The proceedings of the 19th Plenipotentiary Conference 2014 (PP-14) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) drew to a close on 7 November with the signature of the Final Acts, which set out the amendments to the basic instruments of the ITU, as well as new, amended and repealed Decisions and Recommendations. This is the first conference to take place since the adoption of the current Constitution (entering into force in 1992) in which no amendments were made to the Union's Constitution and Convention (main treaties governing the Union's functioning).
The PP-14 approved the ITU's financial plan for the 2015-2018 period. This year was a particularly challenging one for the Union, as a number of ITU Member States reduced their contributions (12 countries, including Portugal, cut their contributions to the ITU while 5 countries increased their contribution, with a resulting loss of more than 10 contribution units). Against the backdrop of this fall in contributions, a set of recommendations was approved to cut the organisation's costs.
Approval was also given to the Union's strategic plan, containing the mission and objectives of the General Secretariat and each of the Union's sectors.
In relation to the ITU's administration, note is made of: the granting of free public access, from 2015, without need for a password, to all inputs and outputs of the Conferences and Assemblies (all documents except those that might jeopardize legitimate public or private interests) - an important development that will enhance transparency; and the creation of a working group to analyze long-term options for the ITU's headquarters.
Among the results of PP-14, it is important to note the long negotiations which took place on revising the Resolutions on the Internet and Internet governance. In this context, particular attention was paid to the ITU's role in international public Internet policy and in the management of Internet resources, including domains and IP addresses. The transition from IPv4 to IPv6 was also discussed.
The PP-14 also considered some issues of a political nature, namely the status of Palestine in the ITU, and amended a resolution which now includes a reference to "State of Palestine" (it is made clear, however, that approval of the text does not imply any recognition of the State of Palestine). This text resulted from an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, mediated by the ITU Secretary-General and the Conference Chairman.
Meanwhile, the situation in Ukraine aroused considerable controversy, given Ukraine's presentation of a proposal for a new Resolution on Assistance and support to Ukraine for guaranteeing the use of frequency and numbering resources in the territories of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. This subject also concluded with a negotiated settlement between the parties under the mediation of the ITU Secretary-General and the Conference Chairman.
Finally, it should be highlighted that PP-14 had a record number of participants: 2,505 delegates from 171 countries.
Consult:
- PP-14 https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=1338051
Further information:
- ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2014 (PP-14) http://www.itu.int/en/plenipotentiary/2014/Pages/default.aspx
