ITU Council Concludes: Preparation for World Summit on the Information Society and Plenipotentiary Conference at Centre of ITU Work Plan
16-05-2002 ()
The 10-day meeting of the ITU Council, the governing body of the International Telecommunication Union, concluded on Friday, 3 May. The work of the Council covered much ground, with a great deal of emphasis on two important ITU initiatives. These arethe World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), to be convened in Geneva in December 2003 and the Plenipotentiary Conference of ITU, held every four years. The Plenipotentiary; ITU’s top policy-making body, will be held in Marrakesh, Morocco from 23 September to 18 October 2002.
The scope of the tasks facing Council was presented by this year’s Chairman, Mr Richard Beaird of the United States. Mr Beaird highlighted the importance of the Council’s work in establishing ITU as a guiding light in the ever-changing telecommunications environment.
"The modern ITU was created at the 1947 Plenipotentiary — the same year that the transistor was first demonstrated, with the solid-state computer soon to follow. That must have been a challenging time for ITU", Mr Beaird said adding, "this Council faces no fewer nor no less demanding challenges."
He said Council’s ‘long and complex’ agenda had put the spotlight on ‘ITU reform, its financial standing, and its relationship to the outside world, not the least of which is ITU's role in the World Summit on the Information Society’. He commended Councillors for going about their work while keeping in mind the mission of ITU, which is to bring governments and industry together to coordinate the establishment and operation of global telecommunication networks and services for the benefit of all.
Events to Shape ITU future
In his ‘State of the Union’ address, ITU Secretary-General, Yoshio Utsumi, structured his remarks around the need for thorough preparation for the Plenipotentiary Conference, and three other key events in 2003. These are the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-03) and Assembly in Caracas (Venezuela) in June, ITU TELECOM WORLD in Geneva in October and the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society,in December, also in Geneva. He called on the Council to "prepare the groundwork correctly for the busy period ahead", as these events "will shape the future of ITU for many years to come."
With regard to Council preparation for the Plenipotentiary Conference, Mr Utsumi addressed the need to:
Finalize planning documents that deal with the draft Strategic Plan and the draft Financial Plan for the Union. "Neither would be easy, said Mr. Utsumi. "As ever, the vision of our membership for what ITU should do vastly exceeds the resources available."
Review the proposals for ITU reform — notably from the Group of Experts on ITU reform, the Satellite Backlog Action Group, the Working Group on Financial Regulations and the Ad hoc Working Group on human resources management.
Review the implementation of the Council’s previous decisions on ITU reform.
Prepare reports for the Plenipotentiary Conference summarizing the activities and work undertaken by the Union since the last Plenipotentiary in 1998, including the implementation of Resolutions and Decisions. "In this regard, one of the most important tasks may be to review the proposal of the Group on stable election procedures to ensure that the limited amount of time available in Morocco is used as efficiently as possible", Mr Utsumi remarked.
World Summit on the Information Society 2003
Preparations for the World Summit on the Information Society were reported to be well on course, with the first Preparatory Committee Meeting (PrepCom-1) set for 1 to 5 July this year in Geneva. Mr Utsumi stressed that, "If we are to take our role in the Summit seriously, then I believe that the Council needs to review the resources that are made available for it." The Secretary-General’s words were heededlater in the week when the Government of Japan announced a donation of CHF400 000 for Summit preparations, bringing to a total more than CHF 2 million that have been raised to fund this historic event.
Mr Utsumi also noted that the Summit is of great significance "because it places ITU in the heart of the global effort to promote the importance of information and communication technologies and to meet the Millennium Declaration goals". One of these goals is "to ensure that the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communication technologies, are available to all."
He underscored the need for ITU to be "ready to take on a mission that goes beyond the traditional technical domain", as it prepares for the Summit. "Our concerns must now stretch beyond networks, to focus on users; beyond services to look at applications; and beyond the medium to see the message," he said adding that: "there are also dissenting voices that see ITU as part of the problem rather than as part of the solution. We must be prepared to engage in dialogue and to explain what we do and why we do it, in a more accessible and compelling way."
Mr Utsumi concluded: "My challenge to you is that we must ‘reinvent ITU’ in the next few years, to meet the changing needs of our membership. That process must begin now."
ITU Strategic Orientation and Goals
A draft strategic plan for ITU was tabled, highlighting the challenges facing the Union in the period 2003-2007. That challenge is to remain a pre-eminent intergovernmental organization where Members and Associates work together to enable the growth and sustained development of telecommunications and information networks, and facilitate universal access so that people everywhere can participate in, and benefit from, the global information economy and society.
The goals proposed in the strategic plan include:
Maintain and extend international cooperation among all Member States and with appropriate regional organizations for the improvement and rational useof telecommunications of all kinds, taking the leading role in United Nations system initiatives on information and communication technologies.
Assist in bridging the international digital divide in information and communication technologies, facilitating development of fully interconnected and interoperated networks and services to promote global connectivity.
Disseminate information and know-how to provide the ITU membership, particularly developing countries, with capabilities to respond to the challenges of privatization, competition, globalization and technological change.
Widen the Union’s membership, extending and facilitating cooperative participation to an increasing number of organizations and administrations.
Develop tools based on contributions from Members, to safeguard the integrity and interoperability of networks.
Advance the ‘right to communicate’ and to promote ICTs for the benefit of all including those with special needs — the disabled and disadvantaged.
During the course of the Council a broad range of topics were discussed. The main highlights are:
An announced increase by the United Kingdom in the number of its "contributory units" (measure of financial contributions) to ITU
A move towards full cost recovery of theservices provided by the ITU to TELECOM
A move towards full cost recovery for the processing of satellite network filings. Currently, the system applies only to some services and the cost is based on the number of "published pages" of the filing; however, this is not an accurate reflection of the amount of work required, given the increasingly complex nature of Satellite systems. A working group has been established to specify the details of this proposed method and how full cost recovery would be applied to all satellite filings.
A special session on Gender and the Digital Divide was held, since women in developing nations are deeply affected by the digital divide.
ITU TELECOM AMERICAS 2003 was cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. However, immediately following Council, a letter is to be sent to all of the members from the Americas asking for expressions of interest in hosting TELECOM AMERICAS in 2004/2005.
A special session of the General Assembly of the United Nations on ICTs will be held in June at which ITU Secretary-General Utsumi has been asked to speak.
Support for ITU involvement in reform of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), to better ensure worldwide representation of both the public and private sectors directly and indirectly related to Internet names, numbers and addresses.
The next session of the Council will be held in Geneva from 5 — 16 May 2003.
"The modern ITU was created at the 1947 Plenipotentiary — the same year that the transistor was first demonstrated, with the solid-state computer soon to follow. That must have been a challenging time for ITU", Mr Beaird said adding, "this Council faces no fewer nor no less demanding challenges."
He said Council’s ‘long and complex’ agenda had put the spotlight on ‘ITU reform, its financial standing, and its relationship to the outside world, not the least of which is ITU's role in the World Summit on the Information Society’. He commended Councillors for going about their work while keeping in mind the mission of ITU, which is to bring governments and industry together to coordinate the establishment and operation of global telecommunication networks and services for the benefit of all.
Events to Shape ITU future
In his ‘State of the Union’ address, ITU Secretary-General, Yoshio Utsumi, structured his remarks around the need for thorough preparation for the Plenipotentiary Conference, and three other key events in 2003. These are the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-03) and Assembly in Caracas (Venezuela) in June, ITU TELECOM WORLD in Geneva in October and the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society,in December, also in Geneva. He called on the Council to "prepare the groundwork correctly for the busy period ahead", as these events "will shape the future of ITU for many years to come."
With regard to Council preparation for the Plenipotentiary Conference, Mr Utsumi addressed the need to:
Finalize planning documents that deal with the draft Strategic Plan and the draft Financial Plan for the Union. "Neither would be easy, said Mr. Utsumi. "As ever, the vision of our membership for what ITU should do vastly exceeds the resources available."
Review the proposals for ITU reform — notably from the Group of Experts on ITU reform, the Satellite Backlog Action Group, the Working Group on Financial Regulations and the Ad hoc Working Group on human resources management.
Review the implementation of the Council’s previous decisions on ITU reform.
Prepare reports for the Plenipotentiary Conference summarizing the activities and work undertaken by the Union since the last Plenipotentiary in 1998, including the implementation of Resolutions and Decisions. "In this regard, one of the most important tasks may be to review the proposal of the Group on stable election procedures to ensure that the limited amount of time available in Morocco is used as efficiently as possible", Mr Utsumi remarked.
World Summit on the Information Society 2003
Preparations for the World Summit on the Information Society were reported to be well on course, with the first Preparatory Committee Meeting (PrepCom-1) set for 1 to 5 July this year in Geneva. Mr Utsumi stressed that, "If we are to take our role in the Summit seriously, then I believe that the Council needs to review the resources that are made available for it." The Secretary-General’s words were heededlater in the week when the Government of Japan announced a donation of CHF400 000 for Summit preparations, bringing to a total more than CHF 2 million that have been raised to fund this historic event.
Mr Utsumi also noted that the Summit is of great significance "because it places ITU in the heart of the global effort to promote the importance of information and communication technologies and to meet the Millennium Declaration goals". One of these goals is "to ensure that the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communication technologies, are available to all."
He underscored the need for ITU to be "ready to take on a mission that goes beyond the traditional technical domain", as it prepares for the Summit. "Our concerns must now stretch beyond networks, to focus on users; beyond services to look at applications; and beyond the medium to see the message," he said adding that: "there are also dissenting voices that see ITU as part of the problem rather than as part of the solution. We must be prepared to engage in dialogue and to explain what we do and why we do it, in a more accessible and compelling way."
Mr Utsumi concluded: "My challenge to you is that we must ‘reinvent ITU’ in the next few years, to meet the changing needs of our membership. That process must begin now."
ITU Strategic Orientation and Goals
A draft strategic plan for ITU was tabled, highlighting the challenges facing the Union in the period 2003-2007. That challenge is to remain a pre-eminent intergovernmental organization where Members and Associates work together to enable the growth and sustained development of telecommunications and information networks, and facilitate universal access so that people everywhere can participate in, and benefit from, the global information economy and society.
The goals proposed in the strategic plan include:
Maintain and extend international cooperation among all Member States and with appropriate regional organizations for the improvement and rational useof telecommunications of all kinds, taking the leading role in United Nations system initiatives on information and communication technologies.
Assist in bridging the international digital divide in information and communication technologies, facilitating development of fully interconnected and interoperated networks and services to promote global connectivity.
Disseminate information and know-how to provide the ITU membership, particularly developing countries, with capabilities to respond to the challenges of privatization, competition, globalization and technological change.
Widen the Union’s membership, extending and facilitating cooperative participation to an increasing number of organizations and administrations.
Develop tools based on contributions from Members, to safeguard the integrity and interoperability of networks.
Advance the ‘right to communicate’ and to promote ICTs for the benefit of all including those with special needs — the disabled and disadvantaged.
During the course of the Council a broad range of topics were discussed. The main highlights are:
An announced increase by the United Kingdom in the number of its "contributory units" (measure of financial contributions) to ITU
A move towards full cost recovery of theservices provided by the ITU to TELECOM
A move towards full cost recovery for the processing of satellite network filings. Currently, the system applies only to some services and the cost is based on the number of "published pages" of the filing; however, this is not an accurate reflection of the amount of work required, given the increasingly complex nature of Satellite systems. A working group has been established to specify the details of this proposed method and how full cost recovery would be applied to all satellite filings.
A special session on Gender and the Digital Divide was held, since women in developing nations are deeply affected by the digital divide.
ITU TELECOM AMERICAS 2003 was cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. However, immediately following Council, a letter is to be sent to all of the members from the Americas asking for expressions of interest in hosting TELECOM AMERICAS in 2004/2005.
A special session of the General Assembly of the United Nations on ICTs will be held in June at which ITU Secretary-General Utsumi has been asked to speak.
Support for ITU involvement in reform of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), to better ensure worldwide representation of both the public and private sectors directly and indirectly related to Internet names, numbers and addresses.
The next session of the Council will be held in Geneva from 5 — 16 May 2003.
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