The presidency of the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) Council was granted to Portugal, represented by ANACOM's Director, Saraiva Mendes, during the opening session of its 2003-2004 term, held on October 17th, with the newly elected Member States, at the ITU 2002 Plenipotentiary Conference (PP02), which met in Marrakech, Morocco, from September 23rd to October 18th.
The ITU Council is composed of 1/4 of its Member States, elected at each Plenipotentiary Conference, for a four years term (in this case, between 2002 and 2006), and meets every year in the headquarters of this United Nations specialized organization for telecommunications, in Geneva.
Portugal, represented by ANACOM, is currently and since 1994 a member of the Council, a body that is mainly involved in ensuring, in-between Plenipotentiary Conferences, that the Union's political and strategic policies follow its definitions, also being responsible for supervising the daily management and the performance of ITU at the operational, financial and administrative levels.
By initiative of the ITU's Secretary-General, the Japanese Yoshio Utsumi, and with unanimous approval of the Member States that integrate it, Portugal, represented by Saraiva Mendes, was elected to preside the Council. This position is transferred from the United States of America (through Richard Beaird) to Portugal (through Saraiva Mendes), who will hold it until the 2004 session, when it will be ensured by Kenya, through the now elected Deputy Chairman, Samuel Chepkong'a.
ITU Council presidency, which usually passes from chairman to deputy chairman, by means of a prior confirmation of the Member-States, was suddenly vacated when, on last October 3rd, the United Kingdom did not manage to be re-elected to the Council. Therefore, the Council deputy chairman at that time, the British Mike Goddard, was unable to take over the presidency.
Consult:
- Portugal re-elected for the UIT Council https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=65541
