The 2003 session of the Council of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which took place for two weeks in Geneva, has ended on 16 May. José Saraiva Mendes, Member of the Board of Directors of ANACOM, entity that represents Portugal in the ITU, chaired this session.
Such as initially foreseen, the financial questions and the review of ITU?s management were the major subjects considered at the Council?s discussions, taking into account the financial difficulty that ITU presently faces, similarly to the telecommunications sector in general.
For the first time in the history of the Council, the budget for the next biennium (2004-2005), presented by the General Secretariat of the ITU (that is in charge of the Union?s executive management), was not approved as the Administrations have considered that it was not transparent and elucidative enough to allow its appreciation. Thus, the General Secretariat will have to revise the draft budget, taking into account the concerns and doubts expressed, with a view to its appreciation and adoption in an additional session of the Council, which will take place at the end of October 2003, expressly for that effect.
The recommendations of a group of specialists to review ITU?s management also encouraged ample debate. The group of specialists is constituted by 5 members, one of which Portuguese, in representation of the Western European countries. This group was created as a result of the last ITU Plenipotentiary Conference (PP), which took place in September/October of 2002 in Marraquexe. The creation of the group reflected some dissatisfaction of the ITU member countries in general, due to lack of information and transparency as far as finances and the Union management is concerned.
The Council approved the majority of the group?s recommendations for short-term implementation, aiming essentially at the introduction of greater transparency and control mechanisms at ITU management.
Other matters were also discussed, namely: following PP decisions, the creation of work groups for analysis of structural questions and others; ITU preparation and involvement in the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS); staff and financial matters; the events to be held in the following years within ITU (conferences, exhibitions, etc.).
ITU Council is responsible for the Management of ITU in between two sessions of the Plenipotentiary Conference (PP). The Council is composed by 46 Member States, elected by PP. Portugal is a Member of the ITU Council since 1994.
The Plenipotentiary Conference is the supreme organ of ITU, meets every four years and is responsible for long-term general policy, strategic planning and Management of ITU.
See:
ITU ? 2003 Council Meetinghttp://www.itu.int/council/C2003/index.asp
