Geneva hosted last 20-30 October a meeting of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Council, the body responsible for the organisation’s management between Plenipotentiary Conferences (PPs).
The following issues stood out at this Council session:
- Approval of budget for the 2010-2011 two-year period, with much debate over the use once again of the reserve account. This measure was a cause for concern by many member States, who emphasised that besides not being very transparent, it was not viable in the long term. The Council welcomed changes introduced in the budget’s format in accordance with International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS);
- Approval of 2010-2013 operational plans for the General Secretariat and the sectors;
- The Council approved in principle the creation of an Audit Committee whose structure and modes of operation will also be considered in the Council Working Group on Financial Regulation. The final decision on this subject should be made at the next ITU Council session;
- Regarding improving how the Union works, the compilation of responses to the consultation of members (which counted only 27 replies) was analysed. Given these questions’ importance and the need to obtain comments from all members, a decision was made to hold a new consultation of all member States, whose report should be submitted to the 2010 Council session. Besides the consultation’s result, the report should include points on specific actions and a schedule for implementing same;
- Approval of the interoperability and conformity programme, which will include the application of measures to give buyers a clearer idea of the interoperability of equipment they want to buy. The programme will also cover training and the development of regional test centres for developing countries;
- The ITU’s activity was considered with respect to the building of trust and security in the use of information and communication technologies; the roadmap was approved which sets out action points with a view to implementing action lines of the World Summit on the Information Society;
- Regarding World Telecommunications and Information Society Day, it was decided that the 2010 topic will be changed to “Better City, Better Life with ICTs”, in line with the theme topic of Expo 2010 (Better City, Better Life), during which the respective celebrations will be held. The theme topic for 2011 was also approved: “Better Life in Rural Communities with ICTs”;
- The decision on academic bodies’ participation in ITU standardisation sector activity was postponed to the next ITU Council session;
- It was decided that more studies should be produced on the financial impact of free online access to ITU Fundamental Texts and to ITU Radiocommunication Sector Recommendations. The 2010 Plenipotentiary Conference will analyse those studies and should make a decision on the matter;
- Approval of participation by the Association of Communications and Telecommunications Regulators from the CPLP (ARCTEL-CPLP) as a member of the ITU Development Sector, with cost exemption;
- Creation of the following new Council Working Groups (WGs) was approved:
- WG on preparation of the Strategy and Finance Plan – this WG’s goal is to prepare harmonised proposals for both plans, with a view to submitting them to PP-10 for approval;
- WG on Online Protection of Children – open to all member States, this WG should identify and carry out activity with a view to protecting children and report to the 2010 Plenipotentiary Conference;
- WG on preparations for the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) – open to member States and sector members, this WG is meant to prepare for the WCIT, whose theme topic will be the revision (or eventual elimination) of the International Telecommunications Regulation (ITR).
The ITU Council will next meet on 13-23 April 2010 with the main objective of preparing for the Plenipotentiary Conference scheduled for October of that year.
