may support these countries in elaborating such legal measures;

j) Opinion 4 (Lisbon, 2009) of the World Telecommunication/ICT Policy Forum (WTPF), on collaborative strategies for creating confidence and security in the use of ICTs;

k) the relevant outcomes of WTSA-20, notably:

i) Resolution 50 (Rev. Geneva, 2022), on cybersecurity;

ii) Resolution 52 (Rev. Hammamet, 2016), on countering and combating spam;

l) that secure and trusted networks will build confidence and encourage the exchange and use of information and data;

m) that the development of human skills and capacity building are key to enhancing the protection of information networks;

n) that many Member States face significant skills shortages in their cybersecurity workforce and that this lack of trained cybersecurity professionals is a fundamental barrier to building confidence and security in the use of ICTs, and that it is important to encourage more people to choose a career in cybersecurity;

o) that Member States are making efforts to improve institutional environments;

p) that risk assessment and analysis provide a better understanding of the cybersecurity risks that organizations face and how to mitigate them;

q) that spam is a global problem, with different characteristics in different regions, and a multistakeholder cooperative approach is necessary to counter it,

aware

a) that ITU and other international organizations, through a variety of activities, are examining issues related to building confidence and security in the use of ICTs, including stability and measures to combat spam, malware, etc. and to protect personal data and privacy;

b) that the relevant ITU study groups, in accordance with their mandates, should keep pace with the development of telecommunication/ICT technologies and take into account issues related to cybersecurity;

c) that ITU-T Study Group 17, ITU-D Study Groups 1 and 2 and other relevant ITU study groups continue to work on technical means for the security of information and communication networks, in accordance with WTSA Resolutions 50 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) and 52 (Rev. Hammamet, 2016) and WTDC Resolutions 45 and 69 (Rev. Kigali, 2022);

d) that ITU has a fundamental role to play in building confidence and security in the use of ICTs;

e) that ITU-D Study Group 2 continues to carry out the studies called for in ITU-D study Question 3/2, on securing information and communication networks: best practices for developing a culture of cybersecurity, which has been reflected in UNGA Resolution 64/211;

f) that ITU is also assisting developing countries in building confidence and security in the use of ICTs and supporting the establishment of CIRTs and promoting the related operating framework of CIRTs, including CIRTs responsible for government-to-government cooperation, and the importance of coordination among all relevant organizations;

g) that Council Resolution 1336, adopted at its 2011 session, established the Council Working Group on international Internet-related public policy issues (CWG-Internet), whose terms of reference are to identify, study and develop matters related to international Internet-related public policy issues, including those issues identified in Council Resolution 1305 (2009), such as security, safety, continuity, sustainability and robustness of the Internet;

h) that WTDC-17 adopted Resolution 80 (Rev. Buenos Aires, 2017), on establishing and promoting trusted information frameworks in developing countries to facilitate and encourage electronic exchanges of economic information between economic partners;

i) of Article 6, on security and robustness of networks, and Article 7, on unsolicited bulk electronic communications, of the International Telecommunication Regulations adopted by the World Conference on International Telecommunications (Dubai, 2012),

noting

a) that, as an intergovernmental organization with private-sector participation, ITU is well-positioned to play an important role, together with other relevant international bodies and organizations, in addressing threats and vulnerabilities which affect efforts to build confidence and security in the use of ICTs;

b) §§ 35 and 36 of the Geneva Declaration of Principles and § 39 of the Tunis Agenda, on building confidence and security in the use of ICTs;

c) that although there are no universally agreed upon definitions of spam and other terms in this sphere, spam was characterized by ITU-T Study Group 2, at its June 2006 session, as a term commonly used to describe unsolicited electronic bulk communications over e-mail or mobile messaging (SMS, MMS), usually with the objective of marketing commercial products or services;

d) the Union's initiative on cooperation with the Forum for Incident Response and Security Teams;

e) the relevant WTPF-21 opinions,

bearing in mind

the work of ITU established by WTSA Resolutions 50 and 58 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) and 52 (Rev. Hammamet, 2016) and WTDC Resolutions 45 and 69 (Rev. Kigali, 2022); the ITU-D priority on inclusive and secure telecommunications/ICTs for sustainable development of the Kigali Action Plan; the relevant ITU-T questions on technical aspects regarding the security of information and communication networks; and ITU-D study Question 3/2,

resolves

1 to continue promoting the ITU's Global Network Resiliency Platform and its work to provide a platform for ICT regulators, policy-makers and other stakeholders to share best practice on building confidence and security in the use of ICTs;

2 to continue to give this work high priority within ITU, taking into account new and emerging telecommunication/ICT services and technologies and in accordance with its competences and expertise, including promoting common understanding among governments and other stakeholders of building confidence and security in the use of ICTs at the national, regional and international levels;

3 that ITU should continue to serve as an information-sharing platform for the various activities, initiatives and projects that are being carried out on different facets of cybersecurity by stakeholders and organizations active in this field to provide an easy point of access for all;

4 to continue to give high priority to the work of ITU described under bearing in mind above, in accordance with its competencies and areas of expertise, and to continue to work closely, as appropriate, with other relevant bodies/agencies within the United Nations and other relevant international bodies, taking into account the specific mandates and areas of expertise of the different agencies, while being mindful of the need to avoid duplicating work between organizations and among the Bureaux or the General Secretariat;

5 that ITU shall focus resources and programmes on those national, regional and international areas of cybersecurity that are within its core mandate and expertise, notably the technical and development spheres, and not including areas related to Member States' application of legal or policy principles related to national defence, national security, content and cybercrime, which are within their sovereign rights, although this does not however exclude ITU from carrying out its mandate to develop technical recommendations designed to reduce vulnerabilities in the ICT infrastructure, nor from all the assistance that was agreed upon at WTDC-22, including the ITU-D priority on inclusive and secure telecommunications/ICTs for sustainable development;

6 to promote a culture in which security is seen as a continuous and iterative process, built into products from the beginning and continuing throughout their lifetime, and is accessible and understandable for users;

7 to promote greater awareness among ITU members on the activities carried out within ITU and other relevant entities involved in strengthening confidence and security in the use of ICTs, including cybersecurity, cyberresilience and capacity building;

8 to engage actively with other relevant organizations in order to raise their awareness of the particular challenges faced by developing countries in building confidence and security in the use of ICTs;

9 to contribute to further strengthening the trust and security framework, consistent with ITU's role as lead facilitator of WSIS Action Line C5, taking into account Resolution 140 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022);

10 to continue to maintain, in building upon the information base associated with the "ICT Security Standards Roadmap" and "Security Compendium" and ITU-D's efforts on cybersecurity, and with the assistance of other relevant organizations, an inventory of national, regional and international initiatives and activities to promote the development of common approaches in the field of cybersecurity;

11 to promote the growth and development of a diverse and skilled cybersecurity workforce that is able to address and mitigate cyberrisks, and promote the importance of effective qualifications and professional career pathways;

12 to develop case studies on cybersecurity-related institutional arrangements, regulatory approaches, awareness-raising programmes and skills and workforce development in cooperation with the membership and relevant organizations;

13 to consider the specific cybersecurity challenges faced by SMEs and incorporate those considerations into ITU's activities in the area of building confidence and security in the use of ICTs;

14 to take into account the impact of the deployment of emerging technologies on cybersecurity, and incorporate this consideration in ITU's activities in the area of building confidence and security in the use of ICTs;

15 to support the development of infrastructure which underpins the ongoing digital transformation of the global economy by building confidence and security in the use of ICTs, in particular in dealing with existing and future threats, within the mandate of ITU;

16 that all work carried out by ITU to build confidence and security in the use of ICTs should be guided by an assessment of the needs and objectives of its members using tools such as the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI), with clearly defined deliverables, and in accordance with appropriate metrics and measurements that are designed specifically for this purpose;

17 to take into account the specific challenges faced especially by developing countries in the area of building confidence and security in the use of ICTs;

18 to utilize the GCA framework in order to further guide the work of the Union on efforts to build confidence and security in the use of ICTs, taking into consideration the Guidelines for utilization of the GCA by ITU approved by the Council;

19 to encourage all stakeholders to engage with one another and take action to support capacity building and voluntary information-sharing on cybersecurity issues and best practices,

instructs the Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux

1 to continue to provide a platform for ICT regulators, policy-makers and other stakeholders to share with one another information and best practice on building confidence and security in the use of ICTs, especially during globally shared challenges such as pandemics;

2 to continue to review:

i) the work done so far in the three Sectors, under the GCA and in other relevant organizations and initiatives to address and strengthen protection against existing and future threats in order to build confidence and security in the use of ICTs;

ii) the progress achieved in the implementation of this resolution, with ITU continuing to play a lead facilitating role as the moderator/facilitator for WSIS Action Line C5, with the help of the advisory groups, consistent with the ITU Constitution and ITU Convention;

iii) the results of work done so far to support developing countries in particular to build capacity and skills in cybersecurity in order to ensure that ITU is effectively focusing its resources to address development challenges;

3 to raise awareness on the activities carried out within ITU and other relevant entities involved in strengthening cybersecurity, including on capacity building, and of the particular challenges faced by developing countries in building confidence and security in the use of ICTs, consistent with resolves 4 and 5 above;

4 to facilitate access to tools and resources, within the available budget, required for enhancing confidence and security in the use of ICTs for all Member States, consistent with WSIS provisions on universal and non-discriminatory access to ICTs for all nations;

5 to continue knowledge- and information-sharing of existing and future national, regional and international cybersecurity-related initiatives worldwide through the ITU cybersecurity webpage, and encourage all stakeholders to contribute to these activities, taking into account existing portals;

6 to further enhance coordination between the study groups across the Sectors and programmes concerned;

7 to consider the results of the GCI to guide ITU cybersecurity-related initiatives, especially taking into account the gaps identified through the GCI process;

8 to report annually to the Council on the implementation of this resolution, and on the activities of the three Sectors and the General Secretariat to build confidence and security in the use of ICTs in line with WSIS Action Line C5, and to make proposals as appropriate;

9 consistent with Resolution 45 (Rev. Kigali, 2022), to report to the Council on activities within ITU and other relevant organizations and entities aimed at enhancing cooperation and collaboration, regionally and globally, and strengthening building confidence and security in the use of ICTs of Member States, in particular developing countries, taking into account any information provided by Member States, including information on situations within their own jurisdiction that could affect this cooperation;

10 consistent with Resolution 45 (Rev. Kigali, 2022), to report on MoU between countries, as well as existing forms of cooperation, providing analysis of their status, scope and the application of these cooperative mechanisms to strengthen cybersecurity and combat cyberthreats, with a view to enabling Member States to identify whether additional memoranda or mechanisms are required,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau

1 to intensify work within existing ITU-T study groups in order to:

i) address existing and future threats and vulnerabilities affecting efforts to build confidence and security in the use of ICTs, taking into account new and emerging telecommunication/ICT services and technologies based on telecommunication/ICT networks, by developing recommendations, supplements and technical reports, as appropriate, with the goal of implementing WTSA resolutions, particularly Resolutions 50 and 58 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) and 52 (Rev. Hammamet, 2016), allowing work to begin before a question is approved;

ii) seek ways to enhance the exchange of technical information in these fields, promote the adoption of protocols and standards that enhance security, and promote international cooperation among appropriate entities;

iii) to encourage collaboration among the various ITU-T study groups regarding the study of cybersecurity-related matters, throughout their work on standardization;

iv) to facilitate actions deriving from the outcomes of WTSA, in particular:

• Resolution 50 (Rev. Geneva, 2022), on cybersecurity;

• Resolution 52 (Rev. Hammamet, 2016), on countering and combating spam;

2 to consider within ITU-T the promotion of a culture in which security is seen as a continuous and iterative process, and to make proposals to the Council as appropriate;

3 to continue collaboration with relevant organizations with a view to exchanging best practices and disseminating information through, for example, joint workshops and training sessions and joint coordination activity groups, and, by invitation, through written contributions from relevant organizations;

4 to support the work under ITU-D study Question 3/2;

5 to continue to collaborate with the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau in the dissemination to developing countries of information on guidelines, recommendations, technical reports and best practices related to building confidence and security in the use of ICTs which have been developed by the ITU-T study groups,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

1 consistent with the results of WTDC-22, and pursuant to Resolutions 45 and 69 (Rev. Kigali, 2022), Resolution 80 (Buenos Aires, 2017) and the ITU-D priority on inclusive and secure telecommunications/ICTs for sustainable development of the Kigali Action Plan, to support ongoing regional and global cybersecurity projects, and to encourage all countries to take part in these activities;

2 upon request, to support ITU Member States in their efforts to build capacity, by facilitating Member States' access to resources developed by other relevant international organizations that are working on national legislation to combat cybercrime; supporting ITU Member States' national and regional efforts to build capacity to protect against cyberthreats/cybercrime, in collaboration with one another; consistent with the national legislation of Member States referred to above, assisting Member States, in particular developing countries, in the elaboration of appropriate and workable legal measures relating to protection against cyberthreats at the national, regional and international levels; establishing technical and procedural measures aimed at securing national ICT infrastructures, taking into account the work of the relevant ITU-T study groups and, as appropriate, other relevant organizations; establishing organizational structures, such as CIRTs, to identify, manage and respond to cyberthreats, and cooperation mechanisms at the regional and international level;

3 to provide the necessary financial and administrative support for these projects within existing resources, including those for the continuity of the GCI process, and to seek additional resources (in cash and in kind) for the implementation of these projects through partnership agreements;

4 to ensure coordination of the work of these projects within the context of ITU's overall activities in its role as moderator/facilitator for WSIS Action Line C5, and to eliminate any duplication regarding this important subject with the General Secretariat and ITU-T;

5 to continue to evolve capacity-building activities, through international collaboration, taking into account the need for new skills to adapt to the opportunities and challenges of emerging technologies in the field of cybersecurity; in this regard, greater collaboration should be fostered with Member States, academia, the private sector and relevant United Nations organizations;

6 to coordinate the work of these projects with that of the ITU-D study groups on this topic, and with the relevant programme activities and the General Secretariat;

7 to continue collaboration with relevant organizations with a view to exchanging relevant information on cybersecurity threats and issues, sharing best practices and disseminating information through, for example, joint workshops and training sessions;

8 to identify best practice for the development of qualifications and professional career pathways in cybersecurity for the benefit of the ITU membership;

9 to support the work of ITU-T Study Group 17 and other study groups by promoting and facilitating the implementation of approved security-related ITU-T recommendations by ITU Member States and Sector Members, especially from developing countries;

10 to support ITU Member States in the development of their national and/or regional cybersecurity strategies towards building national capabilities for protecting against and dealing with cyberthreats in accordance with the principles of international cooperation;

11 to support the membership in the development of human skills and capacity building to enhance cybersecurity;

12 to support the membership to address cybersecurity skills shortages by encouraging people to enter the cybersecurity profession and promoting the employment of women in the cybersecurity field;

13 to support the membership in the risk-assessment activities related to cybersecurity;

14 to maintain, develop and promote a repository of best practice on measures that facilitate and encourage people to choose a career in cybersecurity;

15 to change how the results of the GCI are presented so that countries are represented in tiers rather than by individual ranking in order to more accurately reflect the development of cybersecurity in Member States;

16 to create and maintain a repository of best practices on countering and combating spam, to be shared through ITU with all members,

further instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau and the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, each within the scope of their responsibilities:

1 to implement relevant resolutions of both WTSA-20 and WTDC-22, including the ITU-D priority on inclusive and secure telecommunications/ICTs for sustainable development of the Kigali Action Plan, with particular focus on the needs of developing countries as they undertake efforts to improve cybersecurity and build confidence and security in the use of ICTs;

2 to disseminate to ITU Member States, in particular developing countries, information on guidelines, recommendations, technical reports and best practices related to cybersecurity;

3 to identify and promote the availability of information on building confidence and security in the use of ICTs, including ICT infrastructure, for Member States, Sector Members and relevant organizations;

4 to continue to support relevant ITU study groups to build confidence and security in the use of ICTs;

5 without duplicating the work under ITU-D study Question 3/2, to continue identifying best practices related to Question 3/2, including establishing CIRTs, and promoting the related operating framework of CIRTs to review the reference guide for the Member States and, where appropriate, to contribute to Question 3/2;

6 to cooperate with relevant organizations and other relevant international and national experts, as appropriate, in order to identify best practices in building confidence and security in the use of ICTs, including the establishment of CIRTs;

7 to take action with a view to new questions being examined by the study groups within the Sectors on the establishment of confidence and security in the use of ICTs;

8 to identify, document and promote the adoption of practical steps to support developing countries in building capacity and skills in cybersecurity, taking into account the specific challenges they face;

9 to consider the specific cybersecurity challenges and needs faced by SMEs, incorporating these particular aspects into the activities of ITU to build confidence and security in the use of ICTs;

10 to take into account the challenges faced by all stakeholders, particularly in developing countries, in building confidence and security in the use of ICTs and identifying steps that can help to address them;

11 to support Member States to identify the basic security measures for cyberhygiene that everyone should take to protect themselves from cyberrisks, and to encourage and support ITU members and other stakeholders to promote these to the public;

12 to identify and document practical steps to strengthen security in the use of ICTs internationally, including the concept that security is seen as a continuous and iterative process, based on "security by design" approaches and other widely accepted practices, guidelines and recommendations that Member States and other stakeholders can choose to apply to improve their ability to combat cyberthreats and attacks, including a dynamic and iterative risk-based approach that reflects the evolving nature of threats and vulnerabilities, and to strengthen international cooperation in building confidence and security in the use of ICTs, including promoting voluntary information-sharing among interested Member States, taking into account the GCA and within available financial resources;

13 to support strategy, organization, awareness-raising, cooperation, evaluation and skills development;

14 to provide the necessary technical and financial support, within the constraints of existing budgetary resources;

15 to encourage the engagement of experts in the ITU's activities in the area of building confidence and security in the use of ICTs;

16 to mobilize appropriate extrabudgetary resources, outside the regular budget of the Union, for the implementation of this resolution, to help developing countries;

17 to support and assist developing countries in promoting and facilitating the implementation of security-related ITU-T recommendations;

18 to share experiences and raise awareness on cybersecurity assurance practices and programmes,

instructs the Secretary-General

pursuant to the Secretary-General's initiative on this matter:

1 to continue to mobilize the development and technical expertise of the Union, as a specialized agency for ICTs within the United Nations system and the sole facilitator of WSIS Action Line C5 (Building confidence and security in the use of ICTs), with a view to strengthening national, regional and international cybersecurity in support of the Sustainable Development Goals, working with other relevant bodies/agencies within the United Nations and other relevant international bodies, taking into account the specific mandates and areas of expertise of the different agencies, while being mindful of the need to avoid duplicating work between organizations, and among the Bureaux or with the General Secretariat;

2 to cooperate with relevant international organizations, including through the adoption of MoU, subject to the approval of the Council in this regard, in accordance with Resolution 100 (Minneapolis, 1998) of the Plenipotentiary Conference;

3 to support ITU's regional and global cybersecurity initiatives, and to invite all countries to take part in these activities, such as cyberdrills, among others;

4 to support efforts to promote cybersecurity through bringing different stakeholders together, through the WSIS Forum, inter alia, taking into account WSIS Action Line C5,

requests the ITU Council

to include the report of the Secretary-General in the documents sent to Member States in accordance with No. 81 of the Convention,

invites Member States

1 to consider joining appropriate competent international and regional initiatives for enhancing national legislative frameworks relevant to the security of information and communication networks as well as collaboration in building confidence and security in the use of ICTs;

2 to closely collaborate in strengthening regional and international cooperation, taking into account Resolution 45 (Rev. Kigali, 2022), with a view to enhancing confidence and security in the use of ICTs, in order to mitigate risks and threats;

3 to support ITU initiatives on cybersecurity, including the GCI, and the Global Network Resiliency Platform, in order to promote national strategies and the sharing of information on efforts across industries and sectors;

4 to inform the Secretary-General of relevant activities related to this resolution regarding confidence and security in the use of ICTs;

5 to benefit from the resources, support and best practices of national, regional and international cybersecurity-related initiatives worldwide through the ITU cybersecurity webpage;

6 to collaborate with relevant organizations, through the exchange of best practices in building confidence and security in the use of ICTs, including the establishment, development and implementation of national CIRTs, especially in developing countries;

7 to encourage their national CIRTs to collaborate with other national and subnational governmental agencies as appropriate, and other CIRTs and stakeholders;

8 to encourage the engagement of experts in ITU's activities in the area of building confidence and security in the use of ICTs;

9 to continue to raise awareness through the dissemination of best practices and policies that have been implemented in order to increase the ability to develop appropriate policies to address the protection of users, so as to enhance trust in the use of telecommunications/ICTs;

10 to identify the basic security measures that their public should take to protect themselves from cyberrisks, and promote them;

11 to encourage information-sharing on cybersecurity issues and best practices, at the national, regional and international levels;

12 to support and engage in efforts that lead to sustainable, secure and stable national telecommunication/ICT infrastructure,

invites Member States, Sector Members and Associates

1 to contribute on this subject to the relevant ITU study groups and to any other activities for which the Union is responsible;

2 to contribute to building confidence and security in the use of ICTs at the national, regional and international levels, by undertaking activities as outlined in the WSIS outcome documents, the WSIS+10 Statement on the implementation of WSIS outcomes and the WSIS+10 Vision for WSIS beyond 2015, and the outcome document of the UNGA high-level meeting on the overall review of the implementation of the WSIS outcomes, and to contribute to the preparation and implementation of those activities;

3 to raise awareness among all stakeholders, including organizations and individual users, of the importance of strengthening cybersecurity, including the implementation of basic safeguards;

4 to promote the development of educational and training programmes to enhance user awareness of cyberrisks, especially for women, children, persons with disabilities, persons with specific needs and persons with age-related disabilities, and the steps that they can take to protect themselves;

5 to incorporate an iterative, risk-based approach towards addressing evolving threats and vulnerabilities, and to promote a culture in which security is seen as a continuous and iterative process which must be built into the development and deployment of technologies and their applications from the beginning and continue throughout their lifetime, in their efforts to build confidence and security in the use of ICTs;

6 to promote initiatives to encourage more people to enter the cybersecurity profession and to provide training opportunities for them;

7 to provide initiatives so that women and girls can have access to studies and careers in cybersecurity;

8 to contribute to ITU's repository of best practices on measures that facilitate and encourage more people to choose a career in cybersecurity;

9 to collaborate on cybersecurity, cyberresilience and capacity-building solutions, as appropriate, in order to address and prevent problems that undermine confidence and security in the use of telecommunications/ICTs;

10 to engage in the improvement of the GCI process, including the discussion on the methodology, structure, weightage and questions, using the GCI expert group;

11 to share best practices and information about digital certificates.

(Marrakesh, 2002) – (Rev. Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 131 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Measuring information and communication technologies to build an integrating and inclusive information society

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) Resolutions 139, 140, 175, 179, 180 and 198 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, in relation to ITU's role in producing comprehensive statistics in the domain of telecommunication/information and communication technologies (ICTs);

b) Resolution 71 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on the strategic plan for the Union for 2024-2027, and Resolution 200 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on the Connect 2030 Agenda for global telecommunication/ICT, including broadband, for sustainable development, which approved strategic targets and indicators to monitor the development of ICTs and their support to the digital economy, and established a comprehensive linkage between the strategic goals of ITU and the targets and indicators of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);

c) Resolution 8 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), on collection and dissemination of information and statistics,

taking into account

a) the critical importance of telecommunication/ICT tools as a driver for economic and social development for all countries;

b) the urgent need for national telecommunication/ICT plans and policies for empowering people and achieving the welfare of societies;

c) the pressing need to have telecommunication/ICT access and usage measurements to monitor usage among all citizens in all countries, with special consideration for residents of remote areas,

aware

a) that technological innovation, digitalization and telecommunications/ICTs have the potential to help achieve the SDGs, and to create new opportunities, while contributing to short- and long-term socio-economic development, including the digital economy, building towards an inclusive information society;

b) that each Member State is seeking to establish its own policies and regulatory frameworks based on telecommunication/ICT statistical data in order to narrow as effectively as possible the digital divide between those who have access to communication and information and those who do not;

c) that ensuring the integrity, consistency and relevance of ITU's statistics function is one of the Union's highest strategic priorities;

d) that the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), through Resolution 70/1, approved 17 SDGs with 169 associated targets which are integrated and indivisible;

e) that UNGA Resolution 70/125, on the outcome document of the UNGA high-level meeting on the overall review of the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), highlights the cross-cutting contribution of ICT to the SDGs and poverty eradication, acknowledges the importance of data and statistics to support ICT for development, and calls for further quantitative data to support evidence-based decision-making;

f) that UNGA Resolution 71/313 established 231 indicators to measure the achievement of the 17 SDGs, and that seven of the 231 indicators are under the custody and monitoring of ITU,

recognizing

a) that the WSIS outcomes referred to in aware e) above represented an opportunity to identify a global strategy for narrowing the digital divide in different spheres of activity and social sectors at the international and national levels (including the digital divide between regions, between countries and parts of countries, and between urban and rural areas), in the interests of development;

b) that the outcome of the global Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development, including ITU (represented by the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D)) and key stakeholders, has resulted in agreement on the identification of a set of basic indicators and a methodological framework for producing internationally comparable data for the measurement of telecommunications/ICT for development, as called for by § 115 of the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society;

c) that there will be a continuing need to help developing countries[1] in telecommunication/ICT access and use by ensuring the periodical flow of information to government and society partners,

considering

a) Resolution 8 (Rev. Buenos Aires, 2017) of WTDC as well as the Buenos Aires Action Plan, where it is proposed that the work of collecting and producing information and statistical data be mainly focused within the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT), in order to avoid duplication in this field;

b) that ITU works on guidelines and studies with the help and advice of experts in the field of measurement and indicators, including from the Expert Group on Telecommunication/ICT Indicators (EGTI) and the Expert Group on ICT Household Indicators (EGH);

c) the Buenos Aires Action Plan and the relevant paragraphs of the Tunis Agenda relating to indicators in the field of telecommunications/ICTs,

highlighting

a) the responsibilities that ITU-D had to assume as a result of the Tunis Agenda, especially §§ 112 to 120 thereof;

b) that the Buenos Aires Declaration adopted by WTDC-17 declares that measuring the information society and elaborating proper and comparable indicators/statistics, in sex-disaggregated form, as well as analysing ICT trends, are important for both Member States and the private sector, the former being able to identify gaps that need public policy intervention, and the latter to identify and find investment opportunities, and that particular attention should be focused on tools for monitoring the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

c) the mission of ITU, as approved by Resolution 71 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022), particularly in regard to promoting, facilitating and fostering affordable and universal access to telecommunications/ICTs,

recognizing further

a) that the rapid development of telecommunications/ICTs is having an impact on the evolution of the digital divide, causing it in particular to widen between the developed and developing countries;

b) that bridging the digital divide is a crucial task in the context of developing the overall economy, including the digital economy, in areas related to telecommunication/ICT infrastructure;

c) that the development of an approach for achieving universal service through broadband access is one of the main goals of ITU;

d) that the ICT Price Basket (IPB) and the ICT Development Index (IDI) are important for measuring the information society and extent of the digital divide in international comparisons,

bearing in mind

a) that for the vast majority of global stakeholders interested and involved in telecommunications/ICTs (i.e. academics; business decision-makers; policy-makers; regulators), ICT statistics, and particularly the IPB and the IDI, are important ITU outputs;

b) that, in order to keep each country's public policy-makers properly informed, ITU-D shall continue to strive to gather and periodically publish a variety of telecommunication/ICT statistics which provide some indication of the degree of progress in and penetration of telecommunication/ICT services in the different regions of the world;

c) that, according to the guidelines of this conference, it is necessary to ensure as far as possible that the policies and strategies of the Union are fully in tune with the constantly changing telecommunication environment, and also to ensure consistency between the telecommunication/ICT development indicators contained in the IDI, the indicators on household ICT use and the goals and targets set out in the strategic plan for the Union for 2020-2023,

noting

a) that the Geneva Plan of Action adopted by WSIS identifies indicators and appropriate reference points, including indicators of ICT access, use, skills and affordability, as elements for the follow-up and evaluation thereof;

b) that the IPB studies and the IDI were developed by ITU-D and have been published annually since 2009;

c) that Resolution 8 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) instructs the Director of BDT, among other actions:

– to review, revise and further develop benchmarking, including through consultation and inviting contributions from Member States and experts, and ensure that ICT indicators, the IDI and the IPB reflect the real development of the ICT sector, taking into consideration different levels of development and national circumstances as well as ICT trends, in application of the WSIS outcomes; and

– to continue to work closely with Member States for the sharing of best practices concerning national ICT policies and strategies, including the development of statistics and their dissemination, and considering gender, age and any other disaggregated information relevant to the development of national public policies,

resolves

1 that ITU, as a specialized agency of the United Nations, should spearhead the tasks of compiling information and statistical data on telecommunications/ICTs; data for evaluating telecommunication/ICT trends; and data for measuring the impact of telecommunications/ICTs in narrowing the digital divide, showing, to the extent possible, their impact on matters related to gender, persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs, and the different social sectors, as well as social inclusion, resulting from access in the areas of education, health and government services, etc., including their influence on the development and quality of life of all persons, highlighting their contribution to progress, sustainable development and economic growth;

2 that ITU should strengthen its collaboration with other international organizations involved in the collection of telecommunication/ICT-related statistical data, and update, when necessary, the standardized set of indicators, including through the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development, improving the quality, comparability, availability and reliability of telecommunication/ICT data and indicators and fostering the development of strategies and national, regional and international public policy in the area of telecommunications/ICTs; and to take appropriate steps towards ensuring that ITU data and material be properly attributed when used;

3 that ITU should take further necessary measures to establish a valid structure and methodology for the IDI, working through EGTI/EGH, and through formal consultations with Member States[2], that allows the publication of the IDI on an annual basis, without ranking, provided that there are sufficient valid data to cover a majority of Member States;

4 that the IDI structure and methodology would be valid for a period of four years;

5 that ITU will formally consult Member States to provide them with the option to decline to participate in the IDI during the given period of validity, though with the choice to rejoin the exercise on an annual basis;

6 that ITU should establish the criteria on the minimum data availability for Member States to feature in the IDI, working through EGTI/EGH;

7 that ITU should consult and seek agreement from Member States not meeting these criteria about proposed methods for supplementing data, including from other sources or from estimations, to enable their inclusion in the IDI;

8 that in the event that EGTI/EGH decide to review and revise the IDI, the same procedures as in resolves 3 above should be followed;

9 to publish annually the IPB,

instructs the Secretary-General and the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

1 to take the measures necessary to enable ITU to carry out the tasks described under resolves above;

2 to ensure that indicators of telecommunication/ICT access, use, skills and affordability are taken into account in regional and world meetings convened for the purpose of evaluating and following up the Geneva Plan of Action, the Tunis Agenda, the WSIS+10 outcome document adopted in UNGA Resolution 70/125, and the emergence of new challenges in achieving the development of an inclusive information society in the wider context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

3 to ensure that projects, while having highly different goals and scopes, take account of the data, indicators and indices for measuring telecommunications/ICTs for their comparative analysis and for measurement of their results;

4 to give the necessary support for the implementation of Resolution 8 (Rev. Kigali, 2022), including in relation to the IDI and IPB,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

1 to urgently perform the tasks set out in resolves above;

2 to continue to promote the adoption of the telecommunication/ICT statistics and composite indices developed by ITU using an internationally recognized and transparent methodology based on official data provided by Member States, and to publish them regularly;

3 to develop, implement and maintain benchmarking tools and reports, such as the ITU DataHub, ITU Digital Development Dashboard and other relevant benchmarking publications, in consultation with ITU members, in order to disseminate indicators related to ICT infrastructure (deployment, access and connectivity); ICT usage and digital skills; and affordability, so as to provide information on progress towards creating an information society, bridging the digital divide and achieving the SDGs over time and across regions, and to make these tools and reports available to the general public on the ITU website;

4 to rely primarily on official data provided by Member States based on internationally recognized and transparent methodologies, while also taking into account their level of telecommunication/ICT and statistical database development; only in the absence of such information may other sources be used, after consulting with the focal points of the Member States concerned in advance on other sources used to obtain the information by means of which ITU fulfils the role referred to in considering a) above;

5 to start the dissemination of the telecommunication/ICT data surveys to the Member States' focal points by the end of the year, start data collection at the beginning of the following year, and publish the resulting data in the ITU database as soon as they are validated by the Bureau and within three months of their submission by the countries, in order to allow other organizations to build their indices on the basis of recent data from the Member States;

6 to make information available to EGTI/EGH on the availability of data for consideration in the development of the IDI;

7 to invite Member States to contribute and comment on the IDI methodology and structure;

8 to facilitate the work of EGTI/EGH in fulfilling the tasks set out under resolves above, including by correspondence;

9 to convene a meeting of EGTI/EGH following a formal consultation of Member States as appropriate, with a view to resolving any contentious issues and seeking consensus, while taking into account instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau 12, among Member States;

10 to send, by means of a circular letter, the full methodology and structure of the IDI, including the minimum data requirement for inclusion in the IDI, to Member States at the end of the consultation process and ahead of its publication, providing Member States with the possibility of not participating in the IDI;

11 to strive to improve data availability in all Member States, as instructed in Resolution 8 (Rev. Kigali, 2022), on the collection and dissemination of information and statistics, in order to achieve the largest coverage possible;

12 to preserve the integrity of all ITU's statistical work, ensure that the secretariat strictly adheres to UNGA Resolution 68/261, on the fundamental principles of official statistics, and with the Principles governing international statistical activities established by the United Nations Committee for the Coordination of Statistical Activities and endorsed by ITU;

13 to publish annually the IPB and the IDI, including studies, charts, benchmarks and in-depth analysis of successful best practices, so as to reflect progress or lack thereof in access to and use and affordability of ICTs;

14 to ensure that the annually published IDI and IPB are not retroactively updated or amended post publication, in order to assist decision-makers and ensure consistency in comparison of time-series data;

15 to liaise with other prominent international organizations, in particular those involved in the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development, the United Nations Statistics Division and the United Nations regional commissions, and to consider their best practices and methodologies in the gathering, analysis, maintenance and presentation of statistics, indicators, reports and graphical tools;

16 to promote, within the ITU mandate and having particular regard to countries' specific characteristics, the activities required to define and adopt new indicators, including e-application and ICT skills indicators, for the purpose of measuring the impact of telecommunications/ICTs in countries' development, including their contribution to the development of the digital economy;

17 to promote efforts for the timely and transparent dissemination of the internationally agreed ICT methodologies and comparable indicators, particularly in relation to surveys that contain data from Member States, having regard to national contexts;

18 to monitor the development and improvement of methodologies relevant to indicators and data-collection methods, through consultation with, and inviting inputs from, Member States, among others, particularly by means of EGH, EGTI and the World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Symposium, coordinated by BDT;

19 to the extent possible, to ensure reliability, transparency and openness in the procedures used for processing the data supplied to ITU-D by Member States, in particular by making the IDI and IPB calculation methodologies and structures openly available in the statistical section of the ITU website in all six languages of the Union, including all algorithms, calculation formulae and sub-indices of the relevant index structures, as well as the source data received by ITU from Member States;

20 to hold, on a regular basis, regional seminars and training events for developing countries, in order to raise the level of knowledge and skills in the collection and processing of ICT indicators;

21 to give the necessary support for the implementation of Resolution 8 (Rev. Kigali, 2022), stress the importance of implementing the WSIS outcomes in relation to the indicators mentioned, and continue to avoid duplication in statistical work in this field;

22 by strengthening partnerships and collaboration through ITU-D, to leverage the role of telecommunications/ICTs as an enabler that contributes to development of the digital economy, the benefits of which contribute greatly to the overall economy;

23 to review ITU-D's work in developing statistics and indicators taking into account members' input into the process, to which end the Director of BDT is instructed to identify approaches that exist for members to provide regular inputs regarding their concerns in respect of the development and analysis of statistics and indicators as well as the way they are presented;

24 to submit a report to the ITU Council on progress in the implementation of this resolution and Resolution 8 (Rev. Kigali, 2022), and in particular on the work of reviewing the structures and calculation methodologies of the IDI and IPB;

25 to follow the other instructions in instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau of Resolution 8 (Rev. Kigali, 2022),

instructs the study groups of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector

to take into account the relevant findings of the Measuring Digital Development series of publications in order to help Member States bridge the digital divide,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to submit a report to the next plenipotentiary conference on progress in the implementation of this resolution;

2 to encourage the participation of organizations which benefit from telecommunications/ICTs, particularly international organizations involved in achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, to contribute towards the work of this resolution and to promote their potential membership of ITU;

3 to examine the necessary human and financial resources required in all the ITU Bureaux to conduct ITU's work in gathering, producing and publishing meaningful data, information, statistics and reports, and inform the Council of the results of this study,

instructs the ITU Council

on the basis of the findings of the annual report submitted by the Director of BDT in accordance with instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau 24 and instructs the Secretary-General 3 above, to make appropriate recommendations as necessary regarding the ongoing implementation of this resolution,

invites Member States

1 to participate in the submission to ITU-D of their national statistics in the area of telecommunications/ICTs for the purpose of international comparisons and determining the characteristics of the digital divide;

2 to participate actively, including through participation in EGTI/EGH, in the implementation of this resolution, by providing the requested information to ITU-D on access, use and skills as well as affordability of telecommunications/ICTs so as to produce telecommunication/ICT benchmarks.

(Marrakesh, 2002) – (Rev. Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

[2] If 70 per cent or more of the replies from the Member States indicate approval, the proposal shall be accepted.

RESOLUTION 133 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Role of administrations of Member States in the management
of internationalized (multilingual) domain names

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022)

considering

the provisions of Resolutions 101 and 102 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, with regard to international public policy issues pertaining to the Internet and the management of Internet resources, including domain names and addresses,

recalling

a) the role of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T), as defined in resolutions adopted at the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly, including, inter alia, Resolution 47 (Rev. Dubai, 2012), on country code top-level domain names, and Resolution 48 (Rev. Geneva, 2022), on internationalized (multilingual) domain names;

b) the role of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector, as defined in the resolutions adopted by the World Telecommunication Development Conference, especially Resolution 82 (Rev. Kigali, 2022), on preserving and promoting multilingualism on the Internet for an inclusive information society;

c) United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 70/125, on the outcome document of the UNGA high-level meeting on the overall review of the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS);

d) UNGA Resolution 70/1, on transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

e) the commitment of the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society adopted by WSIS to advance the process for the introduction of multilingualism in a number of areas, including domain names, e-mail, Internet addresses, information and communication technology (ICT) applications and keyword look-up;

f) the need to continue the regional expansion of the Domain Name System (DNS) root server instances in order to increase DNS resilience, and to promote the use of internationalized domain names (IDNs) to overcome linguistic barriers and increase the accessibility of the Internet;

g) past successful standardization activities undertaken by ITU-T with regard to the adoption of recommendations pertaining to non-Latin character sets for telex (five-character code) and data transfer (seven-character code), allowing the use of non-Latin character sets for national and regional telex and for data transfer at the global, regional and international levels,

aware

a) of the continuing progress towards integration of telecommunications and the Internet, particularly to increase accessibility;

b) that Internet users are generally more comfortable reading or browsing through texts in their own language and that, for the Internet to become more widely available to a large number of users and to increase the benefits for societies, it is necessary to make the Internet (DNS) available in non-Latin based scripts, taking into account the progress recently made in this regard;

c) that a multilingual Internet can help build digital skills and literacy;

d) that a majority of people who are yet to be connected live in developing countries[1];

e) that, recalling the results of WSIS and relevant resolutions of plenipotentiary conferences, there should be a continuing commitment to working earnestly towards multilingualization of the Internet, as part of the multilateral, transparent, democratic and multistakeholder process, involving governments and all other stakeholders, in their respective roles in implementation of this resolution;

f) of the progress made by all stakeholders, in particular through relevant organizations and entities, in the introduction of IDNs;

g) of the significant progress made towards the provision of IDNs and the benefits of using non-Latin character sets available on the Internet;

h) of the progress made in providing multilingualism on the Internet, while recognizing that there are difficulties in some scripts to implement appropriate and language-specific requirements, including variants;

i) of the need to address challenges associated with the use of visually similar characters from different languages or character sets,

emphasizing

a) that the DNS has made progress in reflecting the diverse and growing language needs of all users, while recognizing that more remains to be done;

b) that IDNs, and more generally ICTs and the Internet, must be widely accessible to all citizens without regard to gender, race, religion, age, disability, country of residence or language;

c) that IDNs promote greater Internet use by all, including women and children, when in their local language;

d) that Internet domain names should not privilege any country or region of the world to the detriment of others, and should take into account the global diversity of languages while allowing for global access;

e) that IDNs contribute to sustainable development through the promotion of greater Internet accessibility and use in local languages;

f) the role of ITU to assist its membership in promoting the use of their language scripts for domain names;

g) the need to continue to implement technical solutions to enhance the implementation of IDNs;

h) that, recalling the results of WSIS and the needs of linguistic groups, there is an urgent need to:

• further advance the process for the introduction of multilingualism in a number of areas, including domain names, e-mail addresses and keyword look-up;

• continue implementing programmes that allow for the presence of multilingual domain names and content on the Internet and the use of various software models in order to fight against the linguistic digital divide and to ensure that everyone can participate in the emerging new society;

• further strengthen cooperation between relevant bodies for the further development of technical standards and to foster their global deployment,

recognizing

a) the existing role and sovereignty of ITU Member States with respect to allocation and management of their country code numbering resources as enshrined in Recommendation ITU-T E.164;

b) that there are a number of challenges with regard to intellectual property and the deployment of IDNs, and adequate solutions should be explored;

c) the role played by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) with regard to dispute resolution for domain names;

d) the role played by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) with regard to promoting cultural diversity and identity, linguistic diversity and local content;

e) that ITU enjoys close cooperation with both WIPO and UNESCO;

f) the role played by governments, technical communities and other stakeholders in advancing multilingualism, including the introduction of internationalized domain names;

g) the importance of community engagement and information-sharing to get a better understanding of existing challenges and to support solutions, particularly in developing countries;

h) that it is paramount to maintain global interoperability as domain names expand to include additional non-Latin character sets,

noting

the need for consistent and continuous reporting to the ITU Council on IDNs, given ITU's membership in the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN),

resolves

to explore ways and means, in accordance with the Tunis Agenda, for greater reciprocal collaboration and coordination between ITU and relevant organizations[2] involved in the development of Internet Protocol (IP)-based networks and the future Internet in the context of emerging telecommunications/ICTs, through cooperation agreements, as appropriate, in order to increase the role of ITU in Internet governance, and to promote greater participation by Member States in Internet governance so as to ensure maximum benefits to the global community and promote affordable international connectivity,

instructs the Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux

1 to play an active part in all international discussions, initiatives and activities on the deployment and management of IDNs, in cooperation with relevant organizations, including WIPO and UNESCO;

2 to take any necessary action to ensure the sovereignty of ITU Member States with regard to Recommendation ITU-T E.164 numbering plans whatever the application in which they are used;

3 to explore ways and means for greater collaboration and coordination between ITU and relevant organizations involved in the deployment of IP-based networks;

4 to encourage the ITU members, as appropriate, to develop and deploy the IDNs in their respective language scripts using their specific character sets;

5 to support Member States in meeting the commitments of the Geneva Plan of Action and the Tunis Agenda in respect of IDNs;

6 to make proposals, where appropriate, for achieving the aims of this resolution;

7 to bring this resolution to the attention of WIPO and UNESCO, which is facilitator for the implementation of WSIS Action Line C8, stressing the concerns and requests for assistance of Member States, in particular the developing countries, with regard to multilingual IDNs, and their insistence on help from the Union in this field, in order to ensure increased Internet accessibility and advancement across language barriers, thereby increasing the international use of the Internet;

8 to report annually to the Council on the activities undertaken and achievements attained on this subject, including the related activities in the ICANN GAC,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, in close collaboration with the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau

1 to give more attention and develop initiatives, with engagement of various stakeholders, to promote awareness, understanding and implementation of IDNs, particularly in developing countries;

2 to contribute to the ongoing implementation of this resolution,

instructs the ITU Council

to consider the activities of the Secretary-General and Directors of the Bureaux with regard to the implementation of this resolution and to take necessary actions, as appropriate,

invites Member States and Sector Members

1 to share and exchange information on developments pertaining to IDNs;

2 to take an active part in all international discussions and initiatives on the further development and deployment of IDNs, including the initiatives of relevant language groups, and to submit contributions to ITU in order to help implement this resolution;

3 to urge all relevant entities to work on the further deployment and implementation of IDNs in order to expedite their activities in this area;

4 to promote capacity building, information-sharing and the exchange of best practices among all stakeholders in the deployment and implementation of IDNs;

5 to consider how to further promote the adoption of universal acceptance in respect of IDNs and to collaborate and coordinate with relevant organizations and stakeholders in enabling the use of IDNs in the Internet.

(Marrakesh, 2002) – (Rev. Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

[2] Including, but not limited to, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the regional Internet registries (RIRs), the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the Internet Society (ISOC) and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), on the basis of reciprocity.

RESOLUTION 135 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

ITU's role in the durable and sustainable development of telecommunications/information and communication technologies, in providing technical assistance and advice to developing countries and in implementing relevant national, regional and interregional projects

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) Resolution 34 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, on assistance and support to countries in special need for rebuilding their telecommunication sector;

b) relevant outcomes of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), especially Resolution 17 (Rev. Kigali, 2022); the Kigali Action Plan on implementation of initiatives at the national, regional, interregional and global levels approved by the six[1] regions; and Resolution 34 (Rev. Kigali, 2022), on the role of telecommunications/information and communication technology (ICT) in disaster preparedness, early warning, rescue, mitigation, relief and response, as well as the provisions of the outputs adopted by WTDC-22 and their linkage with those outcomes;

c) United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 70/1, on transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

d) the United Nations Secretary-General's Roadmap for Digital Cooperation,

recalling further

a) decisions taken during the two phases of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) regarding non-discriminatory access, in particular §§ 15, 18 and 19 of the Tunis Commitment and §§ 90 and 107 of the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society;

b) UNGA Resolution 70/125, on the outcome document of the UNGA high-level meeting on the overall review of the implementation of the WSIS outcomes,

considering

a) the development goals which require that telecommunications/ICTs be accessible to humanity as a whole, especially the peoples of developing countries[2];

b) the importance of telecommunications/ICTs, and of the durability and sustainability of their infrastructures, for economic, social and cultural progress, especially for developing countries;

c) the accumulated and advanced experience of ITU in implementing the above-mentioned resolutions;

d) the tasks assigned to ITU as regards Action Lines C2, C5 and C6 in the Tunis Agenda, and the required ITU participation in implementing other action lines that depend on the availability of telecommunications/ICTs and their durable and sustainable evolution, in agreement with the United Nations agencies that collaborate in implementing those action lines;

e) the continued success achieved by the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector in its partnerships to implement many development actions, including developing telecommunication/ICT networks in several developing countries;

f) the Kigali Action Plan and the necessary optimization of resources to achieve the proposed goals;

g) the actions undertaken to implement Resolution 157 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on strengthening of the project execution and project monitoring functions in ITU;

h) Resolution 59 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of WTDC, on strengthening coordination and cooperation among the three ITU Sectors on matters of mutual interest;

i) that technological advances in telecommunication systems are enabling durable, sustainable and affordable access to information and knowledge, as well as development of the economy, including the digital economy, through the provision of highly connected communications services (broadband) of broad coverage (regional or global scope), so that countries can be connected directly, rapidly and reliably;

j) that broadband satellite and radiocommunication services are in turn providing highly connected, rapid, reliable and cost-efficient communications solutions both in metropolitan and in rural and remote areas, efficiently complementing optical fibre and other technologies and serving as a fundamental driver of economic and social growth of countries and regions;

k) that ITU's role in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will require more widespread collaboration and partnership with other key sectors highlighted under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in providing technical assistance and advice on telecommunications/ICTs;

l) that it is deemed relevant to deepen collaboration and interrelated work among the different ITU Sectors with a view to carrying out studies and activities, including capacity building, for the provision of better advice and technical assistance to developing countries for optimal use of resources and the execution of national, regional and interregional projects;

m) the alignment of the WSIS outcomes with the SDGs;

n) that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the critical role of telecommunications/ICTs and also brought to the fore startling digital inequalities between and within countries,

recognizing

a) that technological advances in telecommunication/ICT systems have an impact on countries' development plans;

b) that technical advances in telecommunication/ICT systems should facilitate incremental technical evolution, especially for aspects of backward compatibility, to ensure sustainability and durability of infrastructures, in particular in developing countries;

c) that new telecommunications/ICTs should coexist with existing technologies deployed in present infrastructures, in order to guarantee their durability and sustainability;

d) that harnessing the potential of telecommunications/ICTs can benefit the socio-economic status of a developing country and help achieve the 17 SDGs adopted in UNGA Resolution 70/1 and contribute towards development of the digital economy,

resolves

1 that ITU should:

i) continue to coordinate efforts for the harmonization, development and enhancement of telecommunications/ICTs throughout the world towards building the information society, and to take appropriate measures to adapt itself to the trends in the telecommunication/ICT infrastructure development environment;

ii) maintain contacts with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to revise the International Programme for the Development of Communication, with a view to the continued implementation of Action Line C7 in the Tunis Agenda relating to education, and cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP);

iii) contribute, in its areas of competence, to the evolution of the integrating information society, through, among other things, the creation of knowledge societies worldwide based on principles such as freedom of expression, equality and quality education for all, with the aim of ensuring equitable access to telecommunications/ICTs and to information and knowledge, and respect for linguistic and cultural diversity and cultural heritage;

iv) facilitate sustainable and harmonious technological evolution of telecommunications/ICTs, facilities, services and related applications, based on recommendations of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization and Radiocommunication Sectors, in order to meet the expectations of Member States, to ensure sustainability and durability of infrastructures;

v) contribute, in its areas of competence, to defining and implementing ITU's role in achieving the 17 SDGs, as well as development of the digital economy, providing technical assistance and advice on the development of telecommunications/ICTs, to harness the potential of and opportunities arising from new and emerging technologies;

vi) assist countries, including through ITU regional offices, in particular developing countries, that request support for their infrastructure development plans, taking into account their technological migration plans, according to their actual situation and their development specificities;

vii) encourage cooperation on technology migration, with minimal environmental impact;

2 that the Telecommunication Development Bureau shall:

i) continue to provide highly qualified technical experts to offer advice in subjects of importance to developing countries, on an individual and collective basis, and to ensure adequate expertise through recruitment or short-term contracts, as appropriate;

ii) continue cooperating with financing sources, whether under the United Nations system, UNDP or other financing arrangements, and multiplying partnerships with Member States, Sector Members, financial institutions and international and regional organizations, to finance the activities related to the implementation of this resolution;

iii) facilitate the implementation of projects under the regional initiatives by considering cash and/or in-kind contributions from Member States;

iv) continue its Special Voluntary Programme for Technical Cooperation, based on financial contributions, expert services or any other form of assistance, to help better meet the requests of developing countries in the telecommunication/ICT field as far as possible;

v) take into account, when establishing the above-mentioned actions, previous national or regional connectivity plans, so that the actions carried out give effect to the priority aspects of these plans and the impact of the action undertaken in essential aspects serves the achievement of national, regional and ITU goals; if the administrations do not have these plans, the projects may also consider developing them;

vi) promote and facilitate collaborative actions with the different Sectors of the Union in order to carry out studies and interrelated activities to complement the use of telecommunication technologies and systems so as to achieve optimal use of resources, including orbit and associated radio-frequency spectrum resources, and improve access to and the connectivity of telecommunication/ICT networks and systems to address the telecommunication needs of developing countries;

vii) promote collaborative activities in coordination with the different Sectors of the Union to create and build capacities so as to provide and deepen universal access to knowledge on optimal use of telecommunication resources, including orbit and associated radio-frequency spectrum resources, and to increase access to and the connectivity of telecommunication/ICT systems and networks included in national and regional telecommunication projects and plans;

viii) work on raising the awareness of all related stakeholders, having regard to their development plans, on ICT environmental protection issues, for the well-being of the population, in order to guarantee the prosperity of Member States' economies;

ix) promote a national, regional and international dialogue with relevant stakeholders to help meet the expectations of the most underprivileged social groups, and raise awareness on new technologies, as well as the emergence of national economies that can ensure effective fulfilment of the SDGs;

x) work on increasing knowledge, awareness and capacity building and development programmes on the evolving role of telecommunications/ICTs in all aspects of life, through relevant platforms including ITU Academy training centres and digital transformation centres;

xi) through ITU regional and area offices, assist and support developing countries in keeping pace with technological development by implementing development projects or supporting national initiatives in cooperation with other stakeholders, if needed, within available resources,

invites regional and international financial organizations and agencies, equipment providers, operators and all potential partners

to consider the possibility of ensuring complete or partial financing to implement cooperation programmes for developing telecommunications/ICTs, including the regionally approved initiatives under the Kigali Action Plan and Resolution 17 (Rev. Kigali, 2022),

instructs the Secretary-General, in close cooperation with the Directors of the three Bureaux

1 to submit a detailed annual report to the ITU Council on the results of the implementation of this resolution, including any recommendations which the Secretary-General may deem necessary, to enhance the impact of this resolution;

2 to work on the dissemination of information and best practices to ensure a digital transition that benefits citizens and governments, especially of developing countries, and protects the environment;

3 to encourage entities in key sectors highlighted under the SDGs that are actively involved in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to participate in projects and programmes, as well as to become members of ITU,

invites the ITU Council

to review the results achieved and to take all necessary steps to expedite the implementation of this resolution in the best possible way.

(Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] Africa, Americas, Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, Commonwealth of Independent States, Europe.

[2] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 136 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Use of telecommunications/information and communication technologies for humanitarian assistance and for monitoring and management in emergency and disaster situations, including health-related emergencies, for early warning, prevention, mitigation and relief

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) Resolution 182 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on the role of telecommunications/information and communication technologies (ICTs) in regard to climate change and the protection of the environment;

b) Resolution 34 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), on the role of telecommunications/ICT in disaster preparedness, early warning, rescue, mitigation, relief and response;

c) Resolution 66 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of WTDC, on ICT, environment, climate change and circular economy;

d) Resolution 48 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of WTDC, on strengthening cooperation among telecommunication regulators;

e) Resolution 646 (Rev.WRC-19) of the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC), on public protection and disaster relief;

f) Resolution 647 (Rev.WRC-19) of WRC, on radiocommunication aspects, including spectrum-management guidelines, for early warning and disaster prediction, detection, mitigation and relief operations relating to emergencies and disasters;

g) Resolution 673 (Rev.WRC-12) of WRC, on the importance of Earth observation radiocommunication applications;

h) Article 5 of the International Telecommunication Regulations, on safety of life and priority of telecommunications;

i) the emergency telecommunication/ICT coordination mechanisms established by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),

recognizing

a) the recent tragic events in the world that clearly demonstrate the need to be able to count on resilient communication infrastructure and for the availability and dissemination of information to assist public safety, health and disaster-relief agencies;

b) that there will be a continuing need to assist developing countries[1] in the use of ICTs to preserve life by ensuring a timely flow of information to government agencies, consumers, humanitarian-oriented organizations and industry involved in disaster-related rescue and recovery operations and in the provision of medical assistance to those affected by health-related emergencies;

c) that information needs to be accessible and available also in local languages so as to ensure maximum impact;

d) that policy-makers need to create an enabling environment to leverage the use of ICTs to address infrastructure and information needs in emergency situations, including health-related emergencies,

taking into account

Resolution 60/125, on international cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters, from relief to development, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in March 2006,

noting

a) § 51 of the Geneva Declaration of Principles adopted by the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), on the use of ICT applications for disaster prevention;

b) § 20(c) of the Geneva Plan of Action adopted by WSIS, on e-environment, which calls for the establishment of monitoring systems, using ICTs, to forecast and monitor the impact of natural and man-made disasters, particularly in developing countries, least developed countries and small economies;

c) § 30 of the Tunis Commitment adopted by WSIS, on disaster mitigation;

d) § 91 of the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society adopted by WSIS, on disaster reduction;

e) the work of the study groups of the ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) and the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) in adopting recommendations that provide technical information on satellite and terrestrial radiocommunication systems and wired networks and their role in disaster management, including important recommendations pertaining to the use of satellite networks in times of disasters;

f) the work of the ITU-T study groups in developing and adopting recommendations for priority/preferential emergency telecommunications and emergency telecommunication services, including consideration of use of both terrestrial and wireless telecommunication systems during emergencies and, in addition, the activities that are carried out in ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) Study Group 1 under study Question 3/1, on the use of telecommunications/ICTs for disaster risk reduction and management;

g) Sustainable Development Goals 9 (Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation) and 11 (Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable), adopted by UNGA,

considering

a) the devastation suffered from disasters, including, but not limited to, tsunamis, earthquakes and storms, around the world, particularly in developing countries, which may suffer disproportionately due to a lack of infrastructure and, therefore, have the most to gain from information on the subject of disaster early warning, prevention, mitigation and relief efforts;

b) that ICTs are critical for addressing all phases of emergencies, including health-related emergencies, and that aspects of emergency communications associated with emergencies include, inter alia, disaster prediction, detection and alert and enabling the flow of information to keep individuals informed as to actions they can take to preserve life;

c) that the ITU-D m-Powering Development initiative is designed to focus on the use of ICTs to empower communities and people;

d) that telecommunications/ICTs play an important role in disseminating information in case of disasters and facilitate disaster early warning, prevention, mitigation, relief and recovery efforts;

e) the ongoing cooperation between ITU study groups and other standards-development organizations dealing with emergency telecommunications, alert and warning systems;

f) Resolution 59 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of WTDC, on strengthening coordination and cooperation among the three ITU Sectors on matters of mutual interest;

g) the need to plan for immediate availability of telecommunication services in emergency or disaster situations in affected areas or regions, through primary or secondary telecommunication systems, including those which may be movable or portable, in order to minimize impacts and facilitate relief operations;

h) that satellite services, among other radiocommunication services, may constitute a reliable platform for public safety, especially in natural disasters when existing land networks are often disrupted, and are highly useful for the coordination of humanitarian assistance by government agencies and other humanitarian entities;

i) that oceanic sensing technologies, which may be deployed through or using undersea cables, can be used for early warning and disaster risk reduction, preparedness and response, including tsunami and earthquake early warning.

j) that the Intergovernmental Conference on Emergency Telecommunications (Tampere, 1998) adopted the Tampere Convention on the Provision of Telecommunication Resources for Disaster Mitigation and Relief Operations, which entered into force on 8 January 2005;

k) that the United Nations World Conference on Disaster Reduction (Kobe, Hyogo, 2005) encouraged all States, taking into account their domestic legal requirements, to consider, as appropriate, acceding to, approving or ratifying relevant international legal instruments relating to disaster reduction, such as the Tampere Convention,

considering further

a) the activities being undertaken at the international and regional levels within ITU and other relevant organizations to establish internationally agreed means for the operation of systems for public protection and disaster relief on a harmonized and coordinated basis;

b) the ongoing development by ITU, in coordination with the United Nations and other United Nations specialized agencies, of guidelines for applying the international content standard for all-media public warning in all disaster and emergency situations;

c) the activities of the Joint Task Force to investigate the use of submarine telecommunication cables for ocean and climate monitoring and disaster warning (JTF SMART cable systems), established in late 2012 by ITU, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO/IOC) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO);

d) the contribution of the private sector in the early warning, prevention, preparedness, mitigation and relief of emergency and disaster situations, which is proving to be effective;

e) the need for a common understanding of the network infrastructure components required to provide rapidly installed, interoperable, interworking, robust telecommunication capabilities in humanitarian assistance and disaster-relief operations;

f) the importance of working towards the establishment of standards-based monitoring and worldwide early-warning systems, based on telecommunications/ICTs, that are linked to national and regional networks and that facilitate emergency disaster response all over the world, particularly in high-risk regions;

g) the importance of redundancy, infrastructure resilience and the availability of energy supply when planning for disaster situations;

h) the role that ITU-D can play, through such means as the Global Symposium for Regulators, training workshops and programmes and the work of the ITU-D study groups, in collecting and disseminating national regulatory best practices for telecommunication/ICT facilities for disaster early warning, prevention, preparedness, mitigation and relief;

i) that private and public networks include various public safety and group communications features which can play a key role in emergency and disaster preparedness, prevention, mitigation and relief situations,

convinced

a) that an international standard for communication of alert and warning information can assist in the provision of effective and appropriate humanitarian assistance and in mitigating the consequences of disasters, in particular in developing countries;

b) that there is a need to train rescue and relief agencies, as well as the general public, in the use of telecommunication/ICT networks and services to strengthen both preparedness and response for disasters and health-related emergencies, particularly in developing countries;

c) that the continuous use of telecommunication/ICT equipment and services is indispensable for the provision of humanitarian and emergency assistance;

d) that the Tampere Convention provides the necessary framework for such use of telecommunication/ICT resources,

resolves to instruct the Secretary-General

1 to collaborate with OCHA, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and the World Food Programme, and with other relevant organizations, to enhance the Union's participation in activities related to emergency communications preparedness and early-warning systems;

2 to continue to collaborate with all relevant parties, including the United Nations and its agencies, in particular the World Health Organization, in order to define and engage in programmes to respond to and address health-related emergencies in areas within the scope and mandate of the Union;

3 to implement measures aimed at mobilizing support from governments, industry and other partners to respond to and address health-related emergencies;

4 to coordinate the activities conducted by the ITU Sectors in line with instructs the Directors of the Bureaux 5 below, in order to ensure the most effective action possible by ITU in this matter;

5 to assist Member States, if they so request, in their work towards their national accession to the Tampere Convention, as well as with the development of their practical arrangements for the implementation of the Tampere Convention, in close collaboration with the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator;

6 to assist Member States in the establishment of early-warning systems for emergency situations and national emergency telecommunication plans in developing countries, as requested, and within existing budgetary resources;

7 to cooperate and collaborate with stakeholders, including Member States, the private sector, non-governmental entities, the research community and other entities within the United Nations system, including WMO and UNESCO/IOC, on the development of oceanic sensing technologies, as they contribute to the achievement of the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular in relation to near-to-far field tsunami and earthquake early warning and in seismic monitoring,

instructs the Directors of the Bureaux

1 to continue to support studies through the relevant ITU study groups concerning the technical and operational implementation of solutions and the identification of best practices on public policies on emergency telecommunications at the local, national and regional levels in order to enhance disaster early warning, prevention, preparedness, relief and recovery, including response to health-related emergencies, taking into account technical and technological developments;

2 to conduct training programmes, workshops and capacity building, including consideration of the roles and participation of academia and other stakeholders, for trainers of relevant organizations and entities, especially in developing countries, on technical and operational aspects of networks and their use for monitoring and management in emergency and disaster situations, including health-related emergencies;

3 to support the development of robust, comprehensive, all-hazards emergency and disaster prediction, detection, early-warning, mitigation, response, relief and recovery systems that also take into account the specific needs of persons with disabilities, children, older persons, displaced persons and the illiterate, at the local, national, regional and international levels, including monitoring and management systems involving the use of telecommunications/ICTs (e.g. remote sensing), in collaboration with other international agencies, in order to support coordination at the regional and global level;

4 to promote implementation by appropriate alerting authorities of the international standard for all-media public warning, in concert with ITU guidelines developed through the relevant ITU study groups for application to all disaster and emergency situations;

5 to continue to collaborate with organizations that are working in the area of standards for emergency telecommunications/ICTs and for communication of alert and warning information, in order to study the appropriate inclusion of such standards in ITU's work and their dissemination, in particular in developing countries;

6 to analyse ongoing work in all Sectors of ITU, regional entities and other expert organizations, and promote joint activities to avoid duplication of efforts and resources in the development, use and interworking of public and private telecommunications/ICTs, including radiocommunication and satellite systems, in times of emergencies and disaster-relief operations in response to natural disasters;

7 to assist Member States in enhancing and strengthening the use of all available communication systems, including satellite, amateur radio and broadcasting services, in the event of the disruption of conventional power supply or telecommunication networks;

8 to assist Member States, particularly developing countries, in the use of telecommunications/ICTs to support the exchange of timely information on emergencies, including health-related emergencies, and to develop feasibility studies, project-management tools and support to respond to and address emergencies, including health-related emergencies,

encourages Member States

1 in emergency and disaster-relief situations, to satisfy temporary needs for radio-frequency spectrum in addition to what may be normally provided for in agreements with the administrations concerned, while seeking international assistance for spectrum coordination and management, in accordance with the legal framework in force in each country;

2 to work in close collaboration with the Secretary-General, the Directors of the Bureaux and other Member States, while collaborating with the emergency telecommunication/ICT coordination/cluster mechanisms of the United Nations, in the development and dissemination of tools, procedures and best practices for the effective coordination and operation of telecommunications/ICTs in disaster situations;

3 to facilitate the use by emergency organizations of both existing and new technologies, systems and applications (satellite and terrestrial), to the extent practicable, in order to satisfy interoperability requirements and to further the goals of public protection and disaster relief;

4 to contribute actively to the development of oceanic sensing technologies, including the work of the JTF SMART cable systems;

5 to develop and support national and regional centres of excellence for research, pre-planning, equipment pre-positioning and deployment of telecommunication/ICT resources for humanitarian assistance and disaster-relief coordination;

6 to adopt and promote policies that encourage public and private operators to invest in the development and building of telecommunications/ICTs, including radiocommunication and satellite systems, for early-warning systems and the management of emergency and disaster situations, including health-related emergencies;

7 to consider the development of comprehensive disaster risk-management frameworks;

8 to take appropriate measures to ensure that all operators inform local and roaming users, in a timely manner and at no cost, of the numbers in use to contact emergency services;

9 to explore the possibility of introducing a globally harmonized emergency number to supplement existing domestic emergency numbers, taking into account the relevant ITU-T recommendations, and to develop plans for preparedness, disaster recovery and continuity of activities that provide essential government information systems with the necessary redundancy and resilience;

10 to work towards their accession to the Tampere Convention as a matter of priority;

11 to cooperate and offer all possible assistance and support to consumers, humanitarian-oriented organizations and industry involved in ICTs, including for disease tracking and natural and man-made disaster and emergency response, rescue and recovery operations;

12 to promote regional, subregional, multilateral and bilateral projects and programmes to address the need to use ICTs as a tool to support responses to different types of disasters, so that life-saving infrastructure and information can be provided to local communities, especially in local languages;

13 to participate in the ITU Network of Volunteers for Emergency Telecommunications;

14 to contribute to the Global Emergency Fund for Rapid Response,

urges Member States Parties to the Tampere Convention

to take all practical steps for the application of the Tampere Convention and to work closely with the operational coordinator as provided for therein.

(Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 137 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Deployment of future networks in developing countries

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) Resolution 139 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on the use of telecommunications/information and communication technologies (ICTs) to bridge the digital divide and build an inclusive information society;

b) Resolution 37 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), on bridging the digital divide;

c) Resolution 92 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA), on enhancing the standardization activities in the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) related to non-radio aspects of international mobile telecommunications (IMT);

d) Resolution 93 (Hammamet, 2016) of WTSA, on interconnection of 4G, IMT-2020 networks and beyond;

e) Resolution 43 (Rev. Buenos Aires, 2017) of WTDC, on assistance in implementing IMT and future networks;

f) Resolution 23 (Rev. Buenos Aires, 2017) of WTDC, on Internet access and availability for developing countries[1] and charging principles for international Internet connection,

considering

a) that, as stated in § 22 of the Geneva Declaration of Principles adopted by the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), a well-developed information and communication network infrastructure and applications, adapted to regional, national and local conditions, easily accessible and affordable, and making greater use of broadband and other innovative technologies, where possible, can accelerate the social and economic progress of countries, and the well-being of all individuals, communities and peoples, and that this is covered by WSIS Action Line C2, expanded to include Action Line C6;

b) that the existence, at the national, regional, interregional and global levels, of coherent telecommunication networks and services for the development of national, regional and international economies is a very important element in the improvement of the social, economic and financial situation of Member States;

c) Resolution 44 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of WTSA, on bridging the standardization gap between developing and developed countries;

d) Resolution 17 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of WTDC, on implementation of and cooperation on approved regional initiatives at the national, regional, interregional and global levels;

e) that many countries have begun to implement national, regional and international strategies for realizing the vision of a digital economy, for which future networks should form the basis;

f) that IMT systems as well as other technologies contribute to bridging the digital divide and promote affordable broadband connectivity, in particular in developing countries,

noting

a) that developing countries are still being challenged by rapid change of technologies and service convergence trends;

b) the ongoing shortages of resources, experience and capacity building within developing countries in planning, deploying and operating networks, especially future networks;

c) that future networks drive substantial transformation in many development-related sectors, including health, education, financial inclusion and food security, making them a key accelerator towards achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals;

d) that promoting investment in broadband connectivity from a broad range of sectors can help achieve the full potential of these technologies and bring the world closer to the goal of an inclusive digital society accessible by all;

e) that fixed and mobile services are becoming progressively affordable in a large number of countries; however, the cost of transit or access to backhaul bandwidth remains a challenge for developing countries, particularly landlocked countries,

recalling further

a) the efforts and collaboration of the three Bureaux to continue enhancing work aimed at providing information and advice on subjects of importance to developing countries for the planning, organization, development and operation of their telecommunication systems;

b) that technical knowledge and experience of great value to the developing countries is also obtainable from the work of the ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R), ITU-T and the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D);

c) that, in accordance with Resolution 143 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, the provisions in all ITU documents relating to developing countries shall be extended to apply adequately to countries with economies in transition, as well as the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries,

recognizing

a) that developing countries have limited human and financial resources to cope with the ever-increasing digital divide and standardization gap;

b) that the existing digital divide at various levels (including the digital divide between regions, countries and parts of countries, and between urban and rural areas) is likely to be aggravated further with the emergence of new technologies if developing countries are not able to fully introduce them cost-effectively and in a timely manner;

c) that the implementation of future networks can have a positive impact on the environment, in particular by helping to reduce the environmental effects of other sectors, such as transport, agriculture, etc.;

d) that one of the most important expected outcomes of the timely introduction of future networks for developing countries is the reduction of operating costs associated with network infrastructure,

taking into account

a) that it is imperative for countries, especially developing countries and many developed countries, that have already invested heavily in their existing telecommunication networks, to facilitate a smooth transition from existing networks to future networks;

b) that future networks are potential tools to meet the new challenges facing the telecommunication industry, and that future networks deployment and standards-development activities are essential for developing countries, especially for ensuring equal access to modern telecommunication services for urban populations and populations in rural and remote areas;

c) that many developing countries that have invested significantly in the deployment of their existing telecommunication networks to provide advanced services are still seeking to recover their investment, making it difficult for them to effect a timely transition to future networks;

d) that the migration of existing telecommunication networks to future networks may affect points of interconnection, quality of service and other operational aspects, which may also have an effect on costs to the end user;

e) that countries can benefit from future networks, which can facilitate the delivery of a wide range of advanced telecommunication/ICT-based services and applications for building the information society and developing the digital economy, resolving difficult issues such as the development and implementation of systems for public protection and disaster relief, especially telecommunications for early warning and the dissemination of emergency information;

f) that the challenge, as perceived by WSIS, is to harness the potential of ICTs and ICT applications for promoting the development goals of the Millennium Declaration, namely the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality and empowerment of women, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, and so forth;

g) that ITU-T Study Group 13 established a focus group entitled "Technologies for Network 2030";

h) that there is a need to enhance the affordability and availability of telecommunication/ICT equipment, taking into account the costs associated with deployment of future networks,

resolves to instruct the Directors of the three Bureaux, in line with the mandates of their respective Sectors

1 to continue and consolidate their efforts on future networks[2] deployment studies, standards development, training activities and the sharing of best practices on business model evolution and operational aspects, especially for those networks designed for rural areas and for bridging the digital divide and the development divide;

2 to coordinate studies and programmes within ITU-R on IMT-2020 and beyond and ITU-T Study Groups 11 and 13 on 2030 networks, and also within the Global Network Planning initiatives of ITU-D, and to coordinate ongoing work being carried out by study groups and the relevant programmes as defined in the Kigali Action Plan in order to assist the membership in deploying future networks effectively, especially in conducting a smooth migration from existing telecommunication infrastructures to future networks and in seeking appropriate solutions to expedite affordable deployment in rural and remote areas, taking into consideration the successes of several developing countries in migrating to and operating these networks, and benefiting from the experience of those countries,

instructs the Secretary-General and the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

1 to take appropriate action in order to seek support and financial provision sufficient for the implementation of this resolution, within available financial resources, including financial support through partnership agreements and through the involvement of regional and international financial organizations and institutions, equipment suppliers, operators and all partners providing complete or partial financing for the implementation of cooperation programmes to develop telecommunications/ICTs, including the approved regional initiatives under the Kigali Action Plan and Resolution 17 (Rev. Kigali, 2022);

2 to highlight the importance and benefits of future networks development and deployment to other United Nations specialized agencies and financial institutions;

3 to invite the relevant international organizations to provide information for dissemination to the Union on creating an enabling environment for the development and deployment of future networks, particularly policies which have an impact on affordability,

instructs the ITU Council

to consider the reports and proposals made by the Secretary-General and the three Bureaux relating to the implementation of this resolution, having regard to addressing the needs of developing countries,

invites all Member States and Sector Members

1 to undertake concrete actions, to support ITU's actions and to develop their own initiatives in order to implement this resolution;

2 to strengthen cooperation between developed and developing countries, and among developing countries themselves, in improving national, regional and international capabilities in the implementation of future networks, especially in regard to future networks planning, deployment, operation and maintenance, and the development of next-generation network (NGN)-based applications, especially for rural and remote areas, taking into consideration future developments to accelerate the digital economy;

3 to take actions to enhance the affordability and availability of telecommunication/ICT equipment associated with deployment of future networks,

invites regional and international financial organizations and agencies, equipment providers, operators and all potential partners

to consider the possibility of ensuring complete or partial financing to implement cooperation programmes for developing NGN and future networks, including the approved regional initiatives under the Kigali Action Plan and Resolution 17 (Rev. Kigali, 2022).

(Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

[2] See the work of the ITU-T Study Group 13 Focus Group on future networks.

RESOLUTION 138 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Global Symposium for Regulators

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

Resolution 48 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference, on cooperation among telecommunication regulators, which resolved, inter alia:

a) that ITU, and in particular the Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D), should continue to support regulatory reform and help members address regulatory challenges by facilitating information- and experience-sharing among the membership;

b) that the Telecommunication Development Bureau should continue to coordinate and facilitate joint activities relating to telecommunication/information and communication technology (ICT) policy and regulatory issues with regional and subregional regulatory organizations and associations;

c) that ITU-D should continue to further provide technical cooperation, regulatory exchange, capacity building and expert advice, with the support of the regional offices,

considering

a) the importance of maintaining the Global Symposium for Regulators (GSR) as an environment in which regulatory bodies continue to share and exchange experiences;

b) the considerable success achieved by regulators through effective participation in the GSR since its inception in 2000, as well as in meetings of regional regulators, held in parallel with the GSR meeting or just before it, a success which also highlights the importance of enhancing regional cooperation among regulators from different countries and regions of the world;

c) the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society, in respect of the responsibilities to be assumed by telecommunication/ICT sector regulators,

noting

the multiplicity of subjects and issues closely related to regulators and which have posed challenges to the international community, especially the developing countries[1], such as integration of services, interconnection, next-generation networks and universal access, in addition to current challenges such as roaming services, quality of service, the application and design of programmes to finance the deployment of ICT networks with funds from the universal service, and the protection of consumer rights,

resolves

that the GSR shall be established as a regular activity within the ITU-D work programme,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

1 to hold the GSR annually, within the financial limits set by the Plenipotentiary Conference, in order to strengthen exchanges of experience among regulators on the most important regulatory subjects and issues, including ICTs, to support newly established regulators, and to encourage the holding of meetings for regional regulators in parallel with the annual meeting;

2 to rotate the holding of the GSR in different regions of the world, reflecting, to the extent possible, a balanced regional representation of participants, speakers and stakeholders;

3 to consult, in advance, Member States and relevant stakeholders on the topics for the annual GSR and the thematic priorities for the best-practice guidelines published by the GSR each year to ensure that its outcomes reflect the interests of all stakeholders and fully attract the participation of all countries;

4 to promote the participation of regional and subregional regulatory organizations and associations in the preparatory process as well as in the development of the best-practice guidelines published by the GSR each year.

(Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 139 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Use of telecommunications/information and communication technologies to bridge the digital divide and build an inclusive information society

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) the Preamble (No. 1) of the ITU Constitution, "fully recognizing the sovereign right of each State to regulate its telecommunication and having regard to the growing importance of telecommunication for the preservation of peace and the economic and social development of all States";

b) Resolution 71 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on the strategic plan for the Union for 2024-2027;

c) Resolution 200 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on the Connect 2030 Agenda for global telecommunication/information and communication technology (ICT), including broadband, for sustainable development;

d) Resolution 16 (Rev. Buenos Aires, 2017) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), on special actions and measures for least developed countries (LDCs), small island developing states (SIDS), landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) and countries with economies in transition;

e) Resolution 30 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of WTDC, on the role of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) in implementing the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), taking into account the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

f) Resolution 37 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of WTDC, on bridging the digital divide;

g) Resolution 92 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA), on enhancing the standardization activities in the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) related to non-radio aspects of international mobile telecommunications (IMT);

h) Resolution 44 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of WTSA, on bridging the standardization gap between developing[1] and developed countries;

i) Recommendation ITU-T D.53, on international aspects of universal service;

j) Resolution 23 (Rev. Buenos Aires, 2017) of WTDC, on Internet access and availability for developing countries and charging principles for international Internet connection;

k) Resolution 191 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on strategy for the coordination of efforts among the three Sectors of the Union,

recognizing

a) that the digital divide can be associated with a lack of connectivity to broadband networks and low utilization, in particular within developing countries;

b) that there is a need to enhance affordability and availability and promote investment in connectivity and relevant infrastructure, in particular in developing countries;

c) that a low utilization of broadband connectivity can be associated with some factors, including affordability, digital literacy and related skills;

d) that the social and economic underdevelopment of a large part of the world is one of the most serious problems affecting not only the countries concerned but also the international community as a whole;

e) that the benefits of the advancement in ICTs can create opportunities for digital services in developing countries, and enables digitalization of the infrastructure which underpins the economy, including the digital economy;

f) that the new technologies of telecommunication networks show potential for offering more efficient and economic telecommunication and ICT services and applications, particularly for unserved and/or underserved areas;

g) that WSIS highlighted that the ICT infrastructure is an essential foundation for an inclusive information society, and called for the commitment of all States to placing ICTs and ICT applications at the service of development;

h) that the WSIS+10 High-Level Event (Geneva, 2014), an expanded version of the WSIS Forum, held by ITU in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), recognizes in its WSIS+10 Statement on the implementation of WSIS outcomes that, since the Tunis Phase of WSIS was held in 2005, the uses of ICTs have developed considerably and become a part of everyday life, accelerating social and economic growth, sustainable development, increasing transparency and accountability, where applicable, and offering new opportunities for both developed and developing countries to leverage the benefits of new technologies;

i) that, in turn, the WSIS+10 Vision for WSIS beyond 2015 reaffirms that the objective of WSIS is to bridge the digital, technology and knowledge divides and create a people-centric, inclusive, open and development-oriented information society where everyone can create, access, utilize and share information and knowledge;

j) that telecommunications/ICTs and ICT applications are essential for political, economic, social and cultural development, that they play an important role in poverty alleviation, job creation, environmental protection and the prevention and mitigation of natural and other disasters (in addition to the importance of disaster prediction), and that they must be placed at the service of development in other sectors; and that, therefore, opportunities offered by new ICTs should be accelerated and fully exploited in order to foster digital inclusion towards sustainable development;

k) that, even prior to WSIS, in addition to ITU activities, various activities were being executed by many organizations and entities to bridge the digital divide;

l) that the use of ICTs enhances social, economic, cultural and environmental growth, contributes to sustainable development, encourages transparency and accountability, and offers new opportunities for developed and developing countries to take advantage of the benefits offered by new technologies;

m) that there is a need for affordable broadband and digital services in developing countries, which are enabled by the ICT revolution;

n) that Resolution 70/125 of the United Nations General Assembly, on the overall review of the implementation of the WSIS outcomes, recognizes that speed, stability, affordability, language, local content and accessibility for persons with disabilities are now basic aspects of quality, and that a high-speed broadband connection is now a factor in facilitating sustainable development,

considering

a) that, even with all the developments described above and the improvement observed in some respects, in numerous developing countries telecommunications/ICTs and ICT applications are still not affordable to the majority of people, particularly those living in rural or remote, unserved and underserved areas;

b) that each region, country and area must tackle its own specific issues regarding the digital divide, with emphasis on cooperation with others in order to benefit from experience gained;

c) that many countries may not have the necessary basic infrastructure, long-term plans, laws, regulations and such like in place for the development and management of telecommunications/ICTs and ICT applications;

d) that LDCs, SIDS, LLDCs and countries with economies in transition still face particular problems in bridging the digital divide, including transit of telecommunication traffic through neighbouring countries in the case of LLDCs, and would benefit from special measures for the development of telecommunications/ICTs and to improve their connectivity;

e) that it is necessary to study and analyse the social, demographic, economic and technological context of the communities in which it is necessary to deploy telecommunication/ICT infrastructure and services, as well as to implement plans for capacity building, training and digital skills development, in particular for persons with disabilities, persons with specific needs and indigenous peoples;

f) that implementing policies that promote access to telecommunication/ICT services in unserved and underserved areas has proven to be a crucial tool for bridging the digital divide;

g) that it is important to identify sustainable best practices to deploy high-speed broadband networks to help developing countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);

h) that quality of broadband access will promote inclusion and support the vision of an information society;

i) that IMT systems as well as other technologies contribute to bridging the digital divide and promote affordable broadband connectivity, in particular in developing countries,

considering further

a) that telecommunication/ICT facilities, services and applications are not only the consequence of economic growth, but a prerequisite for social, cultural and environmental development, including economic growth;

b) that telecommunications/ICTs and ICT applications are an integral part of the national, regional and international development process;

c) that a favourable environment, which includes the necessary policies, skills and technical capacities to use and develop technologies, is considered to be as important as infrastructure investments in telecommunications/ICTs;

d) that recent progress, and particularly the convergence of telecommunication, information, broadcasting and computer technologies and services, in some countries, are agents of change for the information and knowledge societies;

e) that there is a continuing need in most developing countries for investment in various development sectors, while giving priority to investment in the telecommunication/ICT sector, in view of the pressing need for telecommunications/ICTs as a basis for growth and development in other sectors;

f) that, in this situation, national digital e-strategies should be linked to overall development goals;

g) that it continues to be necessary to provide those responsible for developing standards with relevant and timely information on the role and general contribution of telecommunications/ICTs and ICT applications to overall development plans;

h) that past studies undertaken at the initiative of the Union for assessing the benefits of telecommunications/ICTs and ICT applications in the sector have had a salutary effect in other sectors and are a necessary condition for their development;

i) that the use of terrestrial and space services to give access to rural or remote areas without increasing connection costs due to distance and other geographic characteristics must be considered an extremely useful tool for bridging the digital divide;

j) that terrestrial and space broadband services make it possible to provide cost-effective communications solutions with great connectivity, speed and reliability in metropolitan, rural and even remote areas, becoming an essential engine for the economic and social development of countries and regions;

k) that the development of low-cost equipment is important for network deployment in unserved and/or underserved areas;

l) that the use of telecommunications/ICTs creates opportunities and benefits for the economy, including the digital economy;

m) that the sharing of telecommunication infrastructure could be an effective means of deploying telecommunication networks, in particular in unserved and/or underserved areas,

stressing

a) the important role played by telecommunications/ICTs and ICT applications in the development of e-government, labour, agriculture, health, education, transport, industry, human rights, environmental protection, trade and transfer of information for social welfare, among others, and in the general economic and social progress of developing countries, especially for people living in rural, remote, unserved and underserved areas;

b) that telecommunication/ICT infrastructure and applications are central to achieving the goal of ensuring digital inclusion for all, enabling sustainable, ubiquitous and affordable access to information,

mindful

a) that some Member States have applied their national strategies and regulatory frameworks to help bridge the digital divide at the national level;

b) that various ITU Member States have developed national strategies and programmes to encourage investment in implementing projects to deploy telecommunication/ICT infrastructure and networks, especially in unserved and underserved areas,

appreciating

a) the various studies that have been carried out as part of the programme of technical cooperation and assistance activities of the Union;

b) that ITU, in keeping with its duties and mandate, is helping to bridge the digital divide at the national, regional and international levels by facilitating the connectivity of telecommunication/ICT networks and services, in order to follow up on and meet the key goals and objectives of WSIS,

resolves

1 that implementation of Resolution 37 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) should continue;

2 that the Union should continue to organize, sponsor and conduct necessary studies in order to highlight, in a different and changing context, the contribution of telecommunications/ICTs and ICT applications to overall development, including promoting innovation;

3 that the Union should continue to act as a clearing-house mechanism for the exchange of information and expertise in this regard, within the implementation of the Kigali Action Plan and in partnership with other appropriate organizations, and implement initiatives, programmes and projects aimed at overcoming the digital divide, especially by enabling accessible and affordable connectivity, enabling digital literacy and skills development, and promoting connectivity to telecommunications/ICTs and ICT applications;

4 that the Inter-Sector Coordination Group on issues of mutual interest along with the Inter-Sectoral Coordination Task Force, in close collaboration with the Directors of the Bureaux, coordinate the work of the Sectors with respect to bridging the digital divide, including accessible and affordable connectivity, digital literacy and skills development;

5 that ITU, in cooperation with Member States and relevant organizations, continue its task of preparing adequate ICT reference indicators for measuring the digital divide, collecting statistical data, measuring the impact of ICTs and facilitating a comparative analysis of digital integration, which will continue to be a fundamental need in support of economic growth;

6 that ITU continue its work and activities to support Member States, upon request, in strengthening their regulatory and policy frameworks through sharing information on national programmes in respect of best regulatory practices for unserved and/or underserved areas within their territories;

7 that ITU facilitate and promote the development of high-speed broadband infrastructure, either by terrestrial or space-based solutions, including relevant programmes to extend access;

8 that ITU foster the development of activities that promote the planning and execution of strategies that allow the use of emerging technologies to improve access to telecommunications/ICTs,

continues to invite

the administrations and governments of Member States, agencies and organizations of the United Nations system, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, regional telecommunication organizations, financial institutions and providers of telecommunication equipment and services and ICTs to extend their support for the satisfactory implementation of this resolution,

continues to encourage

all agencies responsible for development aid and assistance, including the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), UNDP and regional and national development funds, as well as donor and recipient Member States of the Union, to continue to attach importance to ICTs in the development process and to accord high priority for resource allocation to this sector in a way that enables access to affordable financing in developing countries,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to bring this resolution to the attention of all interested parties including, in particular, UNDP, IBRD, the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS), the United Nations Chief Executives Board for Coordination, and regional funds and national development funds for cooperation in implementing this resolution;

2 to take the measures necessary to carry out the tasks described in resolves 4 above;

3 to report annually to the ITU Council in consultation with the Directors of the three Bureaux on the progress made in the implementation of this resolution, including any impediments to furthering its objectives, and any recommendations for further action;

4 to arrange for wide dissemination of the findings resulting from the activities carried out in accordance with this resolution;

5 to further develop and deepen relationships within the United Nations system and with other international organizations relevant to this resolution, including UNESCO in relation to digital literacy and skills development, and UN-OHRLLS to address the needs of developing countries,

instructs the Secretary-General and the Directors of the three Bureaux, in line with the mandates of their respective Sectors

to work with the ITU membership to raise awareness and support information-sharing and capacity-building activities, in close coordination with other relevant standards-development organizations and forums, related to disaggregated, open and interoperable network technologies and solutions, such as Open Radio Access Networks (Open RAN) and others, with the objective of promoting affordable connectivity and bridging the digital divide, in particular in developing countries, and encouraging competition, innovation and technology neutrality,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, in coordination with the Directors of the other Bureaux, within their respective mandates

1 to ensure access to and increase the prominence of up-to-date repositories of best practice and expertise for bridging the digital divide so that all relevant resources are more easily available to the members of the Union and other stakeholders, for example on a dedicated area of the ITU website;

2 to continue to assist Member States and Sector Members in developing a policy and regulatory framework for ICTs and ICT applications that serves development;

3 to continue to assist Member States and Sector Members with strategies that expand access to telecommunication/ICT infrastructure, particularly for rural or remote or unserved and underserved areas;

4 to continue to assist Member States and Sector Members with strategies to improve digital literacy and skills, including by regularly updating the existing Digital Skills Toolkit;

5 to evaluate challenges to, and models for, affordable and sustainable systems for access to information in rural, remote or unserved and underserved areas, and to communications and ICT applications on the global network, based on studies of these models;

6 to review, compile and disseminate best practices and regulatory experiences on national and regional strategies employed to promote investment in telecommunication/ICT infrastructure and services, affordable connectivity, digital literacy and skills development in unserved and/or underserved areas, utilizing possible means within countries and/or regions, which may include universal service funds in certain countries, where appropriate;

7 to support sharing national experiences and information, such as case studies, and support enabling environments for the use of affordable technologies for bridging the digital divide, such as current and emerging telecommunication/ICT infrastructure, including telecommunication/ICT complementary access networks and solutions;

8 to continue to conduct, within available resources, case studies concerning the development of telecommunication/ICT infrastructure and services, in particular within unserved and/or underserved areas, such as rural and remote areas, as far as possible;

9 to compile and disseminate guiding principles that bring together best practices for the sharing of telecommunication network infrastructure, as appropriate;

10 to promote and facilitate collaborative actions between the different Sectors of the Union to carry out studies, projects and interrelated activities identified in action plans of the Sectors, aiming to complement the development of national telecommunication networks;

11 to continue to support Member States by providing a database of experts in the required field, and to fund the necessary actions for bridging the digital divide for developing countries within the resources allocated under the financial plan;

12 to strengthen cooperation and coordination with the relevant international and regional organizations, in particular those of the developing countries, in activities related to bridging the digital divide;

13 to provide assistance on capacity building and training for individuals in digital skills and digital literacy, creating a culture of learning and collaboration, on how to navigate and extract benefit from the new industrial revolution, by building programmes or joint programmes in fields relevant to bridging the digital divide, in accordance with the SDGs and WSIS action lines, within the mandate of ITU,

instructs the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau

to implement actions, in coordination with the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, in order to support and share information about studies, tools and projects and, at the same time, promote joint activities aiming to build capacities for increasingly efficient use of the orbit/spectrum resource, with the purpose of expanding affordable access to broadband, including through space and terrestrial services and facilitating connectivity between networks, and between different zones, countries and regions, especially in developing countries,

instructs the ITU Council

1 to allocate adequate funds, within approved budgetary resources, for the implementation of this resolution;

2 to review the Secretary-General's reports and take appropriate measures to ensure the implementation of this resolution;

3 to submit a progress report on this resolution to the next plenipotentiary conference,

invites Member States

1 to continue providing relevant case studies and to share best practices in respect of effective policies and regulatory approaches with the relevant ITU-D study groups, taking into account the objectives of this resolution;

2 to conduct consultations with the beneficiaries of telecommunication/ICT infrastructure plans, programmes and investment, considering current differences stemming from the social conditions and dynamics of the population, so as to ensure suitable appropriation of ICTs;

3 to establish an enabling regulatory and policy environment that stimulates expansion of affordable connectivity and that promotes digital literacy and the adoption and deployment of new technologies, especially in unserved and underserved areas;

4 to consider facilitating an environment for sharing national experiences for bridging the digital divide, as appropriate, using affordable technologies, such as current and emerging telecommunication/ICT infrastructure, including telecommunication/ICT complementary access networks and solutions, according to national regulations;

5 to study the causes of the digital divide, and their impacts, that are prevalent at the national level, and to consider how to overcome these issues, including measures to enhance the affordability and availability of telecommunication/ICT equipment integral to bridging the digital divide, and to share information about their experiences with the relevant ITU-D study groups,

invites all Member States and Sector Members

1 to promote activities and share information on disaggregated, open and interoperable network technologies, such as Open RAN and others, with the objective of promoting affordable connectivity and bridging the digital divide, in particular in developing countries;

2 to foster an enabling environment for disaggregated, open and interoperable network technologies, such as Open RAN and others, and to promote reliable and interoperable broadband access at an affordable cost.

(Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 140 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

ITU's role in implementing the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as in their follow-up and review processes

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) Resolution 73 (Minneapolis, 1998) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, which achieved its aims in regard to the holding of both phases of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS);

b) the Geneva Declaration of Principles and the Geneva Plan of Action, adopted in 2003, and the Tunis Commitment and the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society, adopted in 2005, all of which were endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA);

c) UNGA Resolution 70/125, on the outcome document of the UNGA high-level meeting on the overall review of the implementation of the WSIS outcomes;

d) UNGA Resolution 70/1, on transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

e) the WSIS+10 Statement on the implementation of WSIS outcomes and the WSIS+10 Vision for WSIS beyond 2015, which were adopted at the ITU-coordinated WSIS+10 High-Level Event (Geneva, 2014), based on the Multistakeholder Preparatory Platform process, together with other United Nations agencies and inclusive of all WSIS stakeholders, were endorsed by the Plenipotentiary Conference (Busan, 2014) and were submitted to the UNGA overall review;

f) UNGA Resolution 75/1, on the declaration on the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, which contains the pledge "we will improve digital cooperation";

g) the annual UNGA resolutions on information and communication technologies (ICTs) for sustainable development;

h) the annual resolutions of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on assessment of the progress made in the implementation of and follow-up to the WSIS outcomes, prepared by the Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD);

i) Resolution 140 (Rev. Busan, 2014) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, on ITU's role in implementing the WSIS outcomes and in the UNGA overall review of their implementation;

j) the opinions of the sixth World Telecommunication/ICT Policy Forum (WTPF-21);

k) the relevant resolutions and decisions of the Plenipotentiary Conference related to WSIS and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);

l) the Kigali Declaration of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), which commits to accelerating the expansion of digital infrastructures and fully exploiting the opportunities provided by digital transformation for all stakeholders,

considering

a) that ITU plays a fundamental role in providing global perspectives on the development of the information society;

b) the role played by ITU in the successful organization of the two phases of WSIS and its coordination of the WSIS+10 High-Level Event;

c) that the core competencies of ITU in the field of ICTs – assistance in bridging the digital divide, international and regional cooperation, radio-frequency spectrum management, standards development and the dissemination of information – are of crucial importance for building the information society, as stated in § 64 of the Geneva Declaration of Principles;

d) that the Tunis Agenda stated that each United Nations agency should act according to its mandate and competencies, and pursuant to decisions of their respective governing bodies, and within existing approved resources (§ 102b);

e) the establishment of a United Nations Group on the Information Society (UNGIS) by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, at the request of the Summit, with the main objective of coordinating substantive and policy issues facing the United Nations' implementation of the WSIS outcomes, and that ITU is a permanent member of UNGIS, and shares a rotating chairmanship thereof;

f) that ITU, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are playing lead facilitation roles in the multistakeholder implementation of the Geneva Plan of Action and Tunis Agenda, as called upon by WSIS;

g) that ITU is the moderator/facilitator for WSIS Action Lines C2 (Information and communication infrastructure), C4 (Capacity building), C5 (Building confidence and security in the use of ICTs) and C6 (Enabling environment) of the Tunis Agenda, and a partner for a number of other action lines, as identified by WSIS;

h) that Resolution 200 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference endorsed the high-level strategic goals and targets set out in the strategic plan for the Union and global broadband targets to implement the Connect 2030 Agenda;

i) that ITU is given specific responsibility for maintaining the WSIS stocktaking database (§ 120 of the Tunis Agenda);

j) that ITU is capable of providing expertise relevant to the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) as demonstrated during the WSIS process (§ 78 a) of the Tunis Agenda);

k) that ITU has, inter alia, specific responsibility to study and report on international Internet connectivity (§§ 27 and 50 of the Tunis Agenda);

l) that ITU has a specific responsibility to ensure rational, efficient and economic use of, and equitable access to, the radio-frequency spectrum by all countries, based on relevant international agreements (§ 96 of the Tunis Agenda);

m) that "building an inclusive development-oriented information society will require unremitting multi-stakeholder effort … Taking into account the multifaceted nature of building the Information Society, effective cooperation among governments, private sector, civil society and the United Nations and other international organizations, according to their roles and responsibilities and leveraging on their expertise, is essential" (§ 83 of the Tunis Agenda);

n) that the vision of an information society cannot be achieved without embracing the principle of inclusiveness in all efforts to promote and achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,

considering further

a) that ITU and other international organizations should continue to cooperate and coordinate their activities where necessary for the global good;

b) the need for ITU to evolve constantly in response to changes in the telecommunication/ICT environment and, in particular, in respect of evolving new and emerging digital technologies and new regulatory challenges in order to ensure that the unconnected are connected;

c) the needs of developing countries[1], including in the areas of harnessing ICTs for sustainable development and bridging the digital divide, building telecommunication/ICT infrastructure that enables the growth of the digital economy, strengthening confidence and security in the use of telecommunications/ICTs and implementing the other WSIS goals;

d) the need for ITU to use its resources and expertise for implementation of the WSIS outcomes and achieving the SDGs;

e) the need to efficiently deploy the Union's human and financial resources in a manner consistent with the priorities of the membership and cognizant of budgetary constraints, and the need to avoid duplication among the Bureaux and the General Secretariat;

f) that the full involvement of the membership, including Sector Members, Associates and Academia, as well as other stakeholders, is critical to successful ITU implementation of relevant WSIS outcomes;

g) that the strategic plan for the Union for 2024-2027 set out in Resolution 71 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference contains a commitment to and priorities for implementation of the relevant WSIS outcomes and achievement of the SDGs;

h) that the ITU Council Working Group on WSIS and the SDGs (CWG-WSIS&SDG) has proven to be an effective mechanism for facilitating Member State inputs on the role of ITU in implementing WSIS outcomes and achievement of the SDGs;

i) that the ITU Secretary-General created the ITU WSIS/SDG Task Force, chaired by the Deputy Secretary-General, the role of which is to formulate strategies and coordinate ITU's policies and activities in relation to WSIS, taking into account the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

j) that the Council, at its 2016 session, resolved to use the WSIS framework as the foundation through which ITU helps achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, within ITU's mandate and within the resources allocated in the financial plan and biennial budget, noting the WSIS-SDG Matrix developed by United Nations agencies;

k) that the international community is invited to make voluntary contributions to the special trust fund set up by ITU to support activities relating to the implementation of WSIS outcomes;

l) that ITU is capable of providing expertise in the field of statistical work by developing ICT indicators, using appropriate indicators and benchmarking to track global progress, and measuring the digital divide (§§ 113-118 of the Tunis Agenda),

noting

a) the outcomes of the WSIS Forum, organized annually by ITU in collaboration with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), UNESCO and UNDP;

b) the recognition in UNGA Resolution 70/125 that the WSIS Forum has been a platform for discussion and sharing of best practices in the implementation of the WSIS outcomes by all stakeholders, and should continue to be held annually;

c) that the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, established at the invitation of the Secretary-General of ITU and the Director-General of UNESCO, re-evaluated and launched a new framework of targets for 2025 in support of "Connecting the Other Half" of the world's population, which aim to make broadband policy universal and to increase affordability and uptake in support of internationally agreed development goals, including the SDGs;

d) relevant Council resolutions on ITU's role in the implementation of the WSIS outcomes and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

e) the annual reports of the Secretary-General on ITU's contribution to implementation of the WSIS outcomes through CSTD to ECOSOC and the Council contribution to the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) on relevant ITU activities;

f) the relevant Sector resolutions on the role of the ITU Sectors in implementing the WSIS outcomes and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

g) the relevant results of the 2019-2022 sessions of the Council related to implementation of the WSIS outcomes and achieving the SDGs;

h) the outcomes of the WSIS Forum, CSTD, IGF and HLPF;

i) programmes, activities and regional activities established by WTDC-17 and WTDC-22 with the objective of bridging the digital divide,

taking into account

a) that WSIS acknowledged that multistakeholder participation is essential to the successful building of a people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented information society;

b) the relevant work already accomplished and/or to be carried out by ITU and reported to the Council, including annual reports on the activities of Council working groups on issues relevant to WSIS and the SDGs,

recognizing

a) that in the nearly two decades since the WSIS outcomes, ICTs have fundamentally transformed the world;

b) that infrastructure which is developed through investment and competition will lead to greater global connectivity and underpin the use of telecommunications/ICTs in achieving the SDGs and WSIS action lines;

c) that greater connectivity narrows the digital divide for all citizens, but in particular for vulnerable groups in remote and rural underserved communities, as well as for women and children;

d) that all stakeholders play an important part in developing and deploying telecommunications/ICTs in a manner that supports achievement of the SDGs, and in support of WSIS action lines, including C8, C9 and C10;

e) that the UNGA outcome document on the overall review of the implementation of the WSIS outcomes has substantial implications for the activities of ITU and calls for close alignment between the WSIS process and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, highlighting the cross-cutting contribution of ICTs to the SDGs and poverty eradication, and noting that access to ICTs has also become a development indicator and aspiration in and of itself;

f) that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has substantial implications for the activities of ITU;

g) that implementation of the WSIS outcomes will facilitate digital transformation and development of the digital economy and help achieve the SDGs, and the success of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will depend on increasing access to ICTs, connecting the unconnected and including the marginalized and vulnerable;

h) the importance of ITU's role and participation in UNGIS, as a permanent member, and sharing a rotating chairmanship;

i) ITU's commitment to implementation of the WSIS outcomes and achieving the SDGs, as one of the most important goals for the Union;

j) the essential role of telecommunications/ICTs to facilitate digital transformation and the development of the digital economy and help achieve the SDGs and other internationally agreed development goals[2];

k) that UNGA, in its Resolution 70/125, decided to hold a high-level meeting on the overall review of the implementation of the WSIS outcomes in 2025;

l) that CWG-WSIS&SDG initiated discussions on the role of ITU in the WSIS+20 review process and its preparations;

m) the Secretary-General's report on the WSIS+20 roadmap on the role of ITU in the WSIS+20 review process and its preparations that was presented to this conference;

n) that the WSIS action lines are crucial for advancing the achievement of the SDGs; hence, it is important to continue the alignment of the WSIS process with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in accordance with the WSIS-SDG Matrix;

o) that the WSIS Forum, which has proven to be an efficient medium for discussion of multistakeholder implementation activities, information exchange, creation of knowledge and sharing of best practices, provides a platform for consideration of the 20 years of implementation of the WSIS action lines;

p) the commitment of the Chairman of the WSIS Forum 2022 to the WSIS process,

recognizing further

that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has not only highlighted the critical role of ICTs in the continued functioning of societies but has also brought to the fore the significant digital divide between and within countries,

resolves

1 that ITU's role regarding implementation of the WSIS outcomes and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development should focus on telecommunications/ICTs, in accordance with ITU's mandate;

2 that ITU should play a leading facilitating role in the implementation of the WSIS outcomes and the realization of the WSIS vision, along with UNESCO and UNDP, as stated in § 109 of the Tunis Agenda;

3 that ITU should continue to coordinate WSIS Forums, World Telecommunication and Information Society Day and WSIS Prizes and maintain the WSIS Stocktaking database, as well as continuing to coordinate and support the activities of the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development;

4 that the WSIS Forum 2024 should be branded as WSIS+20 Forum High-level Event in Geneva and serve as a platform for the WSIS+20 review to provide multistakeholder discussions and to take stock of the achievements and key trends, challenges and opportunities since the Geneva Plan of Action;

5 that ITU should continue to play a lead facilitation role in the WSIS implementation process, as a moderator/facilitator for implementing WSIS Action Lines C2, C4, C5 and C6;

6 that ITU should allocate adequate resources to its activities, including WSIS staff and financial resources, to maintain effective implementation of the WSIS action lines and achieve the SDGs;

7 that ITU should continue its work on implementation of the WSIS outcomes and realization of the WSIS+10 Vision beyond 2015, carrying out those activities that come within its mandate and participating, together with other stakeholders, as appropriate;

8 that ITU should continue to use the WSIS framework as the foundation through which ITU helps achieve the SDGs, noting the WSIS-SDG Matrix developed by all United Nations WSIS action line facilitators, working through CWG-WSIS&SDG, including by:

i) updating its roadmaps for WSIS Action Lines C2, C4, C5 and C6 to take into account activities under way to also implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

ii) providing input, as appropriate, into the roadmaps/work plans for WSIS Action Lines C1, C3, C7, C8, C9 and C11, also related to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

9 that ITU should leverage the WSIS framework to leave no one offline, despite the setbacks brought about by pandemics;

10 that ITU should continue to adapt itself, taking into account technological developments and its potential to contribute significantly to building an inclusive information society and to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

11 that there is a need to integrate the implementation of the Kigali Action Plan and, in particular, Resolution 30 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of WTDC, and relevant resolutions of plenipotentiary conferences, with the multistakeholder implementation of the WSIS outcomes and achievement of the SDGs;

12 that ITU should continue to coordinate with the relevant United Nations organizations, where appropriate, to support the UNGA overall review of the WSIS outcomes in 2025 and to play an active role in the process according to ITU's WSIS+20 roadmap and the review process established by UNGA;

13 that the ITU Sectors, and in particular relevant study groups, should, when carrying out their activities, consider the work of CWG-WSIS&SDG[3] and other Council working groups on issues relevant to WSIS and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

14 that the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) shall give high priority to building information and communication infrastructure (WSIS Action Line C2), capacity building (WSIS Action Line C4), confidence and security in use of ICTs (WSIS Action Line C5), enabling environment (WSIS Action Line C6) and ICT applications (WSIS Action Line C7);

15 that ITU should submit a progress report concerning its implementation of the WSIS outcomes and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, noting the contribution of telecommunications/ICTs to digital transformation and the digital economy, to the plenipotentiary conference in 2026;

16 to continue ITU's work on implementation of the WSIS outcomes and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development using the WSIS-SDG Matrix;

17 that ITU should submit a report on the outcomes of the UNGA WSIS+20 overall review in 2025 to the Council and the plenipotentiary conference in 2026;

18 to continue to review the reporting and workplans of ITU, as a United Nations entity facilitating the implementation of the WSIS outcomes, to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to support ITU's role in implementing the WSIS outcomes and achievement of the SDGs;

2 to ensure that ITU activities related to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development are implemented through close alignment with the WSIS process and are conducted in accordance with its mandate, within established policies and procedures, and within the resources allocated in the financial plan and biennial budget;

3 to report annually to ECOSOC on progress made in implementation of the WSIS action lines for which ITU is the facilitator or co-facilitator, through CSTD, and to provide this report to CWG-WSIS&SDG;

4 to contribute annually on relevant ITU activities to HLPF, and provide the report to the Council through CWG-WSIS&SDG;

5 to provide annually to the Council a comprehensive report detailing the activities, actions and engagements that the Union is undertaking on these subjects, for consideration and decision;

6 to coordinate with relevant United Nations organizations, where appropriate, to implement ITU's WSIS+20 roadmap for the preparations for and conducting of the WSIS+20 review process and the WSIS process beyond 2025, consistent with UNGA's WSIS+20 preparatory process;

7 to invite UNGIS to align activities on developing the information society towards a knowledge society, based on results of the overall review of implementation of the WSIS outcomes and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

8 to continue to coordinate the WSIS Forum as a platform for discussion and sharing of best practices in the implementation of WSIS by all stakeholders, taking into consideration the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

9 to adjust the WSIS Stocktaking database and WSIS Prizes competitions in the light of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

10 to take into consideration the outputs of CWG-WSIS&SDG in WSIS/SDG Task Force activities;

11 to maintain the special WSIS trust fund to support ITU activities relating to facilitating ITU implementation of the WSIS outcomes through mechanisms including the establishment of partnerships and strategic alliances, and to invite the ITU membership to make voluntary contributions;

12 in accordance with ECOSOC Resolution 2022/15, to continue through existing processes to assess and report on a regular basis on the universal accessibility of nations to ICTs, with the aim of creating equitable opportunities for the growth of the ICT sectors of developing countries, as appropriate;

13 to emphasize the importance of allocating adequate resources to ITU's activities, including WSIS staff and financial resources, to maintain effective outcomes in the implementation of WSIS action lines for achieving the SDGs;

14 in accordance with UNGA Resolution 76/307, to engage actively on issues related to the mandate of ITU in the preparatory process of the United Nations Summit of the Future, to be held on 22-23 September 2024, in New York;

15 to engage actively in the preparatory process of the UNGA overall review of the implementation of the WSIS outcomes, to be held in 2025;

16 to prepare and present a WSIS+20 report on ITU's contribution to the implementation of and follow-up to the WSIS outcomes and its role in achieving the SDGs (2015-2025) for submission to the 2025 session of CSTD and UNGA, and to submit this report to the 2025 session of the Council through CWG-WSIS&SDG;

17 to prepare a report on the UNGA overall review of the implementation of the WSIS outcomes to the Council and to the plenipotentiary conference in 2026,

instructs the Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux

1 to take all necessary measures for ITU to fulfil its role, as outlined in resolves 1, 2, 3 and 4 above, in accordance with the appropriate roadmaps and coordinating through the WSIS/SDG Task Force, with the aim of avoiding duplication of work among the ITU Bureaux and the ITU General Secretariat;

2 to regularly update the roadmaps for ITU's activities within its mandate in regard to WSIS implementation taking into account the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, to be presented to the Council via CWG-WSIS&SDG;

3 to strengthen, involving, among others, the ITU regional and area offices, coordination and collaboration at the regional level with the United Nations regional economic commissions and the United Nations Regional Development Group, as well as all United Nations agencies, in particular those acting as facilitator for WSIS action lines, and other relevant regional organizations, especially in the field of telecommunications/ICTs, with the aim of:

i) aligning WSIS and SDG processes and their implementation as requested by UNGA Resolution 70/125;

ii) implementing ICTs for SDG actions through the United Nations' "Delivering as One" approach;

iii) incorporating ICTs in the United Nations development assistance frameworks;

iv) developing partnerships for implementation of inter-agency and multistakeholder projects, advancing the implementation of WSIS action lines and advancing achievement of the SDGs;

v) highlighting the importance of advocacy for ICTs in national sustainable development plans;

vi) strengthening regional input to the WSIS Forum, WSIS Prizes and WSIS Stocktaking;

4 to continue to raise public awareness of the Union's mandate, role and activities and provide broader access to the Union's resources for the general public and other actors involved in the emerging information society;

5 to prepare and submit a progress report on the ITU activities for WSIS/SDG implementation to the next plenipotentiary conference in 2026,

instructs the Directors of the Bureaux

1 to ensure that concrete objectives and deadlines (using results-based management processes) for WSIS and SDG activities are developed and reflected in the operational plans of each Sector;

2 in close inter-Sectoral collaboration, to take into account the impact of ITU's work in telecommunications/ICTs related to digital transformation on the growth of the digital economy, in line with the WSIS framework, and provide assistance to the membership upon request;

3 to provide CWG-WSIS&SDG with a comprehensive summary of their Sector's activities on implementation of the WSIS outcomes and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including emerging trends;

4 in implementing the WSIS outcomes and achieving SDGs, within the mandate of their Sector, to pay special attention to the needs of developing countries;

5 to submit contributions to the relevant annual reports of the ITU Secretary-General on these activities,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

to follow, as soon as possible and in accordance with Resolution 30 (Rev. Kigali, 2022), a partnership approach in ITU-D activities related to its roles in the implementation of and follow-up to the WSIS outcomes and achieving the SDGs, with particular attention to the needs of developing countries, in accordance with the provisions of the ITU Constitution and ITU Convention, and to report annually, as appropriate, to the Council,

requests the ITU Council

1 to oversee, consider and discuss, as appropriate, ITU's work on implementation of the WSIS outcomes and achievement of the SDGs and related ITU activities, and, within the financial limits set by the Plenipotentiary Conference, to make resources available as appropriate;

2 to oversee ITU's adaptation to the information society, in line with resolves 7 above;

3 to maintain CWG-WSIS&SDG, in order to facilitate membership input and guidance on ITU's implementation of relevant WSIS outcomes and its activities to help achieve the SDGs;

4 to take into account the UNGA decisions relevant to the WSIS process, including the WSIS+20 overall review, and achieving the SDGs;

5 to provide to the UNGA WSIS+20 overall review a final report on ITU's role in implementation of the WSIS outcomes, in accordance with the review process established by UNGA;

6 to continue to report annually on relevant ITU activities to HLPF through the mechanisms established by UNGA Resolution 70/1;

7 to include the report of the Secretary-General in the documents sent to Member States in accordance with No. 81 of the Convention;

8 to consider the outcomes of the UNGA overall review of the implementation of the WSIS outcomes and take appropriate actions;

9 to examine, with the involvement of the other facilitators/moderators and stakeholders, possible approaches to financing and maintaining a WSIS Forum website, available, wholly or in part, in at least the six official languages of the United Nations (ensuring equal functionality), to invite the secretariat to report to the Council annually on the progress made in this examination and to present a final report to the next plenipotentiary conference;

10 to review and improve, through CWG-WSIS&SDG:

i) the ITU activities related to implementation of the WSIS outcomes and achievement of the SDGs;

ii) the WSIS Prizes rules and guidelines to facilitate the participation of all stakeholders, using the six official languages of the Union, make them more effective and simpler and serve the interest of all stakeholders;

iii) promotion of the winners of WSIS Prizes throughout the United Nations activities related to WSIS and the SDGs,

invites Member States, Sector Members, Associates and Academia

1 to participate actively in implementing the WSIS outcomes and achieving the SDGs, contribute to the WSIS Forum and WSIS Stocktaking database maintained by ITU and WSIS Prizes, and participate actively in the activities of CWG-WSIS&SDG and in ITU's further adaptation in order to build an inclusive information society and achieve the SDGs;

2 to participate actively in ITU WSIS implementation activities to support achieving the SDGs, including those related to digital transformation, which fosters sustainable growth of the digital economy;

3 to support, through relevant United Nations processes, the synergies and institutional linkages between WSIS and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, taking into account the WSIS-SDG Matrix, so as to continue strengthening the impact of ICTs for sustainable development and their contribution towards development of the digital economy;

4 to make voluntary contributions to the special trust fund set up by ITU to support activities relating to the implementation of WSIS outcomes;

5 to continue to contribute information on their activities to the public WSIS Stocktaking database maintained by ITU;

6 to contribute to and closely collaborate with the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development as an international, multistakeholder initiative to improve the availability and quality of ICT data and indicators, particularly in developing countries;

7 to submit contributions and actively participate in ITU's preparations for the review of the implementation of the WSIS outcomes;

8 to participate in and support the UNGA WSIS+20 overall review in 2025,

expresses

its warmest thanks and deepest gratitude to the Governments of Switzerland and Tunisia for having hosted the two phases of the Summit in close collaboration with ITU, UNESCO, UNCTAD and other relevant United Nations agencies.

(Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

[2] Buenos Aires Declaration, 2017.

[3] See requests the ITU Council 3 below.

RESOLUTION 143 (REV. GUADALAJARA, 2010)

Extending the provisions in ITU documents relating to developing
countries[1] to apply to countries with economies in transition

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Guadalajara, 2010),

recalling

Resolution 143 (Antalya, 2006) of the Plenipotentiary Conference,

taking into account

a) United Nations General Assembly Resolutions 47/187 of 22 December 1992, 48/181 of 21 December 1993, 49/106 of 19 December 1994, 51/175 of 6 December 1996, 53/179 of 15 December 1998, 55/191 of 20 December 2000, 57/247 of 20 December 2002 and 59/243 of 22 December 2004, on integration of the economies in transition into the world economy;

b) the relevant documents adopted in the two phases of the World Summit on the Information Society,

recognizing

that the aforementioned United Nations General Assembly resolutions:

– stress the importance of continued international assistance to countries with economies in transition to ensure that they are fully integrated into the world economy;

– continue to recognize, in particular, the need to enhance the capacity of those countries to utilize effectively the benefits of globalization, including those in the field of information and communication technologies, and to respond more adequately to its challenges;

– stress the need to focus international assistance to countries with economies in transition on those facing particular difficulties in socio-economic development and meeting internationally agreed development goals, including those contained in the United Nations Millennium Declaration,

recalling

that, at the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (Johannesburg, 2008) and the World Telecommunication Development Conference (Hyderabad, 2010), agreement was reached to the effect that provisions of documents of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector, the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector and the ITU Radiocommunication Sector relating to developing countries would henceforth be extended to apply also to countries with economies in transition,

resolves

that the provisions in all ITU documents relating to developing countries shall be extended, as defined in this resolution, to apply adequately to countries with economies in transition.

(Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 144 (REV. BUSAN, 2014)

Availability of model host-country agreements in advance for
conferences and assemblies of the Union held away from Geneva

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Busan, 2014),

recalling

a) the relevant provisions of the General Rules of conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union, particularly:

– sections 1, 2 and 3 of Chapter I thereof concerning the holding of conferences and assemblies when there is an inviting government; and

– section 12 of Chapter II thereof concerning the setting up of committees;

b) the relevant provisions of Article 5 of the ITU Convention concerning duties and responsibilities of the General Secretariat, and particularly No. 97, which provides that the Secretary-General shall provide, where appropriate in cooperation with the inviting government, the secretariat of conferences of the Union;

c) Resolution 5 (Kyoto, 1994) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, which considers that there are advantages in holding certain conferences and meetings in countries other than the headquarters country;

d) that Resolution 5 (Kyoto, 1994) resolves that invitations to hold conferences and assemblies of the Union away from Geneva should not be accepted unless the host government agrees to defray the additional expenditure involved;

e) that Resolution 5 (Kyoto, 1994) resolves that invitations to hold development conferences and meetings of the study groups of the Sectors away from Geneva should not be accepted unless the host government provides at least adequate premises and the necessary furniture and equipment free of charge, except that in the case of developing countries[1] equipment need not necessarily be provided free of charge by the host government, if the government so requests;

f) that Resolution 175 (Rev. Busan, 2014) of this conference resolves to take account of persons with disabilities in the work of ITU,

considering

a) that the conferences and assemblies of the Union have high importance due to the powers conferred on them and the effects they have;

b) that it is important to remove barriers that limit the participation of persons with disabilities;

c) that webcasting and captioning are invaluable tools, which benefit persons with disabilities and specific needs;

d) that the precise place and exact dates of conferences and assemblies must be fixed in accordance with the provisions of Articles 1 and 3 of the Convention, following consultations with the inviting government;

e) that the decision to accept an invitation to hold a conference or assembly of the Union away from Geneva is usually taken by the ITU Council;

f) that preparations for conferences and assemblies require extensive work, which includes various installations and facilities as well as the planning and organization of logistic services in a timely fashion for the smooth functioning of the conference or assembly;

g) that, when there is an inviting government, the General Secretariat defines the conditions and requirements of the conference or assembly in a host-country agreement and annexes thereto,

considering, however

a) that past and current experience demonstrates that host-country agreements show significant variations not only from one conference or assembly to another, but also for different host countries;

b) that host-country agreements and their annexes require the inviting government to deploy the necessary financial and human resources for the preparatory work;

c) that requirements for the inviting governments usually differ from the facilities provided by ITU for conferences and assemblies held and organized by ITU in Geneva, resulting in additional effort and expenditures;

d) that the conditions attached to host-country agreements and annexes thereto are of significance in the decision-making process of a government considering whether to invite and host a conference or assembly of the Union;

e) that the availability of the texts of the host-country agreement and annexes thereto well in advance of a conference or assembly will not only increase transparency but also will serve as a measure for the Union to accept the invitation and for the governments to take a decision on an invitation to hold a conference or assembly;

f) that, as things stand at present, finalization of the complete text of the host-country agreement and its annexes takes a long time, which in turn leaves the inviting government very little time to not only complete the domestic ratification procedures but also fulfil all the commitments and requirements laid down in the above-mentioned texts,

recognizing

national sovereignty and the different national laws of the Member States,

resolves

that model host-country agreements and the annexes thereto, including the requirements in terms of basic infrastructure, taking into account the needs of persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs, including accessible facilities, arrangements for webcasting facilities and captioning (including transcripts of the captioning), when convening conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union, as articulated in Chapter II, Section 12 ("Setting up of committees") of the General Rules of conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union, considering the financial and technical limitations, shall be provided at least two years before the proposed date of any conference or assembly, in order to facilitate the work of Member States wishing to offer to host the conference or assembly under well-defined conditions,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to prepare model host-country agreements and the annexes thereto, including the requirements in terms of basic infrastructure, for each of the conferences and assemblies of the Union, at least two years before the proposed date of the conference or assembly;

2 to submit the model of host-country agreements and the annexes thereto to the Council, for consideration and adoption of any measures that may be appropriate;

3 to provide the model host-country agreements and the annexes thereto, including the requirements in terms of basic infrastructure, to the Member States before any decision is taken concerning the selection of the host country for the conference or assembly,

instructs the Council

to review and adopt, at its first session after they have been made available, model host-country agreements and the annexes thereto, including the requirements in terms of basic infrastructure and arrangements for webcasting facilities and captioning (including transcripts of the captioning) for each of the conferences and assemblies of the Union, and to adopt any measures that may be appropriate.

(Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Busan, 2014)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 145 (ANTALYA, 2006)

Participation of observers in conferences, assemblies
and meetings of the Union

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Antalya, 2006),

considering

a) the long-standing practice of the Union to admit observers to its conferences, assemblies and meetings, including conferences which produce final acts, and to the Council;

b) that the rights of participation accorded to observers under the basic texts and in practice vary depending upon the character of the organization or entity, its status within ITU, and the category of meeting[1];

c) the need expressed by Member States for enhanced transparency in the proceedings of ITU meetings and in their decision-making processes;

d) the importance of ensuring the accountability of the Council to the Member States of the Union;

e) the corresponding need for consistency in the application of the rules regarding the participation of observers throughout the decision-making processes at meetings of the Union,

noting

a) the rights and obligations of Member States and Sector Members set out in Article 3 of the ITU Constitution and, in particular, that the right to vote in all ITU conferences, assemblies and meetings is strictly limited to Member States;

b) the provisions of Article 33 of the ITU Convention regarding the obligation of Member States, Sector Members and other entities to share in defraying the expenses of ITU conferences, assemblies and meetings, and the associated Financial Regulations,

taking into account

the rights of observers specified in Resolution 6 (Kyoto, 1994) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, on the attendance of liberation organizations recognized by the United Nations at ITU conferences and meetings as observers, and Resolution 99 (Rev. Antalya, 2006) of this conference, on the status of Palestine in ITU, and the rights of the United Nations, as contained in the Agreement between the United Nations and ITU (Atlantic City, 1947) which is the legal basis for the relationship between the two organizations,

recognizing

a) that Member States may send observers to a regional radiocommunication conference (RRC) of a region other than that to which the said Member States belong in order to participate in a non-voting capacity;

b) that the provisions of the Convention identify the organizations, agencies and entities which may participate as observers in an advisory capacity in specific conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union;

c) that other organizations and entities, as specified in the Convention, may send observers to conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union;

d) that Member States which are not Member States of the Council may send observers to meetings of the Council and that, in accordance with No. 61B of the Convention, the Council adopts its own Rules of Procedure,

recognizing further

a) the decision of the Plenipotentiary Conference (Marrakesh, 2002) concerning the participation of observers from the United Nations and the specialized agencies of the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency in ITU radiocommunication conferences, which recognizes the long-standing practice of the Union to allow these organizations to submit information documents and provide advice to meetings on points relevant to their mandates;

b) that important information may be provided to ITU conferences, assemblies and meetings by observers and that the results of these meetings may impose obligations on Member States;

c) that the General Rules of conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union, and in particular Nos 61 and 62 thereof, task the chairmen of such conferences, assemblies and meetings with the duty to protect the rights of delegations and to ensure the smooth functioning of meetings according to the Rules of Procedure of conferences, assemblies and meetings,

resolves

1 that Member States from outside the region of an RRC participate, in accordance with the Convention, in a non-voting capacity, as observer Member States, and that their participation shall be guided by the General Rules and, in addition, by the terms of Annex 1 to this resolution;

2 that the participation of organizations and entities which, in accordance with the Convention, participate as observers in an advisory capacity in specific conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union shall be guided by the terms set out in Annex 2 to this resolution;

3 that the participation of other observers in conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union shall be guided by the terms of Annex 3 to this resolution;

4 that the terms of the annexes referred to in resolves 1 to 3 above shall be without prejudice to the terms of Resolution 6 (Kyoto, 1994) and Resolution 99 (Rev. Antalya, 2006), as well as the provisions of the Agreement between the United Nations and ITU,

instructs the Council

1 to ensure that its Rules of Procedure are compatible with the provisions of the basic texts of the Union and, in particular, with the terms and principles of this resolution;

2 to ensure that its Rules of Procedure are consistently applied for all meetings of the Council, including its committees and any groups that may be established, unless participation beyond that of Member States of the Council is clearly set out in a specific decision of the Council,[2]

instructs the Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux

to develop or revise, as appropriate, the necessary guidelines or administrative procedures in order to rationalize and facilitate the participation of observers on a basis consistent with the basic instruments, the General Rules and the terms of this resolution,

further instructs the Secretary-General

in consultation with the Directors of the Bureaux, to report to the Council on the implementation of this resolution, highlighting any difficulty that may be encountered.

(Antalya, 2006)

ANNEX 1 TO RESOLUTION 145 (ANTALYA, 2006)

Observers of Member States participating in a non-voting
capacity at a regional radiocommunication conference
(Article 24, No. 282 of the ITU Convention)

Such observers:

1) are admitted to participate in plenary meetings;

2) are admitted to participate in committees and their subsidiary groups, with the exception of the steering, budget control, credentials and editorial committees;

3) are entitled to receive all conference documentation within any restrictions established for the number of copies distributed;

4) may submit information documents via the Secretary-General, which shall be made available to the conference in the ITU official language(s) in which they are submitted; these documents shall be clearly referenced as information documents on the appropriate meeting agendas;

5) may request the floor in order to provide advice or information concerning the interests of the Member States of other regions with respect to conference agenda items; such advice shall not include or be treated as proposals;

6) are to be given the floor by the chairman after the last Member State of the region on the list of speakers;

7) may be asked by the chairman during the course of a meeting to make a statement or to provide relevant information in order to assist the proceedings;

8) are to be registered in such a manner as to be identifiable by conference participants as Member State observers;

9) are to be seated in French alphabetical order after Member States of the region.

ANNEX 2 TO RESOLUTION 145 (ANTALYA, 2006)

Observers which participate in an advisory capacity

The following rights shall be conferred on the organizations, agencies and entities which are admitted to participate as observers in an advisory capacity in conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union in accordance with relevant provisions of the ITU Convention:

I Plenipotentiary conferences (Article 23, Nos 269A to 269D), radiocommunication conferences (Article 24, Nos 278 and 279) and world conferences on international telecommunications (Article 3, No. 49; Article 24, Nos 278 and 279)

Such observers:

1) are admitted to participate in plenary meetings;

2) unless otherwise decided by the plenary meeting, may be admitted to participate in committees and their subsidiary groups, with the exception of the steering, budget control, credentials and editorial committees;

3) are entitled to receive all conference documentation within any restrictions established for the number of copies distributed;

4) may submit information documents via the Secretary-General, which shall be made available to the conference in the ITU official language(s) in which they are submitted; these documents shall be clearly referenced as information documents on the appropriate meeting agendas;

5) may request the floor in order to provide advice or information on points relevant to their mandates; such advice shall not include or be treated as proposals;

6) are to be given the floor by the chairman after the last Member State on the list of speakers;

7) may be asked by the chairman during the course of a meeting to make a statement or to provide relevant information in order to assist the proceedings;

8) are to be registered in such a manner as to be identifiable by conference participants as observers;

9) are to be seated in French alphabetical order after Member States and the observer pursuant to Resolution 99 (Rev. Antalya, 2006) of the Plenipotentiary Conference.

In the case of a radiocommunication conference or a world conference on international telecommunications, participants from those organizations that have both the status of Sector Member and that of observer in an advisory capacity must register and participate in a single category.

II Radiocommunication assemblies, world telecommunication standardization assemblies and telecommunication development conferences (Article 25, Nos 298A to 298E)[3]

Such observers:

1) are admitted to participate in plenary meetings;

2) unless otherwise decided by the plenary meeting, may be admitted to participate in committees and their subsidiary groups, with the exception of the steering, budget control and editorial committees;

3) are entitled to receive all conference or assembly documentation within any restrictions established for the number of copies distributed;

4) may submit information documents via the Secretary-General which shall be made available to the conference or assembly/in the ITU official language(s) in which they are submitted; these documents shall be clearly referenced as information documents on the appropriate meeting agendas;

5) may request the floor in these meetings in order to provide advice or information on points relevant to their mandates; such advice shall not include or be treated as proposals;

6) are to be given the floor by the chairman after the last Member State or Sector Member on the list of speakers;

7) may be asked by the chairman during the course of a meeting to make a statement or to provide relevant information in order to assist the proceedings;

8) are to be registered in such a manner as to be identifiable by conference or assembly participants as observers;

9) are to be seated in French alphabetical order after Member States, the observer pursuant to Resolution 99 (Rev. Antalya, 2006) and Sector Members.

Participants from an organization which may participate as an observer in an advisory capacity and which also has the status of ITU Sector Member in the relevant Sector must register either as an observer or as a representative of a Sector Member.

III Sector-level meetings

Based on long-standing practice, the participation in ITU Sector meetings such as study groups or their subordinate groups by those organizations which have no status in ITU other than that of observers in an advisory capacity may include the submission of contributions and oral interventions in meetings.

ANNEX 3 TO RESOLUTION 145 (ANTALYA, 2006)

Observers which do not participate in an advisory capacity

The following rights shall be conferred on the organizations and entities which are admitted to participate as observers in conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the ITU Convention:

I Plenipotentiary conferences (Article 23, No. 269E)

Such observers:

1) are admitted to attend plenary meetings;

2) unless otherwise decided by the plenary meeting, may be admitted to attend committees and their subsidiary groups, with the exception of the steering, budget control, credentials and editorial committees;

3) are entitled to receive all conference documentation within any restrictions established for the number of copies distributed;

4) may be asked by the chairman during the course of a meeting in order to provide relevant information to assist the proceedings;

5) are to be seated in French alphabetical order after other participants.

II Radiocommunication conferences (Article 24, No. 280) and world conferences on international telecommunications (Article 3, No. 49; Article 24, No. 280; Article 33, No. 476)

Such observers:

1) are admitted to attend plenary meetings;

2) unless otherwise decided by the plenary meeting, may be admitted to attend committees and their subsidiary groups, with the exception of the steering, budget control, credentials and editorial committees;

3) are entitled to receive all conference documentation within any restrictions established for the number of copies distributed;

4) may be asked by the chairman during the course of a meeting to provide relevant information in order to assist the proceedings or to make a statement but shall not be authorized to participate in the debates;

5) are to be seated in French alphabetical order after other participants.

[1] Conference, assembly or meeting, as appropriate.

[2] The possibility for observers to attend, where appropriate, committees or groups of a Council session is provided by Council Decision 524 relating to observers from Member States and Decision 519 relating to observers from Sector Members. The Plenipotentiary Conference endorses the content of these decisions. Furthermore, past practice concerning participation in groups created by the Council beyond that of Member States of the Council has proven useful.

[3] Upon the entry into force of the amendments to the Convention, as adopted by the Plenipotentiary Conference (Antalya, 2006), the reference shall read “Article 25, Nos 297bis and 298C”.

RESOLUTION 146 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Periodic review of the International Telecommunication Regulations

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) Article 25 of the ITU Constitution, on world conferences on international telecommunications (WCIT);

b) No. 48 in Article 3 of the ITU Convention, on other conferences and assemblies;

c) that recognizing e) of Resolution 4 (Dubai, 2012) of WCIT, on periodic review of the International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs) states that "the ITRs consist of high-level guiding principles that should not require frequent amendment, but in the fast-moving sector of telecommunications/ICTs may need to be periodically reviewed";

d) the final report of the Expert Group on the ITRs (EG-ITR),

resolves

to continue consideration of issues relating to the ITRs, including their review,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to reconvene an EG-ITR, open to the ITU Member States and Sector Members, with terms of reference and working methods established by the ITU Council;

2 to submit the report of EG-ITR on the outcome of the review to the Council for consideration, publication and subsequent submission to the 2026 plenipotentiary conference,

instructs the ITU Council

1 to review and revise, at its 2023 session, the terms of reference for EG-ITR referred to in instructs the Secretary-General 1 above;

2 to examine the reports of EG-ITR at its annual sessions and submit the final report of EG-ITR to the 2026 plenipotentiary conference with the Council's comments,

instructs the Directors of the Bureaux

1 each within their field of competence, with advice from the relevant advisory group, to contribute to the activities of EG-ITR, recognizing that the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector has most of the work relevant to the ITRs;

2 to submit the results of their work to EG-ITR;

3 to consider providing fellowships, where resources are available, for developing[1] and least developed countries according to the list established by the United Nations, in order to widen their participation in the expert group,

invites Member States and Sector Members

to participate in and contribute to the activities of EG-ITR,

invites the 2026 plenipotentiary conference

to consider the EG-ITR report and take necessary action, as appropriate.

(Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 148 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Tasks and functions of the Deputy Secretary-General

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

considering

a) that Resolution 108 (Marrakesh, 2002) of the Plenipotentiary Conference called upon the ITU Council to establish a working group open to participation by Member States, charged with:

i) examining the functioning of the Coordination Committee, including the tasks of the Deputy Secretary-General and the role of the other elected officials;

ii) submitting to the Council a report containing, in particular, the draft texts that could be necessary in the event of amendment of the ITU Constitution or ITU Convention and which could be used by Member States in preparing their proposals in that regard to the next plenipotentiary conference;

b) that the tasks and functions of the Deputy Secretary-General are not expressly enumerated in the basic instruments of the Union,

noting

that the Council, at its 2003 session, established a working group to consider this matter,

further noting

a) that the Secretary-General is responsible for the overall management of the resources of the Union;

b) that the Secretary-General should partially delegate the management functions of the Union to the Deputy Secretary-General,

having examined

the report of the Council Working Group on Resolution 108, which was submitted to the Council at its ordinary session in 2005,

recognizing

the need to make optimal use of the position of the Deputy Secretary-General in the management of the Union,

resolves

that, in the interests of greater transparency and efficiency in the management of the Union, the tasks of the Deputy Secretary-General, consistent with the basic instruments, should be set out in order to create clear operational and management responsibilities,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to prepare specific directives on the tasks delegated to the Deputy Secretary-General, in accordance with Article 11 of the Constitution and Article 5 of the Convention, and submit them to the next ordinary session of the Council for its consideration, as appropriate;

2 to issue clear and specific directives on the tasks delegated to the Deputy Secretary-General, and make them available to the membership of the Union, as well as to the staff of ITU,

further instructs the Secretary-General

to communicate any changes to the directives on the tasks delegated to the Deputy Secretary-General in accordance with instructs the Secretary-General above.

(Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

RESOLUTION 150 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Approval of the accounts of the Union for the years 2018-2021

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

considering

a) No. 53 of the ITU Constitution;

b) the report of the ITU Council to this conference in Document PP-22/54, relating to the financial management of the Union during the years 2018-2021, and the report of the Administration and Management Committee of this conference (Document PP-22/157),

resolves

to give its final approval of the accounts of the Union for the years 2018-2021.

(Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

RESOLUTION 151 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Improvement of results-based management in ITU

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

considering

a) Decision 5 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, which indicates the resource limitations for the period 2024-2027 and specifies goals and objectives in regard to improving the efficiency of ITU activities;

b) Resolution 48 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, which resolves that human resources management and development in ITU should continue to be compatible with the mission, values, goals and activities of the Union and the United Nations common system;

c) Resolution 71 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, which sets out strategic goals and objectives for the Union in a results-based management (RBM) framework;

d) Resolution 191 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, which instructs the Secretary-General to continue enhancing a coordination and cooperation strategy for effective and efficient efforts in areas of mutual interest to the three ITU Sectors and the General Secretariat, in order to avoid duplication of effort and optimize the use of resources of the Union;

e) resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and reports of the United Nations Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) setting out the paradigm for and approach to management reform within the United Nations, in particular UNGA Resolution 72/266 B, on shifting the management paradigm in the United Nations, and the United Nations Secretary-General's report (Document A/72/492), on shifting the management paradigm in the United Nations: ensuring a better future for all, which sets the objective of decentralizing by bringing decision-making closer to the point of delivery; trusting and empowering managers; ensuring accountability and transparency; reducing duplicative structures and overlapping mandates; increasing support for the field; and reforming the planning and budget processes,

noting

a) that ITU must, using accumulated experience, identify and apply the most efficient organizational management methods in the new and constantly changing conditions in the field of telecommunications/information and communication technologies (ICTs) and in society;

b) that the concept of RBM includes the development of indicators to monitor and assess progress and achievement of expected results of activities as well as to increase transparency and accountability of the Union as a whole,

recognizing

a) that continued implementation of results-based budgeting (RBB) and RBM at ITU, in connection with the increasing complexity of the content and links between processes carried out within the Union, entails further culture change with the aim of evaluating results achieved, and not only monitoring the performance of functions, and staff involvement at all levels to apply the concepts and terminology of RBM to planning, management and reporting;

b) that RBM requires a strategy linked to changing the way United Nations system agencies operate, with improving performance (achieving specific results) as the central orientation;

c) that improvements in the RBM system require a constant process of planning, programming, RBB, contract management, monitoring and evaluation; delegation of authority and accountability; and using staff performance indicators;

d) that linkage of the strategic, financial and operational plans of the Union is an integral part of RBM and that effective monitoring mechanisms are needed to ensure that the ITU Council can monitor progress in this area,

recognizing further

the need to implement JIU recommendations endorsed by the Council, as contained in JIU Reports 2016/1: Review of management and administration in ITU and 2019/4: Review of change management in United Nations system organizations, and other relevant JIU documents, taking into account the value of RBM in the United Nations system,

emphasizing

a) that the purpose of RBM and RBB is to increase the effectiveness of activities, both of individual staff members and of the Union as a whole; and to carry out more effective monitoring of decision-making and use of resources;

b) that RBM and RBB help to ensure that high-priority ITU activities are adequately resourced in order to efficiently achieve planned results,

resolves to instruct the Secretary-General and the Directors of the three Bureaux

1 to continue to improve processes and methodologies associated with the full implementation of RBM and RBB at the levels of processing and implementation, including improvements in the presentation of the biennial budgets on an ongoing basis;

2 to continue to develop a comprehensive ITU results framework to support implementation of the strategic, financial and operational plans and budget and increase the capability of the Union's membership to assess progress in the achievement of ITU goals, and for this purpose to:

i) set out the activities of the Union, the objectives of those activities and the associated resources and results;

ii) monitor implementation of the interlinked plans using a comprehensive performance-monitoring framework to enable ITU to evaluate progress;

iii) continually improve the efficiency of all activities by eliminating duplication, taking into account complementarity between the activities of ITU and those of other relevant international and regional telecommunication/ICT organizations in accordance with the mandate of ITU;

iv) ensure transparency of reporting by publishing detailed information, including all costs incurred in the use or deployment of financial and human resources (external or internal);

v) further develop the risk-management system at the ITU level, in the context of RBM, including continuing to work on mitigation measures to ensure that contributions from the ITU membership and other financial resources are used to best advantage;

vi) monitor the status of the components of the new ITU Accountability Framework, endorsed by the Council at its 2022 session, and evaluate their efficiency and efficacy with a view to further improving the framework; and identify improved accountability methods and incorporate them into the framework if they are approved by the Council;

3 to prepare their coordinated and consolidated operational plans reflecting their linkages with the strategic and financial plans of the Union as set out, respectively, in Resolution 71 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) and Decision 5 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022), for annual review by the Council Working Group on financial and human resources and the Sector advisory groups and for approval by the Council;

4 to provide to conferences and assemblies the necessary information from all new financial and planning mechanisms available so as to enable them to estimate the financial implications of decisions taken at conferences and assemblies, and to assist Member States in preparing cost estimates for any proposals to all conferences and assemblies of the Union, taking into account the provisions of Article 34 of the ITU Convention;

5 to make steady progress in increasing the capacity, skill level and participation of ITU staff in RBM in accordance with Resolution 48 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022), and reflect the relevant results in the report on staff issues;

6 to make appropriate proposals relating to RBM and RBB for consideration by the Council, with a view to introducing changes in the ITU Financial Regulations and Financial Rules, taking into account the views of Member States and the recommendations of the Sector advisory groups, as well as of the internal and external auditors and the Independent Management Advisory Committee;

7 to ensure, as part of the Coordination Committee's standing activities, coherence and avoidance of duplication among the operational plans and biennial budgets, for review by the Council, while identifying particular measures and elements to be included;

8 to monitor on a yearly basis implementation of resolutions of the Plenipotentiary Conference following the 2022 plenipotentiary conference and to prepare an annual report to the Council, within the framework of the annual report on implementation of the strategic plan and activities of the Union (ITU Annual Progress Report),

instructs the Secretary-General

to report annually to the Council on the implementation of this resolution,

instructs the ITU Council

1 to continue to take appropriate action to ensure further development and appropriate implementation of RBM and RBB at ITU;

2 to examine and, if necessary, approve the improved accountability methods identified pursuant to resolves to instruct the Secretary-General and the Directors of the three Bureaux 2 vi) above for incorporation into the new ITU Accountability Framework, endorsed by the Council at its 2022 session, with a view to further improving the framework;

3 to monitor the implementation of this resolution at each subsequent session of the Council and to report to the next plenipotentiary conference,

encourages Member States

to liaise with the secretariat at an early stage in developing proposals that have financial implications so that the work plan and associated resource requirements can be identified and, to the greatest extent practicable, included in such proposals.

(Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

RESOLUTION 152 (REV. BUSAN, 2014)

Improvement of management and follow-up of the defrayal
of ITU expenses by Sector Members and Associates

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Busan, 2014),

considering

a) the report to the ITU Council by the Secretary-General in Document C11/21, noting improvements brought about by the implementation of Resolution 152 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, while also requesting flexibility when addressing the strict timelines found in resolves 6 resolution;

b) that Council-11, as reported in § 4.7 of Document C11/120, approved granting the Secretary-General flexibility for one year regarding the implementation of that resolution, with the Secretary-General to report to Council-12 on progress achieved, and that such flexibility was extended for an additional one year by each successive Council,

considering further

the reports accordingly presented by the Secretary-General to Council-12 in Document C12/10, Council-13 in Document C13/14 and Council-14 in Document C14/14,

noting

the provisions of Article 33 of the ITU Convention regarding the obligations of Member States, Sector Members and other entities in respect of defraying the expenses of the Union and the financial consequences of denunciation,

noting further

the amendments made to No. 240 of the Convention that denunciation shall take effect at the end of six months from the date when notification is received by the Secretary-General,

recognizing

a) the rapid pace of the market and the financial realities faced by private-sector entities;

b) that it is essential to retain and attract more Sector Members and Associates, having regard to their invaluable contribution to the work of the Union;

c) that there is a need to ensure better follow-up and oversight of financial matters relating to Sector Members and Associates, on the part of both ITU and the Member States, in order to ensure increased stability in the finances of the Union;

d) that the rules and procedures regarding the oversight of financial matters relating to Sector Members and Associates should be amended so as to be flexible and effective, and hence fully enforceable,

recognizing further

that a better collection rate and a significant reduction in debts of Sector Members and Associates have resulted from the flexibility granted by the Council to the Secretary-General with regard to the application of Resolution 152 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) in respect of recovery of arrears, negotiation of payment conditions, and special terms and conditions for acquisitions,

resolves

1 that simple changes of name and address of Sector Members or Associates shall be handled administratively, without charge;

2 that, in the case of a merger between Sector Members or Associates of the same Sector, duly notified to the Secretary-General, No. 240 of the Convention shall not apply and shall thus not have the effect of requiring the Sector Member or the Associate resulting from the merger to pay more than one contribution for its participation in the work of the Sector concerned;

3 that every new Sector Member or Associate shall, in respect of the year of its accession or admission, pay in advance a contribution calculated as from the first day of the month of accession or admission, as the case may be;

4 that annual contributions for existing Sector Members or existing Associates will be invoiced in advance and no later than 15 September each year;

5 that annual contributions for existing Sector Members or existing Associates become due for payment on 31 March each year;

6 that, in the event of late payment, suspension of participation in ITU should, in the case of a Sector Member or Associate, occur six months (180 days) after the date on which payment of the annual contribution was due, and in the absence of a negotiated and agreed repayment schedule, exclusion of a Sector Member or an Associate on grounds of non-payment should occur three months (90 days) after the date of receipt of the notification of suspension;

7 that, with a view to retaining members and recovering past debts owed, the Secretary-General may have flexibility in implementing resolves 6 of this resolution and negotiating repayment plans with Sector Members and Associates;

8 that Sector Members and Associates can be readmitted to the Union under the usual conditions and upon payment of membership contributions;

9 that any difficulty (e.g. non-payment, mail returned due to lack of information regarding a new address) shall be immediately notified to the Member State which endorsed the Sector Member or the Associate,

instructs the Secretary-General

in consultation with the Directors of the Bureaux, to continue to report to the Council on the implementation of this resolution, highlighting any difficulty that may be encountered and proposing further improvements, as appropriate,

instructs the Council

to take appropriate measures to facilitate the implementation of this resolution,

invites Member States

as appropriate, to continue to participate actively in the follow-up and oversight of financial matters relating to Sector Members and Associates.

(Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014)

RESOLUTION 154 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Use of the six official languages of the Union on an equal footing

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

referring to

a) United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 76/268, on multilingualism;

b) Article 29 of the ITU Constitution and Article 35 of the ITU Convention, on the official languages of the Union;

c) Resolution 66 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on documents and publications of the Union;

d) Resolution 165 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, on deadlines for the submission of proposals and procedures for the registration of participants for conferences and assemblies of the Union;

e) Resolution 168 (Guadalajara, 2010) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, on translation of ITU recommendations;

f) Decision 5 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on revenue and expenses for the Union;

g) ITU Council Resolution 1372 (2015, last amended 2019), on the Council Working Group on languages (CWG-LANG);

h) Council Resolution 1386 (2017), on the ITU Coordination Committee for Terminology (ITU CCT);

i) relevant resolutions of the ITU Sectors on languages;

j) Decision 11 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference,

reaffirming

a) that UNGA, in Resolution 76/268, recognized that multilingualism, as a core value of the Organization, contributes to the achievement of the goals of the United Nations, as set out in Article 1 of the Charter of the United Nations;

b) the fundamental principle of equal treatment of the six official languages, as enshrined in Resolution 115 (Marrakesh, 2002) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, on use of the six official and working languages of the Union on an equal footing,

noting with satisfaction and appreciation

a) the progress made in regard to alignment of working methods and optimization of staffing levels in all the official languages, linguistic unification of databases for terminology and definitions, and centralizing editing functions;

b) ITU's active participation in the International Annual Meeting on Language Arrangements, Documentation and Publications (IAMLADP);

c) the development of the ITU database for telecommunication/information and communication technology (ICT) terminology and definitions in all the official languages of the Union;

d) the work accomplished by ITU CCT on the agreement and adoption of terms and definitions in the field of telecommunications/ICTs in all six official languages of the Union,

recognizing

a) that multilingualism is also important for ITU;

b) that translation and interpretation are essential elements of the work of the Union that enable a common understanding among the entire ITU membership on the important issues under discussion;

c) the importance of maintaining and improving the multilingual content of services required by the universal character of United Nations system organizations, as called for in United Nations Joint Inspection Unit Report 2020/6: Multilingualism in the United Nations system;

d) the work accomplished by CWG-LANG, as well as the work by the secretariat to implement the working group's recommendations as agreed by the Council, in particular with regard to the unification of linguistic databases for terminology and definitions, the centralization of editing functions, and the integration of the terminology database for all six official languages of the Union, as well as harmonizing and unifying working procedures in the six language services;

e) that websites in the six official languages of ITU are important tools for the membership, the media, educational institutions and the general public,

recognizing further

a) the budget constraints facing the Union, and the importance of ensuring that ITU's work on the use of the languages of the Union on an equal footing is considered in conjunction with the budget so as to achieve an efficient allocation of expenses;

b) that expenses on interpretation, translation and text processing in respect of all the official languages of the Union for the years 2024-2027 shall not exceed the figure specified in the appropriate part of Decision 5 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022);

c) that the Council, in Resolution 1386, resolved that ITU CCT should include the Coordination Committee for Vocabulary in the ITU Radiocommunication Sector and the Standardization Committee for Vocabulary in the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector, functioning in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the Radiocommunication Assembly and the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly, and representatives of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector, in close collaboration with the ITU secretariat,

resolves

1 to continue to take all necessary measures to ensure use of the six official languages of the Union on an equal footing and to provide interpretation and the translation of ITU documentation, although some work in ITU (for example working parties, regional conferences) might not require the use of all official languages;

2 that ITU CCT, which is composed of experts who are proficient in various official languages and who are designated by the interested membership, the study groups of the Sectors and the ITU secretariat, shall be responsible for coordinating ITU terminology work and for developing and supporting the vocabulary of telecommunications and ICTs;

3 that ITU CCT, in close collaboration with the language sections of the General Secretariat, shall examine proposals submitted by the study groups and working groups of the Council in English, and approve translations in the other official languages, if necessary;

4 that when selecting terms and preparing definitions, study groups, and after them ITU CCT, shall take into account the established use of terms and existing definitions in ITU, in particular those already included in the online database of terms and definitions of ITU; in cases where several terms are proposed with similar definitions or concepts, a single term and definition should be selected that will be acceptable for all study groups concerned,

instructs the Secretary-General, in close collaboration with the Directors of the Bureaux

1 to present annually to the Council and to CWG-LANG a report containing:

i) evolution of the budget for translation of documents to the six official languages of the Union since the most recent plenipotentiary conference, taking into consideration variations in the volumes of translation services provided in each year;

ii) procedures adopted by other international organizations inside and outside the United Nations system and benchmark studies on their costs of translation;

iii) initiatives undertaken by the General Secretariat and the three Bureaux to increase efficiencies and cost savings in the implementation of this resolution and comparison with the evolution of the budget since the most recent plenipotentiary conference;

iv) alternative translation procedures feasible to be adopted by ITU, in particular the use of innovative technologies, and their advantages and disadvantages;

v) progress made on the implementation of measures and principles for translation and interpretation adopted by the Council;

2 to publish all contributions submitted to the ITU secretariat for any ITU event in their original language on the respective event website as soon as possible, but in any case not later than three working days after they were received, and even before their translation into the other official languages of the Union;

3 to intensify work on harmonization of the websites of the ITU Sectors and the General Secretariat in all the official languages of the Union to ensure clarity and ease of navigation and to achieve the image of "One ITU";

4 to support the incorporation of multilingualism in communications and knowledge exchange, paying particular attention to multilingual content on official websites and social media accounts around the world;

5 to provide timely updates of the pages of the ITU website in all six languages of the Union;

6 to provide all necessary information and support to ITU CCT;

7 to collect all new terms and definitions proposed by ITU study groups in consultation with ITU CCT, enter them in ITU's online database for such terms and definitions, and improve the search facilities of the database based upon time ranges;

8 to monitor the quality of interpretation and translation and the associated expenditures;

9 to continue to translate ITU policy documents and other documents providing guidance on intellectual property rights in ITU;

10 to continue to explore all possible options for the provision of interpretation and translation of existing ITU documentation to promote the use of the six official languages of the Union on an equal footing during official meetings of ITU;

11 to continue to collaborate with interested Member States and, to the extent practicable, to refine the translation of terminology and definitions in all six official languages,

instructs the ITU Council

1 to continue to analyse the adoption by ITU of alternative translation procedures, taking into account their financial implications and leveraging the benefits of innovative technologies in order to reduce translation and typing expenses in the budget of the Union, while maintaining or improving the current quality of translation and the correct use of technical telecommunication terminology;

2 to continue to analyse, including through the use of appropriate indicators, application of the updated measures and principles for interpretation and translation adopted by the Council at its 2014 session, taking into consideration the financial constraints, and bearing in mind the ultimate objective of full implementation of treatment of the six official languages on an equal footing;

3 to monitor implementation of the Policy Framework on Multilingualism in ITU;

4 to pursue and monitor appropriate operational measures, such as:

i) to continue review of ITU documentation and publication services with a view to eliminating any duplication and to creating synergies;

ii) to facilitate the timely and simultaneous delivery of high-quality and efficient language services (interpretation, documentation, publications and public-information materials) in the six languages, in support of the Union's strategic goals;

iii) to support optimum levels of staffing, including core staff, temporary assistance and outsourcing, while ensuring the required high quality of interpretation and translation;

iv) to continue implementation of judicious and efficient use of ICTs in language and publications activities, taking into consideration experience gained by other international organizations and best practices;

v) to continue to explore and implement all possible measures to reduce the size and volume of documents (page-limits, executive summaries, material in annexes or hyperlinks), and achieve greener meetings, when justified, without affecting the quality and content of the documents to be translated or to be published, and bearing clearly in mind the need to comply with the United Nations system objective of multilingualism;

vi) as a matter of priority, to take, to the extent practicable, all necessary measures for equitable use of all official languages on the ITU website in terms of multilingual content and user-friendliness;

5 to monitor the work carried out by the ITU secretariat in regard to:

i) merging all existing databases for terminology and definitions into a centralized system, with proper measures for its maintenance, expansion and updating;

ii) completion and maintenance of the ITU database for telecommunication/ICT terminology and definitions for all languages;

iii) providing all language service units with the necessary qualified staff and tools to meet their requirements in each language;

iv) enhancing ITU's image and the effectiveness of its public-information work, making use of all official languages of the Union, in, among other things, publishing ITU News, creating ITU websites, organizing Internet broadcasting and archiving of recordings, and issuing documents of a public-information nature, including announcements of ITU Telecom events, e-flashes and such like;

6 to maintain CWG-LANG, in order to monitor progress and report to the Council, including making recommendations, as appropriate, on the implementation of this resolution, working in close collaboration with ITU CCT and the Council Working Group on financial and human resources;

7 to review, in collaboration with the Sector advisory groups, the types of material to be included in output documents and translated;

8 to continue to consider measures to reduce, without sacrificing quality, the cost and volume of documentation as a standing item, in particular for conferences and assemblies;

9 to report to the next plenipotentiary conference on the implementation of this resolution,

instructs the Sector advisory groups

to review annually the use of all official languages of the Union on an equal footing in ITU publications and on ITU websites,

invites Member States and Sector Members

1 to ensure that the different language versions of documents and publications are utilized, downloaded and purchased by the corresponding language communities, for the sake of maximizing their benefit and cost-effectiveness;

2 to submit their contributions and inputs sufficiently early before the beginning of conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union, respecting deadlines for the submission of contributions that require translation, and to contain their size and volume to the greatest extent;

3 to continue to cooperate in the refinement of the official language translation of terminology and definitions at the request of ITU CCT.

(Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

RESOLUTION 157 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Strengthening of the project execution and project monitoring functions in ITU

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) No. 118 of the ITU Constitution outlining the Union's dual responsibility as a United Nations specialized agency and executing agency for implementing projects under the United Nations development system or other funding arrangements so as to facilitate and enhance telecommunication/information and communication technology (ICT) development by offering, organizing and coordinating technical cooperation and assistance activities;

b) Resolution 135 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on participation of the Union in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in other programmes of the United Nations system and in other funding arrangements, which invited the ITU Council to take all necessary steps to ensure maximum efficiency of the Union's participation in UNDP and other funding arrangements;

c) Resolution 52 (Rev. Dubai, 2014) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), on strengthening the executing agency role of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D), which emphasized the importance of establishing partnerships between the public and private sectors as an efficient means of implementing sustainable ITU projects, and of utilizing locally available expertise in executing ITU projects on a regional or country-wide basis;

d) Resolution 17 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of WTDC, on implementation of and cooperation on approved regional initiatives at the national, regional, interregional and global levels;

e) Annex 2 to Decision 5 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on measures for improving ITU's efficiency and reducing its expenses, which highlights the importance of coordination with regional organizations with a view to sharing the available resources and minimizing the costs of participation,

recognizing

a) that, in order to fulfil its role as executing agency for development projects, ITU requires the funding needed for their implementation;

b) that there continues to be a lack of funding from UNDP and other international financial institutions for project implementation;

c) that greater interaction with Member States, Sector Members, financial institutions and regional and international organizations needs to be promoted in order to find other ways to fund the implementation of these projects;

d) the importance of promoting public-private partnerships, among others, to ensure affordable, equitable and universal access to telecommunications/ICTs,

noting

a) that the sustainability of the role of ITU-D in the implementation of technical cooperation projects with developing countries[1] and the establishment of business/client relationships is dependent on the creation and maintenance of a level of expertise within the secretariat to permit the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) to manage projects effectively and in a timely and efficient manner; to this effect, the enhancement of training capabilities in the Union, as foreseen in Resolution 48 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, should contribute toward the sustainability of the requisite expertise to enhance the project-execution function;

b) that the strengthening of project-execution and management expertise in BDT will also require the improvement of skills in the area of resource mobilization and financing;

c) the Union's implementation of results-based budgeting and results-based management to ensure that activities being carried out have adequate resources available to achieve planned results;

d) that the effectiveness of the ITU's project-execution role would be enhanced through closer collaboration and coordination with expert organizations at the regional and international levels;

e) that regional/national data collection feeds into ITU's monitoring and evaluation function and, through a feedback mechanism, can help strengthen data quality analysis and use,

resolves to instruct the Secretary-General, in close collaboration with the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

1 to implement a strategy aimed at strengthening the project-execution function, taking into account the experience of and lessons learned by ITU-D, identifying suitable methods of implementation, possible means of funding and strategic partners for the implementation of regional initiatives;

2 to continue reviewing best practices within the United Nations system and within organizations external to the United Nations in the area of technical cooperation, with a view to promoting such practices when offering, organizing and coordinating technical cooperation and assistance activities, consistent with No. 118 of the Constitution;

3 to ensure that priorities and ways of financing are agreed, prior to the implementation and execution of initiatives, fostering a participatory and inclusive process with Member States and regional organizations;

4 to ensure that the requisite expertise in the areas of project management and execution as well as resource mobilization and financing is identified;

5 to encourage projects from all sources, taking into account achievement of the strategic plan for the Union for 2024-2027, as adopted in Resolution 71 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, fostering the participation of the public, regional organizations, the private sector and academia;

6 to focus on the implementation of larger-scale projects, while carefully considering delivery of smaller-scale projects;

7 to ensure, where applicable, that a minimum support cost of 7 per cent, associated with the execution of projects under UNDP or other funding arrangements, is set as the target to be recovered, while allowing some degree of flexibility for negotiation during the funding discussion for projects initiated by ITU, taking into account § 14 of Annex 2 to the ITU Financial Regulations and Financial Rules;

8 to continue to examine the percentage of support-cost resources in respect of such projects, with the aim of increasing them in order to exploit them to improve the implementation function;

9 to recruit qualified staff internally and/or externally, if necessary, within the financial limits set by plenipotentiary conferences, or under support-cost resources in respect of such projects, in order to strengthen, and ensure continuity as well as sustainability in, the execution of the Union's responsibility for organizing and coordinating technical cooperation and assistance activities;

10 to promote close collaboration with the Directors of the Radiocommunication and Telecommunication Standardization Bureaux for the implementation of regional initiatives;

11 to prepare a detailed annual report to the Council on progress achieved in fulfilling the functions specified in No. 118 of the Constitution and in implementing this resolution, including recommendations on how to improve programme/project execution in ITU;

12 to inform the Council on a regular basis about ongoing ITU programmes and projects, including details on objectives, outputs, funding and donors;

13 to enhance the existing ITU-D projects online database to include all ITU Sectors and the General Secretariat, so as to enable improved monitoring throughout project cycles, especially in regard to objectives achieved and cost analysis, and to grant open access to the database for all stakeholders;

14 to examine how information on programmes could also be shared with the membership in order to increase the transparency and financial sustainability of the Union;

15 to clearly indicate ITU programme/project costs in all relevant budget-related reports;

16 to implement ITU project guidelines to ensure project assets are recorded and monitored properly,

further resolves

to strengthen the project-execution function, consistent with No. 118 of the Constitution, when providing technical cooperation and assistance and when executing projects by:

i) collaborating and partnering with relevant expert organizations at the regional and international levels, particularly in those areas where ITU would benefit from specialized expertise;

ii) utilizing local and regional experts, regardless of age, when offering and coordinating technical cooperation and assistance activities in order to maximize resources and ensure continuity beyond the duration of the project;

iii) making available to the ITU membership any relevant materials from a technical cooperation or assistance activity so that they may be utilized for future efforts,

instructs the ITU Council

to foster a participatory and inclusive process with the Member States and regional organizations in order to ensure that priorities and possible forms of funding are agreed upon prior to implementation and execution of initiatives.

(Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 158 (REV. BUSAN, 2014)

Financial issues for consideration by the Council

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Busan, 2014),

considering

a) Article 28 of the ITU Constitution and Article 33 of the ITU Convention pertaining to the finances of the Union;

b) the need to ensure that, in each biennial budget, revenue and expenses are balanced;

c) the rules, procedures and financial arrangements for voluntary contributions and trust funds as specified in Annex 2 to the ITU Financial Regulations,

noting

a) the outcomes of the ITU Council Working Group for the elaboration of the draft strategic plan and the draft financial plan for 2016-2019;

b) the cost implications for ITU as a result of the role it has acquired in following up and implementing the relevant outcomes of both phases of the World Summit on the Information Society;

c) that there is a need to stabilize the elements of the financial plan during plenipotentiary conferences;

d) that the financial revenue of the Union based on contributions by Member States and Sector Members has continued to decrease;

e) the need to increase the revenue of the Union, possibly through increasing the sources of revenue of the Union or developing additional new financial mechanisms,

noting further

the adoption of Resolution 151 (Rev. Busan, 2014) of this conference, on results-based management,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to study possible new measures to generate additional revenue for ITU;

2 to report on the outcomes of this study and recommend measures to the Council through the Council Working Group on Financial and Human Resources (CWG-FHR),

resolves to instruct the Council

1 to review the outcomes of CWG-FHR regarding possible new approaches to raising new revenues, and implement measures where appropriate, on a temporary basis, subject to review by the following plenipotentiary conference;

2 to study the possibility of establishing mechanisms to afford greater financial stability for the Union, and to make recommendations in that regard;

3 to review the current methodologies and study the development of a future vision for the participation of Sector Members, Associates and Academia in the activities of ITU, including, inter alia, analysis of the implications of various pricing methodologies, the current membership structure and the benefits and participation rights of Sector Members, Associates and Academia, ways of increasing participation among non-profit entities in the work of the Union, and the practice of exempting entities from membership fees;

4 to report to the next plenipotentiary conference with recommendations regarding actions that can be implemented on a longer-term basis, including any modifications to the relevant articles of the Constitution and Convention that may be required.

(Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014)

RESOLUTION 159 (REV. BUSAN, 2014)

Assistance and support to Lebanon for rebuilding its
telecommunication networks (fixed and mobile)

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Busan, 2014),

recalling

a) the noble principles, purpose and objectives enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

b) the efforts of the United Nations to promote sustainable development and the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions concerning the situation;

c) the purposes of the Union as enshrined in Article 1 of the ITU Constitution;

d) § 16 of the Geneva Declaration of Principles adopted by the World Summit on the Information Society,

recognizing

a) that a reliable telecommunication network is indispensable for promoting the socio-economic development of countries, in particular those having suffered from natural disasters, domestic conflicts or war;

b) that Lebanon's telecommunication facilities have been severely damaged due to wars in that country;

c) that the damage caused to Lebanon's telecommunications should be a matter of concern for the entire international community, particularly ITU, as the United Nations specialized agency for telecommunications;

d) Resolution 159 (Antalya, 2006) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, which resolved that action should be initiated to provide for and support Lebanon in rebuilding its telecommunication network;

e) that Resolution 159 (Antalya, 2006) has not yet been translated into actions, except for the exploratory mission of the ITU expert in 2007 which ended with an assessment report evaluating damages and revenue losses at an amount of USD 547.3 million;

f) that, under the present conditions and in the foreseeable future, Lebanon will not be able to develop its telecommunication network and infrastructure to the required level of performance and resilience without help from the international community, provided bilaterally or through international organizations,

taking into consideration

a) that efforts will help rebuild and upgrade the telecommunication network infrastructure;

b) that efforts will also enhance the resilience of its management and security systems to meet its needs in terms of economic and telecommunication services and security,

resolves

1 that special and specific actions should be taken within the framework of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector's activities, with specialized assistance from the other two Sectors, in order to implement this resolution and provide appropriate assistance and support to Lebanon in rebuilding and securing its telecommunication networks (fixed and mobile);

2 that the necessary funds should be allocated within the available resources of the Union for the implementation of this resolution,

calls upon Member States

to ensure all possible assistance and support to the Government of Lebanon, either bilaterally or through, and, in any case, in coordination with, the special action of the Union referred to above,

instructs the ITU Council

to allocate the necessary funds for such actions, within available resources, and to trigger and actually take the said actions,

instructs the Secretary-General

to urge the activities carried out by the three ITU Sectors in accordance with resolves above, to ensure that the Union's action in favour of Lebanon is as effective as possible, and to report on the matter periodically to the Council.

(Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014)

RESOLUTION 160 (REV. DUBAI, 2018)

Assistance to Somalia

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Dubai, 2018)

recalling

Resolution 34 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) of this conference,

recalling further

a) the purposes of the Union as enshrined in Article 1 of the ITU Constitution;

b) Resolution 57 (Rev. Hyderabad, 2010) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference, on assistance to Somalia,

recognizing

a) that no budget was allocated by the Plenipotentiary Conference to accompany Resolution 34 (Rev. Minneapolis, 1998) of the Plenipotentiary Conference for the benefit of countries in special need;

b) that telecommunication infrastructure in Somalia has been completely destroyed by two and a half decades of war and that the regulatory framework in the country needs to be re-established;

c) that Somalia at present has inadequate formal national telecommunication infrastructure, and limited access to international telecommunication networks and the Internet;

d) that a telecommunication system is an essential input for reconstruction, rehabilitation and relief operations in the country;

e) that, under the present conditions and in the foreseeable future, Somalia will need assistance from the international community, provided bilaterally or through international organizations, to re-establish its telecommunication regulatory framework and national infrastructure,

noting

that Somalia has not benefited fully from the Union's assistance over a long period due to prolonged war in the country,

resolves

that special action be initiated by the Secretary-General and the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, with specialized assistance from the ITU Radiocommunication Sector and the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector, resulting in the launch of a special initiative with allocated funds, aimed at providing assistance and support to Somalia for rebuilding and modernizing its telecommunication infrastructure, re-establishing a well-equipped ministry of telecommunications and establishing institutions, developing telecommunication/information and communication technology policy, legislation and regulation, including a numbering plan, spectrum management, tariff and human resource capacity building, and all other necessary forms of assistance,

calls upon Member States

to offer all possible assistance and support to the Government of Somalia, either bilaterally or through the special action of the Union referred to above,

invites the Plenipotentiary Conference

to allocate the necessary funds within available resources for the implementation of this resolution,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

to implement fully a programme of assistance for the least developed countries, in which reconstruction and rehabilitation of telecommunication infrastructure is an integral part of the programme, in order that Somalia can receive focused assistance in various areas determined to be of high priority by the country,

instructs the Secretary-General

to coordinate the activities carried out by the three ITU Sectors in accordance with resolves above, to ensure that the Union's action in favour of Somalia is as effective as possible, and to report annually on the matter to the ITU Council.

(Antalya, 2006) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018)

RESOLUTION 161 (ANTALYA, 2006)

Assistance and support for the Democratic Republic of the Congo
for rebuilding its telecommunication network

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Antalya, 2006),

recalling

a) the noble principles, purpose and objectives enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as in the Declaration of Principles adopted by the World Summit on the Information Society;

b) the efforts of the United Nations to promote sustainable development, and the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions concerning the situation;

c) the purposes of the Union as enshrined in Article 1 of the ITU Constitution,

recognizing

a) that a reliable telecommunication network is essential for promoting the social and economic development of countries, particularly those that have suffered natural disasters, domestic conflict or war;

b) that the basic telecommunication infrastructure of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been severely damaged by the conflicts and wars from which the country has suffered for more than a decade;

c) that, as part of the reform of the telecommunication sector undertaken by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, involving the separation of the operating and regulatory functions, two regulatory bodies have been instituted along with a basic telecommunication network, which requires adequate financial resources in order to be built;

d) that, in the present conditions and for the foreseeable future, the Democratic Republic of the Congo will not be able to rehabilitate its basic telecommunication network to an acceptable standard without assistance from the international community, provided either bilaterally or by international organizations,

resolves

that special action be initiated by the Secretary-General and the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, with specialized assistance from the ITU Radiocommunication Sector and the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector, with a view to providing the Democratic Republic of the Congo with appropriate assistance and support for rebuilding its basic telecommunication network,

calls upon Member States

to offer all possible assistance and support to the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, either bilaterally or through the special action of the Union referred to above, and, in any case, in coordination with that action,

instructs the Council

to allocate the necessary funds to the aforesaid action within available resources, and proceed with its implementation,

instructs the Secretary-General

to coordinate the activities carried out by the three Sectors of the Union in accordance with resolves above, to ensure that the Union's action in favour of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is as effective as possible, and to report on the matter to the Council.

(Antalya, 2006)

RESOLUTION 162 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Independent management advisory committee

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

United Nations Joint Inspection Unit Report 2006/2: Oversight lacunae in the United Nations system, in particular recommendation 1 thereof on the establishment of an independent external oversight board,

reaffirming

its commitment to efficient, accountable and transparent management of the Union,

recognizing

a) that the establishment of an independent management advisory committee contributes to effective oversight and governance of an organization;

b) that an independent management advisory committee is a governance tool and does not duplicate the financial audit functions of either the internal or the external auditor;

c) that the established practice among international institutions is that an independent management advisory committee serves in an expert advisory capacity and assists the governing body and the management of the agency in fulfilling their oversight and governance responsibilities;

d) the valuable contribution of the Independent Management Advisory Committee (IMAC) in assisting the ITU Council and the Secretary-General in fulfilling their governance responsibilities, including ensuring the effectiveness of ITU's internal control systems, risk management and governance processes,

considering

the recommendation of the representatives of internal audit services of the United Nations organizations and multilateral financial institutions on the establishment of effective and independent audit committees,

noting

IMAC's annual reports to the Council, including its recommendations,

resolves

to establish IMAC on an ongoing basis according to the terms of reference contained in the annex to this resolution, and review and amend, if necessary, its terms of reference,

instructs the ITU Council

1 to consider IMAC's annual reports and its recommendations and take appropriate action;

2 to review the status of implementation of the IMAC recommendations;

3 to appoint the six independent experts as members of IMAC according to its terms of reference, taking into account equitable representation of the six regions,

instructs the Secretary-General

to publish, without delay, and provide public access to, the IMAC reports as presented to the Council, on a publicly accessible website,

instructs the Secretary-General, in collaboration with the Directors of the Bureaux

to engage with the auditors to perform satisfactory audit procedures in line with their terms of reference, including on the adequacy of the implementation of internal controls that have already been put in place,

invites the ITU Council

to report to the 2026 plenipotentiary conference on IMAC's activities and on the implementation of this resolution.

(Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

ANNEX TO RESOLUTION 162 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Terms of reference for the ITU Independent Management
Advisory Committee

Purpose

1 The Independent Management Advisory Committee (IMAC), as a subsidiary body of the ITU Council, serves in an expert advisory capacity and assists the Council and the Secretary-General in effectively fulfilling their governance responsibilities, including ensuring the functioning of ITU's internal control systems, risk management and governance processes, including human resources management. IMAC must assist in enhancing transparency, strengthening accountability and the governance functions of the Council and the Secretary-General.

2 IMAC will provide advice to the Council and ITU management, on:

a) ways of improving the quality and the level of financial reporting, governance, risk management, including long-term liabilities, monitoring and internal controls in ITU;

b) the actions taken by ITU management on audit recommendations;

c) ensuring the independence, effectiveness and objectivity of the internal and external audit functions; and

d) how to strengthen communication among all stakeholders, the external and internal auditors, the Council and ITU management.

Responsibilities

3 The responsibilities of IMAC are:

a) Internal audit function: To advise the Council on the staffing, resources and performance of the internal audit function and the appropriateness of the independence of the internal audit function in reviewing the scope of internal audit plans and work programmes, and to strengthen the effectiveness and independence of internal audit, ensuring that the resources available to the function are commensurate with its responsibilities.

b) Risk management and internal controls: To advise the Council on the effectiveness of ITU's internal control systems, including ITU's risk-management and governance practices; advise the Council on risk-management and internal-control considerations; advise on internal controls and enterprise risk management; advise on deficiencies, irregularities and risk exposure owing to weaknesses in the internal control system; and advise on information technology (IT) and IT security best practices.

c) Financial statements: To advise the Council on issues arising from the audited financial statements of ITU, letters to management and other reports produced by the external auditor and review of changes to the ITU Financial Regulations and Financial Rules.

d) Accounting: To advise the Council on the appropriateness of accounting policies and disclosure practices and assess changes and risks in those policies.

e) External audit: To advise the Council on the scope and approach of the external auditor's work by highlighting emerging risks from the external auditor's reports, reviewing the adequacy of the management response to the observations and recommendations issued and assisting in avoiding any overlaps between internal and external audit. IMAC may provide advice on the appointment of the external auditor, including the costs and scope of the services to be provided.

f) Evaluation: To review and advise the Council on the staffing, resources and performance of ITU's evaluation function.

g) Ethics: To review and advise on the ethics function and ITU's code of ethics, policy against fraud, corruption and other proscribed practices; and whistleblowing arrangements.

h) Investigation: To review the independence and mandate of the internal investigation function; review its budget and staffing requirements; review its overall performance, investigation policies and guidelines; and issue related recommendations.

i) Fraud prevention: To review and advise the Council on the systems established and measures taken by ITU to prevent fraud.

j) Coordination of oversight activities: To strengthen communication and cooperation among stakeholders, external and internal auditors, management and the Council.

Authority

4 IMAC shall have all the necessary authority to fulfil its responsibilities, including free and unrestricted access to any information, records or staff (including the internal audit function) and the external auditor, or any business contracted by ITU.

5 The Head of the ITU internal audit function and the external auditor will have unrestricted and confidential access to IMAC, and vice versa.

6 These terms of reference (ToR) are to be reviewed periodically, as appropriate, by IMAC, and any proposed amendment submitted to the Council for approval.

7 IMAC, as an advisory body, has no management powers, executive authority or operational responsibilities.

Composition

8 IMAC shall comprise six independent expert members serving in their personal capacity.

9 Professional competence, integrity and ethics shall be of paramount consideration in the selection of members.

10 No more than one member of IMAC shall be a national of the same ITU Member State.

11 To the greatest extent possible:

a) no more than one member of IMAC shall be from the same geographical region; and

b) membership of IMAC shall be balanced, with individuals from developed and developing countries[1], in terms of public- and private-sector experience, and in terms of gender.

12 At least one member shall be selected on the basis of his/her qualifications and experience as a senior oversight professional or senior financial manager, preferably in the United Nations system or in another international organization, to the greatest extent possible.

13 To undertake their role effectively, members of IMAC should collectively possess knowledge, skills and senior-level experience in the following areas:

a) finance, audit and compliance;

b) organization governance and accountability structure, including risk management;

c) law;

d) senior-level management;

e) the organization, structure and functioning of the United Nations and/or other intergovernmental organizations;

f) a general understanding of the telecommunication/information and communication technology (ICT) industry; and

g) IT and IT security best practices and data-protection auditing expertise.

14 Members should ideally have or acquire rapidly a good understanding of ITU's objectives, governance structure, the relevant regulations and rules, and its organizational culture and control environment.

Independence

15 Since the role of IMAC is to provide objective advice, members shall remain independent of the ITU secretariat, the Council and the Plenipotentiary Conference, and shall be free of any real or perceived conflict of interest.

16 Members of IMAC shall:

a) not hold a position or engage in any activity that could impair their independence from ITU or from companies that maintain a business relationship with ITU;

b) not currently be, or have been within the five years prior to appointment on IMAC, employed or engaged in any capacity by ITU, a Sector Member, an Associate or a Member State delegation, or have an immediate family member (as defined by the ITU Staff Regulations and Staff Rules) working for or having a contractual relationship with ITU, a Sector Member, an Associate or a Member State delegation;

c) be independent of the United Nations Panel of External Auditors and the United Nations Joint Inspection Unit; and

d) not be eligible for any employment with ITU for at least five years immediately following the last day of their tenure on IMAC.

17 IMAC members shall serve in their personal capacity and shall not seek or accept instructions in regard to their performance on IMAC from any government or other authority internal or external to ITU.

18 Members of IMAC shall sign an annual declaration and statement of private, financial and other interests (Appendix A to these ToR). The Chairman of IMAC shall provide the completed and signed declaration and statement to the Chairman of the Council promptly after a member commences his/her term on IMAC, and thereafter on an annual basis.

Selection, appointment and term

19 The process for selection of members of IMAC is set out in Appendix B to these ToR. The process shall involve a selection panel comprising representatives of the Council on the basis of equitable geographical distribution.

20 The selection panel shall relay its recommendations to the Council. Members of IMAC shall be appointed by the Council.

21 Members of IMAC are appointed to serve for a term of four years, renewable for a second and final term of four years, which need not be consecutive. To ensure continuity of membership, the initial appointment of two of its five members shall be for one term of four years only, decided by the drawing of lots at IMAC's first meeting. The Chairman shall be selected by IMAC members from amongst their number and shall serve in this capacity for a term of two years.

22 A member of IMAC may resign his/her membership by notice in writing to the Chairman of the Council. A special appointment for the remainder of that member's term shall be made by the Chairman of the Council in accordance with the provisions set out in Appendix B to these ToR to cater for such a vacancy.

23 An appointment to IMAC may only be revoked by the Council, under conditions to be established by the Council.

24 New members of IMAC should undertake formal induction training to become familiar with the culture and objectives of ITU, as well as its operational activities.

Meetings

25 IMAC shall meet at least twice in an ITU financial year. The exact number of meetings per year will depend on the agreed workload for IMAC and the most appropriate timing for consideration of specific matters.

26 Subject to these ToR, IMAC will establish its own rules of procedure to assist its members in executing their responsibilities. The IMAC rules of procedure shall be communicated to the Council for its information.

27 The quorum for the committee is three members. As members serve in a personal capacity, alternates are not allowed.

28 The Secretary-General, the External Auditor, the Chief of the Financial Resources Management Department, the Chief of the Human Resources Management Department, the Head of the internal audit function and the Ethics Officer, or their representatives, shall attend meetings when invited by IMAC. Other ITU officials with functions relevant to the items on the agenda may likewise be invited.

29 If necessary, IMAC has the ability to obtain independent counsel or have recourse to other outside experts in order to advise the committee.

30 All confidential documents and information submitted to or obtained by IMAC remain confidential.

Reporting

31 The Chairman of IMAC will submit its findings to the Chairman of the Council and the Secretary-General after each meeting, and will present a comprehensive annual report, both in writing and in person, for consideration by the Council at its annual session.

32 The Chairman of IMAC may inform the Chairman of the Council, in between Council sessions, of a serious governance issue.

33 IMAC will conduct a self-assessment, on a yearly basis, based on best practice, and report on the results to the Council.

Administrative arrangements

34 Members of IMAC will provide services pro bono. In accordance with the procedures applying to appointed staff of ITU, members of IMAC:

a) shall receive a daily subsistence allowance; and

b) those not resident in the Canton of Geneva or neighbouring France shall be entitled to reimbursement of travel expenses, to attend IMAC sessions.

35 The ITU secretariat will provide secretariat support to IMAC.

APPENDIX A

International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Independent Management Advisory Committee (IMAC)
Declaration & Statement of Private, Financial
and Other Interests Form

1 Details

_________________________________________________________________________
Name

2 Private, financial or other Interests (tick appropriate box)

□ I have no personal, financial or other interests that could or could be seen to influence the decisions or actions I am taking or the advice I am giving in the course of my duties as a member of IMAC.

□ I have personal, financial or other interests that could or could be seen to influence the decisions or actions I am taking or the advice I am giving in the course of my duties as a member of IMAC.

□ I have no personal, financial or other interests that could or could be seen to influence the decisions or actions I am taking or the advice I am giving in the course of my duties as a member of IMAC. However, I have decided to provide my current personal, financial or other interests.

3 Private, financial or other Interests of family members* (tick appropriate box)

□ To my knowledge, no member of my immediate family has personal, financial or other interests that could or could be seen to influence the decisions or actions I am taking or the advice I am giving in the course of my duties as a member of IMAC.

□ A member of my immediate family has personal, financial or other interests that could or could be seen to influence the decisions or actions I am taking or the advice I am giving in the course of my duties as a member of IMAC.

□ To my knowledge, no member of my immediate family has personal, financial or other interests that could or could be seen to influence the decisions or actions I am taking or the advice I am giving in the course of my duties as a member of IMAC. However, I have decided to provide my immediate family's current financial or other interests.

(* Note: for the purposes of this declaration, 'family member' has the same meaning as DEFINED IN the ITU STAFF REGULATIONS and staff Rules).

________________
Signature

________________
Name

________________
Date

Declaration & Statement of Private, Financial
and Other Interests Form
(Appendix A, page 2/4)

4 Disclosure of relevant private, financial or other interests

If you ticked the first box at Item 2 and the first box at Item 3, skip this step and go to Item 5.

Please list your and/or your immediate family member's personal, financial or other interests that could, or could be seen to, influence the decisions or actions you take or the advice you provide in the course of your official duties. Please also state the reasons why you think these interests could or could be seen to influence the decisions or actions you take or the advice you provide in the course of your official duties.

The types of interests you may need to disclose include real-estate investments, shareholdings, trusts or nominee companies, company directorships or partnerships, relationships with lobbyists, other significant sources of income, significant liabilities, gifts, private business, employment, voluntary, social or personal relationships.

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

________________
Signature

________________
Name

________________
Date

Declaration & Statement of Private, Financial
and Other Interests Form
(Appendix A, page 3/4)

5 Declaration

I declare that:

• As a member of the Independent Management Advisory Committee (IMAC), I am aware of my responsibilities under its Terms of Reference:

– to disclose, and take reasonable steps to avoid, any conflict of interest (real or apparent) in connection with my membership of IMAC; and

– not to make improper use of (a) inside information or (b) my duties, status, power or authority, in order to gain, or seek to gain, a benefit or advantage for myself or for any other person.

I declare that:

• I have read the IMAC Terms of Reference and understood the requirement for me to disclose any private, financial or other interests that could or could be seen to influence the decisions I am taking or the advice I am giving in the course of my duties as a member of IMAC.

• I undertake to immediately inform the Chairman of IMAC (who shall inform the Chairman of the Council) of any changes to my personal circumstances or work responsibilities that could affect the contents of this disclosure and to provide an amended disclosure/s using this pro forma.

• I undertake to disclose any private, financial or other interests of my immediate family that I am aware of, should circumstances arise in which I consider that they could or could be seen to influence the decisions I am taking or the advice I am giving in the course of my official duties.

• I understand that this would require the consent of the family member to the collection by ITU of personal information and a declaration that he/she is aware of the purpose for which the personal information has been collected, the legislative requirements authorizing the collection and the third parties to whom the personal information may be disclosed, and consents.

________________
Signature

________________
Name

________________
Date

Declaration & Statement of Private, Financial
and Other Interests Form
(Appendix A, page 4/4)

6 Declaration of consent by immediate family member to disclosure of their personal, financial and other interests

If you ticked the first box at Item 3, skip this step and go to Step 7.

This declaration is to be completed by the immediate family member/s of the IMAC member where the IMAC member considers that the personal, financial and other interests of the family member/s could or could be seen to influence the decisions or actions he/she is taking or the advice he/she is giving in the course of his/her membership of IMAC.

Family member name ____________________________________________________

Relationship to IMAC member _____________________________________________

IMAC member name ____________________________________________________

________________
Signature

________________
Name

________________
Date

7 Submit this form

Once completed and signed, this form should be sent to the Chairman of the ITU Council.

APPENDIX B

Proposed process for selection of members of the
Independent Management Advisory Committee

When a vacancy on the Independent Management Advisory Committee (IMAC) occurs, it shall be filled in accordance with the process set out below:

a) The Secretary-General:

i) shall invite ITU Member States to nominate individuals who are deemed to possess exceptional qualifications and experience;

ii) may place in international, reputable magazines and/or newspapers, and on the Internet, a call for expressions of interest from suitably qualified and experienced individuals,

to serve on IMAC.

A Member State nominating an individual under subparagraph a) i) shall provide the same information that the Secretary-General requests of applicants responding to the expression of interest under subparagraph a)ii), and within the same time-frame.

b) A selection panel shall be formed comprising six ITU Council members representing the Americas, Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States, Africa, Asia and Australasia and the Arab States.

c) The selection panel shall, taking into account the IMAC terms of reference (ToR) and the confidential nature of the selection process, review and consider the applications received and create a shortlist of candidates whom it may wish to interview. The selection panel will be assisted, as required, by the ITU secretariat.

d) The selection panel shall then propose to the Council a list of the best-qualified candidates, equal to the number of vacancies on IMAC. In the event a vote is taken by the selection panel on whether (a) candidate(s) shall be included in the list of candidates to be proposed to the Council and ends in an equal number of votes, the Chairman of the Council shall have the deciding vote.

The information to be provided by the selection panel to the Council shall consist of each candidate's name, gender, nationality, qualifications and professional experience. The selection panel shall provide a report to the Council on the candidates recommended for appointment to IMAC.

e) The Council shall consider the recommendation to appoint the individuals to IMAC.

f) The selection panel will also create and retain a pool of suitably qualified candidates for consideration by the Council if required in order to fill a vacancy arising for any reason (e.g. resignation, incapacity) during a term of IMAC.

g) In order to observe the principle of rotation, the positions should be re-advertised every four years, if considered appropriate by the Council, using the selection process set out in this appendix. The pool of suitably qualified candidates referred to in subparagraph f) should also be refreshed using the same selection process.

APPENDIX C

Proposed collective professional requirements for members of the Independent Management Advisory Committee

a) Expertise and experience in finance, accounting, risk management and auditing.

b) Knowledge of the mandate, culture and legal framework of ITU and its external environment.

c) Expertise in telecommunication/information and communication technology and information technology security best practices and data-protection auditing expertise.

d) Ethics and compliance expertise.

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 164 (GUADALAJARA, 2010)

Allocation of seats of Council Member States

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Guadalajara, 2010),

recalling

a) that the Council is composed of Member States elected by the Plenipotentiary Conference;

b) that the number of Member States of the Council shall be determined by the Plenipotentiary Conference,

noting

that, in accordance with No. 50A of the ITU Convention, the number of Council Member States shall not exceed 25 per cent of the total number of Member States of the Union,

recognizing

the need to clarify the manner in which equitable distribution of Council Member States is applied pursuant to No. 61 of the ITU Constitution,

recognizing further

the deliberations of the Council pursuant to Resolution 134 (Antalya, 2006) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, on the number of Member States of the Council,

resolves

1 that, for each administrative region of the Council, the percentage of 25 per cent shall be applied to the number of Member States in that region to determine the number of seats to be allocated to the region;

2 that the figure obtained after this calculation shall be rounded to the nearest integer;

3 that this rounded integer shall be the number of seats allocated to the region,

instructs the Secretary-General

to inform the Member States on changes in the number of Member States of the Union and their impact on the distribution of seats of Member States of the Council.

(Guadalajara, 2010)

RESOLUTION 165 (REV. DUBAI, 2018)

Deadlines for the submission of proposals and procedures
for the registration of participants for conferences and
assemblies of the Union

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Dubai, 2018),

recognizing

a) No. 224 of the ITU Constitution, which indicates that any Member State may propose any amendment to the Constitution, provided that such a proposal reaches the Secretary-General not later than eight months prior to the opening date fixed for the plenipotentiary conference;

b) No. 519 of the ITU Convention, which specifies the requirement for the submission of amendments to the Convention not later than eight months prior to the opening date fixed for the plenipotentiary conference;

c) Resolution 114 (Marrakesh, 2002) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, on interpretation of No. 224 of the Constitution and No. 519 of the Convention,

recognizing also

a) Section 8 of the General Rules of conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union, on time-limits and conditions for submission of proposals and reports to conferences;

b) Section 17 of the General Rules, on proposals or amendments presented during the conference,

noting

a) that late submissions not only overburden the ITU secretariat in processing such contributions, but also disadvantage delegations, particularly small delegations, in reading them and preparing positions in a timely and useable manner;

b) that late contributions also disrupt the efficient functioning of ITU conferences and assemblies as well as their committees and working groups;

c) that there is a need to establish a reasonable deadline for the submission of documentation to the above-mentioned meetings of the Union in the future,

resolves

1 to establish a firm submission deadline for all contributions, with the exception of the deadlines outlined in recognizing a) and b) above, of no later than 21 calendar days before the opening of conferences and assemblies of the Union, including plenipotentiary conferences, so as to ensure timely translation and their thorough consideration by delegations;

2 to establish a firm submission deadline for ITU secretariat documents of no later than 35 calendar days before the opening of conferences and assemblies of the Union, including plenipotentiary conferences, so as to ensure timely translation and their thorough consideration by delegations,

instructs the Secretary-General, in consultation with the Directors of the Bureaux

1 to prepare a report to the ITU Council on an ongoing basis on the above-mentioned matters, including relevant financial implications;

2 to explore, together with the Sector advisory groups, as appropriate, the issue of harmonizing the procedures governing registration for conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union.

(Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018)

RESOLUTION 167 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Strengthening and developing ITU capabilities for fully virtual meetings and physical meetings with remote participation, and the electronic means to advance the work of the Union

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

considering

a) the enabling environment thematic priority, identified in the strategic plan for the Union for 2024-2027, seeking a policy and regulatory environment conducive to sustainable telecommunication/information and communication technology (ICT) development that encourages innovation and investment in infrastructure and ICTs and that increases adoption of telecommunications/ICTs to reduce the digital divide and promote a more inclusive and equal society;

b) the rapid technological change in the field of telecommunications and the associated policy, regulatory and infrastructure adaptations required at the national, regional and global levels;

c) the consequent need for the widest possible engagement of the ITU membership from around the world to address these matters in the work of the Union;

d) that developments in technologies and facilities for the holding of fully virtual meetings and physical meetings with remote participation and the further development of electronic working methods (EWM) will enable more open, faster and easier collaboration between participants in the activities of ITU;

e) that ITU has been gaining experience in the holding of fully virtual meetings and physical meetings with remote participation,

recalling

a) Resolution 64 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on non-discriminatory access to telecommunication/ICT facilities, services and applications, including applied research and transfer of technology, and e-meetings, on mutually agreed terms;

b) Resolution 66 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on documents and publications of the Union, regarding the electronic availability of documents;

c) Resolution 123 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on bridging the standardization gap between developed and developing countries[1];

d) Resolution 175 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on telecommunication/ICT accessibility for persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs;

e) Resolution 32 (Rev. Hammamet, 2016) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly, on strengthening EWM for the work of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) and the implementation of EWM capabilities and associated arrangements in the work of ITU-T,

recognizing

a) that remote participation has been producing significant benefits for the Union's membership, by reducing travel costs, and has facilitated wider participation, particularly from developing countries;

b) that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has led to the holding of fully virtual meetings and physical meetings with remote participation through the use of existing technology platforms, which have shown encouraging results in serving the aims of the Union;

c) that numerous ITU meetings are already available as audio and video webcasts and that use of videoconferencing, audio conference calls, real-time captioning and web-based collaboration tools for remote participation in certain types of meetings have been advanced in meetings of the Sectors and the General Secretariat;

d) the budgetary difficulty that delegates from many countries, and in particular developing countries, have in travelling to participate in face-to-face ITU meetings;

e) that the current status of interactive remote participation allows "remote intervention" rather than "remote participation", insofar as a remote participant cannot take part in decision-making;

f) that the regional offices are an extension of ITU as a whole and, therefore, EWM will serve to build up the effectiveness of the Union's activities, including project implementation;

g) that the expected role of the regional offices is essential in order to fully comply with the basic mandates of the Union and, to this end, it is necessary that these offices be able to rely on affordable means of communication (videoconferencing), such as those that can be accessed over the web, to hold fully virtual meetings or physical meetings with remote participation with the Member States,

recognizing further

a) the annual reports by the Secretary-General to the ITU Council on the implementation of this resolution;

b) the report from the 2022 session of the Council to this conference;

c) the financial, legal, procedural and technical difficulties of providing remote participation to all, particularly with respect to:

– the difference in time zones among regions and in relation to Geneva, and particularly with the Americas and Asia-Pacific regions;

– the costs of infrastructure, broadband, equipment, software applications and staff, especially in developing countries;

– the different rights and legal status of physically present and remote participants;

– the limitation in terms of formal procedures available to remote participants in comparison with physically present participants;

– the telecommunication infrastructure limitations in some countries due to unstable or inadequate connections;

– increased accessibility for people with disabilities and specific needs;

d) the need to clarify the roles, rights and procedures for participation and decision-making in fully virtual meetings and physical meetings with remote participation,

noting

a) that the existence of fully virtual meetings and physical meetings with remote participation, with well-documented rules and procedures, will help ITU in widening the involvement of potential stakeholders, such as both member and non-member experts, particularly from developing countries, who are unable to participate in face-to-face meetings;

b) that EWM have made important contributions to facilitating the work of Sector groups, such as rapporteur groups, and of Council working groups, and that work, such as the development of texts, has been progressed in various parts of the Union through electronic communications;

c) that different modes of participation are suitable for different types of meetings;

d) that the work of the three Sectors is distinct, and that each of the Sectors has its own working methods and procedures;

e) that managing fully virtual meetings from the regional offices can facilitate regional coordination, in order to promote greater participation by Member States in the work of the study groups of the three Sectors;

f) that there needs to be a coordinated and harmonized approach to the technology used,

emphasizing

a) that there is a need for procedures to ensure fair and equitable participation by all;

b) that fully virtual meetings and physical meetings with remote participation can contribute to bridging the digital divide;

c) that the implementation of fully virtual meetings and physical meetings with remote participation is beneficial to ITU's role in leading coordination on ICTs and on accessibility,

resolves

1 that ITU should continue to develop its facilities and capabilities to organize and conduct fully virtual meetings and physical meetings with remote participation by electronic means for the meetings of the Union;

2 that ITU should develop high-level guidance for the management and governance of fully virtual meetings and physical meetings with remote participation;

3 that the Union continue to develop EWM, within budget availability, for the participation of persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs, which may include, inter alia, captioning for persons with hearing impairments, audioconferencing for persons with the visual impairments and webconferencing for persons with restricted mobility, as well as solutions and facilities to address other similar challenges;

4 that the Union further study the impact of remote participation on existing rules of procedure, especially regarding decision-making in different types of meetings;

5 that ITU should provide facilities and capabilities for EWM at ITU meetings, workshops and training courses, particularly to assist developing countries that have bandwidth limitations and other constraints;

6 to encourage remote participation of developing countries in meetings, workshops and training by providing simplified facilities and guidelines, and by waiving, within the appropriations that the Council is empowered to authorize, any expenses for those participants, other than the local call or Internet connectivity charges,

instructs the Secretary-General, in consultation and collaboration with the Directors of the three Bureaux

1 to implement the adopted high-level guidance for the management and governance of fully virtual meetings and physical meetings with remote participation considering the legal, technical, security and financial implications;

2 to involve the advisory groups in the further evaluation of the use of fully virtual meetings and physical meetings with remote participation, including the legal aspects;

3 to report to the Council on an ongoing basis on the developments made with regard to fully virtual meetings and physical meetings with remote participation, in order to assess progress in their use within ITU;

4 to report to the Council on the feasibility of extending the use of the official languages of the Union[2] in fully virtual meetings and physical meetings with remote participation,

instructs the Secretary-General

to share information about developments and progress made with regard to fully virtual meetings and physical meetings with remote participation with the United Nations and other specialized agencies, for their consideration,

instructs the ITU Council

1 to study and develop high-level guidance for the management and governance of fully virtual meetings and physical meetings with remote participation, taking into account Annex 1 to this resolution;

2 to consider the financial requirements to implement this resolution and allocate the necessary financial resources, within the limits of the resources available and consistent with the financial and strategic plans;

3 to report and provide recommendations to the plenipotentiary conference in 2026.

(Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

ANNEX 1 TO RESOLUTION 167 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Issues to be considered for the management and governance of fully virtual meetings and physical meetings with remote participation

1 Review current applicable policies and practices for fully virtual meetings and physical meetings with remote participation.

2 Establish general high-level guidelines for fully virtual meetings and physical meetings with remote participation, including but not limited to:

– Rights of different categories of members participating remotely in terms of decision-making in different types of meetings;

– Interpretation services;

– Technology neutrality, to the greatest extent possible, and cost effectiveness, in order to allow as broad participation as possible, satisfying the necessary security requirements;

– Adequate notice of meetings with a clear statement as to the type of meeting, e.g. physical meeting, fully virtual meeting or physical meeting with remote participation;

– Whether fully virtual and/or remote participants have the opportunity to engage in offline discussions (e.g. ad hoc sessions);

– Practical measures to support equitable opportunities for participation, in particular for persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs;

– Flexibility in the length and timing of meetings bearing in mind the time zones of participants;

– Training, as appropriate, for ITU meeting organizers, regional office staff, chairmen, rapporteurs, editors and delegates, with particular attention to chairing and effectively managing remote participation;

– Collection of statistics regarding trends in remote participation across all Sectors.

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

[2] Resolution 154 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of the Plenipotentiary Conference.

RESOLUTION 168 (GUADALAJARA, 2010)

Translation of ITU recommendations

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Guadalajara, 2010),

considering

a) the purposes of the Union as enshrined in Article 1 of the ITU Constitution;

b) the need to expand national access to ITU recommendations which are offered free online to the general public;

c) the need to ease access to ITU recommendations in other national languages than the official languages of ITU;

d) Resolution 20 (Rev. Hyderabad, 2010) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), on non-discriminatory access to modern telecommunication/information and communication technology (ICT) facilities and services, which notes that:

– modern telecommunication/ICT facilities and services are established, in the main, on the basis of ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) and ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) recommendations;

– ITU-R and ITU-T recommendations are the result of the collective efforts of all those taking part in the standardization process within ITU, and are adopted by consensus by the members of the Union;

– that limitations on the access to telecommunication/ICT facilities and services on which national telecommunication/ICT development depends and which are established on the basis of ITU-R and ITU-T recommendations constitute an obstacle to the harmonious development and compatibility of telecommunications/ICT worldwide;

e) Resolution 47 (Rev. Hyderabad, 2010) of WTDC, on enhancement of knowledge and effective application of ITU recommendations in developing countries, which resolves to invite Member States and Sector Members to engage in activities to enhance knowledge and effective application of ITU-R and ITU-T recommendations in developing countries,

noting

a) the provisions of No. 495 of the ITU Convention, which states that any of the documents referred to in the relevant provisions of Article 29 of the Constitution may be published in languages other than those specified therein, provided that the Member States requesting such publication undertake to defray the whole of the cost of translation and publication involved;

b) that the official language versions of documents and texts of the Union shall be prepared by ITU according to Article 29 of the Constitution,

recognizing

a) that there is a general trend towards free online access to ICT-related documents and publications in official languages;

b) the strategic need to increase the visibility and availability of the outputs of ITU,

resolves

1 that an administration may translate recommendations into languages, other than the six official languages of ITU, for the administration's official use;

2 that the text of a recommendation in any ITU official language shall prevail in the event of any discrepancy between such a translated version and the official version;

3 that any expenses for the translation and the publication of the recommendations shall not be borne by ITU;

4 that the ITU logo shall not appear on the translated pages;

5 that each publication shall contain, in an appropriate place, the statement in the annex to this resolution, the title and summary of the recommendation and a link to where the official text of the recommendation can be downloaded from the ITU website, in the national language; in addition, the publication shall include the front page of the official text of the ITU recommendation;

6 that ITU shall receive two copies free of charge of any such translated publication, as soon as possible after publication, for archive purposes;

7 that translation for the administration's official use will be free of charges from ITU;

8 that translation intended for sale – either based on cost recovery or for profit – shall require the prior agreement of ITU, and translated publications sold for profit shall be subject to payment of royalties to ITU;

9 that, in the case referred to in resolves 8 above, the publisher concerned shall send to ITU a statement of the number of copies sold,

instructs the Secretary-General

to report to the Council on the necessary steps to facilitate the implementation of this resolution,

invites the Council

to consider the report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of this resolution.

(Guadalajara, 2010)

ANNEX

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RESOLUTION 169 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Admission of academia to participate in the work of the Union

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) Resolution 71 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference, on strengthening cooperation between Member States, Sector Members, Associates and Academia[1] of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) and the evolving role of the private sector in ITU-D;

b) Outcome T.2-2 in Resolution 71 (Rev. Busan, 2014) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, on the strategic plan for the Union for 2016-2019, which highlights the need to attract new members from industry and academia to participate in the work of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector,

considering

a) that the trial period for the participation of academia in the Union has proven to benefit the work of the Sectors, particularly as academia address the research, study and follow-up of developments in modern technology within ITU's field of competence, while having a perspective and future vision allowing modern technologies and applications to be addressed in a timely manner;

b) that the intellectual and scientific contributions of these bodies far outweigh their financial contributions;

c) that these entities also contribute to disseminating information about the activities of the Union in academic fields related to telecommunications/information and communication technologies around the world;

d) that the ITU Kaleidoscope event, held annually since 2008, is an ITU initiative to strengthen cooperation with academia that has been highly successful, and has addressed many topics, including innovations for digital inclusion, new emerging technologies and building sustainable communities,

recognizing

the outcomes of the ITU Secretary-General's Academia Consultation (Bangkok, 13 November 2016), which provided a platform to have an open discussion with academia and other stakeholders on three topics: a new electronic ITU journal/magazine; an Academia Advisory Board to the Secretary-General; and a platform/consultation mechanism to strengthen cooperation between ITU and academia,

noting

that a comprehensive analysis of the current methodologies for the participation of Sector Members, Associates and Academia has been initiated in ITU pursuant to relevant resolutions of the Plenipotentiary Conference: Resolution 158 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010), Resolution 158 (Rev. Busan, 2014) and Resolution 187 (Busan, 2014),

resolves

1 to admit academia to participate in the work of the Union, pursuant to the provisions of this resolution, without the need for any amendment to Articles 2 and 3 of the ITU Constitution and Article 19 of the ITU Convention or any other provision of the Convention;

2 to set the level of the financial contribution for participation in the Union at one-sixteenth of the value of the Sector Member contributory unit in the case of organizations from developed countries, and one-thirty second of the value of the Sector Member contributory unit in the case of organizations from developing countries[2] for defraying Union expenses, and to apply this level of financial contribution to Academia that are already participating in the Union as well as those which join in the future;

3 that payment of the level of financial contribution specified in resolves 2 entitles Academia to participate in the work of all three Sectors, including their advisory groups;

4 that Academia also be invited to participate in other global and regional conferences, workshops and activities of the Union, with the exception of plenipotentiary conferences, world radiocommunication conferences, world conferences on international telecommunications and the ITU Council, in conformity with the rules of procedure of the respective Sectors, and taking into account the outcome of the review pursuant to Resolution 187 (Busan, 2014);

5 that Academia should not have a role in decision-making, including the adoption of resolutions or recommendations regardless of the approval procedure;

6 that Academia shall be allowed to participate and make their proposals and interventions remotely, as appropriate, in accordance with the provisions of Resolution 167 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on strengthening and developing ITU capabilities for fully virtual meetings and physical meetings with remote participation, and the electronic means to advance the work of the Union;

7 that a representative of Academia may serve as rapporteur, vice-rapporteur or associate rapporteur in accordance with the established rules of procedure of the respective Sectors;

8 that acceptance of applications for the participation of academia shall be conditional on the support of the Member States of the Union to which the bodies belong, on the condition that this shall not constitute an alternative for those bodies currently listed with the Union as Sector Members or Associates,

instructs the ITU Council

1 to add any additional conditions, remedial measures or detailed procedures to this resolution, if it deems appropriate;

2 to review the financial contributions and the conditions for admission and participation and report to the next plenipotentiary conference,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau

to continue to organize the ITU Kaleidoscope event annually on a rotational basis, to the greatest extent possible,

instructs the Radiocommunication Assembly, the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly and the World Telecommunication Development Conference

to mandate their respective Sector advisory groups to continue to study whether there is a need for any additional measures and/or arrangements to facilitate such participation that are not covered by relevant resolutions or recommendations of the above-mentioned assemblies and conference, and adopt such modalities, if they deem it necessary or required, and report the results through the Directors of the Bureaux to the Council,

instructs the Secretary-General and the Directors of the three Bureaux

1 to take necessary and appropriate action in order to implement this resolution;

2 to continue their successful efforts to explore and recommend, taking into account the advice of the Council, various mechanisms such as the use of voluntary financial and in-kind contributions from Member States and other stakeholders to encourage increased participation of academia;

3 to encourage the participation of academia in various open events and activities organized or co-organized by ITU, such as ITU Telecom World, ITU Kaleidoscope, World Summit on the Information Society forums and other workshops and forums;

4 to encourage the participation of academia in the development of technical work in the Union,

invites ITU Member States

1 to consider including members of academia in official delegations to major conferences of ITU;

2 to inform their academia of this resolution, and encourage and support them to participate in the Union.

(Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] This includes colleges, institutes, universities and their associated research establishments concerned with the development of telecommunications/ICTs.

[2] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 170 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Admission of Sector Members from developing countries to
participate in the work of the ITU Radiocommunication Sector
and the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

Resolution 74 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly,

considering

a) that participation in the work of the ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) and the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) of Sector Members[1] from the category of developing countries[2] with an annual per capita income of less than USD 2 000 according to the United Nations Development Programme classification will benefit the work of both Sectors as well as the countries they represent, helping to close the standardization gap which still exists between the developed and developing countries within the two Sectors, especially in relation to this category of developing countries;

b) that allowing them to participate with focused engagement in the work of either of the two Sectors on favourable financial terms in respect of each Sector will encourage them to join these two Sectors, according to their needs,

resolves

1 to continue to allow Sector Members from the category of developing countries mentioned above to participate in the work of ITU-R and ITU-T pursuant to the provisions of this resolution;

2 to set the level of financial contribution for such participation at one-sixteenth of the value of a contributory unit for Sector Members for defraying Union expenses;

3 that acceptance of applications for participation shall be conditional on the support of the Member State to which the Sector Member belongs, on fulfilment of the criterion in footnote 1 to this resolution by each applicant for membership;

4 to facilitate the necessary support to admitted members for their effective participation and engagement, to reap the benefits of ITU membership,

instructs the ITU Council

1 to add any additional conditions or detailed procedures that may be required;

2 to submit a report on this participation to the next plenipotentiary conference on the basis of an evaluation carried out by the Council Working Group on financial and human resources, with the assistance of the ITU secretariat, so as to enable the Plenipotentiary Conference to make a final decision on such participation in the light of the report and the proposals therein.

(Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] Such Sector Members shall not be subsidiaries of a multinational corporation whose executive headquarters is based in a developed country, and shall be limited to Sector Members which are from developing countries classified by the United Nations Development Programme as low-income countries with an annual per capita income not exceeding USD 2 000 and which have not yet joined either or both Sectors.

[2] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 173 (GUADALAJARA, 2010)

Piracy and attacks against fixed and cellular
telephone networks in Lebanon

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Guadalajara, 2010),

recalling

a) the noble principles, purposes and objectives enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

b) the efforts of the United Nations to promote sustainable development and the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions;

c) the purposes of the Union as enshrined in Article 1 of the ITU Constitution;

d) § 16 of the Declaration of Principles adopted by the World Summit on the Information Society;

e) previous resolutions of plenipotentiary conferences, namely:

• Resolution 48 (Malaga-Torremolinos, 1973) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, on the destruction of submarine cables in the Eastern Mediterranean;

• Resolution 74 (Nairobi, 1982) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, regarding Israel and assistance to Lebanon;

• Resolution 64 (Nice, 1989) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, on the condemnation of the practices of Israel in the Arab territories occupied by it;

• Resolution 159 (Antalya, 2006) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, relating to the support to Lebanon for rebuilding its telecommunication network, and given that Lebanon has not received, to date, any amounts of the monetary damages estimated by ITU experts at USD 547 million at that time,

recognizing

a) that a reliable telecommunication network is indispensable for promoting the socio-economic development of countries, in particular those having suffered from Israel's actions;

b) that Lebanon's telecommunication facilities have been and are still being subjected to piracy, interference and interruption, and sedition by Israel against Lebanon's fixed and cellular telephone networks;

c) that the damage caused to Lebanon's telecommunications should be a matter of concern for the entire international community, particularly ITU, as the United Nations specialized agency for telecommunications;

d) the full right of Lebanon to compensation for the damages caused to its telecommunication network,

recalling further

that every Member State of ITU should respect the fundamental principles set forth in the Preamble to the Constitution and in Nos. 5, 6 and 7 of the Constitution.

resolves

to condemn all attacks and violations by any ITU Member State against telecommunication networks in any other Member States, which harm the latter's national security, inter alia, those perpetrated by Israel toward Lebanon,

instructs the Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux

to monitor cease of the above-mentioned violations or harmful transmissions across the border and report to the Council in this respect.

(Guadalajara, 2010)

RESOLUTION 174 (REV. BUSAN, 2014)

ITU's role with regard to international public policy issues
relating to the risk of illicit use of information and
communication technologies

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Busan, 2014),

aware

a) that technological innovation driven by information and communication technologies (ICTs) has significantly modified the ways in which people access telecommunications;

b) that the illicit use of ICTs could have a detrimental impact on a Member State's infrastructure, national security and economic development;

c) that the definition of "telecommunication", as stated in the ITU Constitution, reads as follows: "Any transmission, emission or reception of signs, signals, writing, images and sounds or intelligence of any nature by wire, radio, optical or other electromagnetic systems",

reaffirming

a) Resolutions 55/63 and 56/121 of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), which established the legal framework on countering the criminal misuse of information technologies;

b) UNGA Resolution 57/239, on the creation of a global culture of cybersecurity;

c) UNGA Resolution 58/199, on the creation of a global culture of cybersecurity and the protection of essential information infrastructures;

d) UNGA Resolution 41/65, on principles relating to remote sensing of the Earth from outer space;

e) UNGA Resolution 68/167, on the right to privacy in the digital age;

f) UNGA Resolution 68/243, on developments in the field of information and telecommunications in the context of international security,

considering

a) that, in the Geneva Declaration of Principles, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) (Geneva, 2003) supported the activities of the United Nations to prevent the potential use of ICTs for purposes that are inconsistent with the objectives of maintaining international stability and security, and may adversely affect the integrity of the infrastructure within States, to the detriment of their security, and that it is necessary to prevent the use of information resources and technologies for criminal and terrorist purposes, while respecting human rights (§ 36, Geneva Declaration of Principles);

b) that Action Line C5 (Building confidence and security in the use of ICTs) of the Geneva Plan of Action stipulates the following: "Governments, in cooperation with the private sector, should prevent, detect and respond to cybercrime and misuse of ICTs by: developing guidelines that take into account ongoing efforts in these areas; considering legislation that allows for effective investigation and prosecution of such misuse; promoting effective mutual assistance efforts; strengthening institutional support at the international level for preventing, detecting and recovering from such incidents; and encouraging education and raising awareness",

considering further

that WSIS (Tunis, 2005) identified ITU as moderator for the implementation of Action Line C5 (Building confidence and security in the use of ICTs),

recalling

a) Resolution 130 (Rev. Busan, 2014) of this conference, on strengthening the role of ITU in building confidence and security in the use of ICTs;

b) Resolution 102 (Rev. Busan, 2014) of this conference, on ITU's role with regard to international public policy issues pertaining to the Internet and the management of Internet resources, including domain names and addresses;

c) Resolution 71 (Rev. Busan, 2014) of this conference, in particular strategic goal 3: "Sustainability – Manage challenges resulting from telecommunications/ICT development", which establishes Union focus on enhancing the sustainable and safe use of telecommunications/ICTs, in close collaboration with other organizations and entities;

d) Resolutions 1282 and 1305 of the ITU Council, the latter of which listed issues pertaining to the use and misuse of the Internet among the main tasks of the role of the Dedicated Group on identifying international Internet-related public policy issues;

e) Resolutions 50 and 52 (Rev. Dubai, 2012) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly, on cybersecurity and countering and combating spam;

f) that the World Telecommunication Development Conference adopted Resolution 45 (Rev. Dubai, 2014), on mechanisms for enhancing cooperation on cybersecurity, including countering and combating spam, and ITU Telecommunication Development Sector Study Group 2 Question 3/2, on securing information and communication networks: best practices for developing a culture of cybersecurity,

recognizing

a) that global cooperation and collaboration between Member States, international organizations and all other stakeholders is necessary in order to address and prevent the illicit use of ICTs;

b) the moderating and facilitating role assigned to the Union under Action Line C5 as referred to above;

c) that sharing information at global level on relevant security measures and practices is of particular value to developing countries[1] in mitigating the effects of illicit use of ICTs,

noting

a) the importance of ICTs, including telecommunications, for the social and economic development of countries, especially developing countries, through the creation of new public services that facilitate public access to information and enhanced transparency within public administrations and can be helpful for the monitoring and observation of climate change, the management of natural resources and reduction of the risk of natural disasters;

b) the vulnerability of critical national infrastructures, their increasing dependence on ICTs and the threats resulting from the illicit use of ICTs,

resolves to instruct the Secretary-General

to take the necessary measures in order to:

i) raise the awareness of Member States regarding the adverse impact that may result from the illicit use of information and communication resources;

ii) maintain the role of ITU to cooperate within its mandate with other United Nations bodies in combating the illicit use of ICTs;

iii) inform the Secretary-General of the United Nations about the activities undertaken by ITU in implementing this resolution and relevant ITU recommendations in this regard;

iv) continue to raise awareness, within the mandate of ITU, of the need to mitigate the risks and related threats posed by illicit use of ICTs, and continue to promote cooperation among appropriate international and regional organizations,

requests the Secretary-General

in his capacity as facilitator for Action Line C5 on building confidence and security in the use of ICTs, to organize international and regional meetings and dialogue of Member States and relevant ICT stakeholders, including geospatial and information service providers, for discussing alternative approaches to solutions and opportunities for regional and global cooperation to address and prevent the illicit application of ICTs, while taking into consideration the overall interests of the ICT industry,

invites the Council

when carrying out its activities, to take into account relevant ITU activities/initiatives related to combating threats caused by the illicit use of telecommunications/ICTs, as appropriate,

invites Member States and relevant ICT stakeholders

to pursue their dialogue at the regional and national levels in order to find mutually acceptable solutions,

invites the Secretary-General

to collect and disseminate best practices in terms of actions taken by Member States to prevent the illicit use of ICTs and to provide assistance to interested Member States, as appropriate,

instructs the Secretary-General

to report to the Council and to the next plenipotentiary conference on the progress made in the implementation of this resolution,

invites Member States

to provide the necessary support for the implementation of this resolution.

(Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 175 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Telecommunication/information and communication technology
accessibility for persons with disabilities
and persons with specific needs

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) Resolution ITU-R 67-1 (Rev. Sharm el-Sheikh, 2019) of the ITU Radiocommunication Assembly, on telecommunication/information and communication technology (ICT) accessibility for persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs;

b) Resolution 70 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly, on telecommunication/ICT accessibility for persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs, and the studies, initiatives and events on this issue undertaken by the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) and its study groups, in collaboration with the Joint Coordination Activity on Accessibility and Human Factors (JCA-AHF);

c) Article 12 of the International Telecommunication Regulations, adopted by the World Conference on International Telecommunications (Dubai, 2012), which states that Member States should promote access for persons with disabilities to international telecommunication services, taking into account the relevant ITU-T recommendations;

d) the outcome document of the High-Level Meeting on Disability and Development convened by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the level of Heads of State and Government on 23 September 2013, under the theme "The ICT Opportunity for a Disability-Inclusive Development Framework", which stresses the need for inclusive development in which persons with disabilities are both agents and beneficiaries;

e) Goal 10 of the Sustainable Development Goals, in line with which all people, including persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs, should have equivalent access to and use of ICTs;

f) that the Intersector Rapporteur Group on Audiovisual Media Accessibility, between the ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) and ITU-T, is working on broadcasting and Internet television in order to include audio description for persons with visual impairments and captioning/subtitles for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as to include other persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs in accessing remote Internet participation;

g) the Phuket Declaration on Tsunami Preparedness for Persons with Disabilities (Phuket, 2007), which emphasizes the need for inclusive emergency warning and disaster management systems using telecommunication/ICT facilities based on open, non-proprietary, global standards;

h) Resolution 58 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), on telecommunication/ICT accessibility for persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs;

i) the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) special initiative work carried out through studies conducted within ITU-D Study Group 1 and the ITU-D initiative on the development of an e-accessibility toolkit for persons with disabilities, in collaboration and partnership with the Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs (G3ict);

j) the Kigali Declaration (WTDC-22),

recognizing

a) the ongoing work of ITU-R, ITU-T and ITU-D on telecommunication/ICT accessibility for persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs, including JCA-AHF;

b) technical papers addressing:

– use cases for assisting persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs using mobile applications;

– guidelines for accessible meetings;

– guidelines for supporting remote participation in meetings for all;

– Telecommunication Accessibility Checklist;

as well as Recommendation ITU-T F.791, on accessibility terms and definitions;

c) that the strategic plan for the Union for 2020-2023 includes inter-Sectoral objective I.3: "Enhance telecommunication/ICT accessibility for persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs" and related outcomes and outputs;

d) the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), calling for special attention to be given to persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs;

e) that, during the UNGA high-level meeting on the overall review of the implementation of the WSIS outcomes, it was recognized that special attention must be paid to solving the specific issues presented by ICTs for persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs;

f) § 13 of the Geneva Declaration of Principles and § 18 of the Tunis Commitment, reaffirming the commitment to providing equitable and affordable access to ICTs, especially for persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs;

g) the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy, launched by the Secretary-General of the United Nations in 2019;

h) various regional and national efforts to develop or revise accessibility guidelines and standards for persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs applicable to telecommunications/ICTs;

i) ITU's accessibility policy for persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs, adopted by the ITU Council in 2013;

j) that webcasting using accessible webpages and documents, as well as the use of captioning and audio description in audiovisual content, and the use of sign-language interpretation, are invaluable tools which benefit persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs,

considering

a) that the World Health Organization estimates that there are 1 billion persons living with varying degrees of physical, sensory or cognitive disabilities in the world, meaning 15 per cent of the world's population, and 80 per cent of them live in developing countries[1];

b) that ICTs can provide opportunities and benefits for women and girls with disabilities to overcome exclusion on the basis of their gender and disability;

c) that Article 9 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), on accessibility, which entered into force on 3 May 2008, requires States Parties to take appropriate measures, including:

i) 2.(g) To promote access for persons with disabilities to new information and communications technologies and systems, including the Internet;

ii) 2.(h) To promote the design, development, production and distribution of accessible information and communications technologies and systems at an early stage, so that these technologies and systems become accessible at minimum cost;

d) that the United Nations Human Rights Council established the Special Rapporteurship on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to allow identification of the barriers and obstacles that persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs still have to overcome to achieve their full, effective participation in society, the mandate of which will be to work in close coordination with all mechanisms and entities of the United Nations system, regional mechanisms, civil society and organizations of and for persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs, and which will incorporate the perspectives of gender, international cooperation and capacity building in all its activities, in accordance with the principles of CRPD;

e) the importance of cooperation between governments, the private sector, civil society and relevant organizations to provide possibilities for telecommunications/ICTs that align with the principles of universal design, equitable access, functional equivalence and affordability;

f) that it is necessary for governments and multiple stakeholders to pay attention to the outcomes in the report jointly prepared by G3ict and Disabled People's International, given that the accessibility of the information infrastructure, considered an essential area of ICT accessibility that has an enormous impact on the greatest number of users, falls short of the level of progress called for by the provisions of CRPD in terms of general compliance on the part of the countries that have ratified it,

noting

that JCA-AHF was set up for the purposes of awareness-raising, advice, assistance, collaboration, coordination and networking, its historical precedence, and its role to communicate, cooperate and collaborate with all the Sectors on the work of accessibility to prevent duplication of work,

resolves

1 to involve persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs in the work of ITU, taking into account their experiences and expertise, so that they may collaborate in the adoption of a comprehensive action plan in order to extend access to telecommunications/ICTs, in collaboration with external entities and bodies concerned with this topic;

2 to foster dialogue and communication between persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs (with means of interpretation when necessary) and those who prepare public policies and statistics on telecommunication/ICT users, in order to obtain better information and knowledge about which data to collect and analyse at the national level using international standards and methods;

3 to promote cooperation with regional and global organizations and institutions that deal with accessibility for persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs, in order to include telecommunication/ICT accessibility in their agendas and take into account its cross-cutting nature with other topics;

4 to maximize use of accessible webcasting facilities, captioning (including transcripts of the captioning) and sign language and, if possible, within the financial and technical limitations of the Union, provide these services in all six official languages of the Union both during and after the conclusion of any session when convening conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union as articulated in Chapter II, Section 12 "Setting up of committees" of the General Rules of conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union;

5 to build on and consolidate past accomplishments by providing the necessary financial and human resources for the effective and sustained integration of ICT accessibility for persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs into development activities, within budgetary constraints,

instructs the Secretary-General

to bring Resolution 58 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) to the attention of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, in an effort to promote increased coordination and cooperation for development policies, programmes and projects for achieving ICT accessibility for persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs, in line with principles of equitable access, functional equivalence, affordability and universal design, and fully enhancing the available tools, guidelines and standards, to eliminate obstacles and discrimination,

instructs the Secretary-General, in consultation with the Directors of the Bureaux

1 to coordinate accessibility-related activities between ITU-R, ITU-T and ITU-D, taking into account JCA-AHF and in collaboration with other relevant organizations and entities where appropriate, in order to avoid duplication and to ensure that the needs of persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs are taken into account;

2 to consider the financial implications for ITU of providing, within the available resources, information in accessible formats and through ICTs, as well as access to ITU facilities, services and programmes for participants with visual, hearing or motor disabilities and persons with specific needs, mainly through the inclusion of captioning at meetings, sign-language interpretation, access to information through the ITU website in print and adapted formats, and physical access to ITU buildings and meeting facilities, and to facilitate the adoption of accessible ITU recruitment practices and employment;

3 pursuant to UNGA Resolution 61/106, to consider accessibility standards and guidelines whenever undertaking renovations or changing the use of space at a facility, so that accessibility features are maintained and additional barriers are not inadvertently introduced;

4 to consult and actively involve persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs and their representative organizations in the venue selection process for ITU conferences and events, to ensure that selected sites are accessible and enable inclusive participation;

5 to encourage and promote representation by persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs so as to ensure that their experiences and opinions are taken into account when developing and progressing ITU work;

6 to consider expanding the fellowship programme in order to enable delegates with disabilities and delegates with specific needs, within existing budgetary constraints, to participate in the work of ITU;

7 to identify, document and disseminate examples of best practices for accessibility in the field of telecommunications/ICTs among ITU Member States and Sector Members;

8 to work collaboratively on accessibility-related activities with ITU-R, ITU-T and ITU-D, taking into account JCA-AHF, in particular concerning awareness and mainstreaming of telecommunication/ICT accessibility standards, and in developing programmes that enable developing countries to introduce services that allow persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs to utilize telecommunication/ICT services effectively;

9 to work collaboratively and cooperatively with other relevant regional and global organizations and entities, in particular in the interest of ensuring that ongoing work in the field of accessibility is taken into account;

10 to work collaboratively and cooperatively with disability organizations in all regions to ensure that the needs of persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs are taken into account;

11 to direct the regional offices, within their available resources, to organize regional competitions for the development of assistive technologies to enable persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs, having due regard to differences in culture and language and taking into account the presence of developers with disabilities;

12 to make use of and share information regarding the ways in which ICTs can empower persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs, for example guidelines, tools and information sources prepared by ITU and other relevant organizations such as G3ict which are of benefit to the work of ITU and the membership;

13 to encourage the regional offices, within their available resources, to cooperate with stakeholders concerned to promote the development of new technologies that empower persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs;

14 to consider and implement improvements to organizational culture and relevant internal systems to ensure that persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs are provided with equal opportunities in the recruitment and retention process;

15 to continue to support measures designed to build the capacities of ITU staff to understand and champion accessibility and disability inclusion through activities such as workshops and management training;

16 to submit a report annually to the Council and to the next plenipotentiary conference on measures taken to implement this resolution;

17 to promote the collection and analysis of statistical data on disabilities and telecommunication/ICT accessibility that Member States can consider when preparing and designing their own public policies to promote accessibility,

invites Member States

1 to develop, within their national legal frameworks, guidelines or other mechanisms to enhance the accessibility, compatibility and usability of telecommunication/ICT services, products and terminals, and to offer support to regional initiatives related to this issue;

2 to encourage observation of the annual International Day of Persons with Disabilities through telecommunication/ICT activities related to accessibility,

invites Member States and Sector Members

1 to encourage the participation of persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs in the work of ITU, including in the composition of delegations to ITU conferences and assemblies and study group meetings;

2 to introduce appropriate telecommunication/ICT services and to encourage the development of applications for telecommunication devices and products in order to enable persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs to utilize these services on an equal basis with others, and to promote international cooperation in this regard;

3 to promote the development of learning opportunities in order to train persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs to use ICTs for their social and economic development, including through train-the-trainer courses and distance learning;

4 to participate actively in accessibility-related activities/studies in ITU-R, ITU-T and ITU-D, and JCA-AHF, including participating actively in the work of the study groups concerned, and to include and promote representation by persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs so as to ensure that their experiences and opinions are taken into account;

5 to foster coordination and consensus on ensuring that persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs have access to telecommunication/ICT services;

6 to share good and best practices implemented in favour of telecommunication/ICT accessibility for persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs;

7 to take into account considering c) ii) and e) above, and the benefits of cost affordability for equipment and services for persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs, including universal design;

8 to encourage the international community to make voluntary contributions to the special trust fund set up by ITU to support activities relating to the implementation of this resolution.

(Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 176 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Measurement and assessment concerns related to human exposure to electromagnetic fields

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) Resolution 72 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly, on measurement and assessment concerns related to human exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF);

b) Resolution 62 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference, on assessment and measurement of human exposure to EMF;

c) relevant resolutions and recommendations of the ITU Radiocommunication Sector and ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector;

d) that there is ongoing work in the three Sectors relating to human exposure to EMF, and that liaison and collaboration between the Sectors and with other expert organizations are important, in order to avoid duplication of effort,

considering

a) that the World Health Organization (WHO) has the specialized health expertise and competence to assess the impact of radio waves on the human body;

b) that WHO recommends exposure limits from international organizations such as the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP);

c) that ITU has expertise in a mechanism to verify compliance with levels of radio signals by calculating and measuring field strength and power density of these signals;

d) the high cost of equipment used for measuring and assessing human exposure to EMF;

e) that the considerable development in the use of the radio-frequency spectrum has resulted in an increase in the sources of EMF emissions in any given geographic area;

f) the urgent need for regulatory bodies in many developing countries[1] to obtain information on measurement and assessment methodologies in regard to human exposure to radio-frequency and EMF energy, in order to establish national regulations to protect their citizens;

g) that people, without adequate and accurate information, public awareness and/or appropriate regulation, particularly in developing countries, may have concerns about the effect of EMF on their health, which may result in their opposing the deployment of radio installations in their vicinity and demanding additional restrictions, without a scientific and technical basis, that negatively affect the necessary and timely deployment of wireless infrastructure;

h) that guidelines on limits of exposure to EMF have been established by ICNIRP[2], the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)[3] and the International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission, and that many administrations have adopted national regulations based on these guidelines; however, there is a need to harmonize EMF guidelines for regulators and policy-makers to help them formulate national standards;

i) that most developing countries do not have the necessary tools to measure and evaluate the impact of radio waves on the human body,

resolves to instruct the Directors of the three Bureaux

1 to collect and disseminate information concerning exposure to EMF, including on EMF measurement methodologies, consumer information and frequently asked questions, in order to assist national administrations, particularly in developing countries, to develop appropriate national regulations;

2 to work closely with all relevant organizations engaged on this topic and to leverage their output in the implementation of this resolution, as well as Resolution 72 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) and Resolution 62 (Rev. Kigali, 2022), in order to continue and enhance the technical assistance provided to Member States;

3 to continue to cooperate with WHO, ICNIRP, IEEE and other relevant international organizations on guidelines and limits for human exposure to EMF, and to raise awareness and disseminate information to the ITU membership and the public with regard to human exposure to EMF from radiocommunication and non-radiocommunication sources that have an influence on total EMF exposure;

4 to regularly update the ITU portal on EMF activities and public information,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, in collaboration with the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau and the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau

1 to conduct regional or international seminars and workshops in order to identify the needs of developing countries and build human capacity in regard to measurement of EMF related to human exposure to these fields;

2 to encourage Member States in the various regions to cooperate in sharing expertise and resources and identify a focal point or regional cooperation mechanism, including, if required, a regional centre, so as to assist all Member States in the region in measurement and training;

3 to encourage relevant organizations to continue undertaking necessary scientific studies to investigate possible health effects of EMF radiation on the human body;

4 to formulate necessary measures and guidelines in order to help mitigate possible health effects of EMF radiation on the human body;

5 to encourage Member States to conduct periodic reviews to ensure that ITU recommendations and other relevant international standards related to exposure to EMF are followed,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, in collaboration with the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau and the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

to participate in the Electromagnetic Field Project, conducted by WHO, as part of collaborative efforts with other international organizations to encourage the development of international standards for EMF exposure,

instructs the Secretary-General, in consultation with the Directors of the three Bureaux

1 to prepare a report on the implementation of this resolution for submission to the ITU Council at each annual session for evaluation;

2 to provide a report to the next plenipotentiary conference on measures taken to implement this resolution,

invites Member States

1 to take the appropriate measures to ascertain compliance with guidelines produced by ITU and other relevant international organizations with respect to exposure to EMF;

2 to implement subregional cooperation mechanisms for acquisition of the requisite equipment to measure EMF;

3 to raise public awareness of the health effects of human exposure to non-ionizing EMF, by conducting awareness-raising campaigns, holding workshops, publishing brochures and providing online information on the subject.

(Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

[2] Guidelines for limiting exposure to time-varying electric, magnetic and electromagnetic fields (up to 300 GHz). Health Physics 74(4): 494-522; 1998; ICNIRP Guidelines for limiting exposure to electromagnetic fields (100 kHz to 300 GHz). Health Physics 118(5): 483-524; 2020.

[3] IEEE Std C95.1™-2005, IEEE standard for safety levels with respect to human exposure to radio-frequency electromagnetic fields, 3 kHz to 300 GHz.

RESOLUTION 177 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Conformance and interoperability

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recognizing

a) Resolution 197 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on facilitating the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart sustainable cities and communities (SSC&C), and Resolution 200 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on the Connect 2030 Agenda for global telecommunication/information and communication technology (ICT), including broadband, for sustainable development;

b) Resolution 76 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA), on studies related to conformance and interoperability (C&I) testing, assistance to developing countries[1], and a possible future ITU Mark programme, Resolution 96 (Hammamet, 2016) of WTSA, on ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) studies for combating counterfeit telecommunication/ICT devices, and Resolution 98 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of WTSA, on enhancing the standardization of IoT and SSC&C for global development;

c) Resolution 47 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), on enhancement of knowledge and effective application of ITU recommendations in developing countries, including C&I testing of systems manufactured on the basis of ITU recommendations;

d) Resolution ITU-R 62-2 (Rev. Sharm el-Sheikh, 2019) of the Radiocommunication Assembly (RA), on studies related to testing for conformance with ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) recommendations and interoperability of radiocommunication equipment and systems;

e) the progress reports made by the Directors of the ITU Bureaux to the ITU Council and to this conference;

f) that interoperability of international telecommunication networks is one of the main goals in the strategic plan for the Union,

noting

a) the work carried out under study Question 4/2 of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector, on assistance to developing countries for implementing C&I programmes;

b) the work carried out by ITU-T Study Group 11 on C&I programmes, including on the Conformity Assessment Steering Committee (CASC);

c) that several ITU-T study groups are engaged in pilot projects for conformity with ITU-T recommendations;

d) that ITU-T has an informative and voluntary Product Conformity Database and is progressively populating it with details of ICT equipment having undergone testing for conformity with ITU-T recommendations;

e) that the ITU C&I Portal website is continually updated;

f) that technologies such as IoT, International Mobile Telecommunications 2020 and beyond, etc. have increasing requirements for C&I testing, and that C&I testing could facilitate the interoperability of telecommunication/ICT devices;

g) that CASC, in collaboration with other certification bodies is working on the establishment of a joint certification scheme for assessing ICT equipment for conformity with ITU-T recommendations,

recognizing further

a) that C&I procedures are used to protect consumers and networks and to prevent radio equipment interference;

b) that widespread C&I of telecommunication/ICT equipment and systems through the implementation of relevant programmes and information-sharing, policies and decisions can increase market opportunities and reliability and encourage global integration and trade;

c) that technical training and institutional capacity building for testing and conformity assessment are among the essential tools for many ITU members to develop their own capacity and to promote global connectivity;

d) that many ITU members may also benefit from using the conformity assessment that many existing regional and national standards bodies already provide for conformity assessment, through mechanisms of collaboration with such organizations;

e) that existing international approaches to conformity assessment provide a robust and well-functioning infrastructure that is already being used by developing countries;

f) that a decision concerning the implementation of an ITU Mark would be postponed until Pillar 1 (conformity assessment) of the Action Plan for the C&I Programme has reached a more mature stage of development (the Council, 2012 session);

g) that micro, small and medium enterprises in ITU Member States contribute greatly to the economy through access to affordable and interoperable technologies;

h) that CASC has developed a procedure for the recognition of ITU experts, as well as a procedure for recognizing testing laboratories capable of testing according to ITU-T recommendations;

i) that key outcomes of Pillar 1 of the Action Plan for the C&I Programme, namely, a product conformity database, a living list of suitable ITU-T recommendations on key technologies for C&I testing, a list of pilot projects for conformity assessment against ITU-T recommendations and a reference table of ITU-T recommendations under C&I testing in the industry, have shown good progress;

j) that criteria for assessing the maturity of Pillar 1 (conformity assessment) of the Action Plan for the C&I Programme and the definition of ITU Mark and its implications are required;

k) that ITU, being an international standardization body, can address the impediments to harmonization, interoperability and growth of worldwide telecommunications through the C&I Programme,

considering

a) the Action Plan for the C&I Programme, as revised by the Council at its 2013 session, which contains four pillars, namely: 1) conformity assessment, 2) interoperability events, 3) capacity building, and 4) assistance in the establishment of test centres and C&I programmes in developing countries;

b) that some countries, especially developing countries, have not yet acquired the capacity to test equipment and provide assurance to consumers in their countries;

c) that conformity assessment of telecommunication/ICT equipment can reduce interference among communication systems, promotes interoperability of equipment from different manufacturers and increases confidence in the quality of products;

d) the importance of C&I to businesses, including to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and young developers, when designing, developing and marketing telecommunication/ICT equipment;

e) that, along with ITU-T recommendations, there are a number of specifications for C&I testing developed by other conformity assessment bodies and standards-development organizations (SDOs), forums and consortia;

f) that conformance testing alone does not guarantee interoperability of devices, but provides assurance that the equipment tested conforms to the specified standards;

g) that the conformity assessment process, which includes but is not limited to certification, testing and inspection, may help in combating counterfeit ICT devices;

h) that the costs of establishing laboratories for the implementation of conformity and interoperability programmes are high in terms of both capital and operating costs;

i) that conformity and interoperability laboratories require regular updates due to the rapid development of technologies, equipment and terminals;

j) that ITU standardization resources are limited, and it is beneficial if regional and national accreditation and certification bodies and accredited testing laboratories conduct the C&I testing, with the involvement of the ITU C&I Programme,

resolves

1 to endorse the objectives of WTSA Resolution 76 (Rev. Geneva, 2022), RA Resolution ITU-R 62-2 (Rev. Sharm el-Sheikh, 2019) and WTDC Resolution 47 (Rev. Kigali, 2022), and the Action Plan for the C&I Programme reviewed by the Council;

2 that this programme of work continue to be implemented, including the informative pilot conformity database and its development into a fully functioning database, in consultation with each region, taking into consideration a) the outcome and effect that the pilot conformity database may have on Member States, Sector Members and stakeholders (e.g. other SDOs), b) the impact the database will have on bridging the standardization gap as relevant to each region, c) the potential liability issues for ITU and for Member States, Sector Members and stakeholders, and taking into account the results of regional ITU conformity and interoperability consultations;

3 to assist developing countries in establishing regional or subregional conformity and interoperability centres suitable to perform conformity and interoperability testing as appropriate and according to their needs and encourage cooperation with governmental and non-governmental, national and regional organizations, public-private partnerships and international conformity assessment bodies;

4 to facilitate cooperation between ITU, Member States, Sector Members and relevant entities to lower the cost of establishing conformity and interoperability assessment centres (such as the use of virtual laboratories for remote testing) at the national, subregional and regional levels,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau

1 to continue implementation of the Action Plan for the C&I Programme endorsed by the Council, including, in collaboration with the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT), the recommendations on human capacity building and assistance in the establishment of test facilities in developing countries;

2 to continue to carry out pilot projects for conformity to ITU-T recommendations to increase the probability of interoperability in accordance with the Action Plan for the C&I Programme;

3 to enhance and improve standards-setting processes in order to improve interoperability through conformity;

4 to continuously update the Action Plan for the C&I Programme for the long-term implementation of this resolution;

5 to provide the Council with progress reports, including the results of studies, relating to the implementation of this resolution;

6 in cooperation with the Director of BDT, to implement the Action Plan for the C&I Programme agreed by the Council at its 2012 session and revised by the Council at its 2013 session;

7 to develop the criteria for assessing the maturity of Pillar 1 of the Action Plan for the C&I Programme mentioned in recognizing further j) above and report to the Council;

8 to define the ITU Mark concept and its implications for ITU and its membership,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, in close collaboration with the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau and the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau

1 to advance the implementation of Resolution 47 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) and the relevant parts of the Action Plan for the C&I Programme, and to report to the Council;

2 to assist Member States in addressing their concerns with respect to non-compliant equipment;

3 to continue providing on-the-job capacity-building activities, in collaboration with recognized institutions and benefiting from the ITU Academy ecosystem, including activities related to preventing radiocommunication interference caused or received by ICT equipment;

4 under Pillars 3 and 4 of the Action Plan for the C&I Programme:

a) to raise awareness of the applicability of C&I programmes to certain IoT devices;

b) to provide capacity building on technical regulations and compliance testing to support developers, including SMEs and youth, as they design their telecommunication/ICT equipment, to enable them to access local, regional and global markets;

5 to use ITU seed money allocated for projects and encourage donor agencies to fund annual capacity-building and training programmes in testing centres adopted as ITU centres of excellence;

6 to assist developing countries in building their capacity and identifying regional and subregional ICT testing centres in developing countries as ITU centres of excellence, as appropriate, in collaboration with the other Bureaux, so as to be able to perform conformance testing and interoperability testing of equipment and systems, relevant to their needs, in accordance with the relevant recommendations, including the development or recognition of conformity assessment bodies, as appropriate;

7 to assist Member States in enhancing their capabilities for conformance assessment and testing and to provide experts for developing countries;

8 to promote collaboration with regional C&I bodies, especially with respect to technical conformance assessment,

invites the ITU Council

1 to consider the reports of the Directors of the three Bureaux and to take all necessary measures so as to contribute to the achievement of the objectives of this resolution;

2 to report to the next plenipotentiary conference on the progress made with respect to this resolution;

3 to consider, after Pillar 1 of the Action Plan for the C&I Programme has reached a more mature stage of development, the possible introduction of an ITU Mark, taking into account the technical, financial and legal implications;

4 to continue supporting the implementation of ITU's testing laboratories recognition procedure and make the list of recognized testing laboratories accessible for ITU members,

invites the membership

1 to populate the pilot conformity database with details of products tested to applicable ITU-T recommendations in accredited test laboratories (first, second or third party), or by accredited certification bodies, or according to procedures adopted by an SDO or forum qualified in accordance with Recommendation ITU-T A.5;

2 to participate in ITU-facilitated interoperability events and in the work of the ITU study groups related to conformity and interoperability issues;

3 to take an active role in building developing countries' capacity in conformity and interoperability testing, including on-the-job training, particularly as part of any supply contract for telecommunication equipment, services and systems to these countries;

4 to support the establishment of regional conformity testing facilities, or facilitate the use of existing laboratory infrastructures, particularly in developing countries;

5 to participate in ITU assessment studies to promote the establishment of harmonized conformity and interoperability frameworks in the regions,

invites organizations qualified in accordance with Recommendation ITU-T A.5

1 to participate in the ITU pilot conformity database activities and, sharing links on a mutual basis, to enrich its extent by referring to more recommendations and standards within a product, and to allow for more exposure of vendors' products and widen the portfolio of selection to the users;

2 to participate in developing countries' capacity-building programmes and activities facilitated by the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau and BDT, in particular offering opportunities for developing-country experts, particularly from operators, to gain on-the-job experience,

invites Member States

1 to contribute to the implementation of this resolution;

2 to encourage national and regional testing entities to assist ITU in implementing this resolution;

3 to adopt conformity-assessment regimes and procedures based on applicable ITU-T recommendations, leading to better quality of service/quality of experience, and to higher probability of interoperability of equipment, services and systems;

4 to work together to combat counterfeit equipment using nationally and/or regionally established conformance assessment systems;

5 to contribute to the next RA in 2023 in order for it to consider and take appropriate actions as deemed necessary with respect to C&I.

(Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 178 (GUADALAJARA, 2010)

ITU role in organizing the work on technical aspects of
telecommunication networks to support the Internet

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Guadalajara, 2010),

considering

a) that the construction of the information society demands the decisive cooperation and involvement of the entire world, as its consolidation will certainly exert a positive impact on bridging the digital divide;

b) that one of the first steps to be undertaken is to establish an environment for the ITU Member States and Sector Members to explore ways to advance in the process towards enhanced cooperation within ITU and address and define new mechanisms for accomplishing its emerging role and responsibilities,

considering further

a) that a crucial part of the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society lies in the "Implementation and follow-up" section, where the premises, guidelines and activities of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) are clearly expressed;

b) that ITU has been appointed in the "Implementation and follow-up" section of the Tunis Agenda as one of the possible moderators and facilitators for the action lines established by WSIS;

c) that both the World Telecommunication Development Conference (Doha, 2006) and the Plenipotentiary Conference (Antalya, 2006) recognized the leading role that ITU shall play in regard to WSIS Action Lines C2 (Information and communication infrastructure) and C5 (Building confidence and security in the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs)),

noting

a) the need to strengthen the Union with structures that allow continuous improvement of its work as facilitator of WSIS directives;

b) the importance of telecommunication networks and services as a support to Internet interoperability;

c) the historical capacity of the Union for bringing together various agents of the telecommunication sector, i.e. administrations and private entities, in the development of technical recommendations for telecommunication networks;

d) the need to establish focal points within the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) for the relevant WSIS action lines (pursuant to Resolution 75 (Johannesburg, 2008) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA)), so as to enable all ITU members to work, in a coordinated and transparent manner, on the development of the technical aspects of telecommunication networks for supporting the Internet, in order to help advance network evolution, capacity, continuity, interoperability and security, through contribution-based work,

keeping in mind

a) Article 17 of the ITU Constitution, which outlines the functions of ITU-T: "The functions of the Telecommunication Standardization Sector shall be, bearing in mind the particular concerns of the developing countries, to fulfil the purposes of the Union relating to telecommunication standardization, as stated in Article 1 of this Constitution, by studying technical, operating and tariff questions and adopting recommendations on them with a view to standardizing telecommunications on a worldwide basis";

b) Article 13 of the ITU Convention, which sets out the responsibilities of WTSA, detailing that:

"3 In accordance with No. 104 of the Constitution, the assembly shall:

...

f) decide on the need to maintain, terminate or establish other groups and appoint their chairmen and vice-chairmen;

g) establish the terms of reference for the groups referred to in No. 191A above; such groups shall not adopt questions or recommendations",

resolves

that ITU shall continue to adapt, working in a coordinated and transparent manner on development of the technical aspects of telecommunication networks for supporting the Internet, in order to help advance network evolution, capacity, continuity, interoperability and security, through contribution-based work,

instructs the Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux

to continue taking all necessary measures for ITU to fulfil its role in organizing the work on aspects of telecommunication networks to support Internet,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, in consultation with the Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group

1 to convene open consultations about contributions that ITU-T could provide to the implementation of WSIS;

2 to evaluate and present a proposal on adjustments to the current structure of ITU-T, in order to fulfil the directive set forth in resolves above, by possibly suggesting the creation of a specific study group or other group on these matters;

3 to submit, for WTSA-12, the conclusion of the evaluation mentioned in item 2 above,

invites Member States and Sector Members

to participate in and provide contributions related to the evaluation mentioned in instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, in consultation with the Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group 2 above,

invites the 2012 world telecommunication standardization assembly

1 to analyse the report by the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau and the Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group and contributions from Member States and Sector Members, and decide on the adjustments to the structure of ITU-T, in order to reach the objective of improving the technical work, within ITU-T, on the development of the technical aspects of telecommunication networks for supporting the Internet;

2 to take the necessary action, as appropriate, regarding the establishment of a study group or other appropriate group in order to achieve the objectives mentioned in resolves above.

(Guadalajara, 2010)

RESOLUTION 179 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

ITU's role in child online protection

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recognizing

a) United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 70/1, on transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which addresses various aspects of child online protection in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDGs 1, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10 and 16;

b) Resolution 175 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on telecommunication/information and communication technology (ICT) accessibility for persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs;

c) Resolution 67 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), on the role of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) in child online protection;

d) Resolution 45 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of WTDC, on mechanisms for enhancing cooperation on cybersecurity, including countering and combating spam;

e) other relevant ITU documents,

considering

a) that the Internet plays a very important role in the provision of education for children, enriching the curriculum and helping to bridge language and other barriers between the children of all nations;

b) that the Internet has become a major platform for many different kinds of educational, cultural and entertainment activities for children;

c) that children are among the most active participants online;

d) that parents, guardians, educators and communities who have responsibility for children's activities may need guidance on mediation approaches on how to protect children online;

e) that child online protection initiatives always consider the empowerment of the child online and have due regard to an equal balancing of children's right to be protected from harm and their civil and political rights, as well as their access to online opportunities;

f) that there is an urgent need and global demand for the protection of children from exploitation and exposure to danger and deception when using the Internet or ICTs;

g) the growing development, diversification and spread of access to ICTs worldwide, in particular the Internet, and the increasingly widespread use thereof by children, at times with no mediation, control or guidance;

h) that, in order to address the issue of cybersecurity for children, it is critical that proactive measures be employed in order to protect children online at national, regional or international level;

i) the requirement for international cooperation and continued application of a multistakeholder approach in order to promote social responsibility in the ICT sector so as to effectively make use of the variety of tools available to build confidence in the use of ICT networks and services, reducing the risks for children;

j) that child online protection is a subject of valid international global interest and is listed in the priorities of the world community's global agenda;

k) that child online protection involves a national, regional and international collaborative network, in conjunction with other United Nations agencies and partners, for action to promote the online protection of children by providing guidance on safe online behaviour and appropriate practical tools,

recalling

a) the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), the Declaration of the Rights of the Child adopted by UNGA on 20 November 1989 and recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and all relevant United Nations resolutions regarding child protection and child online protection;

b) that, within the framework of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the States Parties undertook to protect the child from all forms of exploitation and sexual abuse, and for that purpose, in particular, to take all appropriate national, bilateral and multilateral measures to prevent a) the inducement or coercion of a child to engage in any unlawful sexual activity; b) the exploitative use of children in prostitution or other unlawful sexual practices; c) the exploitative use of children in pornographic performances and materials (Article 34);

c) that, pursuant to Article 10 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (New York, 2000) on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, the States Parties shall take all necessary steps to strengthen international cooperation by multilateral, regional and bilateral arrangements for the prevention, detection, investigation, prosecution and punishment of those responsible for acts involving the sale of children, child prostitution, child pornography and child sex tourism; and shall also promote international cooperation and coordination between their authorities, national and international non-governmental organizations and international organizations;

d) United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution 20/8, adopted on 5 July 2012, which stresses that "the same rights that people have offline must also be protected online";

e) that the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), in the Tunis Commitment of 2005 (§ 24), recognized the role of ICTs in the protection of children and in enhancing the development of children, urging Member States to strengthen action to protect children from abuse and defend their rights in the context of ICTs, emphasizing that the best interests of the child are a primary consideration; accordingly, the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society (§ 90 q)) set forth the commitment to using ICTs as a tool to achieve the internationally agreed development goals and objectives, including the SDGs set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the WSIS action lines, by, inter alia, incorporating regulatory, self-regulatory and other effective policies and frameworks to protect children and young people from abuse and exploitation through ICTs into national plans of action and e-strategies;

f) ITU Council Resolution 1305 (Modified 2019), which invites Member States to recognize the topic of protecting children and young people from abuse and exploitation as one of the international Internet-related public policy matters;

g) Council Resolution 1306 (Modified 2015), which sets out the mandate of the Council Working Group on child online protection (CWG-COP), with the participation of Member States and Sector Members and the contribution and participation of all relevant stakeholders;

h) that, during the 2012 WSIS Forum, held in Geneva, a meeting was held with associates of the Child Online Protection (COP) initiative, at which it was agreed to work closely with the Family Online Safety Institute and the Internet Watch Foundation to provide necessary assistance to Member States,

recalling further

a) that ITU is the moderator/facilitator for WSIS Action Line C5 (Building confidence and security in the use of ICTs);

b) that the COP initiative was presented to the High-Level Segment of the Council in 2008, where it was endorsed by the Heads of State, ministers and heads of international organizations globally;

c) that ITU, in collaboration with its COP members, has created four sets of guidelines for the protection of children in cyberspace, namely: guidelines for children, for parents and educators, for industry, and for policy-makers, and continues to revise and update these guidelines to ensure consistency with industry trends and practices;

d) that Recommendation ITU T E.1100 of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T), on specification of an international numbering resource for use in the provisioning of international help lines, provides alternative numbering resources to overcome the technical difficulties that have made it impossible to establish a single globally harmonized national number, as provided for in Supplement 5 to Recommendation ITU-T E.164 (11/2009), and that the contributions that the different ITU-T study groups can make are very important in identifying practical solutions and tools to facilitate access to child online protection hotlines worldwide,

taking into account

a) the discussions and online consultations conducted by CWG-COP, and other ITU activities;

b) the existing technological, physical, managerial and organizational tools, at the global, regional and national levels, to protect children online, along with innovative applications to make it easier for children to communicate with child online protection helplines, and the need to continue this work aiming to find available solutions and disseminate them to governments and other stakeholders;

c) the need to protect data being collected to produce statistics and indicators on child online protection;

d) the activities undertaken by ITU in the area of child online protection at the national, regional and international levels, recognizing other multistakeholder activities;

e) the call of the world's youth at the BYND2015 Global Youth Summit (San José, Costa Rica, 2013) for Member States to develop policies to make online communities safe and secure;

f) the many activities of governments, national, regional and international non-governmental organizations and industry organizations that are promoting the exchange of best practices on child online protection;

g) the increase in the use of the Internet, especially by children and the COP activities carried out by ITU during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic;

h) the importance of education and skills to empower children, parents and educators, policy-makers and industry to achieve child online protection,

resolves

1 to continue the COP initiative as a platform to raise awareness and share best practices on child online safety issues;

2 to continue providing assistance and support to Member States, especially developing countries[1], in developing and implementing roadmaps for the COP initiative;

3 to continue to coordinate the COP initiative, in cooperation with relevant stakeholders;

4 to promote collaboration between all stakeholders involved in child online protection, based on the work done in this area, in order to benefit Member States;

5 to support and enhance regional and subregional cooperation mechanisms between Member States and other stakeholders in child online protection;

6 to continue efforts, together with relevant international organizations, to support Member States, upon request, to engage in capacity building and awareness raising on child online protection for parents, guardians, educators, policy-makers and communities, as well as relevant representatives of the public and private sectors,

requests the ITU Council

1 to continue the work of CWG-COP, in order to facilitate the membership's input and guidance on ITU's role in child online protection, and to serve as a platform for discussion and exchange of best practices;

2 to facilitate the contribution and participation of all relevant stakeholders in the work of CWG-COP to ensure maximum collaboration in implementing this resolution;

3 to encourage CWG-COP to liaise with the Council Working Group on international Internet-related public policy issues (CWG-Internet), as appropriate, in order to contribute in a mutually beneficial manner to fulfilment of work under the respective mandates of these Council working groups on the relevant issues;

4 to encourage CWG-COP to liaise with ITU-D Study Group 2, sharing the outputs of CWG-COP meetings, to benefit the discussion of the relevant study question;

5 to encourage CWG-COP to conduct online consultations with youth to listen to their views and opinions on different matters related to child online protection, prior to and during its meeting;

6 to continue to make output documents related to child online protection issues publicly accessible without password protection,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to continue identifying those activities that are carried out by other United Nations organizations in this domain and to coordinate with them appropriately, with the objective of establishing partnerships to maximize and synergize efforts in this important area;

2 to coordinate ITU efforts with other United Nations agencies and entities concerned with this issue, in order to contribute to existing global repositories with useful information, statistics and tools concerning child online protection;

3 to maintain and promote the online repository of resources on child online protection efforts;

4 to continue the coordination of ITU activities with other similar initiatives being undertaken at the national, regional and international levels, in order to eliminate possible overlaps;

5 to bring this resolution to the attention of other COP members and of the United Nations Secretary-General, with the aim of increasing the engagement of the United Nations system in child online protection;

6 to submit a progress report on the implementation of this resolution to the next plenipotentiary conference;

7 to continue to disseminate the documents and reports of CWG-COP to all international organizations and stakeholders involved in such matters, so that they can collaborate fully;

8 to encourage Member States, Sector Members and relevant United Nations agencies to share best practices on issues of child online protection with CWG-COP,

instructs the Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux

1 to continue to coordinate those activities that relate to the implementation of child online protection with respect to the effective application of resolves 1, 2 and 3 above, in order to avoid overlapping among the activities of the ITU Bureaux and the General Secretariat;

2 to continue enhancing the COP initiative page on the ITU website to make it more informative for all users, within the available resources;

3 to assist Member States in developing and implementing policies, strategies and standards to enhance the protection of children online,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

1 to report to CWG-COP, as appropriate, on child online protection activities;

2 to collaborate closely with CWG-COP and CWG-Internet and to gain the best possible outputs through the work on the relevant ITU-D study questions and the regional initiatives relevant to protecting children online, while avoiding duplication of effort;

3 to consider the outputs of CWG-COP meetings in the deliverables of the relevant study questions;

4 to coordinate with other similar initiatives being undertaken at the national, regional and international level with the objective of establishing partnerships to maximize efforts in this important area;

5 to assist developing countries in drawing the greatest possible attention to child online protection;

6 to update, as appropriate, the child online protection guidelines created by ITU, in collaboration with COP initiative partners, taking into consideration technology developments in the telecommunication/ICT industry, including guidelines on children with disabilities and children with specific needs, and to disseminate them through the ITU regional offices and relevant entities in the six official languages;

7 to disseminate methodological frameworks for data production and statistics on child online protection with the purpose of maximizing data comparison among countries and capacity development for voluntary data production;

8 to consider the needs of children with disabilities and children with specific needs in current and future awareness campaigns undertaken in coordination with the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau and in cooperation with relevant stakeholders and interested countries;

9 to continue to assist Member States, in particular developing countries, in developing their national child online protection strategies in collaboration with stakeholders;

10 to continue promoting training programmes for all stakeholders, including working with COP initiative partners,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau

1 to encourage the ITU-T study groups, within the framework of their specific competencies, and considering new technological developments, to continue to explore practical solutions and tools that facilitate access to child online protection hotlines worldwide;

2 to encourage the ITU-T study groups, within the framework of their specific competencies, and considering new technological developments, to seek appropriate solutions to help governments, organizations and educators protect children online (including children with disabilities and children with specific needs);

3 to promote cooperation among the ITU-T study groups, and to liaise with the other Sectors as appropriate;

4 to continue to work with Member States, upon request, on the allocation of a telephone number on a regional basis for child online protection;

5 to assist ITU-T study groups in their various activities related to child online protection, to be performed, as appropriate, in collaboration with other relevant bodies,

invites Member States

1 to join and continue participating actively in CWG-COP and in the related ITU activities, for the purposes of a comprehensive discussion and exchange of best-practice information on legal, technical, organizational and procedural issues, as well as capacity building and international cooperation for protecting children online;

2 to develop information, to educate and to create consumer-awareness campaigns aimed at all stakeholders, in order to make children aware of the risks that may be encountered online and of measures to protect against such risks;

3 to work together to develop awareness campaigns and seek to invest in periodic digital skills training for all stakeholders, to ensure the protection of children online, taking into account the evolving nature of online risks and threats;

4 to consider how to improve the number of responses from young people to the CWG-COP youth consultations;

5 to exchange information on the current state of legislative, organizational and technical measures in the area of child online protection;

6 to support the collection and analysis of data and the production of statistics, disaggregated by sex and age, where possible, on child online protection that will contribute to public policy design and implementation, enabling comparisons between countries and encouraging data production by national statistical offices and other data producers;

7 to consider establishing frameworks and strategies for national child online protection and their incorporation into national cybersecurity strategies, as appropriate, taking into account the ITU guidelines on child online protection;

8 to foster the allocation of resources to run child online protection hotlines;

9 to foster the allocation of specific numbers to service communications dedicated to child online protection;

10 to promote the use of parental or other safety tools that are available and accessible for parents, guardians, educators and communities;

11 to involve communities and civil-society organizations in child online protection initiatives, socialization and campaigns;

12 to establish mechanisms for collaboration among government offices and institutions working on this issue to gather statistical information on access of children to the Internet,

invites Sector Members

1 to participate actively in CWG-COP and in other ITU activities, with the aim of informing the ITU membership about technological tools for protecting children online;

2 to develop solutions and practical tools to help protect children online and facilitate communication between children and child online protection hotlines;

3 to collaborate, within their respective areas of competence, in the dissemination of public policies and initiatives that are implemented for child online protection;

4 to work on developing different programmes and tools to increase awareness among parents, guardians, educators and communities;

5 to inform Member States about modern technological solutions for child online protection, taking into account the best practices of the sector and of other relevant stakeholders,

invites Member States and Sector Members

1 to exchange information on practical methods of identifying and introducing the most effective technologies to contribute to more effective child online protection;

2 to apply Recommendation ITU-T E.1100 as appropriate;

3 to foster and contribute to consultations on child online protection issues with all stakeholders.

(Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 180 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Promoting deployment of Internet Protocol version 6

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

considering

a) United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 70/1, on transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

b) UNGA Resolution 70/125, on the outcome document of the UNGA high-level meeting on the overall review of the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS);

c) the WSIS+10 Statement on the implementation of WSIS outcomes and the WSIS+10 Vision for WSIS beyond 2015, which were adopted at the ITU-coordinated WSIS+10 High-Level Event (Geneva, 2014), based on the Multistakeholder Preparatory Platform process, together with other United Nations agencies and inclusive of all WSIS stakeholders, were endorsed by the Plenipotentiary Conference (Busan, 2014) and were submitted to the UNGA overall review;

d) Resolution 64 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly, on Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and facilitating the transition to and deployment of IP version 6 (IPv6);

e) Opinion 3 (Geneva, 2013) of the World Telecommunication/Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Policy Forum, on supporting capacity building for the deployment of IPv6;

f) Resolution 63 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference, on IP address allocation and encouraging the deployment of IPv6 in the developing countries[1];

g) Resolution 101 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on IP-based networks;

h) Resolution 102 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on ITU's role with regard to international public policy issues pertaining to the Internet and the management of Internet resources, including domain names and addresses;

i) the results of the ITU IPv6 Group, which were endorsed by the ITU Council at its 2012 session,

considering further

a) that the Internet has become a leading factor in social and economic development and a vital tool for communication and technological innovation, creating a major paradigm shift in the telecommunication/ICT sector;

b) that fostering an enabling environment facilitates the deployment of IPv6 and growth of the Internet;

c) that, in view of the exhaustion of IPv4 addresses and in order to ensure the stability, growth and development of the Internet, every effort should be made by all stakeholders to encourage and facilitate the deployment of IPv6;

d) that in the deployment of IPv6, it is important to pay attention to the normal functioning of IPv4-based technologies;

e) that many developing countries are experiencing some challenges in this process,

noting

a) the progress towards deployment of IPv6 that has been made over the last few years;

b) the importance of providing assistance from experts, including technical experts, in IPv4 and IPv6 deployment to those Member States and Sector Members that request it;

c) the support and best practices which are available to Member States and Sector Members from ITU and relevant organizations (e.g. the regional Internet registries (RIRs), network operator groups and the Internet Society);

d) the ongoing coordination between ITU and relevant organizations on IPv6 capacity building in order to respond to the needs of Member States and Sector Members;

e) that not enough network operators and end users are actually using IPv6;

f) that IPv6 traffic is growing gradually;

g) that the deployment of IPv6 can happen in parallel with the continued use of IPv4, and should ultimately lead to a complete transition from IPv4 to IPv6;

h) that governments play an important part as catalysts for the deployment of IPv6;

i) that the private sector plays an important role in the investment in and deployment of the Internet;

j) that academia produce practical tools, usage guidelines and resources to solve IPv6 development problems;

k) that, in addition to governments, other stakeholders, including Internet organizations responsible for the IPv6 protocol, IPv6 address allocation and assignment, and the design and manufacturing of hardware and software, including for the Domain Name System (DNS), that are compatible with IPv6, have important roles to play in facilitating the transition to, and deployment of, IPv6,

recognizing

a) that IP addresses are fundamental resources needed for the development of IP-based telecommunication/ICT networks and for the world economy and prosperity;

b) that IPv6 deployment gives an opportunity for the development of ICTs, and that its deployment is the best way to avoid the scarcity of IPv4 addresses and the consequences that exhaustion of IPv4 addresses may entail, including high costs and slowdown in the growth of telecommunication/ICT infrastructures;

c) that IPv6 can provide an environment which supports the continued growth of, and connectivity of users to, the Internet globally;

d) that accelerating deployment of IPv6 is necessary in order to respond to global needs in this regard;

e) that the involvement and cooperation of all stakeholders is crucial for success in this process;

f) that technical experts are providing assistance regarding IPv6, and progress has been made;

g) that capacity building and the sharing of best practices are fundamental to further progress;

h) that there are countries that still need expert assistance regarding IPv6,

resolves

1 to explore ways and means, in accordance with the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society, for greater reciprocal collaboration and coordination between ITU and relevant organizations[2] involved in the development of IP-based networks and the future Internet in the context of emerging telecommunications/ICTs, through cooperation agreements, as appropriate, in order to increase the role of ITU in Internet governance, and to foster greater participation by Member States in Internet governance, so as to ensure maximum benefits to the global community through affordable international connectivity;

2 to step up the exchange of IPv6 experiences and information with all stakeholders, with the aim of creating opportunities for collaborative efforts and ensuring that feedback enriches ongoing efforts on this matter;

3 to collaborate closely with the relevant international recognized partners, including the Internet community (e.g. RIRs, the Internet Engineering Task Force and others), in order to encourage the deployment of IPv6 through capacity building;

4 to support those Member States which, in accordance with the existing allocation policies, require and request assistance in management, allocation and capacity building in the deployment of IPv6 resources, including support from relevant organizations, pursuant to relevant resolutions;

5 to continue the studies of IP address allocation and use, both for IPv4 addresses and for IPv6 addresses, in cooperation with other relevant stakeholders, based on their respective roles,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, in coordination with the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau

1 to undertake and facilitate activities under resolves above in order that the relevant study groups of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector and of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector can carry out the work of promoting the deployment of IPv6;

2 while assisting those Member States that require support in the management and allocation of IPv6 resources, to monitor the current allocation mechanisms (including the equitable distribution of addresses) for ITU Member States or Sector Members, and to identify and point out any underlying flaws in the current allocation mechanisms;

3 to communicate proposals for improvements to existing policies and best-practice advice, if identified under the studies above, in accordance with the existing policy development process;

4 to develop statistics on progress made in IPv6 deployment, based on information that may be compiled regionally through collaboration with regional organizations, including RIRs;

5 in coordination and collaboration with other regional organizations and stakeholders, to collect and disseminate best practices on coordination efforts undertaken by governments, industry and other stakeholders at the national level to facilitate IPv6 deployment,

invites Member States and Sector Members

1 to continue to promote specific initiatives at the national level, which foster interaction with governmental, private and academic entities and civil society for the purposes of the exchange of information and coordination necessary for the deployment of IPv6 in their respective countries;

2 to encourage, with support from the ITU regional offices, RIRs and other regional organizations in coordinating research, dissemination and training actions with participation by governments, industry and the academic community in order to facilitate the deployment of IPv6 within the countries and in the region, and to coordinate initiatives between regions to promote its deployment worldwide;

3 to develop national policies to promote the technological update of legacy systems in order to ensure that the public services provided using IP and the communications infrastructure and relevant applications of the Member States are compatible with IPv6;

4 to encourage IP-based telecommunication/ICT services and infrastructure to support IPv6;

5 to foster multistakeholder coordination and develop communication mechanisms to share best practices in IPv6 deployment;

6 to encourage manufacturers and software developers to supply to the market fully-featured ICT equipment, applications and customer premises equipment that supports IPv6 in addition to IPv4;

7 to raise awareness among information service providers on the importance of making their services available over IPv6;

8 to encourage industry and academia participation in IPv6 deployment and capacity-building activities, for both the commercial and public sectors;

9 to encourage government agencies and private-sector organizations to ensure that their websites and services support IPv6,

instructs the Secretary-General

to submit to the Council and disseminate, as appropriate, one or more progress reports to the ITU membership and the Internet community, on the implementation of this resolution.

(Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

[2] Including, but not limited to, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the regional Internet registries (RIRs), the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the Internet Society (ISOC) and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), on the basis of reciprocity.

RESOLUTION 181 (GUADALAJARA, 2010)

Definitions and terminology relating to building confidence and
security in the use of information and
communication technologies

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Guadalajara, 2010),

recalling

a) Resolution 45 (Rev. Hyderabad, 2010) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC);

b) Resolution 130 (Antalya, 2006) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, which resolves to give high priority to the role of ITU in building confidence and security in the use of telecommunications/information and communication technologies (ICTs);

c) provisions of the Tunis Commitment and the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society related to building confidence and security in the use of ICT;

d) the outcomes of both phases of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) regarding this issue,

e) that, in accordance with WSIS Action Line C5, Resolution 149 (Antalya, 2006) of the Plenipotentiary Conference instructed the ITU Council to establish a working group, open to all Member States and Sector Members, to study terminology related to building confidence and security in the use of ICTs, and to develop definitions and descriptions in this regard;

f) Programme 2 (Cybersecurity, ICT applications and IP-based network-related issues) of the Hyderabad Action Plan adopted by WTDC-10,

aware

a) that one of the purposes of the Union is to maintain and extend international cooperation among all its Member States for the improvement and rational use of telecommunications of all kinds;

b) that another of the purposes of the Union is to promote the development of technical facilities and their most efficient operation with a view to improving the efficiency of telecommunication services, increasing their usefulness,

considering

a) the need to build confidence and security in the use of telecommunications/ICTs by strengthening the trust framework (§ 39 of the Tunis Agenda) and the need for governments, in cooperation with other stakeholders, within their respective roles, to develop necessary legislation for the investigation and prosecution of cybercrime, at national, regional and international level;

b) that United Nations General Assembly Resolution 64/211 invites Member States to use, if and when they deem appropriate, the voluntary self-assessment tool that is annexed to that resolution for national efforts;

c) the reasons behind the adoption of Resolution 37 (Rev. Hyderabad, 2010) of WTDC, on bridging the digital divide, having regard to the importance of multistakeholder implementation at the international level and to the action lines referenced in § 108 of the Tunis Agenda, including "Building confidence and security in the use of ICTs",

noting

a) the importance of building confidence and security in the use of ICTs as highlighted in WSIS;

b) that there is a need to maintain common terminology pertaining to building confidence and security in the use of ICTs;

c) the ongoing work carried out by organizations such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) in relation to building confidence and security in the use of ICTs;

d) that Resolution 50 (Rev. Johannesburg, 2008) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA), on cybersecurity, and Resolution 52 (Rev. Johannesburg, 2008) of WTSA, on countering and combating spam, include the study of technical aspects for reducing the impact of these phenomena,

considering further

a) that in the area of security, Study Group 17 of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) is responsible for developing the core recommendations on telecommunication and ICT security, such as security architecture and frameworks; the fundamentals of protection, including threats, vulnerabilities and risks; authentication and identity management, incident handling and forensics; and security aspects of communication applications;

b) that Recommendation ITU-T X.1205 (2008), on overview of cybersecurity, provides a terminology definition of cybersecurity;

c) that the Council Working Group on the study of definitions and terminology relating to building confidence and security in the use of ICTs (WG-Def), which was established by Resolution 149 (Antalya, 2006), examined several proposals and reached consensus on the definition of "cybersecurity" in Recommendation ITU-T X.1205 (2008);

d) that the above-mentioned Council group, in its final report to the 2009 session of the Council, proposed two options relating to the definition for cybersecurity, as reproduced below:

Option 1

1a. introduce the word "cybersecurity", in Article 1 of the Constitution and define this item in the Annex to the Constitution, based on the agreed definition, or

1b. introduce the word "cybersecurity" in a relevant article in the Convention and define this item in the Annex to the Convention;

Option 2

2. adopt a resolution by the Plenipotentiary Conference regarding this definition,

recognizing

a) the ongoing work by ITU-T and by the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) on matters related to building confidence and security in the use of ICTs;

b) the importance of studying the issue of terminology related to building confidence and security in the use of ICTs, and of examining and developing definitions and descriptions in this regard, as appropriate;

c) that this base set needs to include other important issues in addition to cybersecurity,

recognizing further

a) that, due to the evolving technological environment and the potential emergence of new and unforeseeable risks and vulnerabilities in relation to confidence and security in the use of ICTs, and for other reasons, it may become necessary for ITU-T Study Group 17 to update the definition of cybersecurity that is presented in Recommendation ITU-T X.1205;

b) that the definition of cybersecurity may need to be modified from time to time to reflect changes in policy;

c) the work of ITU-T Study Group 17 (Security) on public key infrastructures, identity management, digital signatures, the security manual, the security standards roadmap and the cybersecurity information exchange framework;

d) that the above-mentioned work is continuing in ITU-T Study Group 17 in order to further develop the above-mentioned set of definitions taking into account the continuous development in ICT technology;

e) that the inclusion of any definition relating to ICT, which is an evolving issue, such as the definition of cybersecurity, in the stable Constitution is not consistent with the principles based on which the stable Constitution would be established,

resolves

1 to take into account the definition of "cybersecurity" approved in Recommendation ITU-T X.1205[1] for use in activities related to building confidence and security in the use of ICTs;

2 that the above footnote is an integral part of this resolution,

instructs the Secretary-General

to bring this resolution to the attention of the international organizations and other relevant entities dealing with the security of telecommunications/ICTs for consideration and any required action, as appropriate,

instructs the Secretary-General and the Directors of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau and the Telecommunication Development Bureau

to take into account the definition of "cybersecurity" that is adopted in Recommendation ITU-T X.1205 for use in ITU activities related to building confidence and security in the use of ICTs,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau

to report to the Council on any new or revised recommendations adopted by ITU-T related to or affecting cybersecurity-related terminology and definitions or other relevant definitions concerning confidence and security in the use of ICTs,

invites Member States and Sector Members

to participate actively in the relevant ITU study groups dealing with issues relating to confidence and security in the use of ICTs.

(Guadalajara, 2010)

[1] Recommendation ITU-T X.1205, "Cybersecurity: Cybersecurity is the collection of tools, policies, security concepts, security safeguards, guidelines, risk management approaches, actions, training, best practices, assurance and technologies that can be used to protect the cyber environment and organization and user’s assets. Organization and user’s assets include connected computing devices, personnel, infrastructure, applications, services, telecommunications systems, and the totality of transmitted and/or stored information in the cyber environment. Cybersecurity strives to ensure the attainment and maintenance of the security properties of the organization and user’s assets against relevant security risks in the cyber environment. The general security objectives comprise the following:

• Availability

• Integrity, which may include authenticity and non-repudiation

• Confidentiality"

RESOLUTION 182 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Role of telecommunications/information and communication
technologies in regard to climate change and
the protection of the environment

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recognizing

a) the fundamental contribution that the approval of Resolution 35 (Kyoto, 1994) of the Plenipotentiary Conference made to initiating ITU's activities in the area of telecommunications/information and communication technologies (ICTs) for environmental protection and sustainable development;

b) Resolution 136 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on the use of telecommunications/ICTs for humanitarian assistance and for monitoring and management in emergency and disaster situations, including health-related emergencies, for early warning, prevention, mitigation and relief;

c) Resolution 646 (Rev.WRC-19) of the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC), on public protection and disaster relief;

d) Resolution 673 (Rev.WRC-12) of WRC, on the importance of Earth observation radiocommunication applications;

e) Resolution 750 (Rev.WRC-19) of WRC, on compatibility between the Earth exploration-satellite service (passive) and relevant active services;

f) Resolution ITU-R 60-2 (Rev. Sharm el-Sheikh, 2019) of the Radiocommunication Assembly (RA), on reduction of energy consumption for environmental protection and mitigating climate change by use of ICT/radiocommunication technologies and systems;

g) Resolution 73 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA), on ICTs, environment, climate change and circular economy;

h) Resolution 66 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), on ICT, environment, climate change and circular economy;

i) Resolution 34 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of WTDC, on the role of telecommunications/ICT in disaster preparedness, early warning, rescue, mitigation, relief and response;

j) Resolution 54 (Rev. Dubai, 2014) of WTDC, on ICT applications;

k) Resolution 1307 adopted by the ITU Council at its 2009 session, on ICTs and climate change;

l) the outcomes of ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) Study Group 5 in relation to electromagnetic fields, environment, climate action, sustainable digitalization and circular economy;

m) the outcomes of ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) Study Group 7 in relation to Earth observation and climate;

n) the outcomes of ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) Study Group 2 in relation to the environment and climate change;

o) the Luxor Call to Action on Building a Water Resource Efficient Green Economy, adopted at the ITU Workshop on ICT as an Enabler for Smart Water Management held in Luxor, Egypt, in April 2013;

p) Resolution 79 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of WTSA, on the role of telecommunications/ICTs in handling and controlling e-waste from telecommunication and information technology equipment and methods of treating it;

q) Resolution 1353 adopted by the Council at its 2012 session, which recognizes that telecommunications and ICTs are essential components for developed and developing countries[1] in achieving sustainable development, and instructs the Secretary-General, in collaboration with the Directors of the Bureaux, to identify new activities to be undertaken by ITU to support developing countries in achieving sustainable development through telecommunications and ICTs;

r) the 10th open consultation of the Council Working Group on international Internet-related public policy issues, which focused on the environmental impacts and benefits of the Internet and during which the participating stakeholders expressed strong interest in the impact of telecommunications/ICTs on climate change and the environment;

s) the outcomes of conferences under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), in particular the Paris Agreement of the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP), which sets out a global framework to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting at that time global warming to well below 2°C and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C, and the Glasgow Climate Pact of COP26, which reiterates the urgency of scaling up action to limit the impact of climate change;

t) that limiting global warming requires rapid, deep and sustained reductions in global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including reducing global carbon dioxide emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 and to net zero by 2050, as well as deep reductions in other GHG,

recognizing further

a) the importance of international collaboration on innovative climate action, including technological advancement, across all actors of society, sectors and regions, in contributing to progress towards the goals of the UNFCCC conferences;

b) § 20 of Action Line C7 (E-environment) of the Geneva Plan of Action of the World Summit on the Information Society (Geneva, 2003), calling for the establishment of monitoring systems using ICTs to forecast and monitor the impact of natural and man-made disasters, particularly in developing countries;

c) the Nairobi Declaration on the Environmentally Sound Management of Electrical and Electronic Waste, and the adoption by the ninth Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention of the Work Plan for the Environmentally Sound Management of E-waste, focusing on the needs of developing countries and countries with economies in transition;

d) the outcome document adopted by the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio de Janeiro, 2012), entitled "The Future We Want", reflecting the renewed commitment to advancing sustainable development and achieving environmental sustainability,

considering

a) the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the reports of its working groups, which aim to assess scientific, technical and socio-economic information regarding climate change, in particular the report of Working Group III, in its sixth edition in 2022, which calculated that that global GHG emissions had continued to grow at high absolute rates, albeit with a decline from 2.1 per cent per year between 2000 and 2009 to 1.3 per cent per year between 2010 and 2019, and the report of Working Group II, in its sixth edition in 2022, which concluded that climate-resilient development prospects will be increasingly limited if current GHG emissions do not rapidly decline, especially if 1.5°C global warming is exceeded in the near term;

b) that climate change is acknowledged as a potential threat to all countries, having an effect on global warming, changing weather patterns, rising sea levels, desertification and shrinking ice cover, and other long-term effects, such that it needs a global response, and that telecommunications/ICTs can contribute to that response;

c) that the impact of climate-change effects will be severe for developing and least developed countries that are less prepared for climate change and its consequences, and that these countries could be exposed to incalculable dangers and considerable losses, including the consequences of rising sea levels for many of their coastal areas,

considering further

a) that telecommunications/ICTs play an important and significant role in protecting the environment and in promoting innovative and sustainable development activities presenting relatively low risk to the environment, through varied activities in monitoring, observing, detecting, responding to and mitigating the various threats associated with climate change and in disaster prediction and relief, and that the use of telecommunications/ICTS can help to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals;

b) that there is growing research considering the environmental impact of telecommunications/ICTs; however, it is still difficult to estimate the total net effect of ICTs on climate change, including both positive and negative aspects;

c) the role ITU can play in assisting Member States in the use of ICTs for monitoring, observing, detecting, responding to and mitigating the various threats associated with climate change and for disaster prediction and relief, and through the consideration of telecommunication/ICT solutions for efficient water-resource and e-waste management, and that the strategic plan for the Union gives clear priority to combating climate change using ICTs;

d) that, since telecommunications/ICTs also contribute to climate change through GHG and other emissions, the necessary priority must be given to reducing GHG emissions and energy consumption;

e) that other environmental impacts associated with use of ICTs are worth considering, in particular the amount of raw material and natural resources (fossil energy sources and minerals) needed by manufacturers of devices and network equipment that could be mitigated through equipment design and measures to extend the lifespan of digital equipment;

f) that the use of telecommunications/ICTs can have an enabling effect in reducing GHG emissions generated by other sectors of the economy, through the use of telecommunications/ICTs in ways that replace services or increase efficiency in the sectors concerned, although there is the risk that this positive effect might be offset by an increase in the use of telecommunications or "rebound effect" in the sectors concerned;

g) the decarbonization trajectory for the ICT sector developed jointly by ITU-T, the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA), Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) and the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), stipulating a 45-per-cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and the associated recommendation defining net zero;

h) that remote-sensing applications on board satellites and other radiocommunication systems are important tools for climate monitoring, environmental observation, disaster prediction, detection of illegal deforestation, tracking the extent, pace and acceleration of climate change, and detection and mitigation of the negative effects of climate change;

i) that other technologies are currently being developed and deployed for climate monitoring, including, but not limited to, oceanic sensing technology, which may be deployed through or using submarine cables, including the Science Monitoring and Reliable Telecommunications (SMART) initiative, for better knowledge of climate evolution;

j) the Our 2050 World campaign, backed by the United Nations' Race to Zero campaign, which advances the London Declaration, as defined by the International Organization for Standardization, which commits signatories to embed climate considerations in all standards to accelerate the achievement of climate goals,

aware

that developing countries face additional challenges in addressing the effects of climate change, including natural disasters related to climate change, and in establishing new telecommunication/ICT facilities in their national networks, whence the need for ITU to provide guidance and assistance, which will vary from one region to another and between countries,

bearing in mind

a) that 195 countries have ratified the UNFCCC Protocol and have committed to reduce their GHG emission levels to targets that are mainly set below their 1990 levels;

b) that the countries that have submitted plans in response to the Copenhagen Accord have specified which steps they are prepared to take to reduce their carbon intensity in the current decade,

noting

a) that the current ITU-T Study Group 5 is the lead ITU-T study group on climate change, electromagnetic compatibility, resistibility and lightning protection, soft error caused by particle radiations, human exposure to electromagnetic field, circular economy and e-waste management;

b) that there are other international bodies that are working on climate-change issues, including UNFCCC, and that ITU should collaborate, within its mandate, with those entities;

c) that the development and deployment of telecommunications/ICTs has resulted in innovative outcomes, including, but not limited to, better energy management, recognition of the contribution of the entire lifecycle of telecommunications/ICTs on climate change, and the benefits that accrue from the comprehensive deployment of telecommunications/ICTs,

resolves

that ITU, within its mandate and in collaboration with other organizations, address the causes and effects of climate change through the following:

1 to continue and further develop ITU activities on telecommunications/ICTs and climate change, and disaster-management planning, in order to contribute to the wider global efforts being made by Member States and the United Nations to contribute to further preventing and combating the effects of climate change;

2 to encourage improvement of the energy efficiency of telecommunications/ICTs in order to reduce the GHG emissions produced by the telecommunication/ICT sector and use of raw materials and natural resources (fossil energy sources and minerals);

3 to encourage the telecommunication/ICT sector to pursue minimum emission reductions over the decade (2020-2030), in accordance with the Paris Agreement trajectories, and to adopt SBTi guidance[2] in the short term and net-zero targets in the long term, and to report publicly on their efforts;

4 to encourage the telecommunication/ICT sector to contribute to an annual reduction in GHG emissions, through its own improvement of energy efficiency, and through working with its suppliers, and in the use of ICTs in other parts of the economy;

5 to promote awareness of the environmental issues associated with telecommunication/ICT equipment design, energy efficiency and circular economy;

6 to include, as a priority, assistance for telecommunication/ICT services and technologies to least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing states;

7 to strengthen human and institutional capacity in developing countries such as those mentioned in resolves 6 above in utilizing telecommunications/ICTs to adapt to climate change and increase disaster-management preparedness;

8 to promote the benefits that accrue to the environment and society from the use of sustainable telecommunication/ICT equipment and services in bridging the standardization gap;

9 to encourage reduction of GHG emissions through the adoption of renewable energy supply in the telecommunication/ICT sector;

10 to support the use of telecommunications/ICTs in implementing smart grid, which helps reduce the waste of energy in transmission and distribution and regulate peak energy demand from consumers;

11 to continue working towards supporting smart sustainable cities and communities (SSC&C), and promote circular economy principles in the face of increasing urbanization and the use of the ICT sector in harnessing digital technologies to combat climate change;

12 to support work towards identifying the environmental protection requirements of digital technologies and towards developing strategic frameworks for assessing their environmental impacts,

instructs the Secretary-General, in collaboration with the Directors of the three Bureaux

1 to continue liaising with appropriate organizations in activities related to climate change, in order to avoid duplication of work and optimize the use of resources;

2 to continue taking appropriate measures within the Union in order to contribute to the reduction of the carbon footprint (e.g. paperless meetings, videoconferences, etc.) and leverage insights regarding the efficiency of online practices developed during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic;

3 to report annually to the Council and to the next plenipotentiary conference on the progress made by ITU on implementation of this resolution;

4 to re-submit this resolution and other appropriate outcomes of ITU activities to meetings of relevant organizations, including UNFCCC, in order to reiterate the Union's commitment to sustainable global growth; and to ensure recognition of the importance of telecommunications/ICTs in mitigation and adaptation efforts as well as the critical role of ITU in this regard;

5 to continue to implement the set of principles and the theory of change set out in the United Nations' 2020-2030 Strategy for sustainability management in the United Nations system, providing a framework for environmental and social sustainability for all functions of the United Nations;

6 to cooperate with United Nations entities and others in activities related to climate change, working towards a progressive and measurable reduction in energy consumption and GHG emissions throughout the lifecycle of telecommunication/ICT equipment;

7 to report on the extent to which the telecommunication/ICT sector has contributed to the reduction of GHG and other emissions in other sectors through a reduction of their energy consumption based on methods and baselines agreed within ITU;

8 to encourage Member States in the various regions to cooperate in sharing expertise and resources and identify a regional cooperation mechanism[3], including through support from ITU regional offices, so as to assist all Member States in the region in measurement and training;

9 to continue to cooperate and collaborate with other entities within the United Nations in formulating future international efforts to contribute to the achievement of the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular in relation to climate-change monitoring;

10 to assist Member States, in particular developing countries, in infrastructure development and capacity building, as well as with assistance from the ITU regional offices, within the available budget of the Union, in energy-efficiency measurement and development of guidelines for efficient e-waste disposal;

11 to encourage the use of renewable energy technologies and systems, and to study and disseminate best practices in the field of renewable energy;

12 to support Member States, particularly developing countries, in adapting to and mitigating the impact of climate change in a number of areas, including smart water management, e-waste management and treatment methods and the use of ICTs in disaster prediction, early warning, mitigation and relief;

13 to leverage the ITU ICT Development Fund to assist developing and least developed countries to use telecommunications/ICTs for adaptation to and mitigation of climate change impact,

instructs the Directors of the three Bureaux, within the purview of their mandates

1 to continue promoting the benefits of using telecommunications/ICTs for monitoring, mitigating and adapting to climate change;

2 to help in the promotion of best practices and guidelines:

i) to improve the energy efficiency of telecommunication/ICT equipment;

ii) to measure the carbon footprint of the telecommunication/ICT industry;

iii) to monitor water resources through the use of telecommunications/ICTs;

iv) to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change through the use of telecommunications/ICTs;

v) to adapt telecommunications/ICTs to the effects of climate change;

vi) to enable telecommunications/ICTs to contribute to disaster prediction, early warning, mitigation and relief efforts;

vii) to promote the use and evaluate the potential of new and emerging telecommunications/ICTs to mitigate the effects of climate change and to reduce GHG emissions;

3 to support the development of peer-reviewed reports on ICTs, the environment and climate change, taking into consideration relevant studies, in particular the ongoing work of ITU-T Study Group 5 and ITU-D Study Groups 1 and 2 related to, inter alia, ICTs and climate change, and to assist affected countries with utilizing relevant applications for disaster preparedness, mitigation and response, and management of telecommunication/ICT waste;

4 to organize, in close collaboration among all three Bureaux, and within the budgetary limits of the Union, workshops and seminars to assist developing countries, by raising awareness and identifying their particular needs and challenges regarding the use of telecommunications/ICTs to address environment and climate-change issues, including e-waste collection, dismantling, refurbishment and recycling, as well as sustainable and smart management of water;

5 to conduct further studies on the impact of the use of new and emerging telecommunications/ICTs in the reduction of GHG emissions and on their role in mitigation of and adaptation to the effects of climate change,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

to ensure that ITU organizes seminars and training courses in developing countries at the regional level for the purpose of raising awareness and identifying key issues in order to generate best-practice guidelines in the area of environmental protection,

instructs the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau

1 to ensure the widespread use of radiocommunications for mitigation of the negative effects of climate change and natural and man-made disasters by:

i) urging the ITU-R study groups to accelerate their work, particularly in the areas of disaster prediction, detection, mitigation and relief;

ii) continuing the development of new technologies to support or supplement advanced public protection and disaster relief applications;

2 to highlight the importance of using effective measures to monitor, predict, alert and mitigate the effects of natural disasters through coordinated and effective use of the radio-frequency spectrum,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau

1 to share the outputs of ITU-T Study Group 5 on ICTs and climate change and any other related study groups, in collaboration with other bodies, in the development and enhancement of methodologies to assess:

i) the level of energy efficiency in the telecommunication/ICT sector and the application of telecommunications/ICTs in non-ICT sectors;

ii) the complete-lifecycle GHG emissions over the entire value chain, and other environmental impacts of telecommunication/ICT equipment, in collaboration with other relevant bodies, in order to establish best practice in the sector against an agreed set of methods for quantifying such emissions, to enable the benefits of reuse, refurbishment and recycling to be quantified in order to help achieve reductions in GHG emissions both in the telecommunication/ICT sector and in the use of ICTs in other sectors;

2 to cooperate with United Nations entities and others in activities related to climate change, working towards a progressive and measurable reduction in energy consumption and GHG emissions throughout the lifecycle of telecommunication/ICT equipment;

3 to conduct work on implementing the outcomes of ITU's activities on the development of energy-saving and e-waste standards;

4 to continue the work within ITU-T aimed at bridging the gap in environmental sustainability, in particular in developing countries, and gauge the needs of the developing countries in the field of telecommunications/ICTs, the environment and climate change,

invites Member States, Sector Members and Associates

1 to continue to contribute actively to work within ITU's sphere of activities, together with other bodies, and in all international, regional and national platforms on the topic of telecommunications/ICTs and climate change, and to exchange best practices with regard to law and regulation in the area of environmental protection and management of natural resources;

2 to continue or initiate public and private programmes that include telecommunications/ICTs and climate change, giving due consideration to relevant ITU initiatives;

3 to take necessary measures to reduce negative effects of climate change by developing and using more energy-efficient ICT devices, applications and networks, as well as more efficient energy supply solutions, and through the application of telecommunications/ICTs in other fields supporting the agreed aligned trajectories towards net zero;

4 to promote recycling, reuse of telecommunication/ICT equipment and efficient disposal of e-waste from telecommunications/ICTs;

5 to promote energy-supply efficiency, including through smart grids, and increase the use of renewable sources;

6 to consider promoting the ability of end users to make informed decisions regarding telecommunications/ICTs through the publication of environmental information on the impact of devices, services and certain uses;

7 to consider encouraging telecommunication/ICT companies to share relevant information in order to assess their environmental impact on the entire value chain, and to provide assistance where appropriate;

8 to continue to support the work of ITU-R in remote sensing (active and passive) for environmental observation and other radiocommunication systems that can be used to support climate and water-resource monitoring, disaster prediction, alerting and response, in accordance with relevant WRC and RA resolutions;

9 to integrate the use of telecommunications/ICTs as an enabling tool in combating the effects of climate change into national adaptation and mitigation plans;

10 to incorporate environmental indicators, conditions and standards into their national telecommunications/ICT plans;

11 to conduct work in their countries on improving access to, and expanding the use of, alternative energy sources in the telecommunication/ICT sector;

12 to promote the introduction of ecological innovations in the telecommunication/ICT sector;

13 to adopt and implement ITU recommendations to tackle environmental challenges such as climate-change adaptation and mitigation, as well as e-waste, and to promote SSC&C;

14 to cooperate to maximize the enabling effects of telecommunications/ICTs for combating climate change and protecting the environment, while reducing their environmental footprint as much as possible;

15 to increase investments in emerging telecommunications/ICTs to contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions and adaptation to and mitigation of climate change, and to provide improved e-waste solutions;

16 to consider increasing financing for telecommunications/ICTs to assist in adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change and natural disasters.

(Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

[2] https://sciencebasedtargets.org/sectors/ict and Recommendation ITU-T L.1470 and L.1471.

[3] To be formalized by the relevant regional meetings.

RESOLUTION 183 (REV. BUSAN, 2014)

Telecommunication/Information and Communication Technology applications for e-health

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Busan, 2014),

considering

a) the definition of e-health made by Resolution 58/28 of the World Health Assembly, Geneva 2005 as "... the cost-effective and secure use of information and communications technologies in support of health and health-related fields, including health-care services, health surveillance, health literature, and health education, knowledge and research";

b) that the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) (Doha, 2006) recommended that ITU continue to study the potential of using telecommunications for e-health in order to meet the needs of developing countries[1];

c) Resolution 54 (Rev. Dubai, 2014) of WTDC, on information and communication technology (ICT) applications, which merged Resolution 54 (Rev. Hyderabad, 2010), Resolution 65 (Rev. Hyderabad, 2010) and Resolution 74 (Hyderabad, 2010) of WTDC;

d) Resolution 78 (Dubai, 2012) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly, on ICT applications and standards for improved access to e-health services,

considering further

a) that the World Health Organization (WHO) and ITU have a key role to promote stronger coordination among the key players in all technical areas of e-health standardization;

b) the need to provide effective, efficient and patient-safe clinical care using e-health ICTs;

c) that e-health applications and telecommunication/ICT applications supporting them are already extensive, but far from fully optimized and integrated;

d) the importance of maintaining momentum so that the potential advantages of telecommunication/ICT technologies in the healthcare sector are supported by appropriate regulatory, legal and policy frameworks in both the telecommunication and the health sectors,

recognizing

a) the ongoing work of Study Group 2 of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) through Question 2/2, on information and telecommunications for e-health;

b) that there are European regional initiatives to share best practices in the implementation of e-applications, including e-health;

c) that healthcare ICT standards was considered a high-interest subject by the Global Standards Collaboration (GSC-13);

d) that healthcare ICT standards need to be adapted, as necessary, to fit the context of each Member State, and that this requires a strengthening of capacity building and support;

e) the ongoing work in ITU-D to bridge the digital e-health divide;

f) the publication under ITU-D Study Group 2 Question 14-2/2 entitled "Mobile e-health solutions for developing countries";

g) the ongoing work in Study Group 16 of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) through Question 28/16, on multimedia framework for e-health applications, including interoperability on e-health devices, services and technology platforms;

h) the work of the ITU-T Focus Group on machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, which is considered to be a key enabler of applications and services across a broad range of vertical markets such as healthcare,

resolves to instruct the Secretary-General

1 to give priority consideration to the expansion of telecommunication/ICT initiatives for e-health in the work of ITU, and to coordinate e-health-related activities between the ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R), ITU-T, ITU-D and other relevant organizations;

2 to continue and further develop ITU activities on telecommunication/ICT applications for e-health in order to contribute to the wider global efforts concerning e-health,

instructs the Secretary-General, in consultation with the Directors of the Bureaux

1 to identify and document examples of best practice for e-health in the field of telecommunications/ICT, for dissemination among ITU Member States and Sector Members;

2 to report information and developments to Member States through an appropriate mechanism;

3 to coordinate on e-health-related activities with ITU-R, ITU-T and ITU-D, and in particular to promote awareness, mainstreaming and capacity building in the creation of telecommunication/ICT e-health standards, reporting findings to the ITU Council as appropriate;

4 to work collaboratively on e-health-related activities with WHO and other organizations external to ITU that have a mandate to address health issues, as well as ITU-R, ITU-T and ITU-D and, in particular, develop programmes that enable developing countries to introduce e-health services safely and effectively,

invites Member States

to consider developing appropriate legislation, regulations, standards, codes of practice and guidelines to enhance the development and application of e-health telecommunication/ICT services, products and terminals,

encourages Member States and Sector Members

to participate actively in e-health-related studies in ITU-R, ITU-T and ITU-D through contributions and by other appropriate means.

(Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Busan, 2014)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 184 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Facilitating digital inclusion initiatives for indigenous peoples

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

considering

a) that Resolution 46 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) recognizes the importance of issues of concern to indigenous peoples worldwide in the determination of priority activities for the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D), and requests the Secretary-General to bring the continuous assistance provided by the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) to indigenous peoples through its activities to the attention of the next plenipotentiary conference, with a view to providing appropriate financial and human resources for the relevant actions and projects to be implemented in the telecommunication sector;

b) that Resolution 46 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) resolves to support digital inclusion of indigenous peoples in general, and in particular their participation in workshops, seminars, forums and training on information and communication technologies (ICTs) for social and economic development, and instructs the Director of BDT to carry out the necessary actions to reinforce the implementation of the Kigali Action Plan as it relates to indigenous peoples, establishing collaboration mechanisms with the Member States, other relevant regional and international organizations and cooperation agencies;

c) that the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society establishes, as a priority, the achievement of its goals with respect to indigenous peoples and communities;

d) that Article 16 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples provides the following: "Indigenous peoples have the right to establish their own media in their own languages and to have access to all forms of non-indigenous media without discrimination";

e) that the first Report of the State of the World's Indigenous Peoples (2010) contains alarming statistical data on the state of these peoples in the areas of health, human rights, education and employment, among other aspects, placing them in a situation similar to that of least developed countries (LDCs), despite the fact that some of these peoples are found in areas within the territory of developed countries;

f) the ITU rules for awarding fellowships,

recalling

a) that Article 41 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples provides that "The organs and specialized agencies of the United Nations system and other intergovernmental organizations shall contribute to the full realization of the provisions of this Declaration through the mobilization, inter alia, of financial cooperation and technical assistance";

b) the commitment by ITU and its Member States to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,

observing

that, in the implementation of projects for indigenous peoples, difficulties have been encountered in allocating fellowships to these peoples,

resolves

1 to adapt the rules governing the ITU fellowships to the existing ITU-D initiatives for digital inclusion, extend the provision of ITU fellowships to indigenous peoples, taking into account equitable geographical distribution, and designate other mechanisms for sharing information to enable indigenous peoples to access relevant information, considering that their special situation is equivalent to that of LDCs, so they can attend workshops, seminars, events or other types of capacity-building events organized by ITU for these specific groups towards facilitating their digital inclusion;

2 to establish collaboration and validation mechanisms with the administrations and any other relevant organization within the United Nations system, as well as with any regional and national organizations dealing with indigenous peoples, in order to facilitate the implementation of Resolution 46 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) and better identify indigenous participants in ITU events as potential beneficiaries of the said fellowships,

instructs the Secretary-General

to inform the Council on the implementation of this resolution,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

to take the necessary measures to fully implement Resolution 46 (Rev. Kigali, 2022), regarding the participation of indigenous peoples in workshops, seminars, forums and training on ICTs,

invites Member States

to promote and design mechanisms for sharing information and enable the participation of indigenous peoples in ITU workshops, seminars and events, and thus facilitate their digital inclusion.

(Guadalajara, 2010) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

RESOLUTION 186 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Strengthening the role of ITU with regard to transparency and confidence-building measures in outer space activities

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

Resolution 76/55, on transparency and confidence-building measures in outer space activities, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 6 December 2021, together with the associated report in Document A/76/444,

noting

Resolution 37 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference, on bridging the digital divide,

considering

a) that ITU Member States rely, inter alia, on reliable space radiocommunication services, such as the Earth exploration-satellite service, radiocommunication satellite services, the radionavigation-satellite service and the space research service;

b) that a strategic goal of the ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) is to ensure interference-free operations of radiocommunication systems by implementing the Radio Regulations and regional agreements, as well as updating these instruments in an efficient and timely manner through the processes of world and regional radiocommunication conferences;

c) that the world and regional radiocommunication seminars are an effective way to provide knowledge on the current regulatory framework for international radio-frequency spectrum management, ITU-R recommendations and best practices regarding the use of spectrum for both terrestrial and space services;

d) that the Radiocommunication Bureau is publishing the information received from administrations related to implementation of the due diligence procedure pursuant to Resolution 49 (Rev.WRC-19) of the World Radiocommunication Conference, and the information received from administrations related to the bringing into use of satellite frequency assignments,

taking into account

Articles 15 and 16 of the Radio Regulations,

resolves

to encourage the dissemination of information, capacity building and the sharing of best practices in the use and development of radiocommunication satellite networks/systems, with the objectives of, inter alia, bridging the digital divide and enhancing the reliability and availability of the above-mentioned satellite networks/systems,

invites the ITU Council

to consider and review any proposed cooperation agreements on the use of satellite-monitoring facilities consistent with the objectives of this resolution, in the light of their strategic and financial implications, within the budgetary limitations of the Union,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

to encourage all Member States to consider these matters in the context of Resolution 37 (Rev. Kigali, 2022),

instructs the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau

1 to promote access to information, upon request by administrations concerned, related to satellite-monitoring facilities, in order to address cases of harmful interference in accordance with Article 15 of the Radio Regulations, through cooperation agreements referred to under invites the ITU Council above, within the budgetary limitations of the Union, in order to implement the objectives of this resolution;

2 to make available to administrations information related to satellite-monitoring facilities;

3 to continue taking action to maintain a database on cases of harmful interference reported in accordance with relevant provisions of the Radio Regulations, in consultation with Member States concerned;

4 to continue the efforts to disseminate information and assist ITU Member States in the application of coordination and notification provisions through ITU world and regional radiocommunication seminars, workshops, ITU-R publications, software and databases;

5 to improve the ease of access to, and transparency of, the information in the Master International Frequency Register published on the ITU website on satellite frequency assignments subject to this resolution;

6 to coordinate activities, where necessary, with the Directors of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau and the Telecommunication Development Bureau;

7 to report on the implementation of this resolution as appropriate,

invites Member States and Sector Members

to participate in the activities related to the implementation of this resolution, such as involvement in ITU radiocommunication seminars, sharing of best practices, and cooperation agreements on the use of satellite-monitoring facilities in order to address cases of harmful interference in accordance with Article 15 of the Radio Regulations.

(Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

RESOLUTION 188 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Combating counterfeit and tampered telecommunication/information
and communication technology devices

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) Resolution 177 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on conformance and interoperability (C&I);

b) Resolution 47 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), on enhancement of knowledge and effective application of ITU recommendations in developing countries[1], including C&I testing of systems manufactured on the basis of ITU recommendations;

c) Resolution 79 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of WTDC, on the role of telecommunications/information and communication technologies (ICTs) in combating and dealing with counterfeit and tampered telecommunication/ICT devices;

d) Resolution 182 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on the role of telecommunications/ICTs in regard to climate change and protection of the environment;

e) Resolution 76 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly, on studies related to C&I testing, assistance to developing countries, and a possible future ITU Mark programme,

recognizing

a) the noticeable growing sale and circulation of counterfeit and tampered telecommunication/ICT devices in the markets, which have a negative impact on governments, manufacturers, vendors and consumers;

b) that counterfeit and tampered telecommunication/ICT devices may have a negative impact on security and quality of service for users;

c) that counterfeit telecommunication/ICT devices often contain illegal and unacceptable levels of hazardous substances, threatening consumers and the environment;

d) that several countries have introduced some awareness-raising campaigns, practices and regulations in their markets in order to limit and deter counterfeit products and devices, which have had a positive impact, and that developing countries may benefit from these experiences;

e) that Recommendation ITU-T X.1255 of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T), which is based on the digital object architecture, provides a framework for discovery of identity-management information;

f) that unique telecommunication/ICT device identifiers adopted by Member States and industry have demonstrated that they can limit and deter the use of counterfeit and tampered telecommunication/ICT devices;

g) that industry initiatives have been created to establish collaboration between operators, manufacturers and consumers in combating counterfeit and tampered telecommunication/ICT devices;

h) that Member States, industry and other stakeholders face significant and different challenges in finding effective solutions to combat counterfeit and tampered telecommunication/ICT devices, given the innovative and creative ways used by persons engaged in this illicit activity to evade enforcement/legal measures and the different environments in which they operate;

i) that ITU's Conformity and Interoperability and Bridging Standardization Gap programmes are intended to help by bringing clarity to standardization processes and product conformity with international standards;

j) that providing interoperability, safety and reliability of telecommunication/ICT devices should be a key objective of ITU recommendations;

k) that the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the International Criminal Police Organization, the World Customs Organization (WCO) and other international organizations may provide relevant support to Member States in combating counterfeit and tampered telecommunication/ICT devices;

l) that adopting solutions based on international standards and practices may facilitate the identification of counterfeit and tampered telecommunication/ICT devices,

considering

a) that, in general, telecommunication/ICT devices that do not comply with a country's applicable national conformity processes and regulatory requirements or other applicable legal requirements should be considered unauthorized for sale and/or activation on telecommunication networks of that country;

b) that ITU and other relevant stakeholders have key roles to play in fostering coordination between the parties concerned in order to study the impact of counterfeit and tampered telecommunication/ICT devices and the mechanism for limiting their use and to identify ways of dealing with them internationally and regionally;

c) the importance of maintaining user connectivity,

aware

a) that governments play an important role in combating the manufacture and international trade of counterfeit telecommunication/ICT devices by formulating appropriate strategies, policies and legislation;

b) that related work and studies in relevant ITU-T and ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) study groups could assist in combating and dealing with counterfeit and tampered telecommunication/ICT devices, in particular ITU-T Study Groups 5, 11, 17 and 20 and ITU-D Study Group 2;

c) that tampered telecommunication/ICT devices, especially when replicating a legitimate unique identifier, may diminish the effectiveness of solutions adopted by the Member States and industry to address counterfeiting;

d) that there is currently cooperation with other standards-development organizations (SDOs), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the World Health Organization and WCO on matters related to counterfeit and tampered telecommunication/ICT devices;

e) that in promoting and adopting solutions there is a need to share best practice and build cooperation, confidence and trust among all stakeholders;

f) that industry plays an important role in combating counterfeit and tampered telecommunication/ICT devices by cooperating and sharing information with relevant stakeholders to identify and deter the use and proliferation of these devices,

resolves

to explore all ways and means to combat counterfeit and tampered telecommunication/ICT devices in order to protect ITU members and other stakeholders from their negative impacts,

instructs the Directors of the three Bureaux

1 to assist Member States, particularly developing countries, in addressing their concerns with respect to counterfeit and tampered telecommunication/ICT devices, including conformity assessment systems, through information-sharing, seminars and workshops on best practices, existing solutions and support, at the regional or global level;

2 to assist all the membership, considering relevant ITU-T recommendations, and collaborate with other telecommunication/ICT SDOs and regional and international organizations related to combating counterfeiting, in taking the necessary actions to prevent and detect the tampering (unauthorized changing) and/or replication of unique telecommunication/ICT device identifiers;

3 to encourage the membership to implement solutions to mitigate the challenges emerging from counterfeit and tampered telecommunication/ICT devices,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, in collaboration with the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau

1 to assist Member States, especially developing countries, in developing a framework for restricting the use and proliferation of counterfeit and tampered telecommunication/ICT devices;

2 to facilitate cooperation at the regional level and between regions on combating counterfeit and tampered telecommunication/ICT devices;

3 to submit a report to the ITU Council on activities related to this resolution and recommended actions for its consideration and endorsement,

invites Member States

1 to take all necessary measures to combat counterfeit and tampered telecommunication/ICT devices and to review and update their regulations, if necessary;

2 to cooperate and exchange expertise among themselves in this area;

3 to support and encourage participation in industry programmes combating counterfeit and tampered telecommunication/ICT devices;

4 to work in close collaboration with relevant stakeholders, such as, WTO, WIPO and WCO, on activities relating to combating counterfeit and tampered telecommunication/ICT devices, including restricting the trading, export/import and circulation of these telecommunication/ICT devices internationally,

invites all the membership

1 to participate actively in ITU studies relating to combating counterfeit and tampered telecommunication/ICT devices in the relevant ITU-T and ITU-D study groups;

2 to take the necessary actions to prevent or detect tampering (unauthorized changing) of unique telecommunication/ICT device identifiers;

3 to raise awareness among consumers regarding the negative impacts of counterfeit and tampered telecommunication/ICT devices;

4 to share information on best practices and solutions in combating counterfeit and tampered telecommunication/ICT devices, developed by industry and/or governments,

further invites Member States and Sector Members

to bear in mind the legal and regulatory frameworks of other countries concerning equipment that negatively affects the quality of their telecommunication infrastructure and services, in particular recognizing the concerns of developing countries with respect to counterfeit equipment.

(Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 189 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Assisting Member States to combat and deter mobile device theft

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) Resolution 196 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on protecting telecommunication service users/consumers,

b) Resolution 174 (Rev. Busan, 2014) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, on ITU's role with regard to international public policy issues relating to the risk of illicit use of information and communication technologies (ICTs);

c) Resolution 97 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly, on combating mobile telecommunication device theft;

d) Resolution 64 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), on protecting and supporting users/consumers of telecommunication/ICT services,

e) Resolution 84 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of WTDC, on combating mobile telecommunication device theft,

considering

a) that the positive impact of mobile telecommunications, technological progress and development generated by all related services have increased the penetration of mobile telecommunication/ICT devices;

b) that thieves steal expensive personal commodities, including mobile devices;

c) that the widespread use of mobile telecommunications in the world has also been accompanied by a rise in the problem of mobile device theft;

d) that the act of mobile device theft can sometimes have a negative impact on the health and safety of citizens, on users' data and on their sense of security and confidence in the use of ICTs;

e) that some governments have implemented laws to make it illegal to modify unique identifiers in mobile devices;

f) that problems that occur around the crimes related to mobile device theft have become a worldwide issue, since these stolen devices may be of high monetary value and are often very easily resold on the international markets;

g) that the illicit trading of stolen mobile devices constitutes a risk to consumers and causes loss of revenue for the industry;

h) that some governments as well as industry have implemented regulations, law-enforcement actions, policies and technological mechanisms to prevent and combat mobile device theft;

i) that ITU can assist all members in the use of relevant ITU recommendations and play a positive role by offering all interested parties a platform for encouraging discussions, the exchange of best practices, industry cooperation to define technical guidelines and the dissemination of information on combating mobile device theft;

j) that most manufacturers of mobile devices and operating system vendors, as well as operators, offer solutions for consumers, such as free anti-theft applications and re-activation prevention tools, with the aim of reducing the rate of mobile device theft,

recognizing

a) that, in several regions, tampering (unauthorized changing) or replication of mobile telecommunication/ICT device unique identifiers has become a means of unlawful use of stolen mobile devices;

b) that tampering (unauthorized changing) of unique identifiers adversely affects holders of genuine devices when their unique identifier is replicated in other devices and, as a result, the use of these genuine devices in the mobile networks is being blocked;

c) that it is important to find innovative solutions and implement national, regional and worldwide strategies to fight mobile device theft;

d) that several Member States have adopted policies and regulations with the aim of ensuring that mobile-service providers generate and share information on stolen mobile device databases at national and international level, and that the implementation of these policies and regulations may serve as a tool to stop the reuse of those devices;

e) that it is becoming important to continue searching for and adopting innovative solutions in order to deter mobile device theft,

concerned

that the rate of mobile device theft in some regions of the world remains high, despite efforts made in recent years,

aware

that manufacturers, operators and industry associations have been developing different technological solutions and governments have been developing policies and, in some cases, regulations to address the global problem of mobile device theft,

resolves

to explore and encourage the development of ways and means to continue to combat and deter mobile device theft and its negative effects, taking into account considering d) above,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, in coordination with the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau and the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau

1 to compile and share information on technical solutions and on best practices developed by governments, industry and other stakeholders in combating mobile device theft, especially from regions where the rate of mobile device theft has fallen;

2 to consult with the relevant ITU Radiocommunication Sector and ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector study groups, manufacturers of mobile devices, manufacturers of telecommunication network components, operators and other telecommunication standards-development organizations related to these matters, such as the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) and the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), in order to identify existing and future technological measures, both software and hardware, to mitigate the use of stolen mobile devices;

3 to provide assistance, within the Union's expertise and within available resources, as appropriate, in cooperation with relevant organizations, to Member States, if so requested, in order to reduce mobile device theft and the use of stolen mobile devices in their countries, and also spread best practices in combating mobile device theft;

4 to share information and experiences about measures related to tampering (unauthorized changing) of unique mobile telecommunication/ICT device identifiers which may prevent tampered devices from accessing mobile networks,

instructs the Secretary-General

to report to the ITU Council, as appropriate, on progress of the work,

invites Member States and Sector Members

1 to contribute to the studies and experiences in this area;

2 to facilitate education and awareness initiatives, as needed, in order to reduce the use of stolen mobile devices by users;

3 to adopt measures to exchange information on the unique identifiers of mobile telecommunication/ICT devices reported as stolen or lost in other countries and regions, taking necessary actions to protect users' data, taking into account national and regional legal frameworks, and measures to block the use of these devices in their mobile networks;

4 to take the necessary actions to prevent, discover and control tampering (unauthorized changing) and replication of unique mobile telecommunication/ICT device identifiers, and prevent devices with tampered/replicated identifiers from accessing mobile networks;

5 to urge the industry and manufacturers of mobile devices to adopt measures to prevent the tampering (unauthorized changing) of unique mobile telecommunication/ICT device identifiers;

6 to share information and experiences on controlling the tampering (unauthorized changing) of unique mobile telecommunication/ICT device identifiers.

(Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

RESOLUTION 190 (BUSAN, 2014)

Countering misappropriation and misuse of international
telecommunication numbering resources

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Busan, 2014),

recognizing

a) Resolution 61 (Rev. Dubai, 2012) of World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA), on countering and combating misappropriation and misuse of international telecommunication numbering resources;

b) Resolution 20 (Rev. Dubai, 2012) of WTSA, on procedures for allocation and management of international telecommunication numbering, naming, addressing and identification (NNAI) resources;

c) Resolution 78 (Dubai, 2014) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference, on capacity building for countering misappropriation of Recommendation ITU-T E.164 telephone numbers,

considering

a) that one of the purposes of the Union is to foster collaboration among the membership for the harmonious development of telecommunications;

b) that misuse of an E.164 international numbering resource occurs where the use of that numbering resource does not conform to the relevant ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) recommendation(s) assignment criteria for which it was assigned, or when an unassigned numbering resource is used in the provision of a telecommunication service;

c) that E.164 numbering misuse can take several forms;

d) that misappropriation and misuse of national telephone numbers and country codes are harmful and have an impact on revenue, quality of service and customer confidence;

e) that relevant ITU-T recommendations specifically address procedures for reporting international numbering misappropriation and misuse,

aware

that relevant ITU-T and ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) study groups are cooperating and collaborating on issues related to number misappropriation and misuse,

resolves

to continue to study ways and means to improve the understanding, identification and resolution of misappropriation and misuse of ITU-T E.164 telephone numbers through activities of ITU-T and ITU-D study groups,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau and the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

1 to collaborate in the effective implementation of this resolution;

2 to collaborate so as to avoid overlap and duplication of effort in studying issues related to number misappropriation and misuse;

3 to continue to work with regions, subregions and countries, in particular developing countries[1], to develop national legal and regulatory frameworks that are sufficient to ensure best practices in ITU-T E.164 telephone numbering management in order to counter telephone number misappropriation and misuse,

invites Member States and Sector Members

to contribute to the implementation of this resolution.

(Busan, 2014)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 191 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Strategy for the coordination of efforts among
the three Sectors of the Union

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

noting

a) Resolution 71 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on the strategic plan for the Union for 2024-2027;

b) Resolution ITU-R 6-3 (Rev. Sharm el-Sheikh, 2019) of the Radiocommunication Assembly (RA), on liaison and collaboration with the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T), and Resolution ITU-R 7-4 (Rev. Sharm el-Sheikh, 2019) of RA, on telecommunication development including liaison and collaboration with the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D);

c) Resolution 18 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA), on principles and procedures for the allocation of work to, and strengthening coordination and cooperation among, the ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R), ITU-T and ITU-D;

d) Resolution 5 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), on enhanced participation by developing countries[1] in the activities of the Union;

e) Resolution 59 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of WTDC, on strengthening coordination and cooperation among the three ITU Sectors on matters of mutual interest;

f) the establishment of the Inter-Sector Coordination Group on issues of mutual interest (ISCG), set up under decisions of the Sector advisory groups, and of the Inter-Sectoral Coordination Task Force (ISC-TF), headed by the Deputy Secretary-General, to eliminate duplication of effort and optimize the use of resources,

considering

a) the purposes of the Union listed in Article 1 of the ITU Constitution;

b) the role assigned to each of the three Sectors and to the General Secretariat to contribute to fulfilling the purposes and achieving the objectives of the Union;

c) that the responsibilities of ITU-R, ITU-T and ITU-D are enshrined in the Constitution and the ITU Convention, in particular No. 119 of the Constitution and Nos. 151-154 (relating to ITU-R), No. 193 (relating to ITU-T), Nos. 211 and 214 (relating to ITU-D) and No. 215 of the Convention;

d) that a basic principle for cooperation and collaboration among ITU-R, ITU-T and ITU-D is the need to avoid duplication of the Sectors' activities, and to ensure that work is undertaken efficiently and effectively;

e) that RA, WTSA and WTDC have also identified common areas where work is to be done and that require the internal coordination within ITU;

f) that ISCG, which is composed of representatives from the three Sector advisory groups, works to identify subjects of common interest and mechanisms to enhance collaboration and cooperation among the Sectors and the General Secretariat, based on contributions received, and considers also reports from the Directors of the Bureaux and ISC-TF on options for improving cooperation and coordination within the secretariat;

g) that interaction and coordination in the joint holding of seminars, workshops, forums, symposia and so forth have yielded positive results in terms of saving financial and human resources,

recognizing

a) the growing number of areas for common studies carried out by the three Sectors and the related need for coordination and cooperation among the Sectors, providing an integrated approach within the framework of "One ITU";

b) the need for developing countries to acquire tools to strengthen their telecommunication sector;

c) that, despite efforts made, levels of participation by developing countries in the activities of ITU-R and ITU-T are not sufficient, so that it is increasingly necessary to strengthen ITU-R and ITU-T coordination and cooperation with ITU-D;

d) the catalysing role of ITU-D, which seeks optimal resource use so that capacities can be built in developing countries;

e) the need to achieve better representation of the vision and needs of developing countries in the activities and work carried out in ITU-R and ITU-T;

f) that, given the growing number of issues of mutual interest related to the three Sectors, such as development of telecommunication/information and communication technology (ICT) systems, international mobile telecommunications (IMT), big data, artificial intelligence, emergency telecommunications, telecommunications/ICT and climate change, cybersecurity, access to telecommunications/ICT for persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs, conformance and interoperability of telecommunication/ICT equipment and systems, and better use of scarce resources, among others, an integrative approach from the Union is increasingly required;

g) that coordinated and complementary efforts make it possible to reach more Member States, with greater impact, so as to bridge the digital divide and the standardization gap, as well as contributing to better radio-frequency spectrum management,

bearing in mind

a) that the activities of inter-Sector teams facilitate collaboration and coordination of activities within the Union;

b) that consultations and discussions among the three Sector advisory groups regarding the mechanisms and means needed for better cooperation among them need to constantly occur and to be incentivized;

c) that these actions should continue to be systematized in a comprehensive strategy whose results are measured and monitored;

d) that this would provide the Union with a tool for correcting deficiencies and building on success;

e) that ISCG and ISC-TF are effective tools contributing to the development of an integrated strategy;

f) that inter-Sector collaboration and coordination should be headed by the General Secretariat, in close collaboration with the Directors of the three Bureaux;

g) the ability of the regional presence to reflect ITU as a whole and play an integral role in the preparation and coordination of activities in the region,

resolves

1 that the Radiocommunication Advisory Group (RAG), the Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group (TSAG) and the Telecommunication Development Advisory Group (TDAG), including through ISCG, shall continue to consider current and new activities and their distribution among ITU-R, ITU-T and ITU-D for approval by the ITU Member States in accordance with the procedures for approval of new and revised study questions, meeting jointly as necessary;

2 that, in order to achieve "One ITU", it is crucial that all ITU Sectors coordinate their regional projects and activities with full involvement of the regional and area offices, as they are the focal points and representatives of all three ITU Sectors and the General Secretariat at the regional level,

invites

1 RAG, TSAG and TDAG to continue to assist ISCG in identifying subjects of mutual interest to the three Sectors and mechanisms to enhance their cooperation and collaboration, paying particular attention to the interests of developing countries;

2 the Directors of the Radiocommunication, Telecommunication Standardization and Telecommunication Development Bureaux and ISC-TF to report to ISCG and the respective Sector advisory groups on options for improving cooperation at the secretariat level to ensure that close coordination is maximized,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to continue enhancing a coordination and cooperation strategy for effective and efficient efforts in areas of mutual interest to the three ITU Sectors and the General Secretariat, in order to avoid duplication of effort and optimize the use of resources of the Union;

2 to identify all forms and examples of overlapping functions and activities among ITU Sectors as well as the General Secretariat, and propose solutions to address them;

3 to update the list containing the areas of mutual interest to the three Sectors and the General Secretariat pursuant to the mandates of each ITU assembly and conference;

4 to submit to the ITU Council and to the Plenipotentiary Conference reports on the coordination activities carried out among the different Sectors and the General Secretariat in each such area, as well as the results obtained;

5 to continue to ensure close interaction and regular exchange of information between ISCG and ISC-TF;

6 to provide visible and accessible information on ISCG activities and a dedicated, user-friendly ISCG website in all official languages of the Union, subject to available financial resources;

7 to present a report to the next plenipotentiary conference on the implementation of this resolution;

8 to enhance coordination and collaboration between the three ITU Sectors and the General Secretariat in the implementation of their regional activities through the regional offices,

instructs the ITU Council

to include coordination of the work of the three ITU Sectors and the General Secretariat on the agenda of its meetings so as to follow its evolution and take decisions to ensure its implementation,

instructs the Secretary-General and the Directors of the three Bureaux

1 to ensure reporting to the Council of the coordination activities carried out among the different Sectors in each area identified as being of mutual interest, as well as the results obtained;

2 to identify all forms and examples of overlapping functions and activities between ITU Sectors as well as the General Secretariat, and propose solutions to address them;

3 to share and implement the regional projects and activities of all ITU Sectors through the regional offices;

4 to ensure that the agendas of the respective advisory groups include coordination with the other Sectors, so that strategies and actions are suggested for optimal development of the areas of common interest;

5 to provide support to ISCG and to the Sector advisory groups in the inter-Sector coordination activity in areas of mutual interest,

invites Member States and Sector Members

1 when preparing proposals submitted to conferences and assemblies of the ITU Sectors, as well as ITU plenipotentiary conferences, to take into account the specifics of the activities of the Sectors and the General Secretariat, the need for coordination of their activities, and the need to avoid duplication of activities of various entities of the Union;

2 when making decisions at conferences and assemblies of the Union, to act in accordance with Nos. 92, 115, 142 and 147 of the Constitution;

3 to support efforts to improve inter-Sector coordination, including taking an active part in groups established by the Sector advisory groups in respect of coordination activities.

(Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 193 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Support and assistance for Iraq to continue rebuilding and developing its telecommunication/information and communication technology sector

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) the noble principles, purpose and objectives enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

b) the efforts of the United Nations to promote sustainable development and the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions concerning the situation;

c) the purposes of the Union as listed in Article 1 of the ITU Constitution;

d) § 16 of the Geneva Declaration of Principles adopted by the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS);

e) § 15 of the Tunis Commitment adopted by WSIS,

recognizing

a) that a reliable telecommunication/information and communication technology (ICT) network infrastructure and related services used appropriately are indispensable to support the social and economic development of nations, particularly those that have suffered natural disasters or wars;

b) that telecommunication/ICT facilities in Iraq have suffered enormous damage as a result of wars and conflicts;

c) that the damage to Iraq's telecommunication/ICT systems and the related illicit use of ICT services are matters of concern for the international community and relevant bodies/agencies;

d) that Resolution 51 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference provides for support and assistance for Iraq to continue rebuilding and overhauling its telecommunication/ICT infrastructure, establishing institutions, developing human resources and setting tariffs;

e) that Iraq has received some assistance, yet the work of rebuilding and developing telecommunication/ICT systems in Iraq still requires focused attention and support;

f) that Iraq will be unable to bring its telecommunication/ICT systems up to an acceptable international level without help from the international community, provided bilaterally or through international organizations,

considering

a) that such efforts will help rebuild and modernize the telecommunication/ICT systems;

b) that such efforts will also strengthen the capacity of Iraq's administrative and security systems to meet the country's economic, service and security needs in the telecommunication/ICT sector,

resolves

1 that it is necessary to undertake special, clearly-defined actions within the framework of ITU on the basis of a clearly-defined timetable and action plan agreed between the Union and the Iraqi Administration, in order to implement this resolution to provide appropriate support for Iraq to:

– continue rebuilding, overhauling and developing its telecommunication/ICT systems;

– establish relevant ICT institutions and assist in the assignment of appropriate tariffs;

2 to allocate, within the available resources, the necessary technical expertise within or external to the Union for the implementation of this resolution;

3 to build and develop human resources and capacity by instituting training programmes inside and outside Iraqi territory as necessary, for experts to address the shortfall in expertise in key areas, meeting requests from the Iraqi Administration for the required technical specialists and providing other forms of assistance,

invites Member States

to ensure all possible technical assistance and support to the Administration of Iraq, in:

1 rehabilitating its telecommunication/ICT sector;

2 ensuring the lawful use of ICTs in rebuilding Iraq's telecommunication/ICT systems;

3 achieving the most effective use of ICTs for economic and social benefits,

encourages Sector Members

1 to provide all forms of support and assistance to Iraq in order to increase investment in its telecommunication/ICT sector;

2 to contribute in the form of assistance to Iraq in order to build human capacities and to enhance confidence and security in the use of ICTs, in addition to technical assistance,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to provide the necessary technical resources for such actions, on the basis of an action plan and a timetable agreed with the Administration of Iraq;

2 to report on the matter periodically to the ITU Council.

(Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

RESOLUTION 195 (BUSAN, 2014)

Implementation of the Smart Africa Manifesto

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Busan, 2014),

considering

a) that, at its 22nd Ordinary Session, the African Union General Assembly decided that it: “ENDORSES the key outcomes of the Transform Africa Summit hosted by H.E. Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda in October 2013 which adopted the SMART Africa Manifesto highlighting the need to place ICT at the centre of national socio-economic development agenda and SMART Africa Alliance as implementation framework";

b) Resolution 30 (Rev. Busan, 2014) of this conference, on special measures for the least developed countries (LDCs), small island developing states (SIDS), landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) and countries with economies in transition;

c) the Millennium Declaration and the 2005 World Summit Outcome;

d) the outcome of the Geneva (2003) and Tunis (2005) phases of the World Summit on the Information Society,

recalling

a) the Connect Africa Summit goals adopted by African Heads of State present on 29-30 October 2007, which reflect the challenges and opportunities in the Africa region;

b) the creation of the multistakeholder SMART Africa Alliance and a Governance Board, consisting of the Presidents of Rwanda (Chair), Senegal, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Gabon, South Sudan and Mali, the African Union and ITU, to oversee the implementation of the manifesto;

c) the implementation of such quick wins as the SMART Africa Scholarship fund to address the gap in ICT expertise through African centres of excellence,

resolves to instruct the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, in coordination with the Directors of the other Bureaux

to provide technical expertise to carry out feasibility studies, project management and support for the implementation of the Smart Africa Manifesto,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to engage the different United Nations agencies to support various components of the Smart Africa programmes, in areas within their scope and mandate;

2 to implement measures aimed at mobilizing financial and in-kind support from governments, the private sector and other partners,

invites Member States

to cooperate with African countries in promoting regional, subregional, multilateral and bilateral projects and programmes for the implementation of the Smart Africa Manifesto.

(Busan, 2014)

RESOLUTION 196 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Protecting telecommunication service users/consumers

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) Resolution 64 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference, on protecting and supporting users/consumers of telecommunication/information and communication technology (ICT) services;

b) Article 4 of the International Telecommunication Regulations;

c) Resolution 84 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly, on studies concerning the protection of users of telecommunication/ICT services;

d) Resolution 188 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on combating counterfeit telecommunication/ICT devices;

e) Resolution 189 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on assisting Member States to combat and deter mobile device theft,

recognizing

a) the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection, revised and approved by the United Nations General Assembly in its Resolution 70/186 of 2015, which establishes the main characteristics that consumer-protection laws should have, the institutions in charge of applying them and the compensation systems in order to be effective;

b) § 13e) of the Geneva Plan of Action of the World Summit on the Information Society, which states that governments should continue to update their domestic consumer-protection laws to respond to the new requirements of the information society;

c) the Best Practice Guidelines of the ITU Global Symposium for Regulators 2019, which state that regulatory expertise needs to be developed continuously to integrate new technologies, competencies and skills and allow for data and evidence-based decision-making,

considering

a) that consumer-related protection laws, policies and good and best practices limit fraudulent, deceitful and unfair business conduct, and such protective measures are paramount in building consumer trust and establishing a more equitable relationship between telecommunication/ICT service providers and users/consumers;

b) that, with the advancement of telecommunications/ICTs, the protection needs of users and consumers have to be updated and redefined;

c) that the development and advancement of telecommunications/ICTs must go hand in hand with strengthening the rights of users/consumers as well as building confidence and security and, to this end, regulatory policy measures are required as well as swift and resilient mechanisms to provide more and better information about products and services;

d) that, in view of the development and advancement of telecommunications/ICTs, collaboration between Member States and Sector Members is needed to keep consumer protection in line with the changes in the sector;

e) that building consumer trust in telecommunications/ICTs should be accompanied by the continuous development of policies that seek to guarantee and stimulate the provision of quality services, as well as policies and mechanisms that provide transparent, up-to-date and accurate information that is accessible and easy to read and understand for making informed decisions about services;

f) that education and dissemination of information on the suitable consumption and use of telecommunication/ICT products and services must be encouraged, mainly regarding the inputs of the digital and circular economy, since users/consumers expect to have legal access to the content and applications of these services;

g) that access to telecommunications/ICTs must be open, affordable and inclusive, paying special attention to persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs and other vulnerable groups;

h) that work is currently under way in Study Group 1 of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) on setting guidelines and good and best practices on user/consumer protection,

resolves

1 to continue work aimed at protecting users/consumers of telecommunication/ICT services, and at supporting Member States in developing policies and/or regulations in this area;

2 to establish and maintain updated good and best practices on the protection of users/consumers of telecommunication/ICT services;

3 that ITU-D continue to lead the work on the subject, through the ITU-D study groups, in close collaboration with the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) and its study groups, as appropriate;

4 that ITU-D continue to improve digital tools that serve as a repository compiling the practices of Member States and Sector Members regarding consumer-protection issues;

5 that ITU-T continue to study consumer-protection issues, in close collaboration with ITU-D, including aspects related to international telecommunications/ICTs, according to its mandate,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

1 to bring to the attention of decision-makers and national regulatory authorities the importance of keeping users/consumers informed about the basic characteristics, quality, security and prices of the different services offered by telecommunication/ICT service providers, and of other protection mechanisms promoting user/consumer rights;

2 to collaborate closely with the Member States in order to identify outstanding needs for the establishment of recommendations, guidelines, policies and/or regulatory frameworks for the protection of users/consumers of telecommunication/ICT services;

3 to strengthen relations with other international organizations, including standards-development organizations, and bodies that participate in the protection of users/consumers of telecommunication/ICT services;

4 to support the organization of international and regional forums for the dissemination of information on telecommunication/ICT user/consumer rights and for sharing experiences on good and best practices among member countries, and the implementation of technical decisions based on ITU-T recommendations, as appropriate,

invites Member States

1 to encourage the creation and promotion of policies and/or regulations that ensure the timely delivery of free-of-charge, transparent, up-to-date and accurate information to end users/consumers about telecommunication/ICT services, tariffs and prices, including international roaming, as well as relevant applicable conditions, including on the basis of relevant ITU outputs;

2 to provide inputs to the ITU-D and ITU-T study groups having the relevant mandates on issues pertaining to the protection of users/consumers of telecommunication/ICT services which allow the dissemination of good and best practices and policies that have been implemented in order to increase the ability to develop public policies related to legal, regulatory and technical measures to address the protection of users/consumers of telecommunication/ICT services, including user/consumer data;

3 to share good and best practices and public policies which have yielded beneficial outcomes for users/consumers of telecommunication/ICT services, in order to replicate those measures and adapt them to the characteristics of each country;

4 to promote policies that foster the provision of telecommunication/ICT services in a manner that delivers adequate quality to the users/consumers of telecommunication/ICT services, based, inter alia, on ITU-T recommendations;

5 to promote competition in the provision of telecommunication/ICT services, encouraging the formulation of policies, strategies or regulations that drive competitive prices;

6 to take into account national, regional and international good and best practices, mechanisms and recommendations for the provision of complete and accurate information to users/consumers by telecommunication/ICT service providers;

7 to use and contribute to ITU digital tools and to implement practices and mechanisms to address consumer-protection issues,

invites Member States, Sector Members and Associates

1 to participate and contribute actively in the work of the relevant ITU-D and ITU-T study groups on topics related to consumer-protection issues to allow the dissemination of good and best practices and policies related to the protection of users/consumers of telecommunication/ICT services;

2 to promote and cultivate an environment conducive to the protection of users/consumers of telecommunication/ICT services;

3 to foster activities that promote confidence and security in the use and operation of telecommunication/ICT services.

(Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

RESOLUTION 197 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Facilitating the Internet of Things and smart sustainable cities
and communities

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) Resolution 85 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), on facilitating the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart sustainable cities and communities (SSC&C) for global development;

b) Resolution 98 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA), on enhancing the standardization of IoT and SSC&C for global development;

c) Resolution ITU-R 66-1 (Rev. Sharm el-Sheikh, 2019) of the Radiocommunication Assembly, on studies related to wireless systems and applications for the development of IoT;

d) Resolution 139 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on the use of telecommunications/information and communication technologies (ICTs) to bridge the digital divide and build an inclusive information society;

e) Resolution 200 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on the Connect 2030 Agenda for global telecommunication/ICT, including broadband, for sustainable development;

f) Resolution 176 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on measurement and assessment concerns related to human exposure to electromagnetic fields;

g) Resolution 201 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, on creating an enabling environment for the deployment and use of ICT applications;

h) Resolution 90 (Hammamet, 2016) of WTSA, on open source in the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T);

i) relevant World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) action lines and relevant goals under the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 9 and 11;

j) Resolution 130 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on strengthening the role of ITU in building confidence and security in the use of ICTs,

taking into account

a) the work, studies and outcomes of ITU-T Study Group 20 on IoT and SSC&C;

b) the work, studies and outcomes of other relevant ITU study groups related to the scope of this resolution, including ITU-T Study Groups 2, 3, 5, 11, 13, 16 and 17, Study Group 2 of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) and Study Group 5 of the ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R);

c) the work of the United for Smart and Sustainable Cities (U4SSC) initiative;

d) the Kigali Action Plan adopted by WTDC-22, and particularly regional initiatives related to IoT and SSC&C;

e) the ongoing collaboration among the relevant ITU study groups and with other relevant organizations and standards-development organizations (SDOs), including the Joint Smart Cities Task Force established by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and ITU with the aim of building synergies and sharing information among IEC, ISO and ITU-T,

considering

a) that a globally connected IoT world will be built on the connectivity and functionality made possible by telecommunication networks;

b) that the globally connected world also requires considerable enhancement of transmission speed, device connectivity and energy efficiency to accommodate the significant amounts of data exchanged among a plethora of devices;

c) that the rapid development of IoT-related and emerging technologies could enable the globally connected world to be realized faster than expected;

d) that IoT is playing a fundamental role in various fields, including energy, transportation, health, management of urban and rural spaces and SSC&C, agriculture, emergencies, crisis and disaster management, public safety, and home networks, and benefits developing countries[1] as well as developed countries;

e) that IoT is evolving to support a wide variety of applications and use cases involving various stakeholders and can be a key enabler for conventional and emerging telecommunications/ICTs;

f) that relevant ITU study groups as well as industry forums, consortia and other SDOs are working on the development of various standards and/or technical specifications for IoT;

g) that the impact of IoT is becoming more pervasive and far-reaching thanks to the wide range of applications in both ICT and non-ICT sectors;

h) that, considering the limited financial and human resources in developing countries, special attention should be given to developing countries, in order to help them deploy necessary infrastructures to facilitate the interconnectivity of things;

i) that SSC&C can use IoT to discover and respond to regional and/or global crises;

j) that, in IoT and SSC&C environments, connected devices and applications represent a diverse range of ecosystems;

k) that security aspects play a key role in the development of reliable and secure IoT ecosystems,

recognizing

a) the role of ITU-T in carrying out studies and standardization work associated with IoT and its applications, including SSC&C, and its activities in coordinating with other organizations;

b) the role of ITU-R in conducting studies on the technical and operational aspects of radio networks and systems for IoT;

c) the role of ITU-D in encouraging telecommunication/ICT development at the global level, and in particular the relevant work carried out by the ITU-D study groups;

d) the need to continue to collaborate with other relevant organizations, including relevant industry forums, consortia and SDOs, such as through participation in ISO/IEC Joint Technical Committee 1 (JTC 1);

e) that Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) contributes to the development of IoT;

f) that cooperation between all relevant organizations and communities to raise greater awareness and to promote the adoption of IPv6 within Member States and through capacity building within the mandate of the Union is desired;

g) the work of the Joint Coordination Activity on IoT and SSC&C;

h) that much progress has been made in efforts to develop collaboration between ITU-T and other organizations, including, but not limited to, active participation in different committees and working groups of ISO/IEC JTC 1;

i) that the development of IoT creates new opportunities in non-ICT sectors, including a wide range of verticals and industries, thus exerting an impact on economic growth, including the digital economy, and helping to achieve the 17 SDGs adopted in Resolution 70/1 of the United Nations General Assembly;

j) the challenges and opportunities related to the widespread use of a large number of IoT devices, and their potential impact;

k) the importance of continuing the work on IoT and SSC&C, within the mandate of ITU,

bearing in mind

a) the wide variety of use cases and applications, and the need for IoT to be open and adaptable;

b) that interoperability is required in many sectors in order to develop services enabled by IoT (IoT services) at the global level, with mutual collaboration among relevant organizations and entities, including other SDOs involved in developing and using open standards, to the greatest extent practicable;

c) that industry forums are developing technical specifications for IoT and SSC&C;

d) that the application of IoT is expected to encompass all sectors, including, but not limited to, energy, transportation, health, agriculture, etc. and that it will be necessary to take into account the different aims and requirements of different sectors;

e) that wider adoption of SSC&C can accelerate the development of community-service infrastructure, cities, industrial complexes and logistics;

f) that it is important to encourage the participation of all relevant organizations or entities around the world to promote the early establishment and expansion of IoT and SSC&C;

g) that globally connecting the world through IoT and SSC&C could also contribute to achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular SDG 11;

h) that U4SSC is a United Nations initiative coordinated by ITU, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme for the achievement of SDG 11;

i) that the development and implementation of IoT and the creation of SSC&C will hinge on the active participation of governments, industry and other relevant international and regional organizations and stakeholders;

j) that special support should be given to developing countries, as they may have limited resources to build an inclusive society,

resolves

1 to promote investment in and development of IoT and SSC&C in order to support the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

2 to continue and further develop studies and activities on IoT and SSC&C within the remit of ITU, in order to promote the development of IoT and SSC&C and address any possible challenges for ITU members and relevant stakeholders,

instructs the Secretary-General, in consultation and collaboration with the Directors of the three Bureaux

1 to coordinate the IoT and SSC&C activities of the Union to implement this resolution;

2 to facilitate the exchange of experiences, best practices and information with all relevant organizations and entities involved in IoT and SSC&C, with the aim of creating opportunities for cooperative efforts to support the deployment of IoT;

3 to raise awareness among ITU members of the opportunities and challenges for developing countries in the adoption of IoT, and to facilitate the exchange of experiences, best practices and information and increase cooperation with all relevant organizations and entities involved in IoT and SSC&C, with the aim of creating opportunities;

4 to submit an annual report on the results of implementation of this resolution to the ITU Council sessions;

5 to submit a report to the next plenipotentiary conference,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau and the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau

1 to support the work of relevant ITU-T and ITU-R study groups on IoT and SSC&C and to facilitate the emergence of diverse services in the globally connected world, in collaboration with relevant sectors;

2 to continue cooperation with relevant organizations, including SDOs, for exchanging best practices and disseminating information to increase interoperability of IoT services, through joint workshops, training sessions, joint coordination activity groups and any other appropriate means;

3 to encourage the development of IoT and SSC&C, taking into account the outcomes of the work of the relevant ITU study groups on various aspects of IoT and SSC&C,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, in collaboration with the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau and the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau

1 to promote and encourage the implementation of key performance indicators (KPIs), including U4SSC KPIs, as a method of self-assessment for SSC&C;

2 to support Member States, especially developing countries, in the organization of forums, seminars and workshops on IoT and SSC&C to promote innovation, development and growth in IoT technologies and solutions;

3 to assist developing countries in the implementation of ITU recommendations, reports and guidelines related to IoT and SSC&C,

instructs the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau

to support work of the ITU-R study groups on relevant radio aspects for IoT and SSC&C,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, in close collaboration with the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau and the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau

1 to encourage and assist those countries which need support in adopting IoT and SSC&C, by providing relevant information, capacity building and best practices, in collaboration with relevant international and regional organizations, to enable the adoption of IoT, through seminars, workshops, etc.;

2 to provide Member States with information about the advice and support that is available from other relevant entities and organizations, including SDOs, to enable the adoption of IoT and SSC&C;

3 to support the work of ITU-D study groups on IoT and SSC&C to share best practices for ITU members within their mandates;

4 to encourage Member States to develop enabling frameworks, such as ICT strategies, for IoT and SSC&C;

5 to foster collaboration among ITU Sectors to discuss how IoT ecosystems and SSC&C technologies can further the achievement of the SDGs and the WSIS framework;

6 to provide developing countries with capacity-building opportunities in IoTs and SSC&C,

instructs the ITU Council

1 to consider the reports of the Secretary-General referred to in instructs the Secretary-General 4 above and take necessary measures so as to contribute to achieving the objectives of this resolution;

2 to report to the next plenipotentiary conference on the progress made with respect to this resolution based on the report of the Secretary-General,

invites Member States

1 to foster the development of guidelines and best practices for deployment, planning and capacity building in the field of IoT and SSC&C;

2 to cooperate in order to promote IoT and SSC&C by encouraging the active participation of relevant stakeholders and exchange of relevant information on this topic;

3 to support studies on radio-related matters on IoT and SSC&C for cost-effective deployment of IoT and SSC&C ecosystems;

4 to cooperate and share knowledge, expertise and best practices on IoT and SSC&C;

5 to encourage consultations with relevant stakeholders in the implementation of IoT and national SSC&C policy, strategies, action plans, capacity building and knowledge-sharing activities, for both the private and public sectors,

invites the ITU membership

1 to consider developing best practices, to collaborate and to exchange expertise in order to enhance the development of IoT and SSC&C;

2 to contribute to the implementation of this resolution;

3 to cooperate in order to promote IoT and SSC&C by encouraging the active participation of relevant stakeholders in the activities of ITU and exchange information, knowledge and best practices on this topic;

4 to participate actively in studies on IoT and SSC&C in the Union through contributions and by other appropriate means;

5 to encourage enterprises in various industries to participate in ITU's activities on IoT and SSC&C.

(Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 198 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Empowerment of youth through telecommunication/information and communication technology

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

considering

a) that youth under the age of 25 constitute the most active population in terms of use of the Internet;

b) that youth, in many developed and developing countries[1], face disproportionate exposure to poverty and unemployment;

c) that youth have the right to achieve full economic, social and digital inclusion;

d) that information and communication technology (ICT) is a tool with which youth can substantively contribute to, participate in and leverage their social and economic development;

e) that youth are digital natives and the best promoters of ICT;

f) that ICT tools and applications can facilitate career opportunities for youth,

recalling

a) that ICT is one of the fifteen priority areas identified under the World Programme of Action for Youth adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) through Resolution 62/126;

b) UNGA Resolution 70/1, on transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

c) Resolution 169 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on the admission of academia to participate in the work of the Union;

d) Resolution 76 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference, on promoting ICTs among young women and men for social and economic empowerment;

e) the Tunis Commitment of the 2005 phase of the World Summit on the Information Society, reaffirming Member States' commitment to empowering young people as key contributors to building an inclusive information society in order to actively engage youth in innovative ICT-based development programmes and widen opportunities for youth to be involved in e-strategy processes,

recognizing

a) international, national and regional events, including those organized by ITU, that promote the presence and representation of young women and men from all regions of the world;

b) the annual ITU Kaleidoscope academic essay competition organized by the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector, targeting young ICT scientists, researchers and engineers;

c) ITU's coordination of the annual Girls in ICT Day, which encourages young women to seek careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related to ICT;

d) the ITU Youth Strategy adopted by ITU members during the 25th meeting of the Telecommunication Development Advisory Group (June 2020), which is in line with Youth 2030: The United Nations Strategy on Youth and promotes meaningful youth engagement in digital development;

e) the progress made by ITU, and in particular the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT), in the development and implementation of actions and projects that use ICT for the economic and social empowerment of youth;

f) the ITU Generation Connect initiative, which aims to engage and empower global youth, encouraging their participation as equal partners with the leaders of today's digital change to advance their vision of a connected future;

g) the substantive work of BDT on digital inclusion related to youth, including research and analysis, especially BDT's statistical monitoring and reporting on ICT data disaggregated by age;

h) ITU's support to the United Nations Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth, its active involvement in the United Nations Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development and its contribution to the United Nations System-wide Action Plan on Youth;

i) the ITU Youth Strategy, as the operational framework for strengthening ITU's capacities in engaging and empowering youth through ICTs;

j) the ITU Young ICT Policy Leaders initiative, launched during the Plenipotentiary Conference (Busan, 2014), which gives young professionals the opportunity to participate, through national delegations, in ITU events and conferences,

resolves

1 that ITU continue to engage with youth in outreach, through communications, capacity building, development and research, from the perspective of digital inclusion;

2 that ITU mainstream youth engagement and participation in its work to support the achievement of the overall goals of the Union, encourage youth participation in ITU programmes, events and activities, and promote youth-related ICT policies within ITU Member States;

3 that ITU promote innovation, entrepreneurship and skills development, in order to provide tools for self-empowerment of youth and their satisfactory participation in the digital economy and all aspects of society;

4 that ITU should promote partnerships with academia for the purpose of youth development;

5 to accord high priority to the incorporation of young professionals in the human resources and operations of ITU;

6 to continue the work being done at ITU, and particularly in BDT, to help empower youth through ICTs by promoting policies that improve socio-economic conditions for youth, particularly in developing countries;

7 to maintain a youth perspective in the implementation of the strategic and financial plans of the Union, as well as in the operational plans of the Sectors and the General Secretariat;

8 that there is a need for ITU to investigate, analyse and further understand the impact of telecommunication/ICT on youth;

9 that all activities foreseen in this resolution should fall within the existing financial resources of the Union;

10 to note that age groups of youth shall be defined on a case-by-case basis depending on the nature of ITU activities,

instructs the ITU Council

1 to build on the initiatives carried out over the past four years and to accelerate youth empowerment in ITU as a whole, within existing budgetary resources, so as to ensure capacity building and promotion of youth;

2 to consider involving youth in the celebrations of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, in accordance with Resolution 68 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, and launching a special recognition award for young people who make outstanding contributions in the field of ICT,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to continue to ensure that the youth perspective is incorporated in the work programmes, management approaches and human resources development activities of ITU, and to submit an annual written report to the ITU Council on progress made;

2 to report to the next plenipotentiary conference on the results and progress made on the inclusion of a youth perspective in the work of ITU, and on the implementation of this resolution;

3 to bring this resolution to the attention of the United Nations Secretary-General in an effort to promote increased coordination and cooperation for development policies, programmes and projects that link ICT to the promotion and empowerment of youth;

4 to ensure coordination of ITU activities so as to avoid duplication and overlap between the three ITU Sectors where possible;

5 to strengthen the role of academia within the structures of the Union, and to increase the value of engaging with ITU for academia and youth,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

1 to continue to advance national, regional and international events that promote ICTs that can be used by young women and men for social and economic empowerment;

2 to continue the work of BDT in promoting the use of ICT for the economic and social empowerment of youth, including, inter alia, through the implementation of the ITU Youth Strategy and the Generation Connect initiative;

3 to maintain regular monitoring, reporting and research on the uptake and use of ICT by youth, including the provision of data disaggregated by gender and age and of information on behavioural aspects that may be harmful and dangerous;

4 to continue to engage with the Directors of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau and the Radiocommunication Bureau to coordinate the ongoing implementation of the ITU Youth Strategy, including the Generation Connect initiative, throughout the Union,

instructs the Directors of the three Bureaux

to continue to explore ways and means of involving young professionals in the work of the Bureaux,

invites Member States and Sector Members

1 to actively support and participate in the work of ITU in promoting the use of ICTs for the economic and social empowerment of youth, especially, inter alia, through the implementation of the ITU Youth Strategy and the Generation Connect initiative;

2 to promote up-to-date training for youth on ICT use, including building digital competences among youth through educational campaigns;

3 to foster collaboration with civil society and the private sector in order to promote specialized training for young innovators;

4 to further develop tools and programming guidelines in the area of promotion of youth and their social and economic empowerment;

5 to cooperate with relevant international organizations that have experience in youth economic empowerment through projects and programmes,

encourages Member States and Sector Members

1 to review and revise, as appropriate, their respective policies and practices in order to ensure the recruitment, employment, training and advancement of youth through telecommunications/ICT;

2 to promote career opportunities in the telecommunication/ICT field, including in telecommunication/ICT administrations, government and regulatory bodies and intergovernmental organizations, as well as in the private sector;

3 to attract more youth to study STEM;

4 to encourage youth to take advantage of ICT opportunities to advance their development and promote innovation and economic development at the national and international levels,

invites Member States

1 to share best practices on national approaches targeting the use of ICT for the social and economic development of youth;

2 to develop strategies for using ICT as a tool for the educational, social and economic development of youth;

3 to promote ICT for youth empowerment and involvement in the decision-making processes of the ICT sector;

4 to support ITU activities in field of ICT for the social and economic development of youth, including, inter alia, through the implementation of the ITU Youth Strategy and the Generation Connect initiative, if possible with voluntary contributions and sponsorships;

5 to consider adopting a youth delegate programme for the inclusion of young delegates, taking into account gender balance, in a country's official delegation to the major conferences of ITU, for raising awareness and knowledge and promoting interest in ICT among youth,

invites Academia

1 to continue providing the necessary structures for effective engagement with youth, through access to information, fellowships and recognition for participation in ITU activities;

2 to support youth networks so that they may act as community-based hubs and innovation centres for providing input to ITU's intellectual processes;

3 to involve young lecturers and researchers as well as students in relevant ITU activities and empower their effective participation therein, including through capacity building and skills development.

(Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 199 (BUSAN, 2014)

Promoting efforts for capacity building on software-defined
networking in developing countries[1]

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Busan, 2014),

bearing in mind

a) Resolution 77 (Dubai, 2012) of World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA), on standardization work in the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) for software-defined networking (SDN);

b) Resolution 123 (Rev. Busan, 2014) of this conference, on bridging the standardization gap between developing and developed countries;

c) Resolution 135 (Rev. Busan, 2014) of this conference, on ITU's role in the development of telecommunications/information and communication technologies (ICTs), in providing technical assistance and advice to developing countries, and in implementing relevant national, regional and interregional projects;

d) Resolution 137 (Rev. Busan, 2014) of this conference, on next-generation network deployment in developing countries;

e) Resolution 139 (Rev. Busan, 2014) of this conference, on telecommunications/ICTs to bridge the digital divide and build an inclusive information society,

recalling

a) Resolution 44 (Rev. Dubai, 2012) of WTSA, on bridging the standardization gap between developing and developed countries;

b) Resolution 59 (Rev. Dubai, 2012) of WTSA, on enhancing participation of telecommunication operators from developing countries;

c) Resolution 73 (Rev. Dubai, 2012) of WTSA, on ICTs, environment and climate change;

d) the Joint Coordination Activity on SDN under the ITU-T Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group (JCA-SDN) established in June 2013 to coordinate the work carried out by ITU-T Study Groups 11 and 13 and other expert groups involved,

considering

a) that SDN technology may provide operators with several advantages, including increased flexibility and agility along with simplified operations;

b) that SDN may allow optimization, customization and improvement of resource utilization, and may thereby reduce operational and capital costs,

considering further

a) that SDN may usher in new services at reduced operational and capital expenditure;

b) that developing countries may require migration plans from existing networks to SDN-based networks, so as to reap the benefits of SDN without much delay in relation to deployments in developed countries;

c) that capacity building for SDN in developing countries will also need to be planned from the outset in order to create awareness of the benefits of SDN;

d) that the involvement and participation of developing countries in formulating the standardization of SDN will help bridge the standardization gap,

resolves to instruct the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

1 to conduct workshops, with other relevant organizations, for capacity building on SDN, so that the gap in technology adoption in developing countries may be bridged at the early stages of implementation of SDN-based networks;

2 to collect and disseminate best practices for integrating SDN-based networks and migrating from legacy networks to SDN-based networks in developing countries;

3 to coordinate with the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau in regard to the actions referred to in resolves to instruct 1 and 2.

(Busan, 2014)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 200 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Connect 2030 Agenda for global telecommunication/information and communication technology, including broadband, for sustainable development

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) the purposes of the Union as enshrined in Article 1 of the ITU Constitution;

b) the commitment by all Member States of the United Nations to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and related targets, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in Resolution 70/1;

c) the call for close alignment between the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted in UNGA Resolution 70/125;

d) the targets set by WSIS, which served as global references for improving access to and use of telecommunications/information and communication technologies (ICTs) in promoting the objectives of the Geneva Plan of Action, the WSIS action lines and the SDGs in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, to be achieved by 2030;

e) § 98 of the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society, which encourages strengthened and continuing cooperation between and among stakeholders and welcomes, in that respect, the ITU-led Connect the World initiative;

f) the 2025 global broadband targets of the ITU/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development to support "Connecting the Other Half";

g) the Connect 2020 Agenda for global telecommunication/ICT development agreed by ITU Member States at the Plenipotentiary Conference (Busan, 2014) initially adopted in Resolution 200 (Busan, 2014) of the Plenipotentiary Conference,

considering

a) the Union's dual responsibility as the United Nations specialized agency for telecommunications/ICTs and executing agency for implementing related projects under the United Nations development system;

b) the United Nations system-wide implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and efforts towards achieving the SDGs and the WSIS action lines;

c) the role of ITU as a United Nations specialized agency to support Member States and to contribute towards the worldwide efforts to achieve the SDGs and the WSIS action lines;

d) that the economic and social disruption, as well as the health emergency, caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is devastating and has put many lives at risk,

recognizing

a) the WSIS outcome documents, in particular the Geneva Plan of Action (2003) and the Tunis Agenda (2005);

b) UNGA Resolution 70/125, on the outcome document of the UNGA high-level meeting on the overall review of the implementation of WSIS outcomes, and the ITU's preparatory process for the WSIS+20 review;

c) the outcomes of the Connect series summits (Connect Africa, Connect Commonwealth of Independent States, Connect Americas, Connect Arab States and Connect Asia-Pacific) under the Connect the World global multistakeholder initiative set up within the context of WSIS;

d) the Kigali Declaration adopted by the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-22) and the Kigali Action Plan and relevant WTDC-22 resolutions, including Resolutions 30 and 37 (Rev. Kigali, 2022), as well as Resolutions 135, 139 and 140 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference;

e) Resolution 71 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on the strategic plan for the Union for 2024-2027;

f) ITU's leading role as a United Nations specialized agency in telecommunications/ICTs in the era of the global COVID-19 pandemic, launching new initiatives, work programmes and guidelines,

recognizing further

a) that telecommunications/ICTs are a key enabler to accelerate social, economic and environmentally sustainable growth and development, while the spread of ICTs and global interconnectedness has great potential to accelerate human progress, to bridge the digital divide, and to develop knowledge societies;

b) that accelerating broadband development is a considerable challenge, especially in hard-to-reach, rural and remote areas where topography and demography make the return on investment challenging;

c) that investments in telecommunication/ICT services and technologies should also focus on all stages of development and deployment, including their mobilization for sustainable development at later stages;

d) that affordability is one of the major barriers to connectivity for the most vulnerable and excluded populations, especially for persons with disabilities and indigenous communities;

e) the need to sustain current achievements and intensify efforts in promoting and financing telecommunications/ICTs for development;

f) the global challenges of the rapidly evolving telecommunication/ICT environment;

g) the need for broadband connectivity for sustainable development;

h) that the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has not only highlighted the critical role of telecommunications/ICTs for the continued functioning of societies but has also brought to the fore the digital inequalities between and within countries;

i) that this crisis and its impact might affect the implementation and achievement of the goals of the Connect 2030 Agenda and SDGs,

resolves

1 to reaffirm a shared global vision for the development of the telecommunication sector, under the Connect 2030 Agenda envisaging an information society, empowered by the interconnected world, where telecommunications/ICTs enable and accelerate social, economic and environmentally sustainable growth and development for everyone;

2 to endorse the high-level strategic goals and targets set out in the strategic plan for the Union and global broadband targets, inspiring and inviting all stakeholders and entities to work together to implement the Connect 2030 Agenda, contributing to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

3 to call upon Member States to continue leveraging telecommunications/ICTs as a key enabler for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs that integrate in a balanced manner the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development;

4 to reaffirm the critical role of telecommunications/ICTs in responding to and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and to further promote universal, secure, reliable and affordable connectivity in this regard, so that it contributes to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to monitor progress towards achievement of the Connect 2030 Agenda, leveraging data, among others, from the ITU World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators database and the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development;

2 to disseminate information and share knowledge and best practices on national, regional and international initiatives contributing to the Connect 2030 Agenda;

3 to further facilitate implementation of the WSIS action lines and achievement of the SDGs assigned to the responsibility of ITU, in accordance with the Connect 2030 Agenda;

4 to present annual consolidated progress reports to the ITU Council and four-year consolidated progress reports to the Plenipotentiary Conference;

5 to bring this resolution to the attention of all interested parties, including, in particular, UNGA, the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Economic and Social Council, for cooperation in its implementation;

6 to continue to support Member States, in particular developing countries[1], in their active engagement with regard to resolves 3 of this resolution;

7 to support Member States in identifying any new challenges, difficulties or tasks arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and relating to the implementation of this resolution and in taking appropriate measures to address these issues in a timely manner,

instructs the Directors of the Bureaux

to report on progress towards achievement of the objectives and outcomes of the work of each Sector, as elaborated in the strategic plan for the Union for 2024-2027, that contributes to the Connect 2030 Agenda,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

to coordinate the collection, provision and dissemination of indicators and statistics that measure and provide comparative analysis of progress towards achievement of the targets of the strategic plan for the Union, especially related to unserved and underserved areas, and regularly report on the progress through analytical publications and online data tools,

instructs the ITU Council

1 to review the annual progress achieved towards the accomplishment of the Connect 2030 Agenda;

2 to present an assessment of the progress towards achieving the Connect 2030 Agenda to the next plenipotentiary conference,

invites the Member States

1 to participate actively in the implementation of the Connect 2030 Agenda, and contribute with national, regional and international initiatives;

2 to invite all other stakeholders to contribute and work together towards the Connect 2030 Agenda;

3 to provide data and statistics, as appropriate, to monitor progress towards the achievement of the Connect 2030 Agenda;

4 to report national progress towards achievement of the Connect 2030 Agenda, and contribute to the database that will collect and disseminate information on national and regional initiatives contributing to the Connect 2030 Agenda;

5 to ensure that ICTs are central to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, by being acknowledged as an important tool to achieve its overall SDGs and the WSIS action lines;

6 to contribute to the work of ITU, as elaborated in the strategic plan for the Union for 2024-2027, that contributes to the Connect 2030 Agenda;

7 to take into account the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on telecommunications/ICTs in the implementation of the Connect 2030 Agenda and work together with other Member States and stakeholders by sharing information, experience and expertise in this regard,

invites Sector Members, Associates and Academia

to take an active role towards implementing the Connect 2030 Agenda,

invites all stakeholders

to contribute with their initiatives and their experience, qualifications and expertise to the successful implementation of the Connect 2030 Agenda.

(Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 201 (REV. DUBAI, 2018)

Creating an enabling environment for the deployment and use of
information and communication technology applications

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Dubai, 2018),

recalling

a) Resolution 37 (Rev. Buenos Aires, 2017) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference, on bridging the digital divide, especially the role of information and communication technology (ICT) applications that regard;

b) Resolution 137 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) of this conference, on next-generation network deployment in developing countries[1];

c) Resolution 139 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) of this conference, on telecommunications/ICTs to bridge the digital divide and build an inclusive information society;

d) Resolution 140 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) of this conference, on ITU's role in implementing the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS);

e) WSIS Action Line C7, on ICT applications (hereafter referred to as "e-applications"), which are specified as:

• e-government

• e-business

• e-learning

• e-health

• e-employment

• e-environment

• e-agriculture

• e-science;

f) § 14 of the WSIS Geneva Plan of Action, which notes that ICT applications can support sustainable development, in the fields of public administration, business, education and training, health, employment, environment, agriculture and science within the framework of national e-strategies,

recalling further

a) Resolution 136 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) of this conference, on the use of telecommunications/ICTs for monitoring and management in emergency and disaster situations for early warning, prevention, mitigation and relief;

b) Resolution 182 (Rev. Busan, 2014) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, on the role of telecommunications/ICTs in regard to climate change and protection of the environment;

c) Resolution 183 (Rev. Busan, 2014) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, on telecommunication/ICT applications for e-health,

noting

a) that the strategic plan for the Union for 2020-2023 aims to foster an enabling environment for ICT development and foster the development of telecommunication/ICT networks as well as relevant applications and services;

b) that ITU, along with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), established the Broadband Commission for Digital Development in 2010 in its efforts to strengthen the activities aimed at the expansion of broadband and to give more weight to the utilization of ICT applications;

c) that ITU has played a key role in the implementation of the WSIS outcomes for both networks and e-applications, in the role of mediator/facilitator for information and communication infrastructure (Action Line C2) and the role of co-facilitator in the more active implementation of ICT applications (Action Line C7),

recognizing

a) that the use of telecommunications/ICT can improve competitiveness and productivity, as well as increasing efficiencies and bringing benefits in all aspects of our daily life;

b) that the benefits of deploying telecommunication networks will be fully realized through the introduction and active utilization of various ICT applications and services;

c) that, in order to facilitate the deployment of telecommunication networks and the expansion of ICT applications, cooperation among various respective players is necessary at various levels;

d) that, in order to enable people to access and use ICT applications, it is important to develop an approach adapted to local needs,

resolves to instruct the ITU Council

1 to consider the Secretary-General's report referred to in instructs the Secretary-General 5 below;

2 to consider ways and means to further explore this topic, as appropriate,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to continue monitoring progress and achievement of the goals set by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), WSIS and the Broadband Commission;

2 to participate actively in discussions relating to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in order for the Union to play a pivotal role in enabling greater use of e-applications;

3 to continue consultations with all relevant organizations and institutions in ICT sectors as well as non-ICT sectors in order to explore ways to cooperate in promoting the expansion and active utilization of e-applications in various areas;

4 to progress all activities related to this resolution within the ITU's mandate;

5 to report to the ITU Council on the progress of activities related to this resolution,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

1 to continue elaborating the ICT Development Index (IDI), reflecting the availability and utilization of ICT applications, and the ICT Price Basket, reflecting affordability, both of which contribute to assessing social and economic impact of ICT applications;

2 to enhance awareness of the role and benefits of ICT applications on socio-economic development, especially regarding Internet of Things (IoT) applications and other applications which enable smart cities and communities;

3 to work with the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau and the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, as appropriate, in order to encourage cooperation with other relevant organizations in the development of best practices relating to the network infrastructure that enables the use of a wide range of e-applications,

invites Member States, Sector Members, Associates and Academia

1 to promote the introduction of e-applications to support sustainable development, in the fields of public administration, business, education and training, health, employment, environment, agriculture, manufacturing industry and science, among others, within the framework of national e-strategies;

2 to consider how institutional frameworks can support the utilization of e-applications;

3 to promote policy measures that will encourage the adoption of e-applications within their countries;

4 to explore measures for greater cooperation and coordination with other Member States, Sector Members and various entities, such as national, regional and international organizations, development institutes, academia, industries and other relevant organizations, in order to strengthen their roles and activities in relation to ICT applications.

(Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 203 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Connectivity to broadband networks

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

considering

a) United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 70/1, on transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

b) UNGA Resolution 70/125, on the outcome document of the UNGA high-level meeting on the overall review of the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society;

c) the results of the extensive work of the ITU/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, the reports of which recognize, inter alia, that affordable and accessible broadband infrastructure, with appropriate policy and strategy, is a fundamental enabling platform that fosters innovation and drives the development of national and global economies and the information society;

d) Resolution 71 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on the strategic plan for the Union for 2024-2027;

e) Opinion 1 (Geneva, 2021) of the sixth World Telecommunication/Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Policy Forum (WTPF-21), on enabling environment for the development and deployment of new and emerging telecommunication/ICT services and technologies to advance sustainable development;

f) Opinion 2 (Geneva, 2021) of WTPF-21, on affordable and secure connectivity in mobilizing new and emerging telecommunications/ICTs for sustainable development;

g) the overall theme of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) (Buenos Aires, 2017), namely "ICT for Sustainable Development Goals";

h) Resolution 77 (Rev. Buenos Aires, 2017) of WTDC, on broadband technology and applications for greater growth and development of telecommunication/information and communication services and broadband connectivity, as well as study Question 1/1 of Study Group 1 of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector;

i) Resolution 9 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of WTDC, on participation of countries, particularly developing countries[1], in spectrum management, Resolution 10 (Rev. Hyderabad, 2010) of WTDC, on financial support for national spectrum-management programmes, and Resolution 43 (Rev. Buenos Aires, 2017) of WTDC, on assistance in implementing international mobile telecommunications (IMT) and future networks, and Resolution ITU-R 69-1 (Rev. Sharm el-Sheikh, 2019) of the Radiocommunication Assembly (RA), on development and deployment of international public telecommunications via satellite in developing countries;

j) the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and in particular target 9.c: significantly increase access to ICT and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in least developed countries by 2020;

k) Priority 1 in the Kigali Action Plan: affordable connectivity, which focuses on the use of modern, available, secure, accessible and affordable connectivity through deployment of telecommunication/ICT infrastructure and services for bridging the digital divides, and relevant activities on the collection and dissemination of information and analyses on the current status of broadband backbone and submarine cables, in order to assist members in network planning, avoiding duplication of efforts and resources and disseminating information;

l) Resolution 37 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of WTDC, on bridging the digital divide;

m) Resolution 92 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly, on enhancing the standardization activities in the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector related to non-radio aspects of IMT;

n) Resolution ITU-R 50-4 (Rev. Sharm el-Sheikh, 2019) of RA, on the role of the ITU Radiocommunication Sector in the ongoing development of IMT;

o) that IMT systems as well as other technologies contribute to bridging the digital divide and promote affordable broadband connectivity, in particular in developing countries,

noting

a) that broadband connectivity empowers families, people, societies and businesses, playing a fundamental role for the social, economic, cultural and environmental development of society as a whole;

b) the importance of broadband connectivity for facilitating the delivery of a broader range of digital services and applications, promoting investment and providing Internet access at affordable prices to both existing and new users in underserved and unserved areas, and bridging the existing digital divide;

c) that broadband connectivity can play a major role in providing vital information during emergency events and disaster-relief efforts;

d) that broadband connectivity is vital for social, economic, cultural and environmental development, and broadband plans, policies and strategies are important to support its deployment;

e) that broadband initiatives not only seek to bridge the digital divide but also foster broadband development in rural areas,

recognizing

a) that connectivity to broadband networks is directly and indirectly enabled and supported by many diverse technologies, including fixed and mobile terrestrial technologies and fixed and mobile satellite technologies;

b) that spectrum is essential both for the direct provision of wireless broadband connectivity to users by satellite and terrestrial means and for the underlying enabling technologies;

c) that broadband plays a vital role in transforming economies and societies, as stated in the open letter from the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development to the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference (Busan, 2014);

d) that enabling a regulatory and policy environment that promotes innovation and investment covering unserved and/or underserved areas can contribute to increasing broadband connectivity,

resolves

to work towards providing broadband access for all, which will contribute to bridging the digital divide,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

to continue to work closely with the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau and the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau on capacity-building activities that would enable countries to develop and implement their respective national strategies to facilitate the deployment of broadband networks, including wireless broadband networks, taking into account existing budgetary constraints of the Union,

instructs the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau and the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau

to work in cooperation with Sector Members involved in the provision of services and applications to people, families, businesses and societal functions in order to address the need for further improved broadband networks, including wireless broadband networks, and to share relevant information, experience and expertise with the Telecommunication Development Bureau,

invites Member States

1 to further reinforce and recognize the overall socio-economic benefits of connectivity to broadband networks and services;

2 to support the development and cost-effective deployment of wireless broadband networks as part of their national broadband strategies and policies;

3 to promote widespread affordable access to broadband;

4 to facilitate connectivity to satellite and terrestrial broadband networks, including enabling access to the radio-frequency spectrum, as appropriate, as one important component of access to broadband services and applications, including to remote, underserved and unserved areas;

5 to foster an environment for improving and/or enabling the development and deployment of broadband infrastructure, including the review and updating, as necessary, of their regulatory and policy frameworks to stimulate innovative solutions and promote digital literacy through the development of new broadband technologies, leading to diverse and affordable offers to consumers;

6 to contribute to ITU studies and share best practices that advance the quality, affordability, development and deployment of broadband networks, especially for unserved and underserved areas.

(Busan, 2014) – (Rev. Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 204 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Use of information and communication technologies
to bridge the financial inclusion gap

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) Resolution 1353 of the ITU Council, which recognizes that telecommunications and information and communication technologies (ICTs) are essential components for developed and developing countries[1] in achieving sustainable development, and instructs the Secretary-General, in collaboration with the Directors of the Bureaux, to identify new activities to be undertaken by ITU to support developing countries in achieving sustainable development through telecommunications and ICTs;

b) Resolution 70 (Rev. Bucharest 2022) of this conference, on mainstreaming a gender perspective in ITU and promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls through telecommunications/ICTs,

recognizing

a) United Nations General Assembly Resolution 70/1, on transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which builds on the Millennium Development Goals and seeks to complete their unfinished business, and stresses the importance of the implementation of this new ambitious agenda, which has poverty eradication at its core and aims at promoting the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development;

b) that this new agenda, inter alia, undertakes the adoption and implementation of policies to increase financial inclusion and therefore integrates financial inclusion into several targets associated with the Sustainable Development Goals and their means of implementation;

c) Resolution 89 (Rev. Geneva, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly, on promoting the use of ICTs to bridge the financial inclusion gap;

d) that the issue of access to financial services is one of global concern and requires global collaboration,

considering

a) that financial inclusion is a key enabler for reducing poverty and boosting prosperity: around 1.4 billion people globally do not have access to formal financial services and more than 50 per cent of adults in the poorest households are unbanked;

b) that, according to the World Bank Group's Global Findex Database 2021 report, an estimated 1.5 billion adults still lack access to a transaction account and are excluded from the formal financial system; that enhancing financial inclusion can improve resistance to economic shocks, boost productivity of businesses, facilitate female empowerment and help eradicate extreme poverty and increase shared prosperity; and that it is estimated that two thirds of the unbanked have access to a mobile telephone, which can be leveraged to gain access to financial products and services;

c) that, according to the same report, women in developing economies remain 6 per cent less likely than men to have a bank account;

d) the need for regulators from the telecommunication and financial services sectors to collaborate with one another and with, inter alia, their ministries and other stakeholders, and to share best practices, since digital financial services encompass areas which fall under the purview of all parties;

e) the role that ICTs played during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the implementation of sustainable and inclusive financial-inclusion policy reforms geared towards recovery and enabling the poor to have access to finance;

f) the growing importance of financial technology and new instruments and platforms, including mobile banking and peer-to-peer digital lending platforms, which have enabled access to financial services for millions of people;

g) that the purposes of the Union include to foster collaboration among the membership for the harmonious development of telecommunications/ICTs, sharing of best practices and enabling services to be offered at the lowest possible cost;

h) that one way to bridge this financial inclusion gap is through ICTs,

considering further

a) the reports of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) Focus Group on digital financial services (FG-DFS) delivered to the Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group (TSAG) in 2017;

b) the studies and ongoing work in relevant ITU-T and ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) study groups on digital financial services;

c) the ITU-T Study Group 3 technical report on the digital financial services glossary (2018);

d) the work undertaken under the Financial Inclusion Global Initiative (FIGI), which was established in 2017 as a joint programme of ITU, the World Bank and the Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures (CPMI) of the Bank for International Settlements, to implement the recommendations of FG-DFS and those contained in the Payment aspects of financial inclusion (PAFI) report of the World Bank and CPMI in order to contribute to the goal of universal financial access;

e) the work carried out between 2017 and 2019 by the ITU-T Focus Group on digital currency including digital fiat currency, whose mandate focused on investigating the ecosystem of digital currency and digital fiat currency with a view to identifying standardization gaps and the potential for financial inclusion, and the reports which it submitted to TSAG in 2019;

f) the establishment of the Digital Financial Services Security Lab in 2020 under FIGI to help to promote adoption of security-related best practices,

noting

a) the target of universal financial access set by the World Bank, and that this goal was not achieved globally in 2020, even though providing access to a transaction account or electronic instrument to store money and send and receive payments is the basic building block for people to manage their financial lives;

b) that interoperability is, inter alia, an important element to enable electronic payments in a convenient, affordable, fast, seamless and secure way through a transaction account; indeed, the need for interoperability was also one of the findings of the CPMI-World Bank Group PAFI Task Force, which identified required improvements to existing payment systems and services in order to increase further financial inclusion, recognizing that implementation of existing standards and best practices should be a priority;

c) the increased interest within emerging economies in using mobile financial services and applications of emerging technologies to advance financial inclusion to better reach those in need of financial aid;

d) that, despite the success of mobile financial services in several countries, mobile financial services have not had the same success and scale of usage in many emerging economies, and efforts to roll out standards and systems to support digital financial services will thus need to be continued and accelerated;

e) the importance of affordability of digital financial services, especially for low-income households, for achieving financial inclusion,

resolves

1 to continue studying the topic of digital financial services in order to increase financial inclusion in developing countries;

2 to encourage collaboration and dialogue between telecommunication regulators and financial services authorities to develop and implement standards and guidelines;

3 to encourage the use of innovative digital tools and technologies, as appropriate, to advance financial inclusion,

instructs the relevant study groups of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector, in collaboration with the relevant study groups of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector

1 to continue studying economic and policy issues, developing standards, recommendations and guidelines in the area of digital financial services, as appropriate;

2 to continue studying the areas of interoperability, digitalization of payments, consumer protection, quality of service, data monetization, agents, network security and use cases of digital financial services, where such studies, standards and guidelines require collaboration with efforts taking place in other institutions and relate to the mandate of the Union;

3 to continue efforts in the area of the collaboration among telecommunication regulators, financial regulators and central banks;

4 to coordinate and collaborate with other relevant standards-development organizations (SDOs) and institutions with primary responsibility for the development of financial services standards, implementation and capacity building, and with other groups within ITU;

5 to develop technical standards and guidelines that will allow developing countries to address the opportunities and challenges of emerging telecommunications/ICTs for digital financial services;

6 to contribute to global efforts designed to deal with enhancing the cybersecurity and cyberresilience of the digital finance ecosystem through development of international standards and industry best practices,

instructs the relevant study groups of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector

to continue studies and to gather and disseminate best practices related to digital financial inclusion,

instructs the Directors of the Telecommunication Standardization and Telecommunication Development Bureaux

1 to collaborate closely and provide information and support on the matters addressed in this resolution;

2 to support the development of reports, studies and best practices on digital financial inclusion, taking into consideration relevant studies and relevant outputs of other SDOs and institutions, within the mandate of the Union;

3 to support relevant platforms to connect digital financial service stakeholders for peer learning, dialogue and experience-sharing in digital financial services among countries and regions, regulators from the telecommunication and financial services sectors, industry experts and international and regional organizations, including the work carried out on green finance, led by the United Nations Environment Programme;

4 to continue organizing physical/virtual workshops and seminars for the ITU membership in collaboration with other relevant SDOs, academia and institutions in order to raise awareness and identify regulators' particular needs and challenges in enhancing financial inclusion, and share lessons learned from different regions;

5 to provide guidance to developing countries regarding the security of their digital financial service infrastructure,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to continue to cooperate and collaborate with other entities within the United Nations and other relevant entities in formulating future international efforts for effectively addressing financial inclusion;

2 to report to the Council upon the conclusion of the FIGI activities and to update on any next steps and related activities;

3 to submit a progress report on this resolution to the next plenipotentiary conference,

invites Member States, Sector Members and Associates

1 to continue to contribute actively to ITU-T and ITU-D study groups on issues related to the use of ICTs to enhance financial inclusion, within the mandate of the Union;

2 to promote the integration of ICTs in financial services and consumer-protection policies, with the goal of enhancing uptake of digital financial services so as to increase financial inclusion;

3 to continue their efforts to support relevant stakeholders in raising awareness of digital financial inclusion,

invites Member States

1 to contribute to the above activities and take an active part in the implementation of this resolution;

2 to develop and implement national strategies to address digital financial inclusion as a matter of priority and to leverage ICTs to bring financial services to the unbanked;

3 to include policies supporting access to financial services in national ICT and financial inclusion strategies;

4 to accelerate the leveraging of ICTs in order to achieve gender equality within the objectives of this resolution;

5 to encourage new regional initiatives for digital financial inclusion.

(Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 205 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

ITU's role in fostering telecommunication/information and communication technology-centric innovation to support the digital economy and society

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) Resolution 198 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on empowerment of youth through telecommunication/information and communication technology (ICT);

b) Resolution 204 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on the use of ICTs to bridge the financial inclusion gap;

c) Resolution 90 (Kigali, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), on fostering telecommunication/ICT-centric entrepreneurship and digital innovation ecosystems for sustainable digital development;

d) United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 70/1, on transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

e) UNGA Resolution 70/125, on the outcome document of the UNGA high-level meeting on the overall review of the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS);

f) UNGA Resolution 68/220, on science, technology and innovation for development;

g) UNGA Resolution 75/1, on the declaration on the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, which included a declaration to improve digital cooperation,

considering

a) that the ongoing digital transformation of the economy and society enables innovation and promotes sustainable and inclusive economic development;

b) that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic demonstrated the critical role of telecommunications/ICTs in connecting societies and accelerating digital transformation;

c) that new and emerging telecommunications/ICTs can create opportunities and challenges that may be addressed by international collaboration;

d) that ITU's role in increasing access to and promoting development of telecommunications/ICTs contributes to the development of the digital economy, and that its benefits contribute greatly to the overall economy;

e) the Kigali Declaration and the Kigali Action Plan adopted at WTDC-22;

f) relevant WTDC and Plenipotentiary Conference resolutions, in particular Resolution 17 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of WTDC, on implementation of and cooperation on approved regional initiatives at the national, regional, interregional and global levels;

g) that the Union, among others, plays a fundamental role in providing global perspectives on the development of the information society as regards telecommunications/ICTs;

h) that the sixth World Telecommunication/ICT Policy Forum (WTPF-21) addressed the theme of policies for mobilizing new and emerging telecommunications/ICTs for sustainable development,

further recognizing

a) that telecommunication/ICT-centric entrepreneurial ecosystems are vehicles for socio-economic development and community revitalization, driving sustainable development while increasing inclusion and providing economies of scale and bridging digital divides;

b) that capacity building for all stakeholders promotes sustainable development and strengthening institutions;

c) that digital transformation can be accelerated through bridging the data divide, in turn unlocking opportunities and accelerating data-driven decision-making in support of sustainable development,

noting

a) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 8 and 9 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

b) ITU's role in the organization of dedicated annual events addressing innovation dynamics at the regional and international levels;

c) that existing ITU partnerships advance programmes and initiatives that aim to improve ICT education and equip people, especially youth, with digital skills and improve digital literacy,

bearing in mind

a) that the benefits brought about by the digital economy have not been experienced equally by developing countries[1] and developed countries;

b) that both phases of WSIS made commitments to bridge the digital divide and create digital opportunities;

c) that affordability and availability of telecommunication/ICT equipment have an impact on innovation and entrepreneurship,

resolves

1 that the Union, within its mandate, should seek to foster telecommunication/ICT-centric innovation in the development and deployment of telecommunication/ICT infrastructure and digital entrepreneurship that contribute to the development of the digital economy and information society and facilitate the sustainable development of telecommunications/ICTs, the benefits of which contribute greatly to the overall economy;

2 that the Union, within its mandate and existing mechanisms, should support Member States, upon request, in promoting an enabling environment for telecommunication/ICT-centric innovation by all stakeholders, including government, academia, the private sector, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), start-ups, incubation centres and young entrepreneurs, supporting relevant activities with other international agencies;

3 that the Union should continue to collaborate with other related United Nations agencies and other international organizations to assist Member States in providing capacity building related to digital skills, which are considered a core foundation for digital transformation;

4 that the Union should continue supporting WSIS action lines, consistent with its role as specified in Resolution 140 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, through responding to the global need to foster telecommunication/ICT-centric innovation ecosystems and entrepreneurship that accelerate the digital transformation of society and the economy;

5 that, through cooperation with stakeholders, the Union should foster enabling environments that are conducive to institutional capacity building and sustainable telecommunication/ICT development and that encourage innovation,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to coordinate cross-Sectoral activities in the Union and collaborate with other relevant United Nations agencies and stakeholders in implementing this resolution;

2 to ensure implementation of this resolution within the allocated resources in the financial plan and biennial budget as approved by the ITU Council;

3 in implementing this resolution, to take into consideration the discussions and initiatives under way within the United Nations system and relevant international organizations which address new and emerging telecommunications/ICTs in support of sustainable development;

4 to support the relevant ITU capacity-building activities that promote education, digital literacy, training and skills development on new and emerging telecommunications/ICTs, fostering sustainable development and digital empowerment and inclusion for all;

5 to provide annually to the Council a comprehensive report detailing the activities, actions and engagements that the Union is undertaking in response to this resolution;

6 to prepare and submit a progress report on ITU activities related to this resolution to the next plenipotentiary conference in 2026,

instructs the Directors of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau and Radiocommunication Bureau

1 to take this resolution into account when carrying out activities in their respective Sectors;

2 to encourage the participation of SMEs in study groups and relevant ITU activities,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

1 to provide technical assistance and capacity-building support to developing countries upon request for facilitating/strengthening their respective telecommunication/ICT-centric innovation ecosystems and digital entrepreneurship and developing telecommunication/ICT infrastructures, in support of the achievement of the SDGs;

2 to cooperate with other related international and regional organizations on enhancing the Digital Skills Toolkit to support Member States in designing national strategies for digital skills development;

3 in close collaboration with the Directors of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau and the Radiocommunication Bureau, to consolidate all guidelines, recommendations, technical reports and best practices developed by all the Sectors that facilitate telecommunication/ICT-centric innovation and its contribution to the development of digital economy and society, and make them effectively accessible to the developing countries to accelerate the sharing of information and transfer of knowledge to narrow the development gap;

4 to continue to develop practical toolkits for institutional capacity building, fostering digital entrepreneurship and digital innovation ecosystems at the national level, that can be used by the ITU membership and all stakeholders;

5 to continue supporting, within the resources and remit of ITU, the Global Innovation Forum events as a platform for sharing knowledge and best practices, networking and promoting the development of digital innovation ecosystems and entrepreneurship;

6 to assist in the identification of global trends in the development of telecommunication/ICT-centric innovation and entrepreneurship policies and strategies for evidence-based decision-making, especially in developing countries;

7 to cooperate with other relevant organizations and contribute to efforts to measure development of the digital economy and society, by sharing information from ongoing Telecommunication Development Bureau measurements of telecommunication/ICT infrastructure, access and use by households and individuals;

8 to provide, within the mandate of ITU, capacity building on closing the data divide for developing countries, enabling their digital ecosystems to take full advantage of telecommunications/ICTs and innovation to accelerate digital transformation,

invites Member States

1 to promote widespread affordable access to telecommunication/ICT services by supporting telecommunication/ICT-centric innovation ecosystems through encouraging competition, innovation, private investment and public-private partnerships;

2 to promote awareness and involvement of the public in telecommunication/ICT-centric innovation through the promotion of national initiatives with the assistance of ITU, and enhance digital skills development, especially among marginalized groups and persons with specific needs, including women and girls, children and youth, older persons, persons with disabilities and indigenous peoples, to foster digital empowerment and inclusion for all;

3 to participate actively, in collaboration with other stakeholders, in the activities of the Union related to digital entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems, while facilitating the participation of telecommunication/ICT-related entrepreneurs, SMEs, start-ups and incubation and acceleration centres;

4 to exchange best practices on enhancing digital literacy and skills for the purpose of fostering telecommunication/ICT-centric innovation;

5 to consider establishing policies/strategies that foster telecommunication/ICT-centric innovation and entrepreneurship;

6 to take appropriate action to enhance the affordability and availability of telecommunication/ICT equipment to support innovation and entrepreneurship,

invites Member States, Sector Members, Associates and Academia

1 to contribute by sharing their experiences and expertise on fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in supporting the development and deployment of telecommunications/ICTs as described in this resolution;

2 within the framework of this resolution, to encourage the participation of telecommunication/ICT-related entrepreneurs, SMEs, start-ups and incubation and acceleration centres in the ITU Telecom World and other relevant events;

3 to collaborate with ITU on activities related to the implementation of this resolution that leverage digital entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs.

(Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 206 (DUBAI, 2018)

OTTs

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Dubai, 2018),

recalling

a) Resolution 2 (Rev. Hammamet, 2016) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA), which stipulates that Study Group 3 of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) is responsible for studying the economic and regulatory impact of the Internet, convergence (services or infrastructure) and new services, such as over-the-top (OTT), on international telecommunication services and networks;

b) Resolution 44 (Rev. Hammamet, 2016) of WTSA, which instructs the ITU-T study groups to consider including implementation guidelines for ITU-T recommendations where these could provide advice to assist developing countries[1] in adopting them, with emphasis on recommendations having regulatory and policy implications;

c) Resolution 123 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) of this conference, on bridging the standardization gap between developing countries and developed countries,

considering

a) the need to discuss policy issues, as well as the economic implications of OTTs, including issues relating to benefits for consumers, including persons with disabilities and specific needs, competition and innovation;

b) that the mutual cooperation between OTTs and telecommunication operators can be an element to foster innovative, sustainable, viable business models and their positive roles in fostering socio-economic benefits;

c) that, given the global nature of many OTTs, collaboration across multiple Member States and Sector Members should be strongly encouraged;

d) the policy aspects of OTT, some of which may have international considerations,

considering further

a) that the private and public sectors play a key role in the expansion of telecommunication/information and communication technologies (ICTs), for example through investments in infrastructures and services;

b) that the evolution of the telecommunication/ICT sector has led to new market structures, business models, investment strategies and revenue streams,

recognizing

a) that network operators and OTTs are part of the international telecommunication/ICT ecosystem;

b) that the Preamble of the ITU Constitution fully recognizes the sovereign right of each State to regulate its telecommunication;

c) that the development of technology and OTTs in telecommunications/ICTs brings both opportunities and challenges;

d) that the global telecommunication ecosystem is interdependent and increasingly data-driven,

recognizing further

a) studies by Study Group 1 of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D), and the approval by the 2017 world telecommunication development conference of Question 3/1, on emerging technologies, including cloud computing, m-services and OTTs: challenges and opportunities, economic and policy impact for developing countries;

b) inputs of stakeholders presented to the fifth Open Consultation of the ITU Council Working Group on international Internet-related public policy issues (CWG-Internet), on public policy considerations for OTTs, and the discussions held at the physical open consultation meeting on 18 September 2017;

c) The final report of the tenth meeting of CWG-Internet (21 September 2017), on the role of ITU with respect to OTTs;

d) studies and ongoing work in ITU-T and ITU-D study groups, particularly ITU-T Study Groups 3 and 17 and ITU-D Study Group 1;

e) the ITU-T Technical Report on economic Impact of OTTs;

f) the ITU-D Report on policy, regulatory and technical aspects of the migration from existing networks to broadband networks in developing countries, including next-generation networks, m-services, OTT services and the implementation of IPv6;

g) that ITU-D plays an important role in facilitating the discussion and the dissemination and adoption of best practices in telecommunication regulation,

noting

the ongoing cooperation and collaboration with relevant organizations and stakeholders, including but not limited to the World Trade Organization and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, to further the objectives of this resolution,

resolves

1 to raise awareness and promote a common understanding and dialogue among relevant stakeholders for enabling the OTT environment and ecosystem within the remit of ITU;

2 to continue fostering studies on OTT aspects, taking into account considering d) and recognizing further d), consistent with ITU's mandate;

3 to foster capacity-building programmes among ITU members in order to share information related to best practices and technical guidance on OTTs, especially for developing countries,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to continue cooperation and collaboration with other relevant organizations and stakeholders and to explore opportunities for collaboration between ITU members and those of other organizations to further the objectives of this resolution;

2 to foster opportunities for collaboration among relevant stakeholders on capacity-building programmes in order to share information related to best practices and technical guidance on OTTs, especially for developing countries;

3 to submit an annual report to the Council on the activities undertaken under this resolution,

instructs the Secretary-General, in consultation and collaboration with the Directors of the three Bureaux

1 to foster collaboration and dialogue among relevant groups within the Union and with other relevant stakeholders on OTT activities;

2 to foster collaboration and dialogue among relevant groups within the Union and with other relevant stakeholders on the transition from a legacy to an IP-based ecosystem,

instructs the Directors of the Bureaux

1 to collaborate closely with the Sector advisory groups to provide information on the matters covered in this resolution;

2 to foster studies in relevant ITU study groups on different OTT aspects, such as technical, economic and policy aspects, which may have international considerations;

3 upon request, to assist ITU Member States in applying, as appropriate, the relevant outcomes of the study groups related to ОТТ,

invites Member States and Sector Members

1 to contribute to the above activities and take an active part in the implementation of this resolution;

2 to promote collaboration and dialogue among relevant stakeholders recognized under this resolution, taking into account considering b).

(Dubai, 2018)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 207 (DUBAI, 2018)

ITU Journal: ICT Discoveries

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Dubai, 2018),

recalling

that Resolution 169 (Rev. Busan, 2014) of the Plenipotentiary Conference confirmed the establishment of a new category of participation in ITU for Academia,

considering

a) that Academia play a significant role in the research and development of telecommunications/information and communication technologies (ICTs);

b) that both intellectual and scientific contributions from Academia benefit the work of the Union, particularly the activities of ITU study groups as well as focus groups;

c) that Academia greatly contribute to raising the profile and visibility of the activities of the Union in international research communities related to ICTs, and among young people,

noting

a) that the Kaleidoscope event, held annually since 2008, has increased dialogue between Academia and ICT standardization experts, identifying, through original, peer-reviewed papers, areas in need of international standards to assist the development of the information society;

b) that the ITU Journal was officially launched in September 2017 during an ITU Telecom World, with the aim of showing an interdisciplinary approach that reflects ITU's comprehensive field of interest and explores the convergence of telecommunications/ICTs with other disciplines, and it features review articles, best-practice implementation tutorials and case studies,

resolves

1 to support further development of the scholarly, professional, peer-reviewed, digital and online ITU Journal;

2 to publish original scientific research on technical developments in telecommunications/ICTs and the policy, regulatory, economic, social and legal dimensions thereof, with the aim of generating forward-thinking discussions around emerging trends of relevance to the work of the Union;

3 to establish collaborative efforts with the international research community and to raise awareness of the ITU Journal worldwide with a view to positioning it in scientific journal rankings,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau

to continue to lead the overall operations of the ITU Journal, including the editorial process,

instructs the Secretary-General and the Directors of the three Bureaux

1 to contribute to the development of the ITU Journal, providing advice on substantive matters, including the ITU Journal's policy and scope;

2 to identify new topics to be addressed by the ITU Journal and nominate reputable scholars and professionals as candidates for the ITU Journal's Editorial Board;

3 to promote the ITU Journal and disseminate its calls for papers as widely as possible among the ITU membership, universities and research institutes and other relevant communities, with the aim of soliciting original scientific papers,

invites ITU Member States

1 to inform their academic and research communities of this resolution, and to encourage and support these communities in contributing to the ITU Journal's development;

2 to also identify new topics to be addressed by the ITU Journal and nominate their reputable scholars and professionals as candidates for the ITU Journal's Editorial Board.

(Dubai, 2018)

RESOLUTION 208 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Appointment and maximum term of office for chairmen
and vice-chairmen of Sector advisory groups, study groups
and other groups

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) Resolution 58 (Rev. Busan, 2014) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, on strengthening of relations between ITU, regional telecommunication organizations and all Member States without exception for the regional preparations for the Plenipotentiary Conference;

b) Resolution 70 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on mainstreaming a gender perspective in ITU and promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls through telecommunications/information and communication technologies;

c) Resolution ITU-R 15-6 (Rev. Geneva, 2015) of the Radiocommunication Assembly (RA), on appointment and maximum term of office for chairmen and vice-chairmen of ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) study groups, the ITU-R Coordination Committee for Vocabulary (CCV) and the Radiocommunication Advisory Group (RAG);

d) Resolution 1386 adopted by the ITU Council at its 2017 session, on the ITU Coordination Committee for Terminology (ITU CCT),

considering

a) that, in accordance with No. 242 of the ITU Convention, RA, the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA) and the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) shall appoint the chairman and one vice-chairman or more for each study group, taking account of competence and equitable geographical distribution, and the need to promote more efficient participation by the developing countries[1];

b) that, in accordance with No. 243 of the Convention, if the workload of any study group requires, the assembly or conference shall appoint such additional vice-chairmen as it deems necessary;

c) that No. 244 of the Convention provides a procedure for a study group to elect a chairman in the interval between two assemblies or conferences when a chairman is unable to carry out his or her duties;

d) that procedures and qualifications for the chairmen and vice-chairmen of Sector advisory groups should follow those for the appointment of study group chairmen and vice-chairmen;

e) that experience of ITU in general and of the relevant Sector in particular would be of particular value for the chairmen and vice-chairmen of advisory groups;

f) that relevant sections of the respective Resolution 1 on working methods of each Sector contain procedures and guidelines regarding the appointment of chairmen and vice-chairmen of Sector advisory groups, study groups and other groups[2] at the assembly or conference,

recognizing

a) the need to seek and encourage suitable representation of chairmen and vice-chairmen coming from developing countries;

b) the need to encourage the effective participation of all vice-chairmen in the work of their respective advisory groups and study groups, through the establishment of specific roles for each elected vice-chairman, so as to better distribute the management workload of the meetings of the Union,

recognizing further

a) that the Sector advisory groups, study groups and other groups should appoint only the number of vice-chairmen deemed necessary for the efficient and effective management and functioning of the group in question;

b) that steps should be taken to provide some continuity between chairmen and vice-chairmen;

c) the benefits of establishing maximum terms of office in order, on the one hand, to guarantee reasonable stability to advance the work, and, on the other, to allow for renewal with candidates having new perspectives and vision;

d) the importance of effectively mainstreaming a gender perspective in the policies of all ITU Sectors,

taking into account

a) that a maximum time in office of two terms for Sector advisory group, study group and other group chairmen and vice-chairmen provides for a reasonable amount of stability while providing the opportunity for different individuals to serve in these capacities;

b) that the management team of a Sector advisory group and a study group should include at least the chairman, vice-chairmen and subordinate group chairmen;

c) the advantages of nominating by consensus up to two candidates per regional organization[3] for the vice-chairmen of the advisory groups;

d) the value of prior experience of the nominee, at least as chairman or vice-chairman of working parties and as rapporteur, vice-rapporteur, associate rapporteur or editor in the respective study groups,

resolves

1 that chairmen and vice-chairmen of Sector advisory groups, study groups and other groups (including, to the extent practicable, the Conference Preparatory Meeting (CPM) and CCV in ITU-R[4] and the Standardization Committee for Vocabulary (SCV) in ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector^4) shall be appointed according to the procedures given in Annex 1, the qualifications given in Annex 2 and the guidelines given in Annex 3 to this resolution and resolves 2 of Resolution 58 (Rev. Busan, 2014);

2 that candidates for the posts of chairmen and vice-chairmen of the Sector advisory groups, study groups and other groups should be identified, taking into account that, for each Sector advisory group, study group and other group, the respective assembly or conference will appoint the chairman and only the number of vice-chairmen deemed necessary for the efficient and effective management and functioning of the group in question, applying the guidelines given in Annex 3;

3 that nominations for the posts of chairmen and vice-chairmen of the Sector advisory groups, study groups and other groups should be accompanied by a biographical profile highlighting the qualifications of the individuals proposed, taking into consideration continuity in participation in the Sector advisory group, study group or other group, and that the Director of the Bureau concerned will circulate the profiles to the heads of delegation present at the assembly or conference;

4 that the term of office for both chairmen and vice-chairmen shall not exceed two terms of office between consecutive assemblies or conferences;

5 that the term of office in one appointment (e.g. as a vice-chairman) does not count towards the term of office for another appointment (e.g. as a chairman) and that steps should be taken to provide some continuity between chairmen and vice-chairmen;

6 that the period served by a chairman or vice-chairman elected under No. 244 of the Convention in the interval between assemblies or conferences does not count towards the term of office;

7 that a Sector advisory group, study group or other group shall be made aware of the non-attendance of chairmen and vice-chairmen at meetings of their respective groups, and raise the issue through the Director of the relevant Bureau with the members concerned in an attempt to encourage and facilitate participation in these roles,

resolves further

1 that vice-chairmen of Sector advisory groups and study groups should be encouraged to assume a leadership role in activities in order to ensure equitable distribution of the tasks and achieve greater involvement of the vice-chairmen in the management and work of advisory groups and study groups, as chairmen and vice-chairmen of working parties and as rapporteurs for study questions;

2 that the appointment of vice-chairmen of Sector advisory groups should be limited to two candidates and of vice-chairmen of study groups to two or three candidates from each regional organization, taking into account Resolution 70 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022), resolves 2 of Resolution 58 (Rev. Busan, 2014) and the need to promote participation by the developing countries, to ensure equitable geographical distribution among the ITU regions so as to ensure that every region is represented by not more than three competent and qualified candidates;

3 that the appointment of candidates from countries that do not hold any chairmanship or vice-chairmanship position should be encouraged;

4 that no single individual may hold more than one vice-chairmanship position in these groups in any one Sector, and only in exceptional cases hold such a position in more than one Sector;

5 that each ITU regional organization attending RA, WTSA and WTDC should be encouraged, when assigning the positions to individual experienced professionals, to observe fully the principle of equitable geographical distribution among ITU regional organizations, and the need to promote more efficient participation by the developing countries;

6 that the above-mentioned guidelines may, to the extent practicable, be applied to CPM in ITU-R,

instructs the ITU Council

to continually discuss the effectiveness of the selection/appointment criteria and the workload performed by all chairmen and vice-chairmen in the management of study groups, advisory groups and other groups, and report to the plenipotentiary conference,

instructs the Directors of the Bureaux

to report to relevant assemblies or conferences on the participation of chairmen and vice-chairmen of the Sector advisory groups, study groups and other groups in their respective group meetings during the previous study period,

invites Member States and Sector Members

1 to support their successful candidates for such posts in the Sector advisory groups, study groups and other groups, and support and facilitate their task during their term of office;

2 to take appropriate measures with regard to the chairmen/vice-chairmen of Sector advisory groups, study groups and other groups whom they nominated, in the event that they fail to attend two meetings in succession;

3 to promote the nomination of women candidates for the posts of chairmen and vice-chairmen of the Sector advisory groups, study groups and other groups.

(Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

ANNEX 1 TO RESOLUTION 208 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Procedure for the appointment of chairmen and vice-chairmen of the Sector advisory groups, study groups and other groups

1 Typically, the positions of chairmen and vice-chairmen to be filled are known in advance of the assembly or conference.

a) In order to help the assembly or conference appoint chairmen/vice-chairmen, Member States and Sector Members of the Sector in question are encouraged to indicate to the Director of the Bureau suitable candidates preferably three months, but no later than two weeks, before the opening of the assembly or conference.

b) In nominating suitable candidates, Sector Members should carry out prior consultations with the administration/Member State concerned, in order to avoid any possible disagreement in regard to such nomination.

c) On the basis of proposals received, the Director of the Bureau will circulate to Member States and Sector Members the list of candidates. The list of candidates should be accompanied by an indication of the qualifications of each candidate as given in Annex 2 to this resolution.

d) On the basis of this document and any relevant comments received, the heads of delegation, at a suitable time during the assembly or conference, should be invited to prepare, in consultation with the Director of the Bureau, a consolidated list of designated chairmen and vice-chairmen of the Sector advisory group, study groups and other groups to be submitted in a document to the assembly or conference for final approval.

e) In drafting the consolidated list, the following should be taken into account: In cases where there are two or more candidates with equal competence for the same chairman position, preference should be given to candidates from Member States and Sector Members having the lowest number of designated Sector advisory group and study group chairmen, and to representatives of developing countries.

2 Situations which cannot be considered within the above will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis at the assembly or conference. For example, if a merger of two existing study groups is envisaged, the proposals pertaining to the relevant study groups can be considered. Therefore, the procedure outlined in § 1 can still be applied.

3 However, if the assembly or conference decides to set up a completely new study group, discussions will have to be held at the assembly or conference and appointments made.

4 These procedures should be applied for appointments made by an advisory group under delegated authority of the respective assembly or conference.

5 Vacant positions of chairmen and vice-chairmen that occur in mid-term between assemblies or conferences are filled in accordance with No. 244 of the ITU Convention.

ANNEX 2 TO RESOLUTION 208 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Qualifications of chairmen and vice-chairmen

1 No. 242 of the ITU Convention states that:

"… In appointing chairmen and vice-chairmen, particular consideration shall be given to the requirements of competence and equitable geographical distribution and to the need to promote more efficient participation by the developing countries."

Whilst giving primary consideration to the qualifications below, there should be an appropriate representation of chairmen and vice-chairmen from developing countries, including the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

2 As regards competence, the following qualifications, inter alia, appear to be of importance when appointing chairmen and vice-chairmen:

a) relevant professional knowledge and experience;

b) continuity in participation in the relevant study group or, for chairmen and vice-chairmen of Sector advisory groups, in ITU in general and the respective Sector in particular;

c) managerial skills;

d) availability to assume and discharge duties without delay for the period up to the next assembly or conference;

e) knowledge of activities related to the Sector's mandate.

3 Particular reference to the above qualifications should be included in the biographical profile to be circulated by the Director of the Bureau.

ANNEX 3 TO RESOLUTION 208 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Guidelines for appointment of the optimum numbers of vice-chairmen
for Sector advisory groups, study groups and other groups

1 Pursuant to No. 242 of the ITU Convention, and to the extent practicable, the requirements of competence, equitable geographical distribution and the need to promote more efficient participation by the developing countries should be taken into account[5].

2 To the extent possible, and taking into account the need for demonstrated competence, appointment or selection to the management team should utilize the human resources of as broad a range of Member States and Sector Members as possible, at the same time recognizing the need to appoint only the number of vice-chairmen necessary for the efficient and effective management and functioning of the study groups, consistent with the projected structure and work programme.

3 The workload should be a factor in determining the appropriate number of vice-chairmen to ensure that every aspect within the purview of the Sector advisory groups, study groups and other groups is fully managed. The distribution of tasks among the vice-chairmen shall be made in the framework of each study group and advisory group, and may be modified according to the needs of the work.

4 The total number of vice-chairmen proposed by any administration should be reasonable, so as to observe the principle of equitable distribution of posts among the Member States concerned.

5 Regional representation in the advisory groups and study groups of all three Sectors should be taken into account, so that no single individual may hold more than one vice-chairmanship position in these groups in any one Sector, and only in exceptional cases hold such a position in more than one Sector[6], in accordance with resolves further 5 of Resolution 208 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022).

6 Where the re-election of vice-chairmen is concerned, the nomination of candidates who have failed to participate in at least half of all meetings during the previous study period should normally be avoided, taking into account prevailing circumstances.

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

[2] The criteria contained in this resolution do not apply to the designation of chairmen or vice-chairmen of focus groups.

[3] Taking into account resolves 2 of Resolution 58 (Rev. Busan, 2014).

[4] Taking into account Resolution 1386 of the Council (2017).

[5] For those regions consisting of numerous administrations and with diverse economic and technological conditions within the region, to the extent possible the number of representatives of those regions may be increased, as appropriate.

[6] The criterion mentioned in this paragraph should not prevent a vice-chairman of a given advisory group or a vice-chairman of a given study group from holding positions of chairman or vice-chairman of a given working party or as rapporteur or associate rapporteur for any group under the mandate of that Sector group.

RESOLUTION 209 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

Encouraging the participation of small and medium
enterprises in the work of the Union

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) the report of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (Hammamet, 2016) inviting the ITU Council to address as soon as possible the participation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the work of ITU, in particular in the Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T);

b) the decision taken by the Council at its 2017 session to start a pilot project for the participation of SMEs in the interested study groups of ITU-T and of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D), under which SMEs may participate fully in the meetings of the study groups that decide to join the project, with limitations regarding their role in decision-making processes, including elections for management positions and the adoption of resolutions or recommendations;

c) that the ITU Telecom events since 2016 have focused on fostering the growth of SMEs in the digital ecosystem, and have recognized the information and communication technology (ICT) solutions developed by SMEs;

d) Sustainable Development Goals 8 and 9 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, on promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all, and building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization and fostering innovation, especially targets 8.3, on promoting development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation and encourage the formalization and growth of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), including through access to financial services, and 9.3, on increasing the access of small-scale industrial and other enterprises, in particular in developing countries[1], to financial services, including affordable credit, and their integration into value chains and markets;

e) that the United Nations General Assembly recognized the need to improve small business access to microfinance and credit, deciding to designate 27 June as MSME Day,

considering

a) that SMEs are essential to achieving national economic growth and development objectives, including advancing the digital ecosystems that are fundamental to sustainable economic development;

b) that SMEs are also central to reducing unemployment, especially among young people; advancement, globally, of gender mainstreaming and adoption of ICTs by women and girls; and promoting innovation and progress in the telecommunication/ICT sector;

c) that SME innovation and growth is enabled through capacity building, through leveraging existing best practices, and through gaining knowledge of telecommunications and ICTs, including relevant ICT technical standards and reports;

d) that, in many countries, mainly developing countries, SMEs have become prominent actors in the industrial expansion process, in technological development and in the growth of local production, coming to represent in some cases more than 90 per cent of the national industry;

e) that SMEs contribute to the deployment of telecommunication infrastructure, particularly in rural or underserved areas and especially in developing countries;

f) that SMEs' identification of specific telecommunication and other ICT needs and their understanding of barriers to adoption of such telecommunications and other ICTs could be a valuable contribution to the work of the Union, as well as improving the human resources specialized in telecommunications/ICTs whose knowledge may have an impact on national development;

g) the participation of SMEs in a pilot project in 2018 conducted by interested ITU-T and ITU-D study groups pursuant to the decision taken by the Council at its 2017 session,

considering further

a) that in some cases, the suspension of usual working practices occasioned by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic hindered the normal participation of SMEs at meetings of the Union, thereby affecting assessment of the trial period implemented to review their participation;

b) that these exceptional circumstances necessitate a new period in order to obtain accurate data on implementation of the trial period and SME involvement,

recognizing

a) that SMEs' revenue levels, number of employees and domicile may have an impact on their available financial resources to participate as Sector Members;

b) that dissemination of the work of the Sectors among SMEs, particularly in developing countries, can build capacity, transfer critical best practices in telecommunications/ICTs and serve as a factor in fostering national economic development;

c) that Member States, especially developing countries, have furthered efforts to promote access to funding, foster innovation, incorporate technology and add value to their work, in order to create an environment conducive to sustainable SME growth,

resolves

1 to continue encouraging the participation of SMEs as Associates in the Sectors of the Union through reduced fees, pursuant to the provisions of this resolution, without the need for any amendment to Articles 2 and 3 of the ITU Constitution, and Article 19 of the ITU Convention or any other provision of the Convention, with a differentiated level of financial contribution during a trial period that will extend until the next plenipotentiary conference;

2 to maintain the level of the financial contribution for participation in each Sector of the Union at one-sixteenth of the value of the contributory unit for Sector Members in the case of SMEs from developed countries, and one-thirty second of the value of the contributory unit for Sector Members in the case of SMEs from developing countries, subject to ongoing review by the Council;

3 that acceptance of applications for participation shall be conditional on the support of the Member States of the Union to which these entities belong, attesting that, where applicable, the applicant is an SME in accordance with the country's definition/classification thereof, and that, if such an entity is approved by their respective Member State as meeting the national criteria for an SME, in order to be eligible for the SME reduced fees they must also have fewer than 250 employees as well as annual revenues below a maximum set by the Council;

4 that in no case can a subsidiary or affiliate of a company that would not qualify for reduced fees under this resolution be presented as an SME,

instructs the ITU Council

1 to add any appropriate additional clarifications to support implementation of this resolution;

2 to submit to the next plenipotentiary conference a progress report on the implementation of the trial and the participation of SMEs, and an economic sustainability analysis of SME participation, taking into account the assessment of the advisory groups of the three Sectors, the purpose of which will be the adoption of a final decision regarding the above-mentioned participation,

instructs the Secretary-General and the Directors of the three Bureaux

1 to take necessary and appropriate actions to implement this resolution;

2 to continue encouraging the participation of SMEs in the relevant activities of the Union,

invites the ITU Member States

to inform SMEs and relevant organizations of this resolution and to support and encourage SMEs to join ITU and participate in its activities.

(Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 210 (DUBAI, 2018)

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

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Dubai, 2018),

considering

a) that Article 1 of the ITU Constitution defines the purposes of the Union;

b) that the 2012 diplomatic conference held in Berlin under the auspices of the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) adopted the Protocol to the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment on Matters Specific to Space Assets (the "Space Protocol");

c) that the Space Protocol will not come into force until a minimum of ten States ratify, accept, approve or accede to it and the Supervisory Authority confirms that the International Registry is fully operational,

recognizing

a) that four States have signed the Space Protocol at the date of this conference;

b) that, at the date of this conference, no State has yet deposited its instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession, and therefore the Protocol has not entered into force;

c) that, pending the entry into force of the Protocol, a Preparatory Commission was established to act with full authority as Provisional Supervisory Authority for the establishment of the International Registry for space assets, under the guidance of the General Assembly of UNIDROIT,

resolves

at this conference, to not accept the role of Supervisory Authority under the Space Protocol but, should there be a further invitation by UNIDROIT to ITU, through the Secretary-General, to accept this role, a future plenipotentiary conference would reconsider this matter,

instructs the ITU Council

to prepare, upon receipt of the invitation referred to in the resolves above, and submit to the following plenipotentiary conference, a report on this matter,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to bring this resolution to the attention of the Secretary-General of UNIDROIT;

2 to participate in the work of the Preparatory Commission and its working groups and to report to the ITU Council accordingly.

(Dubai, 2018)

RESOLUTION 211 (DUBAI, 2018)

Support for the Iraqi Du_3M 2025 initiative for advancement of the telecommunication and information technology sectors

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Dubai, 2018),

recalling

a) the noble principles, purpose and objectives enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

b) the efforts of the United Nations to promote achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions;

c) the purposes of the Union as enshrined in Article 1 of the ITU Constitution;

d) the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society, in particular §§ 16, 17 and 18 of the Geneva Declaration of Principles and §§ 15, 18 and 19 of the Tunis Commitment;

e) Resolution 135 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) of this conference, on ITU's role in the development of telecommunications/information and communication technologies (ICTs), in providing technical assistance and advice to developing countries[1] and in implementing relevant national, regional and interregional projects;

f) Resolution 30 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) of this conference, on special measures for the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition;

g) Resolution 193 (Busan, 2014) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, on support and assistance for Iraq to rebuild its telecommunication sector,

recognizing

that achieving an integrated and developed information society that keeps pace with the rapid developments in ICT in the world through an interconnected network is of the utmost importance to the Republic of Iraq,

taking into account

a) that Iraq launched the Du_3M 2025 initiative for advancement of the ICT sector in order to develop this vital sector and keep pace with the developed countries;

b) the fundamental role of telecommunications and information technology as an effective factor in establishing the information society and digital economy and developing a supportive environment;

c) the promotion of the digital economy and social transformation by achieving and encouraging growth in the use of ICT;

d) the promotion of cooperation and partnership among stakeholders and the consolidation of efforts to remove obstacles in the path of information technology sector development and open new horizons for investors;

e) human capacity building for persons with special needs and the inhabitants of rural areas by promoting access to ICT at affordable cost;

f) improvement of Iraq's ranking regionally and internationally according to ICT indicators,

noting

that the goals of the Du_3M 2025 initiative for advancement of the ICT sector necessarily require support for a number of projects including, but not limited to:

1) e-government;

2) universal service;

3) smart cities;

4) digital inclusion;

5) big data;

6) the provision of modern technologies and services,

resolves to instruct the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, in coordination with the Directors of the other two Bureaux

to provide the appropriate technical expertise within or external to the Union for implementation of the Du_3M 2025 initiative, and that the technical resources should be allocated within the financial plan and the budget as approved by the ITU Council,

invites Member States

to offer all possible assistance and support to the Government of the Republic of Iraq to implement the Du_3M 2025 initiative for advancement of the ICT sector in order to achieve economic and social development of the Iraqi people,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to provide the necessary technical resources and to take all possible measures to mobilize additional non-financial resources for such actions, on the basis of an action plan and timetable agreed with the Administration of Iraq;

2 to report on the matter annually to the Council on the progress made in the implementation of this resolution and mechanisms used to address difficulties as they occur.

(Dubai, 2018)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 212 (REV. BUCHAREST, 2022)

The Union's future headquarters premises

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) Resolution 194 (Busan, 2014) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, which authorized the ITU Council to establish a Council Working Group on options for the Union's headquarters premises over the long term (CWG-HQP);

b) that CWG-HQP examined the status of headquarters premises of the Union, analysed options for prudent treatment of the premises into the long-term future, and submitted a recommendation to the ordinary session of the Council in 2016;

c) that the Council, at its ordinary session in 2016, accepted the recommendation of CWG-HQP and approved Council Decision 588, documenting its decision, inter alia:

i) to replace the Varembé building by a new construction that would also include the offices and facilities of the Tower building, and complement the Montbrillant building which would be retained and refurbished;

ii) to establish an advisory board of Member States[1] to provide independent and impartial advice on the project to the Council and the Secretary-General;

iii) to authorize a maximum budget for total project costs before sale of the Tower of CHF 140 million and an additional contingency fund of CHF 7 million to be used, if necessary, for unforeseen cost overruns;

iv) to instruct the Secretary-General to request an interest-free loan of CHF 150 million from the host country, repayable over 50 years beginning from the first occupation of the new building;

v) to offset total final project costs by applying all proceeds from the sale of the Tower to existing loans on assets that are to be disposed of, to the necessary costs associated with the sale, and to reduce to the maximum the outstanding amount of the loan;

d) that the Independent Management Advisory Committee (IMAC) advised, in its Recommendation 13/2016, that ITU consider the benefits of dedicated internal and external project- and risk-management expertise for this project,

observing

that, as part of the project governance structure, the Secretary-General has created a liaison committee between the ITU secretariat and representatives of the Swiss administrative organs, including representatives of the Canton of Geneva, the Swiss Confederation and the Foundation for Buildings for International Organizations (FIPOI),

noting

a) that during 2017, an ITU headquarters architectural competition was run in two rounds with an international jury that selected a winner, "Christian Dupraz Architects" of Geneva, Switzerland;

b) that the Council, at its 2018 ordinary session, established a temporary fund for the new building to be financed from budget implementation surpluses and donations;

c) that, as of 16 November 2018, sponsorship of CHF 10 million and CHF 5 million had been generously committed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, respectively, sponsorship of CHF 2.5 million was subsequently submitted by Kuwait and donations of the equivalent of around CHF 185 000 have been generously contributed by the Czech Republic (USD 100 000), Nigeria (CHF 50 000) and Ghana (USD 40 000);

d) that, consequently, the principal conference room will be named the Saudi Arabia Room, the second principal conference room will be named Sheik Zayed Room, the rooms' lobby area and the external courtyard will be named after the Amir of Humanity, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, State of Kuwait, the 100-seat executive room in the new building will be named Popov room and the Czech Republic's, Nigeria's, Ghana's and any future donations will each be recognized at a prominent place, and for the same time-frame, in the new building,

recognizing

a) the need to involve ITU Member States in decisions regarding construction of the Union's future headquarters, given the significant and long-term financial implications for the Union;

b) Switzerland's generous offer and ongoing efforts to assist in finding the best solutions to enable ITU to hold conferences and meetings during the building project's implementation phase in Geneva,

resolves

1 that the new Headquarters building be constructed in order to provide the premises and facilities necessary to meet the Union's requirements in the long term in accordance with Council Decision 588 (2016), Council Decision 619 (2021) and other relevant Council decisions;

2 that the project will be financed primarily by the loan indicated in recalling c) iv) above and the amount of the loan shall not exceed this value;

3 that the project financing can be supplemented by the sponsorships and donation mentioned above, any subsequent sponsorships for the mutually agreed purposes as specified by the Council and the temporary fund established by the Council also mentioned above;

4 to continue the Member States Advisory Group (MSAG), which should in general meet quarterly to review the project's progress and provide guidance, particularly on issues that directly affect the scope, the cost and the timeline,

instructs the ITU Council

to make all the administrative and financial arrangements and take the decisions necessary to facilitate the implementation of this resolution,

instructs the Member States Advisory Group

to continue to provide advice to the Secretary-General, including the submission of an annual report to the Council,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to ensure that the detailed design and construction of the building and related installations and facilities are carried out in the most appropriate manner, while respecting resolves 1, 2 and 3 above and relevant Council decisions;

2 to continue to monitor and report on the progress of the project, taking into account all recommendations from the internal audit, IMAC and the external auditors;

3 to report and share with the Council in a timely manner the necessary and up-to-date information on conference needs, as required;

4 to work closely with MSAG, and with the Swiss authorities through the Liaison Committee;

5 to organize the building project under efficient management, in a manner fully compliant with ITU financial rules and regulations and ITU procurement rules, and with due regard to cost, functional, smart and sustainable design, and quality;

6 to reinforce the ITU Management Board with external expertise in the field of project and risk management;

7 to hold information meetings at least twice a year with the representatives of permanent missions in Geneva, and to share information with them on a regular basis;

8 to submit an annual report to the Council on the progress made in the implementation of this resolution;

9 to report to the next plenipotentiary conferences on the implementation of this resolution;

10 to report to the Council on updates on sponsorship agreements and on the status of the sale of the entire ITU Tower,

encourages Member States and Sector Members

to follow the example of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, the Czech Republic, Ghana and Nigeria in contributing to the new building.

(Dubai, 2018) – (Rev. Bucharest, 2022)

[1] The Council subsequently established this board as the Member States Advisory Group.

RESOLUTION 213 (DUBAI, 2018)

Measures to improve, promote and strengthen ITU fellowships

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Dubai, 2018),

recognizing

a) the relevant and important work accomplished in study groups, subregional groups and regional meetings, training courses, workshops and seminars;

b) that Resolution 58 (Rev. Busan, 2014) of the Plenipotentiary Conference instructs the Secretary-General, in close coordination with the Directors of the three Bureaux, to provide fellowships to delegates from developing countries, which include least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition, so they may attend ITU meetings;

c) that Resolution 123 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) of this conference instructs the Secretary-General and the Directors of the three Bureaux to identify ways and means to support the participation of representatives of developing countries in the meetings of the three ITU Sectors and the dissemination of information on standardization;

d) Resolution 70 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) of this conference, on gender mainstreaming in ITU and promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women through information and communication technologies (ICTs);

e) Resolution 175 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) of this conference, on telecommunication/ICT accessibility for persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs,

considering

a) that, by virtue of the strategic plan of the Union, set out in Resolution 71 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) of this conference, which sets one of the values of the Union as enhancing transparency and accountability processes for better decisions, actions, results and management of resources, ITU communicates and demonstrates progress towards the achievement of its goals;

b) that Resolution 151 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) of this conference instructs the Secretary-General and the Directors of the three Bureaux to contribute to the transparency of ITU by publishing details of all costs incurred in conjunction with external human resources when delivering requirements agreed by the ITU membership,

aware

that criteria for awarding fellowships, including eligibility, are available on the ITU website,

resolves

1 to take measures that promote inclusiveness and participation by Member States in ITU meetings and events;

2 to ensure that fellowships are awarded in a fair and transparent manner with a view to maintaining equitable geographical distribution, gender balance and the inclusion of delegates with disabilities and with specific needs;

3 to take measures that provide accountability of the Union with respect to fellowships,

instructs the Secretary-General and the Directors of the three Bureaux

to prepare annually a report to the ITU Council on fellowships which includes, inter alia, information and analysis on:

– ITU Sectors;

– number of fellowships;

– region and country;

– gender/disabilities and specific needs;

– expenses,

instructs the ITU Council

1 to take all appropriate measures to implement this resolution;

2 to report to the next plenipotentiary conference on the implementation of this resolution;

3 to review the existing criteria for awarding fellowships and make recommendations to the Secretary-General, with a view to improving, promoting and strengthening ITU fellowships,

urges Member States

to consider gender balance and the inclusion of delegates with disabilities and delegates with specific needs when proposing delegates eligible for fellowships.

(Dubai, 2018)

RESOLUTION 214 (BUCHAREST, 2022)

Artificial intelligence technologies and telecommunications/information and communication technologies

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) Resolution 70/1 of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), on transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

b) UNGA Resolution 70/125, on the outcome document of the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the overall review of the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS);

c) Resolution 139 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on the use of telecommunications/information and communication technologies (ICTs) to bridge the digital divide and build an inclusive information society;

d) Resolution 140 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on ITU's role in implementing the outcomes of WSIS and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as in their follow-up and review processes,

recognizing

a) that ITU, being the United Nations specialized agency for telecommunication/ICTs, plays an important role in advancing international telecommunications/ICTs and related development issues, fostering an enabling environment for telecommunication/ICT development, facilitating implementation of the WSIS action lines and contributing to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by facilitating universal access to telecommunications/ICTs;

b) the roles of other United Nations organizations in facilitating the implementation of WSIS action lines, including, inter alia, the roles of the World Health Organization on e-health, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs on e-government, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development on e-business and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization on e-agriculture,

noting

a) that many other organizations and stakeholders are discussing, studying and exploring aspects of artificial intelligence (AI) and its capacity to benefit society, and developing projects, guidelines, best practices, standards and principles for AI technologies, systems and services, within their mandates, including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence, and Joint Technical Committee 1 of the International Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission;

b) that ITU has partnered with more than 40 other United Nations agencies to convene the AI for Good platform and launched the ITU AI Repository, which seeks to identify practical applications of AI to advance the SDGs;

c) that work is already under way across ITU, including through study groups, focus groups and capacity-building activities, to examine the intersection between AI and telecommunications/ICTs to facilitate sustainable development,

considering

a) that a telecommunication/ICT ecosystem can support the development and deployment of many AI use cases that contribute to sustainable development;

b) that fully realizing the benefits of AI technologies will require bridging digital divides and achieving universal access to telecommunications/ICTs;

c) that the development of AI related to telecommunications/ICTs brings both opportunities and challenges;

d) that ITU members are undertaking work that can help inform and assist an understanding of the potential of AI technologies in support of telecommunications/ICTs to contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,

resolves

that ITU should, within its mandate and core competencies:

i) continue the work on AI related to telecommunications/ICTs, including studies, information-sharing and capacity building on AI technologies for increasing the efficiency of telecommunications/ICTs;

ii) foster a telecommunication/ICT ecosystem for deployment of AI technologies,

instructs the Secretary-General, in consultation with the Directors of the three Bureaux

1 to coordinate the activities of the Union to implement this resolution;

2 to focus ITU's efforts related to AI towards fostering robust telecommunication/ICT ecosystems in order to support AI technologies, and towards applying AI technologies to make telecommunications/ICTs more efficient;

3 to continue to work with other United Nations agencies to realize the benefits of AI use cases for sustainable development, such as through the AI for Good platform and the ITU AI Repository;

4 to foster information- and advice-sharing to build understanding, particularly for developing countries[1], related to the deployment of AI technologies in support of telecommunications/ICTs and the associated opportunities and challenges;

5 to identify opportunities, as appropriate, for coordination and cooperation with other relevant organizations and collaboration with relevant stakeholders with regard to this resolution;

6 to report to the next plenipotentiary conference and annually to the ITU Council on any ITU activities related to AI and the implementation of this resolution,

instructs the Directors of the three Bureaux

to continue to support the work of their respective Sectors on AI technologies in support of telecommunications/ICTs in an effort to enable an efficient telecommunication/ICT ecosystem,

instructs the ITU Council

to include the report of the Secretary-General in the documents sent to Member States,

invites Member States, Sector Members, Associates and Academia

1 to promote the common understanding among the ITU membership that a strong telecommunication/ICT ecosystem can support AI technologies, and that AI technologies can be applied to telecommunications/ICTs to make them more efficient and capable;

2 to share their experiences and contribute to international multistakeholder discussions on the application of AI technologies to telecommunications/ICTs, including international organizations, initiatives, the private sector, civil society, academia, small and medium enterprises, and technical organizations;

3 to contribute to discussions, information-sharing, capacity building and studies on AI related to international telecommunications/ICTs, and on how it may contribute to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development within the mandate of the Union.

(Bucharest, 2022)

[1] These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

RESOLUTION 215 (BUCHAREST, 2022)

Role of telecommunications/information and communication technologies in mitigating global pandemics

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) the ITU Constitution, including Article 40, on the priority of telecommunications concerning safety of life, and Article 46, on distress calls and messages;

b) Chapter VII of the ITU Radio Regulations, on distress and safety communications, and Article 5 of the International Telecommunication Regulations, on the safety of life and priority of telecommunications;

c) Resolution 136 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on the use of telecommunications/information and communication technologies (ICTs) for humanitarian assistance and for monitoring and management in emergency and disaster situations, including health-related emergencies, for early warning, prevention, mitigation and relief;

d) Resolution 34 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference, on the role of telecommunications/ICTs in disaster preparedness, early warning, rescue, mitigation, relief and response;

e) Resolution 647 (Rev.WRC-19) of the World Radiocommunication Conference, on radiocommunication aspects, including spectrum-management guidelines, for early warning, disaster prediction, detection, mitigation and relief operations relating to emergencies and disasters,

recalling further

a) United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 74/270, on global solidarity to fight the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which calls on the United Nations system to work with all relevant actors in order to mobilize a coordinated global response to the pandemic and its adverse social, economic and financial impact on all societies;

b) UNGA Resolution 74/306, on comprehensive and coordinated response to the COVID-19 pandemic;

c) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 (Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages), SDG 9 (Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation) and SDG 11 (Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,

considering

that Opinion 5 (Geneva, 2021) of the World Telecommunication/ICT Policy Forum focused on the use of telecommunications/ICTs in COVID-19 and future pandemics and epidemic preparedness and response,

recognizing

a) that the COVID-19 pandemic is a major public health crisis that disrupted public life;

b) the tragic events around the world related to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, which clearly show the need to expand affordable access, so as to ensure universal connectivity to high-quality, sustainable and inclusive telecommunications/ICTs;

c) the importance of access to relevant information about pandemics and epidemics in order to assist public safety and support the work of health and disaster-relief agencies and organizations;

d) that expanding affordable access and connectivity to existing, new and emerging telecommunications/ICTs, and advancing other related aspects, such as digital inclusion and skills, will continue to play a critical role in helping to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as future pandemics,

recognizing further

a) the initiative of ITU, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in providing up-to-date information on COVID-19;

b) that studies are under way in relevant ITU study groups on the use of existing, new and emerging telecommunications/ICTs to mitigate global pandemics,

resolves

1 to cooperate and offer assistance, in collaboration with WHO and other United Nations organizations and stakeholders, in work related to existing, new and emerging telecommunications/ICTs;

2 to assist, within ITU's mandate and budgetary provisions, in the implementation of projects and programmes that enable deployment and use of existing, new and emerging telecommunications/ICTs in responding to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic;

3 to consider appropriate actions in the telecommunication/ICT sector aimed at reducing the severity and number of emergency situations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and at alleviating its consequences, such as providing local communities with connectivity and information, especially in local languages, to help preserve human life,

instructs the Directors of the three Bureaux

1 to continue facilitating ITU activities to help respond to the global COVID-19 pandemic;

2 to provide assistance, if requested, to Member States in updating their national telecommunication emergency plans, taking into account the COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemics,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau

1 to institute a framework for achieving the objectives of this resolution and continue to update Member States on how to tackle future and emerging global pandemics using telecommunications/ICTs;

2 to facilitate the exchange of best practices for mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic with all relevant standards-development organizations and entities in order to create opportunities for cooperative efforts to support the active deployment and use of telecommunications/ICTs;

3 to develop and disseminate standards, guidelines and best practices in cooperation with other stakeholders for the use of telecommunications/ICTs in response to the COVID-19 and other pandemics,

invites the Secretary-General

to continue to reinforce ITU's efforts, within its remit and in partnership with WHO and other agencies and organizations, in collaboration with stakeholders, to strengthen the resilience of telecommunication/ICT networks in order to meet the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and increase pandemic preparedness and response,

invites Member States

1 to cooperate to raise awareness, build capacity and share best practices and lessons learned in using existing, new and emerging telecommunications/ICTs to act to quickly address the global COVID-19 pandemic, as well as future pandemics;

2 to consider potential engagement with stakeholders, including telecommunication/ICT providers, to support jobs, especially for small and medium enterprises, and continue education during the COVID-19 pandemic, so as to mitigate its adverse social and economic consequences;

3 to participate actively in the implementation of this resolution.

(Bucharest, 2022)

RESOLUTION 216 (BUCHAREST, 2022)

Use of frequency assignments by military radio installations for
national defence services

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

considering

a) that the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) (Sharm el-Sheikh, 2019), in accordance with Article 21 of the ITU Convention, invited this plenipotentiary conference to consider the question of the invocation of Article 48 of the ITU Constitution in relation to the Radio Regulations, and to take necessary actions, as appropriate;

b) that there are currently no specific provisions/procedures in the Radio Regulations relating to the invocation of Article 48 for the processing, recording and maintaining in the Master International Frequency Register (MIFR) of frequency assignments to stations that are part of installations for national defence services;

c) that Member States are by default assumed to be acting with integrity when invoking Article 48 for military radio installations;

d) that WRC-15 noted that Article 48 refers to "military radio installations" and not to stations used for governmental purposes in general,

recognizing

a) that the provisions of the Constitution are further complemented by those of the Administrative Regulations, including the Radio Regulations;

b) that, as per No. 202 of the Constitution, under Article 48, Member States retain their entire freedom with regard to military radio installations;

c) that, as per No. 203 of the Constitution, under Article 48, these installations must, so far as possible, observe statutory provisions relative to the measures to be taken to prevent harmful interference;

d) that there is no restriction for any Member State to invoke Article 48 for military radio installations in application of the Radio Regulations;

e) that the rights for international recognition and protection of any frequency assignments are derived from the recording of those frequency assignments in the MIFR and conditioned by the provisions of the Radio Regulations,

recognizing further

that there is a need to maintain the sensitivity and confidentiality of the information provided for frequency assignments for which Article 48 is invoked,

resolves

1 that any invocation of Article 48 by a Member State shall be explicitly stated as part of the submission of that invocation;

2 that, in case of an invocation of Article 48 during the application of the provisions of the Radio Regulations for frequency assignments to stations in the space or terrestrial services, the following shall apply:

i) the Member State undertakes obligations to use such frequency assignments for military radio installations;

ii) if a frequency assignment for which Article 48 has been invoked is used for non-military radio installations, all relevant provisions of the Radio Regulations shall apply to the frequency assignment;

iii) the Member State undertakes obligations to revoke an invocation of Article 48 if such frequency assignment is no longer used for military radio installations;

3 that, in the case of an invocation of Article 48 being made as of 15 October 2022 and then being subsequently revoked, or any revocation of the invocation of Article 48 after 20 November 2023, the associated frequency assignments shall be subject to all relevant provisions of the Radio Regulations, and the Member State shall be required to provide all relevant information to the Radiocommunication Bureau (BR), including the bringing-into-use or bringing-back-into-use information for frequency assignments related to space services;

4 to urge those Member States that invoked Article 48 before 15 October 2022 to review past invocations in light of this resolution, and, if the nature of use of the related frequency assignments has changed and the Member State decides to revoke the past invocation, to do so before 20 November 2023, without necessarily having to provide any additional information;

5 that BR may seek clarification from the Member State regarding possible non-compliant use of frequency assignments under Article 48 and in relation to the obligations under resolves 2 above;

6 that BR shall provide the Member State with the necessary rationale for the request for clarification in resolves 5 above;

7 that, based on the clarification provided and in case of the disagreement of the Member State with the assessment of BR, the matter shall be referred to the Radio Regulations Board (RRB) together with the Member State's basis for its disagreement;

8 that, upon receipt of the information requested in resolves 7 above, RRB may decide that all relevant regulatory provisions apply to that frequency assignment;

9 that, if the Member State disagrees with RRB's decision, it may appeal to the next WRC, and RRB's decision shall remain in abeyance until WRC decides on the matter;

10 that, in providing a clarification under resolves 7 above, Member States are not obliged to provide information to RRB or BR with regard to frequency assignments for military radio installations that may cause prejudice to their installations for national defence services,

invites Member States

to consider using separate frequency assignments for military and non-military radio installations when Article 48 has been invoked,

instructs the Radio Regulations Board

to consider this resolution with a view to taking the necessary action, where appropriate, with regard to frequency assignments for which Article 48 is invoked, taking into account recognizing further above,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to bring this resolution to the attention of WRC-23;

2 to report to the next plenipotentiary conference on the implementation of this resolution.

(Bucharest, 2022)

RESOLUTION 217 (BUCHAREST, 2022)

ITU's business continuity management for 2023-2026

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) Resolution 5 (Kyoto, 1994) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, on invitations to hold conferences or meetings away from Geneva, which considers that there are advantages in holding certain conferences and meetings in countries other than the headquarters country;

b) Resolution 212 (Rev. Bucharest, 2022) of this conference, on the Union's future headquarters premises;

c) the 2021 report on the United Nations system model policy on flexible work of the High-Level Committee on Management of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination;

d) United Nations Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) Report 2019/5: Managing cloud computing services in the United Nations system;

e) the JIU reports on enterprise risk management, business continuity management and cybersecurity in the United Nation system organizations,

recalling further

a) ITU Council Decision 619, on the headquarters premises, which instructs the Secretary-General to create a staff working conditions strategy and implementation plan, including putting in place measures to facilitate flexible working arrangements, including plans to allow staff to work from home;

b) the report by the Secretary-General to the virtual consultation of councillors (VCC) during the 2021 session of the Council, on the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on the functioning and activities of ITU, which highlighted the range of early and extensive measures adopted to ensure the business continuity of ITU's services during the pandemic, including teleworking, the use of virtual platforms for many key meetings and measures to ensure the safety and security of staff;

c) that the Council at its 2016 session approved the Organizational Resilience Management System (ORMS) framework, which addresses areas including business continuity policy, the business continuity management system framework, business risk assessment, business impact analysis and business continuity plans;

d) the report by the Secretary-General to the VCC during the 2020 session of the Council on the status of virtual meeting platforms and support;

e) the report by the Secretary-General to the VCC during the 2021 session of the Council on the digital transformation initiative (DT-I), in which one of the goals of DT-I is to improve the efficiency of the internal business processes and management, streamline, and digitalize workflows;

f) that the implementation plan of the staff working conditions strategy for the interim period and beyond in the new ITU headquarters building is being prepared,

considering

a) that at its additional 2019 session, the Council approved Decision 619, which instructs the Secretary-General to create a staff working conditions strategy and implementation plan, in order to facilitate the relocation of staff during the interim period (2023-2026) and the move to the new headquarters building;

b) the concerns of Member States, expressed in Council Decision 619, on the headquarters premises, regarding the moving of ITU meetings outside of Geneva for the duration of the demolition and early construction phase, as Member States' representations in Geneva have the human resources to attend ITU meetings while such resources are not necessarily available in all countries, and similar concerns expressed by ITU staff, who should not be expected to relocate outside of their Geneva homes for extended periods in order to cover the high number of meetings scheduled by ITU but possibly hosted outside Geneva;

c) that having a business continuity strategy for the ITU headquarters staff, and for the study groups of the three Sectors, is an absolute priority in the context of the new headquarters building project and for the post-COVID-19 era,

recognizing

a) that the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the organizations of the United Nations system in almost all administrative areas and operational processes, as well as the substantive activities of legislative organs and governing bodies, compelling them to continue to operate under extraordinary circumstances and to take measures to sustain continual delivery of core mandates;

b) the report by the Council to this conference on the four-year report of the Council Working Group on financial and human resources (CWG-FHR) on the draft financial plan for 2024-2027, which highlighted an unprecedented budget deficit,

resolves

to pay close attention to further developing, monitoring and adapting the ITU business continuity strategy and policy,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to update the ITU business continuity strategy and policy in line with the best practices expressed in recalling e) and the DT-I, including its impact on the new headquarters premises;

2 to urgently develop and present to CWG-FHR in 2023 a business continuity strategy for 2023-2026 and related action plan, financial plan and risk assessment for the activities of the Union, including the study groups of the three Sectors;

3 to consider the ITU headquarters staff and the activities of the Union, including those of the study groups of the three Sectors, when developing this business continuity strategy, action plan and financial risk assessment;

4 to present to the Council the business continuity strategy and related action plan, financial plan, risk assessment and a holistic and comprehensive dashboard that contains data on the implementation of the business continuity strategy, including the implementation of the staff working conditions strategy and the DT-I;

5 to give high priority to advancing cybersecurity and data protection within the Union, in maintaining business continuity, in order to maintain high availability of information and communication technology platforms for remote participation;

6 to update the ITU Risk-Management Policy and ITU Risk Register according to resolves above,

instructs the ITU Council

1 to take appropriate measures to implement this resolution;

2 to report to the plenipotentiary conference in 2026 on the implementation of this resolution,

invites the Directors of the Bureaux

to actively contribute to implementation of this resolution,

invites Member States and Sector Members

to contribute to the implementation of this resolution,

instructs the Independent Management Advisory Committee and the internal auditor

to conduct internal audits, at planned intervals, to provide information on whether business continuity management conforms to the organization's own requirements, is effectively implemented and maintained and meets the requirements of the ORMS strategy, particularly with respect to the 2023-2026 period.

(Bucharest, 2022)

RESOLUTION 218 (BUCHAREST, 2022)

ITU's role in the implementation of the "Space2030" Agenda: space as a driver of sustainable development, and its follow-up and review process

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recalling

a) Resolution 76/3, on the "Space2030" Agenda: space as a driver of sustainable development, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 25 October 2021;

b) overarching objective 3 of UNGA Resolution 76/3: improve access to space for all and ensure that all countries can benefit socio-economically from space science and technology applications and space-based data, information and products, thereby supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);

c) overarching objective 4 of UNGA Resolution 76/3: build partnerships and strengthen international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space and in the global governance of outer space activities,

considering

a) that a worldwide fixed-satellite service (FSS) national allotment plan and regional broadcasting-satellite service (BSS) plans were established in the Radio Regulations in certain frequency bands with a view to achieving the objective of guaranteeing equitable access to the geostationary-satellite orbit (GSO) for all Member States of the Union; however, some of these national frequency assignments and allotments, especially those of developing countries in the Regions 1 and 3 BSS plan and in the FSS plan, have been severely degraded over time, making it difficult for these countries to use them;

b) that the issue of degraded frequency assignments in the Regions 1 and 3 BSS plan and degraded allotments in the FSS plan contained in Appendices 30, 30A and 30B to the Radio Regulations has been raised in several previous world radiocommunication conferences (WRCs);

c) that statistics on the submission, under Article 4 of Appendices 30 and 30A to the Radio Regulations and under Article 6 of Appendix 30B to the Radio Regulations, of additional uses and suppressions, as well as reports on the degradation of planned frequency assignments and allotments, are being provided and regularly updated by the Radiocommunication Bureau (BR), which demonstrate the nature and extent of the issue,

recognizing

a) that Article 44 of the ITU Constitution, on use of the radio-frequency spectrum and of the geostationary-satellite and other satellite orbits, states that "radio frequencies and any associated orbits, including the geostationary-satellite orbit, are limited natural resources and that they must be used rationally, efficiently and economically, in conformity with the provisions of the Radio Regulations, so that countries or groups of countries may have equitable access to those orbits and frequencies, taking into account the special needs of the developing countries and the geographical situation of particular countries";

b) that a portion of the radio-frequency spectrum and associated satellite-orbit resources in the Radio Regulations has been reserved for worldwide and regional plans using the GSO, which have been established by assigning orbital positions and certain frequency bands to each Member State of the Union; however, the remaining frequency bands are accessible on a "first come, first served" basis;

c) that developing countries, least developed countries (LDCs), small island developing states (SIDS) and landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) face a lack of resources and expertise to address the complexities of the coordination processes;

d) that Resolution 2 (Rev.WRC-03) of WRC resolves that "the registration with the Radiocommunication Bureau of frequency assignments for space radiocommunication services and their use do not provide any permanent priority for any individual country or groups of countries and do not create an obstacle to the establishment of space systems by other countries",

noting

the value of space technology and applications, as well as of space-derived data and information, to sustainable development, including helping in improving the formulation and implementation of policies and programmes of action relating to environmental protection, land and water management, urban and rural development, marine and coastal ecosystems, health care, climate change, disaster risk reduction and emergency response, energy, infrastructure, navigation, seismic monitoring, natural resources management, snow and glaciers, biodiversity, agriculture and food security,

resolves

1 that ITU should support the implementation of the "Space2030" Agenda, especially the parts relevant to space services of overarching objective 3 referred to in recalling b) above, taking into account the unique role of ITU with respect to access to the radio-frequency spectrum and associated satellite orbits, consistent with Article 44 of the Constitution;

2 that the implementation of resolves 1 above should leverage the involvement of the ITU regional presence and pay particular attention to developing countries, LDCs, SIDS and LLDCs;

3 that BR and the Telecommunication Development Bureau continue to assist developing countries, LDCs, SIDS and LLDCs in accessing the radio-frequency spectrum and associated satellite orbits, in particular in order to achieve the objectives of the "Space2030" Agenda,

instructs the Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux

1 to engage in the high-level dialogue with relevant United Nations entities and promote BR's activities related to space;

2 to provide annually to the ITU Council a comprehensive report on the status of the plans governed by Appendices 30, 30A and 30B to the Radio Regulations, highlighting the situation of developing countries and any challenges related to the implementation of those plans, such as the evolution of reference situations of the various frequency assignments and allotments, including any difficulties and problems encountered by BR in the implementation of these plans and problems reported to BR by administrations;

3 to provide annually to the Council a report on the role of ITU in the implementation of the "Space2030" Agenda;

4 to strengthen global partnerships and cooperation among Member States, United Nations entities, international and regional intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, industry and private-sector entities in order to ensure that, through joint efforts and by taking advantage of the practical experiences and contributions of different stakeholders, the benefits of space will be brought to everyone, everywhere;

5 to promote cooperation for access to the scientific, technological, economic, social, environmental and cultural benefits of space activities;

6 to undertake activities in strengthening capacity building for developing countries, LDCs, SIDS and LLDCs in the application of the Radio Regulations through collaboration, cooperation and memoranda of understanding with relevant organizations, as well as the organization of world and regional radiocommunication seminars and workshops for regional telecommunication organizations;

7 to collaborate with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), to the extent practicable, in strengthening capacity-building activities for developing countries, LDCs, SIDS and LLDCs concerning the application of space law, space science and technology and raising awareness on the benefits of outer space;

8 to report to the Council on sessions of the United Nations Inter-Agency Meeting on Outer Space Activities (UN-Space) and the measures being implemented in promoting synergies and avoiding duplication of efforts related to the use of space technology,

instructs the ITU Council

to consider ITU's work on implementation of the "Space2030" Agenda and related ITU activities, and, within the financial limits set by the Plenipotentiary Conference, to make resources available as appropriate,

instructs the 2023 world radiocommunication conference and subsequent world radiocommunication conferences

to continue to give high priority to the matter of equitable access to satellite orbits, taking into account the special needs of developing countries and the geographical situation of particular countries,

invites Member States and Sector Members

1 to participate actively in the implementation of the "Space2030" Agenda, in supporting the achievement of the SDGs;

2 to make voluntary contributions to support activities relating to the implementation of the "Space2030" Agenda.

(Bucharest, 2022)

RESOLUTION 219 (BUCHAREST, 2022)

Sustainability of the radio-frequency spectrum and
associated satellite-orbit resources used by space services

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Bucharest, 2022),

recognizing

a) Articles 6 and 44 of the ITU Constitution;

b) the role of ITU in facilitating the international coordination of radio frequencies used by space services,

considering

a) the continued and expanded launch and operation of a large number of non-geostationary satellites in outer space;

b) that there is a need to review technologies used in satellite networks in the geostationary-satellite orbit (GSO), as well as the increased numbers of satellites within non-GSO satellite systems, with a view to addressing them, if necessary, in the Radio Regulations and in the processing of frequency assignments by the Radiocommunication Bureau (BR);

c) that the available radio-frequency spectrum and associated orbit resources are limited and must be shared among all nations;

d) that there are provisions in the Radio Regulations to protect GSO satellite networks from non-GSO satellite systems,

noting

the urgency of addressing these types of issues associated with non-GSO systems before they are launched and operational,

resolves

1 to instruct the Radiocommunication Assembly, as a matter of urgency, to perform the necessary studies through relevant ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) study groups on the issue of the increasing use of radio-frequency spectrum and associated orbit resources in non-GSO orbits and the long-term sustainability of these resources, as well as on equitable access to, and rational and compatible use of, the GSO and non-GSO orbit and spectrum resources, consistent with the objectives of Article 44 of the Constitution;

2 that the results of the abovementioned studies should be submitted by the Director of BR to the subsequent world radiocommunication conference (WRC) for its consideration and any necessary action, as appropriate,

encourages Member States

1 to participate actively in these studies by submitting contributions to ITU-R;

2 when authorizing non-GSO systems, to take all necessary actions to avoid unacceptable interference to GSO and other non-GSO systems, as well as to other radio services, of other administrations and to ensure the efficient use of radio-frequency spectrum and associated satellite-orbit resources; to this effect, the necessary regulatory frameworks need to be developed for the operation of non-GSO systems,

instructs the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau

to report to WRCs, preferably WRC-23, on the results of implementation of this resolution,

instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau

1 to work with regulators, including through the Global Symposium for Regulators, to encourage non-GSO system licensing expertise and capacity building;

2 to include annually on the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector's Digital Development Dashboard reports on Member States' adoption of policies to support equitable access to the radio-frequency spectrum and associated orbits.

(Bucharest, 2022)

RECOMMENDATIONS

RECOMMENDATION 1 (KYOTO, 1994)

Deposit of instruments relating to the
Constitution and Convention of the International
Telecommunication Union (Geneva, 1992)

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Kyoto, 1994),

taking into account

Recommendation 1 of the Additional Plenipotentiary Conference (Geneva, 1992) on the deposit of instruments and the entry into force of the Constitution and Convention of the International Telecommunication Union,

considering

that, pursuant to No. 238 of Article 58 of the Constitution, the instruments of the Union referred to above entered into force on 1 July 1994 between Members having deposited their instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession before that date,

considering further

that it is in the interest of the Union that all Members become parties to the said Constitution and the Convention as soon as possible,

invites

all the Members of the Union which have not already done so to expedite their respective national procedures for ratification, acceptance or approval of (see Article 52 of the Constitution), or accession to (see Article 53 of the Constitution) the Constitution and Convention of the International Telecommunication Union (Geneva, 1992) and to deposit their respective “single instrument” with the Secretary-General as soon as possible,

instructs the Secretary-General

to bring this Recommendation to the attention of all the Members of the Union and to recall its contents periodically, as he sees fit, to those Members of the Union which have not yet deposited their respective instrument.

(Kyoto, 1994)

RECOMMENDATION 2 (KYOTO, 1994)

Unrestricted transmission of news and
the right to communicate

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Kyoto, 1994),

in view of

a) the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 December 1948;

b) the Preamble and Articles 1, 33, 34 and 35 of the Constitution of the International Telecommunication Union (Geneva, 1992);

c) the provision of the Constitution of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) concerning the free flow of ideas by words and images and the declaration on the basic principles, adopted by the XXth session of the UNESCO General Conference, concerning the contribution of the mass media to strengthening peace and international understanding, to the promotion of human rights and to countering racialism, apartheid and incitement to war and the relevant resolutions of the XXIst session of the UNESCO General Conference;

d) the recommendations of the World Conference on Human Rights adopted in Vienna in 1993, to the effect that the promotion and protection of human rights is a matter of priority for the international community,

conscious of

the noble principles that news should be freely transmitted and that the right to communicate is a basic human right,

conscious also of

the importance of the fact that these noble principles will promote the dissemination of news, thus strengthening peace, cooperation, mutual understanding between peoples and the spiritual enrichment of the human personality, as well as dissemination of culture and education among all people irrespective of their race, sex, language or religion,

recommends

that Members of the Union facilitate the unrestricted transmission of news by telecommunication services.

(Kyoto, 1994)

RECOMMENDATION 3 (KYOTO, 1994)

Favourable treatment for developing countries

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Kyoto, 1994),

in view of

a) the purpose of the Union, which is to maintain and extend international cooperation for the improvement and rational use of telecommunications of all kinds;

b) the ever-widening gap between the economic growth and technological progress of the developed and the developing countries;

c) the fact that the economic power of developed countries is founded on, or linked with, the high level of their technology, which is reflected in extensive and growing international markets, whereas the economies of developing countries are relatively weak and often in deficit because they are in the process of assimilating or acquiring technology,

recommends

1 that developed countries take into account requests for favourable treatment made by developing countries in service, commercial or other relations in telecommunications, thus helping to achieve the desired economic equilibrium conducive to a relaxation of present world tensions;

2 that the classification of countries in one or the other of these economic categories can be based on the criteria of per capita income, gross national income, national telephone development or any other mutually agreed parameters selected from those internationally recognized by the specialized information sources of the United Nations,

recommends further

that Members of the Union make available to the General Secretariat any relevant information on the implementation of this Recommendation,

instructs the Secretary-General

to monitor on the basis of information received from Members the extent to which any favourable treatment has been extended to developing countries by the developed countries,

instructs the Council

to review the results achieved and take any steps necessary to promote the objectives of this Recommendation.

(Kyoto, 1994)

RECOMMENDATION 4 (MARRAKESH, 2002)

General policy statements to plenipotentiary conferences

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Marrakesh, 2002),

considering

Recommendation R22 of the Working Group on ITU Reform, which advocates that the length of general policy statements should be limited so as to minimize the amount of time used for this purpose at the Plenipotentiary Conference and make the conference more efficient,

seeking

to standardize the duration of general policy statements in order, inter alia, to economize on the Union’s financial resources,

aware

that plenipotentiary conferences are likely to face increasingly heavy workloads,

taking into account

that general policy statements should be made only during the first week of the conference,

recommends

that Member States limit their general policy statements to a maximum of five minutes,

instructs the Secretary-General

to publish on the conference website the full text of all general policy statements including those which have not been made during the first week of the conference.

(Marrakesh, 2002)

RECOMMENDATION 5 (MARRAKESH, 2002)

Submission of the first report of the Credentials Committee
to the Plenipotentiary Conference

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Marrakesh, 2002),

considering

Article 31 of the ITU Convention, concerning credentials for conferences of the Union,

considering further

No. 176 of the General Rules of conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union, which stipulate that elections shall begin on the ninth calendar day of a plenipotentiary conference,

recognizing

a) that it is the responsibility of the Credentials Committee referred to in No. 68 of the General Rules of conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union to verify the credentials of delegations and report its conclusions to the plenary meeting within the time-frame specified by the latter;

b) that it is desirable that the plenary meeting take a decision on the first report of the Credentials Committee as rapidly as possible, and in any event before the ninth calendar day of a plenipotentiary conference,

recommends

that future plenipotentiary conferences set the date for submission of the first report of the Credentials Committee at a date earlier than the ninth calendar day of the conference,

further recommends

that Member States send the originals of their credentials to the secretariat as early as possible, signed by one of the authorities referred to in No. 325 of the Convention, accompanied, as necessary, by a certified translation in one of the official languages of the Union, and pay the greatest heed to the provisions of Nos. 329, 330 and 331 of the Convention,

instructs the Secretary-General

to make appropriate administrative arrangements to keep Member States informed of the procedures to be followed.

(Marrakesh, 2002)

RECOMMENDATION 6 (MARRAKESH, 2002)

Rotation of Council Member States

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Marrakesh, 2002),

considering

a) that the Council is composed of Member States elected by the Plenipotentiary Conference;

b) that each Member State has the potential to contribute to the purposes of the Union through participation in the Council;

c) the decision to admit Member States as observers at Council sessions as well as the improvement in their status as observers adopted by this conference,

noting

a) that the number of Member States of the Council shall not exceed 25 per cent of the total number of Member States of the Union;

b) that examples of regional coordination in this regard on a voluntary basis already exist, with positive results,

recalling

that any such regional or subregional coordination in this regard would considerably facilitate the elections at plenipotentiary conferences,

recognizing

that, without some element of rotation of Council membership, the principle mentioned in considering b) above cannot be fully implemented,

recommends

that Member States concerned should engage in bilateral and multilateral coordination through appropriate ways and means, such as regional or subregional meetings, in order to facilitate such rotation on a voluntary basis.

(Marrakesh, 2002)

RECOMMENDATION 7 (DUBAI, 2018)

The role of ITU in supporting the use of information and communication technologies to combat trafficking in persons

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Dubai, 2018),

taking into account

a) United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 72/195, on improving the coordination of efforts against trafficking in persons;

b) UNGA Resolution 72/200, on information and communication technologies (ICTs) for sustainable development,

considering

a) the crucial importance of ICTs and ICT applications for practically all forms of social and economic activity;

b) the need to curb trafficking in persons;

c) the benefits of maximizing the use of ICTs to tackle trafficking in persons, notably vulnerable groups including children and women, in order to mitigate the growing risks and threats,

recognizing

the continued challenge of trafficking in persons leading to loss of life and abuse,

recommends

1 that Member States work with ITU to continue improving their national ICT infrastructure and connectivity rates in order to facilitate the use of ICT tools by relevant actors involved in combating trafficking in persons;

2 that Member States engage with relevant international organizations to understand their ICT needs in order to allow them to tackle trafficking in persons effectively,

instructs the Secretary-General

1 to collaborate on supporting the use of ICTs, as appropriate, with relevant bodies/agencies within the United Nations and other relevant international and regional bodies, taking into account the specific mandates and areas of expertise of the different agencies, while being mindful of the need to avoid duplicating work between organizations in combating trafficking in persons;

2 to make appropriate administrative arrangements to keep Member States informed in this regard.

(Dubai, 2018)

LIST OF DECISIONS, RESOLUTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ADOPTED, REVISED
OR ABROGATED BY THE PLENIPOTENTIARY CONFERENCE (KYOTO, 1994),
(MINNEAPOLIS, 1998),
(MARRAKESH, 2002), (ANTALYA, 2006),
(GUADALAJARA, 2010), (BUSAN, 2014),
(DUBAI, 2018), AND (BUCHAREST, 2022)

List of decisions, resolutions and recommendations adopted, revised or abrogated by the Plenipotentiary Conference
(Kyoto, 1994), (Minneapolis, 1998), (Marrakesh, 2002),
(Antalya, 2006), (Guadalajara, 2010), (Busan, 2014),
(Dubai, 2018) and (Bucharest, 2022)

Notes:

1. The decisions, resolutions and recommendations are presented in ascending numerical order, as numbered by the successive plenipotentiary conferences in accordance with the system established by Decision 3 (Minneapolis, 1998) of the Plenipotentiary Conference.

2. The title shown for each of the decisions, resolutions and recommendations listed in the table below is the one used in the version adopted or revised by the most recent plenipotentiary conference.

3. The plenipotentiary conferences in question are:

– Plenipotentiary Conference (Kyoto, 1994) PP-94

– Plenipotentiary Conference (Minneapolis, 1998) PP-98

– Plenipotentiary Conference (Marrakesh, 2002) PP-02

– Plenipotentiary Conference (Antalya, 2006) PP-06

– Plenipotentiary Conference (Guadalajara, 2010) PP-10

– Plenipotentiary Conference (Busan, 2014) PP-14

– Plenipotentiary Conference (Dubai, 2018) PP-18

– Plenipotentiary Conference (Bucharest, 2022) PP-22

4. Columns 3 to 5 indicate the nature of the action taken by the Plenipotentiary Conference with regard to the decision, resolution or recommendation in question, namely "Adopted", "Revised" or "Abrogated".

DECISIONS

Adopted

Revised

Abrogated

1

Expenditure of the Union for the Period 1995 to 1999

PP-94

PP-98

2

Procedure Concerning Choice of Contributory Class

PP-94

PP-98

3

Treatment of decisions, resolutions and recommendations of plenipotentiary conferences

PP-98

4

Procedure concerning choice of contributory class

PP-98

PP-06

5

Revenue and expenses for the Union for the period 2024-2027

PP-98

PP-02
PP-06
PP-10
PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

6

Financial Plan of the Union for the period 2004 to 2007

PP-02

PP-10

7

Review of the management of the Union

PP-02

PP-10

8

ITU input to the declaration of principles and plan of action of the World Summit on the Information Society and the information document on ITU activities related to the Summit

PP-02

PP-06

9

Fourth World Telecommunication Policy Forum

PP-06

PP-10

10

Implementation of additional corrective measures relating to cost recovery for satellite network filings

PP-06

PP-10

11

Creation and management of Council working groups

PP-10

PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

12

Free online access to ITU publications

PP-10

PP-14

13

Monitoring mechanism on ITU programmes and projects

PP-14

PP-18

14

Use of hyperlinks in ITU documents

PP-14

RESOLUTIONS

Adopted

Revised

Abrogated

1

Strategic Plan for the Union, 1995-1999

PP-94

PP-98

2

World telecommunication/information and communication technology policy forum

PP-94

PP-98
PP-02
PP-10
PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

3

Future Conferences of the Union

PP-94

PP-98

4

Duration of plenipotentiary conferences of the Union

PP-94

PP-10

PP-14

5

Invitations to hold conferences or meetings away from Geneva

PP-94

6

Attendance of liberation organizations recognized by the United Nations at conferences and meetings of the International Telecommunication Union as observers

PP-94

7

Procedure for defining a region for the purpose of convening a regional radiocommunication conference

PP-94

8

Instructions for the Continuation of Work on the Rules of Procedure of Conferences and Meetings of the International Telecommunication Union

PP-94

PP-98

9

Inaugural Meeting of the New Council and 1995 Session of the Council

PP-94

PP-98

10

Observer Status at Council Meetings for Members of the Union Which Are Not Members of the Council

PP-94

PP-98

11

ITU Telecom events

PP-94

PP-98
PP-02
PP-06
PP-10
PP-14
PP-18

PP-22

12

Resumption of Full Participation of the Government of South Africa in the Plenipotentiary Conference and All Other Conferences, Meetings and Activities of the Union

PP-94

PP-98

RESOLUTIONS

Adopted

Revised

Abrogated

13

Approval of the Memorandum of Understanding Between the Representative of the Government of Japan and the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union Relating to the Plenipotentiary Conference (Kyoto, 1994)

PP-94

PP-98

14

Recognition of the rights and obligations of all Sector Members of the Union

PP-94

PP-06

15

Review of the Rights and Obligations of all Members of the Sectors of the Union

PP-94

PP-98

16

Refinement of the Radiocommunication Sector and Telecommunication Standardization Sector

PP-94

PP-98

17

Advisory Groups for the Radiocommunication and Telecommunication Standardization Sectors

PP-94

PP-98

18

Review of the ITU’s Frequency Coordination and Planning Framework for Satellite Networks

PP-94

PP-98

19

Improved Use of the Technical and Data Storage/Dissemination Facilities of the Radiocommunication Bureau

PP-94

PP-98

20

Use by the Broadcasting Service of the Bands Additionally Allocated to this Service

PP-94

PP-98

21

Measures concerning alternative calling procedures on international telecommunication networks

PP-94

PP-98
PP-02
PP-06
PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

22

Apportionment of revenues in providing international telecommunication services

PP-94

PP-98
PP-06

23

Implementation of the Buenos Aires Action Plan

PP-94

PP-98

24

Role of the International Telecommunication Union in the development of world telecommunications

PP-94

PP-06

25

Strengthening the ITU regional presence

PP-94

PP-98
PP-02
PP-06
PP-10
PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

RESOLUTIONS

Adopted

Revised

Abrogated

26

Improvement of the Union’s capabilities for providing technical assistance and advice to developing countries

PP-94

PP-06

27

Participation of the Union in the United Nations Development Programme, in other programmes of the United Nations system and in other funding arrangements

PP-94

PP-06

28

Special Voluntary Programme for Technical Cooperation

PP-94

PP-06

29

International Programme for the Development of Communication

PP-94

PP-06

30

Special measures for the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition

PP-94

PP-06
PP-10
PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

31

Telecommunication infrastructure and information and communication technologies for socio-economic and cultural development

PP-94

PP-02

PP-06

32

Technical assistance to the Palestinian Authority for the development of telecommunications

PP-94

33

Assistance and support to Bosnia and Herzegovina for rebuilding its telecommunication network

PP-94

PP-98
PP-02

34

Assistance and support to countries in special need for rebuilding their telecommunication sector

PP-94

PP-98
PP-06
PP-10
PP-14
PP-18

35

Telecommunication support for the protection of the environment

PP-94

PP-14

36

Telecommunications/information and communication technology in the service of humanitarian assistance

PP-94

PP-98
PP-02
PP-06
PP-10

PP-18

37

Training of refugees

PP-94

38

Contributory shares in Union expenditure

PP-94

39

Strengthening the Financial Base of the International Telecommunication Union

PP-94

PP-98

40

Funding Arrangements for Telecommunications Programmes

PP-94

PP-98

41

Arrears and special arrears accounts

PP-94

PP-98
PP-02
PP-06
PP-10
PP-14
PP-18

42

Special Arrears and Interest Accounts

PP-94

PP-98

43

Approval of the Accounts of the Union for the Years 1989 to 1993

PP-94

PP-98

44

Auditing of the Accounts of the Union

PP-94

PP-98

45

Assistance given by the Government of the Swiss Confederation in connection with the finances of the Union

PP-94

PP-98

46

Remuneration and representation allowances of elected officials

PP-94

47

Compensation matters

PP-94

PP-98

PP-10

48

Human resources management and development

PP-94

PP-98
PP-02
PP-06
PP-10
PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

49

Organizational structure and grading in the ITU

PP-94

PP-10

50

Recruitment of ITU Staff and Experts for Technical Assistance Missions

PP-94

PP-98

51

ITU staff participation in conferences of the Union

PP-94

PP-98

52

Rehabilitation of the Provident Fund of the ITU Staff Superannuation and Benevolent funds

PP-94

PP-98

PP-10

53

Measures to enable the United Nations to carry out fully any mandate under Article 75 of the Charter of the United Nations

PP-94

54

Support to Members Hosting United Nations Peacekeeping Forces

PP-94

PP-98

55

Use of the United Nations telecommunication network for the telecommunication traffic of the specialized agencies

PP-94

RESOLUTIONS

Adopted

Revised

Abrogated

56

Possible revision of Article IV, Section 11, of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Specialized Agencies

PP-94

57

Joint Inspection Unit

PP-94

58

Strengthening of relations between ITU and regional telecommunication organizations and regional preparations for the Plenipotentiary Conference

PP-94

PP-10
PP-14

59

Request to the International Court of Justice for advisory opinions

PP-94

60

Juridical status

PP-94

61

Premises at the Seat of the Union: Construction of the “Montbrillant Building”

PP-94

PP-98

62

Interim limitations in the use of official and working languages of the Union

PP-94

PP-02[1]

63

Study of the Languages in the Union

PP-94

PP-98

64

Non-discriminatory access to telecommunication/information and communication technology facilities, services and applications, including applied research and transfer of technology, and e-meetings, on mutually agreed terms

PP-94

PP-06
PP-10
PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

65

Remote access to ITU information services

PP-94

PP-06

66

Documents and publications of the Union

PP-94

PP-98
PP-10
PP-18
PP-22

67

Updating of definitions

PP-94

PP-10

68

World Telecommunication and Information Society Day

PP-94

PP-98
PP-06
PP-10

69

Provisional application of the Constitution and Convention of the International Telecommunication Union (Geneva, 1992) by Members of the Union which have not yet become States Parties to those instruments

PP-94

70

Mainstreaming a gender perspective in ITU and promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls through telecommunications/information and communication technologies

PP-98

PP-02
PP-06
PP-10
PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

71

Strategic plan for the Union for
2024-2027

PP-98

PP-02
PP-06
PP-10
PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

72

Linking strategic, financial and operational planning in ITU

PP-98

PP-02
PP-06
PP-10
PP-14

PP-18

73

World summit on the information society

PP-98

PP-06

74

Review and improvement of the management, functioning and structure of the International Telecommunication Union

PP-98

PP-02

75

Publication of the ITU Constitution and Convention, decisions, resolutions and recommendations and the Optional Protocol on the Compulsory Settlement of Disputes

PP-98

76

General provisions regarding conferences and assemblies of the International Telecommunication Union

PP-98

PP-02

77

Scheduling and duration of conferences, forums, assemblies and Council sessions of the Union (2023-2027)

PP-98

PP-02
PP-06
PP-10
PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

78

Stable procedures for the election of Member States to the Council, elected officials, and members of the Radio Regulations Board

PP-98

PP-02

79

International Telecommunication Regulations

PP-98

PP-06

80

World radiocommunication conference process

PP-98

PP-02

RESOLUTIONS

Adopted

Revised

Abrogated

81

Approval of the Arrangements between the Government of the United States of America and the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union relating to the Plenipotentiary Conference (Minneapolis, 1998)

PP-98

PP-02

82

Approval of questions and recommendations

PP-98

PP-06

83

Provisional application of the changes to the composition of the Radio Regulations Board

PP-98

PP-02

84

Working methods of the Radio Regulations Board

PP-98

PP-02

85

Evaluation of the administrative due diligence procedure for satellite networks adopted by the World Radiocommunication Conference (Geneva, 1997)

PP-98

PP-06

86

Advance publication, coordination, notification and recording procedures for frequency assignments pertaining to satellite networks

PP-98

PP-02

87

Role of the notifying administration in the case of an administration notifying on behalf of a named group of administrations

PP-98

PP-06

88

Processing charges for satellite network filings and administrative procedures

PP-98

PP-02

PP-10

89

Coping with the decreased use of international telex service

PP-98

PP-18

90

Review of the contribution of Sector Members towards defraying the expenses of the International Telecommunication Union

PP-98

PP-06

91

Cost recovery for some ITU products and services

PP-98

PP-06
PP-10

92

Internal invoicing of the costs of activities undertaken by the Telecommunication Development Bureau at the request of the General Secretariat or an ITU Sector

PP-98

PP-06

93

Special arrears accounts

PP-98

PP-14

RESOLUTIONS

Adopted

Revised

Abrogated

94

Auditing of the accounts of the Union

PP-98

PP-02
PP-06
PP-10
PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

95

Approval of the accounts of the Union for the years 1994 to 1997

PP-98

PP-06

96

Introduction of a long-term care insurance scheme in the Union

PP-98

97

Occupational illness

PP-98

PP-06

98

The use of telecommunications for the safety and security of humanitarian personnel in the field

PP-98

99

Status of Palestine in ITU

PP-98

PP-06
PP-10
PP-14
PP-18

100

Role of the Secretary-General of ITU as depositary for memoranda of understanding

PP-98

101

Internet Protocol-based networks

PP-98

PP-06
PP-10
PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

102

ITU’s role with regard to international public policy issues pertaining to the Internet and the management of Internet resources, including domain names and addresses

PP-98

PP-02
PP-06
PP-10
PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

103

Gradual lifting of interim limitations on the use of official and working languages of the Union

PP-98

PP-02[2]

104

Reduction of the volume and cost of documentation for ITU conferences

PP-98

PP-06

105

Urgent need for prompt action to address the year 2000 problem

PP-98

PP-06

106

Review of the ITU structure

PP-02

PP-06

RESOLUTIONS

Adopted

Revised

Abrogated

107

Improvements to the management and functioning of ITU

PP-02

PP-10

108

Improvement of the functioning of the Coordination Committee, including the tasks of the Deputy Secretary-General and the role of the other elected officials

PP-02

PP-10

109

Review and consolidation of provisions regarding observers

PP-02

PP-06

110

Review of the contribution of Sector Members towards defraying the expenses of the International Telecommunication Union

PP-02

PP-10

111

Considering major religious periods in the scheduling of ITU conferences, assemblies and Council sessions

PP-02

PP-06
PP-14

112

Regional preparations for plenipotentiary conferences

PP-02

PP-10

113

World Summit on the Information Society

PP-02

PP-06

114

Interpretation of No. 224 of the ITU Constitution and No. 519 of the ITU Convention with regard to deadlines for submitting proposals for amendments

PP-02

115

Use of the six official and working languages of the Union on an equal footing

PP-02

PP-06

116

Approval of the accounts of the Union for the years 1998 to 2001

PP-02

PP-06

117

Determination of the planning area for terrestrial television and sound broadcasting in the VHF and UHF bands at the regional radiocommunication conference

PP-02

PP-06

118

Use of spectrum at frequencies above 3 000 GHz

PP-02

119

Methods to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Radio Regulations Board

PP-02

PP-06
PP-22

120

Radiocommunication Assembly (RA-03) and World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-03)

PP-02

PP-06

121

Review of the International Telecommunication Regulations

PP-02

PP-06

122

The evolving role of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly

PP-02

PP-06
PP-10

RESOLUTIONS

Adopted

Revised

Abrogated

123

Bridging the standardization gap between developing and developed countries

PP-02

PP-06
PP-10
PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

124

Support for the New Partnership for Africa’s Development

PP-02

PP-06

125

Assistance and support to Palestine for infrastructure development and capacity building in the telecommunication and information technology sector

PP-02

PP-10
PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

126

Assistance and support to the Republic of Serbia for rebuilding its destroyed public broadcasting system

PP-02

PP-06
PP-10

127

Assistance and support to the Government of Afghanistan for rebuilding its telecommunication system

PP-02

128

Support for the Agenda for Connectivity in the Americas and Quito Action Plan

PP-02

PP-06

PP-18

129

Bridging the digital divide

PP-02

PP-06

130

Strengthening the role of ITU in building confidence and security in the use of information and communication technologies

PP-02

PP-06
PP-10
PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

131

Measuring information and communication technologies to build an integrating and inclusive information society

PP-02

PP-06
PP-10
PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

132

Continued ITU support for the sustainability of the Geneva Diplomatic Community network

PP-02

PP-06

133

Role of administrations of Member States in the management of internationalized (multilingual) domain names

PP-02

PP-06
PP-10
PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

134

Number of Member States of the Council

PP-06

PP-10

135

ITU's role in the durable and sustainable development of telecommunications/information and communication technologies, in providing technical assistance and advice to developing countries and in implementing relevant national, regional and interregional projects

PP-06

PP-10
PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

136

Use of telecommunications/ information and communication technologies for humanitarian assistance and for monitoring and management in emergency and disaster situations, including health-related emergencies, for early warning, prevention, mitigation and relief

PP-06

PP-10
PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

137

Deployment of future networks in developing countries

PP-06

PP-10
PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

138

Global Symposium for Regulators

PP-06

PP-22

139

Use of telecommunications/information and communication technologies to bridge the digital divide and build an inclusive information society

PP-06

PP-10
PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

140

ITU's role in implementing the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as in their follow-up and review processes

PP-06

PP-10
PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

141

Study on the participation of all relevant stakeholders in the activities of the Union related to the World Summit on the Information Society

PP-06

PP-10

142

Review of terminology used in the ITU Constitution and Convention

PP-06

PP-10

143

Extending the provisions in ITU documents relating to developing countries to apply to countries with economies in transition

PP-06

PP-10

144

Availability of model host-country agreements in advance for conferences and assemblies of the Union held away from Geneva

PP-06

PP-14

145

Participation of observers in conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union

PP-06

146

Periodic review of the International Telecommunication Regulations

PP-06

PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

147

Study on the management and functioning of the Union

PP-06

PP-10

148

Tasks and functions of the Deputy Secretary-General

PP-06

PP-22

149

Study of definitions and terminology relating to building confidence and security in the use of information and communication technologies

PP-06

PP-10

150

Approval of the accounts of the Union for the years 2018-2021

PP-06

PP-10
PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

151

Improvement of results-based management in ITU

PP-06

PP-10
PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

152

Improvement of management and follow-up of the defrayal of ITU expenses by Sector Members and Associates

PP-06

PP-10
PP-14

153

Scheduling of Council sessions and plenipotentiary conferences

PP-06

PP-10

PP-14

154

Use of the six official languages of the Union on an equal footing

PP-06

PP-10
PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

155

Establishment of a management and budget group of the Council

PP-06

PP-10

156

Scheduling of conferences

PP-06

PP-10

157

Strengthening of the project execution and project monitoring functions in ITU

PP-06

PP-10
PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

158

Financial issues for consideration by the Council

PP-06

PP-10
PP-14

159

Assistance and support to Lebanon for rebuilding its telecommunication networks (fixed and mobile)

PP-06

PP-10
PP-14

160

Assistance to Somalia

PP-06

PP-18

161

Assistance and support for the Democratic Republic of the Congo for rebuilding its telecommunication network

PP-06

162

Independent management advisory committee

PP-10

PP-14
PP-22

163

Establishment of a Council working group on a stable ITU Constitution

PP-10

PP-14

164

Allocation of seats of Council Member States

PP-10

165

Deadlines for the submission of proposals and procedures for the registration of participants for conferences and assemblies of the Union

PP-10

PP-18

166

Number of vice-chairmen of Sector advisory groups, study groups and other groups

PP-10

PP-14

PP-18

167

Strengthening and developing ITU capabilities for fully virtual meetings and physical meetings with remote participation, and the electronic means to advance the work of the Union

PP-10

PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

168

Translation of ITU recommendations

PP-10

169

Admission of academia to participate in the work of the Union

PP-10

PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

170

Admission of Sector Members
from developing countries to
participate in the work of the ITU Radiocommunication Sector and the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector

PP-10

PP-14
PP-22

171

Preparations for the 2012 world conference on international telecommunications

PP-10

PP-14

172

Overall review of implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society

PP-10

PP-14

173

Piracy and attacks against fixed and cellular telephone networks in Lebanon

PP-10

174

ITU's role with regard to international public policy issues relating to the risk of illicit use of information and communication technologies

PP-10

PP-14

175

Telecommunication/information and communication technology accessibility for persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs

PP-10

PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

RESOLUTIONS

Adopted

Revised

Abrogated

176

Measurement and assessment concerns related to human exposure to electromagnetic fields

PP-10

PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

177

Conformance and interoperability

PP-10

PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

178

ITU role in organizing the work on technical aspects of telecommunication networks to support the Internet

PP-10

179

ITU's role in child online protection

PP-10

PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

180

Promoting deployment of Internet Protocol version 6

PP-10

PP-14
PP-18
PP-22

181

Definitions and terminology relating to building confidence and security in the use of information and communication technologies

PP-10

182

Role of telecommunications/
information and communication technologies in regard to climate change and the protection of the environment

PP-10

PP-14
PP-22

183

Telecommunication/Information and Communication Technology applications for e-health

PP-10

PP-14

184

Facilitating digital inclusion initiatives for indigenous peoples

PP-10

PP-22

185

Global flight tracking for civil aviation

PP-14

PP-18

186

Strengthening the role of ITU with regard to transparency and confidence-building measures in outer space activities

PP-14

PP-18
PP-22

187

Review of the current methodologies and development of a future vision for the participation of Sector Members, Associates and Academia in the activities of ITU

PP-14

PP-18

188

Combating counterfeit and tampered telecommunication/information and communication technology devices

PP-14

PP-18
PP-22

RESOLUTIONS

Adopted

Revised

Abrogated

189

Assisting Member States to combat and deter mobile device theft

PP-14

PP-18
PP-22

190

Countering misappropriation and misuse of international telecommunication numbering resources

PP-14

191

Strategy for the coordination of efforts among the three Sectors of the Union

PP-14

PP-18
PP-22

192

ITU participation in memoranda of understanding with financial and/or strategic implications

PP-14

PP-18

193

Support and assistance for Iraq to continue rebuilding and developing its telecommunication/information and communication technology sector

PP-14

PP-22

194

Options for the Union's headquarters premises over the long term

PP-14

PP-18

195

Implementation of the Smart Africa Manifesto

PP-14

196

Protecting telecommunication service users/consumers

PP-14

PP-18
PP-22

197

Facilitating the Internet of Things and smart sustainable cities and communities

PP-14

PP-18
PP-22

198

Empowerment of youth through telecommunication/information and communication technology

PP-14

PP-18
PP-22

199

Promoting efforts for capacity building on software-defined networking in developing countries

PP-14

200

Connect 2030 Agenda for global telecommunication/information and communication technology, including broadband, for sustainable development

PP-14

PP-18
PP-22

201

Creating an enabling environment for the deployment and use of information and communication technology applications

PP-14

PP-18

202

Using information and communication technologies to break the chain of health-related emergencies such as Ebola virus transmission

PP-14

PP-18

203

Connectivity to broadband networks

PP-14

PP-18
PP-22

RESOLUTIONS

Adopted

Revised

Abrogated

204

Use of information and communication technologies to bridge the financial inclusion gap

PP-18

PP-22

205

ITU's role in fostering telecommunication/information and communication technology-centric innovation to support the digital economy and society

PP-18

PP-22

206

OTTs

PP-18

207

ITU Journal: ICT Discoveries

PP-18

208

Appointment and maximum term of office for chairmen and vice-chairmen of Sector advisory groups, study groups and other groups

PP-18

PP-22

209

Encouraging the participation of small and medium enterprises in
the work of the Union

PP-18

PP-22

210

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

PP-18

211

Support for the Iraqi Du_3M 2025 initiative for advancement of the telecommunication and information technology sectors

PP-18

212

The Union's future headquarters premises

PP-18

PP-22

213

Measures to improve, promote and strengthen ITU fellowships

PP-18

214

Artificial intelligence technologies and telecommunications/information and communication technologies

PP-22

215

Role of telecommunications/information and communication technologies in mitigating global pandemics

PP-22

216

Use of frequency assignments by military radio installations for national defence services

PP-22

217

ITU's business continuity management for 2023-2026

PP-22

218

ITU's role in the implementation of the "Space2030" Agenda: space as a driver of sustainable development, and its follow-up and review process

PP-22

RESOLUTIONS

Adopted

Revised

Abrogated

219

Sustainability of the radio-frequency spectrum and associated satellite-orbit resources used by space services

PP-22

RECOMMENDATIONS

Adopted

Revised

Abrogated

1

Deposit of instruments relating to the Constitution and Convention of the International Telecommunication Union (Geneva, 1992)

PP-94

2

Unrestricted transmission of news and the right to communicate

PP-94

3

Favourable treatment for developing countries

PP-94

4

General policy statements to plenipotentiary conferences

PP-02

5

Submission of the first report of the Credentials Committee to the Plenipotentiary Conference

PP-02

6

Rotation of Council Member States

PP-02

7

The role of ITU in supporting the use of information and communication technologies to combat trafficking in persons

PP-18

[1] Abrogated with effect from 1 January 2005, pursuant to Resolution 115 (Marrakesh, 2002).

[2] Abrogated with effect from 1 January 2005, pursuant to Resolution 115 (Marrakesh, 2002).