Summary of the TDAG WGs activities, 2007-2010
During the
period 2007-2010, TDAG had the following working groups: the Working Group on
Private Sector issues (WG/PS), the Working Group on Key Performance Indicators
(KPIs) and Project Implementation, the Working Group on Human Resource
Development (WGHRD), and the Joint Coordination Activity on Accessibility and
Human Factors (JCA-AHF). Summaries of the outcomes of the TDAG working group
meetings can be found below (in English only). For the full working group
meeting reports, in all six languages, please reference the TDAG website.
TDAG WORKING GROUP MEETINGS
1
Working Group on Private Sector issues (WG/PS)
2
Working Group on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Project
Implementation
3
Working Group on Human Resource Development (WGHRD)
4
Joint Coordination Activity on Accessibility and Human Factors (JCA-AHF)
TDAG working group meetings
1
Working Group
on Private Sector issues (WG/PS)
The Working
Group on Private Sector issues (WG/PS) held four meetings during the period
covered by this report. The meeting summaries can be found at:
www.itu.int/ITU-D/tdag/index.html
·
Fifth Meeting
of the Working Group on Private Sector issues, 16-17 April 2007
Walda Roseman, Chairman of the WGPS, presented the report of the fifth meeting
of WG/PS, which reaffirmed the important role of the Working Group in supporting
the work of the BDT through the Group’s ability to bring together governmental,
organizational and private sector representation and ensure the fruits of
discussion were able to be capitalized upon by the ITU and the BDT, in
particular. The most topical beneficiaries of the Group’s suggestions and
proposals could be the Regions, whose project work would stand to gain from
support in intra-regional contacts for fund-raising and project coordination
purposes.
The meeting recalled that the WGPS is a working group of the TDAG and as such
the findings of the group could only be suggested to the Director via TDAG.
General agreement was expressed that the WGPS should be used as a forum to
harness more Private Sector participation in the work of the BDT, not only in
the form of high level (CEO) private sector participation in BDT meetings, but
also in the encouragement of the presence of national-level subsidiary companies
to ensure that information exchanges filter down to the national level in
developing countries. As the telecommunications/ICT environment is
fast-evolving, the private sector might also be called to provide a ‘vision of
the future’.
Better use of electronic means was called for on a number of topics both by the
WG/PS and the floor, as a promotional tool to showcase ITU-D projects, and as a
working tool via the provision of active links in the online agenda to documents
intended for further elaboration and discussion by the Group and its followers.
The Director of BDT welcomed the inputs of the working group, although he
indicated that several of the report’s proposals were already well-reflected in
the Sector’s work. In particular, the Director of BDT welcomed the willingness
of the WGPS to help BDT in the preparation of an executive-level meeting in line
with WTDC-06 Resolution 29.
At
the end of discussions that became more general, the TDAG Chairman thanked the
WGPS Chairman and all group participants for their contributions and summarized
the agreed proposals as follows:
1. Help Member States strengthen and harmonize policies and regulations to
support growth of the sector (i.e. investment in infrastructure and services)
and ensure a level playing field.
2. Focus on policy and regulatory actions which promote low cost ICT access
to broadband along with appropriate applications and services.
3. Facilitate development of broadband infrastructure and regional
interconnectivity, including regional Internet exchanges. Undertake a WGPS
study, in cooperation with the ITU regional offices, to share experiences in
this area, including technical, financial and legal issues, taking into
consideration relevant outputs of ITU-D, ITU-T and ITU-R study groups.
4. Encourage the capacity of the ITU regional offices to engage and
communicate with the private sector, as well as coordinate activities in their
region.
5. Consolidate and expand the Centres of Excellence network to serve as hubs
in the regions for capacity-building activities so that all regions will be
better prepared to handle evolving technology developments and the needs of
industry. Identify opportunities to associate existing centres of competence of
external partners with the CoE network. Seek ways to increase participation,
including more fellowships and lower costs of accessing training.
6. Accord high priority to promoting special global initiatives emanating
from WTDC 06, comprising youth and children, gender, indigenous peoples and
communities, persons with disabilities, and those living in undeserved areas
including inclusion of the Youth Forums and Telecommunication Development
Symposia in all Regional and World ITU TELECOM events.
7. Develop a space on the BDT website to showcase ITU-D projects as well as
those of Sector Members.
8. To allow a maximum of persons to participate actively in the work of the
Sector, use electronic means of communication as much as possible.
9. ITU website should reflect the decisions made during the 2006
Plenipotentiary Conferences regarding the use of official ITU languages.
10. Subsidiaries of companies should be encouraged to join ITU-D as Sector
Members in the countries where they operate.
11. Sector members should be encouraged to contribute curricula and expertise
to regional capacity-building activities identified by BDT and regional centres.
12. Assist the Director, as requested, in organizing an executive-level meeting
for Sector Members, open to all ITU Members, consistent with WTDC 06 Resolution
29. Through the TDAG Bureau, WGPS would be pleased to make proposals regarding
the format, theme, timing and other considerations for such a meeting and to
assist in the organization of the meeting, including outreach efforts to ensure
significant private sector participation.
13. Take the opportunity of any events where entities that could qualify for
ITU-D Sector Membership are present to promote the benefits of ITU-D membership
and participation in WGPS and its regional working parties. Subsidiaries of
companies should be encouraged to join ITU-D as Sector Members in the countries
where they operate.
14. Prepare clear, detailed project proposals to fulfil the Regional
Initiatives approved at WTDC-06. A number of Sector Members indicated that they
are willing to lend their expertise to the development of such project
proposals, based on the requirements identified by BDT and in accordance with
ITU practices. The Regional Offices are invited to identify areas where Sector
Members could get involved in these initiatives.
15. Encourage the TDAG WGPS to allocate time during upcoming meetings to
consider how Sector Members can help ITU-D implement the Strategic Plan, in
addition to developing a private sector vision of future priorities and actions
based on their understanding of the evolving telecommunication and ICT
environment, which can be proposed to WTDC-10.
16. Establish a reflector group for Working Group on Private Sector Issues and
the Working Group on Human Resource Management to facilitate information sharing
in between meetings.
·
Sixth Meeting
of the Working Group on Private Sector issues, 4-5 February 2008
A
number of proposals for increased participation of the private sector/Sector
Members in the ITU-D programmes, activities, initiatives and study groups
questions were made at the sixth WGPS meeting. Among other things, it was noted
that there is a need to enhance the already good work in attracting new D-Sector
Members and retaining existing ones. A number of observations and suggestions
were made for TDAG to consider:
1. TDAG encouraged the suggestion to conduct a broad assessment of what the
BDT could do to attract new members, retain existing members and encourage their
active engagement in the activities of the BDT.
2. TDAG encouraged the BDT to provide more information on
ICT/telecommunication development projects, particularly those that could
interest small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
3. TDAG encouraged the need for increased transparency in the project
information provided, to ensure the tracking and reporting on all members’
contributions, not only those of Member States.
The BDT Secretariat noted that when a contribution is to be made to ITU-D, BDT
first comes up with clear description of the activities, then a project document
is prepared and, at the end of the project, a detailed project report is
prepared showing how the funds have been utilized.
4. In order to attract new potential ITU-D members, the WGPS suggested that
more information be provided to help them better understand ITU rules and
procedures. TDAG asked BDT to include more information on how to become an ITU-D
member on the ITU website, as well as to enhance communication and promotion
efforts to better convey how Sector Members can participate in ITU activities.
5. & 6. With regards to the WGPS suggestion that the use of available
technologies (video, voice) be enhanced to make it easier and less costly for
members to take part in ITU meetings, and thus encourage increased participation
in ITU-D activities, TDAG proposed to the BDT Director to look for innovative
ways to attract SMEs to take part in ITU-D activities.
TDAG supported the regional office in the Arab States to find “champions” from
existing Sector Members as leading examples to attract new Sector Members, if
this was deemed necessary.
·
Seventh Meeting
of the Working Group on Private Sector issues,
26
January
2009
The Chairman of
the WGPS presented the report of the seventh meeting of the Working Group on
Private Sector issues (WGPS). It was noted that ITU-D Sector Membership had
grown, due in particular to efforts in the regions as well as pro-active
outreach of members themselves. Furthermore, the ability to show a direct
relationship between inputs made by Sector Members at ITU meetings and tangible
results was described as key value proposition for the private sector. This
would make it easier to convince industry players to get involved.
·
TDAG
endorsed three specific proposals of the WGPS, and called upon BDT Director to
take note of them. BDT could assist Sector Members justify greater participation
in ITU-D meetings, by making the website more user-friendly and providing timely
information and documentation about meetings, as private sector representatives
tend to be accustomed to a more direct, business approach to meetings
·
BDT
could further assist Sector Members, particularly in this tight financial
environment, by setting priorities and avoiding placing too many demands for
participation at various meetings. Sector Members noted that they only have
limited time and resources.
·
KPIs
associated with private sector sponsorships and corporate social responsibility
would aid the private sector in making sponsorship choices.
Ms. Walda
Roseman, Chairman of WGPS and TDAG Vice-Chairman, announced that she will
withdraw from the chairmanship of the group. Mr. Dominique Wurges from France
Télécom, also TDAG Vice-Chairman, was appointed as the new Chairman of the
Working Group on Private Sector Issues.
·
Eighth Meeting
of the Working Group on Private Sector issues, 22 February 2010
The WGPS
Chairman presented the report of the eighth meeting of the Working Group on
Private Sector issues (WGPS) held on 22 February 2010. The meeting was held to
stimulate an exchange of views among Sector Members and Member States and to
convey a private sector perspective to the BDT Director through a set of
recommendations. Furthermore, the group examined possible ways of getting more
involved in the activities of the Bureau and in particular playing a bigger role
in BDT flagship events.
TDAG endorsed
WGPS recommendations as follows: 1) Place greater emphasis on regional private
sector working party activities, in close collaboration with regional
telecommunication organizations and ITU regional offices, as a key means of
engaging private sector and getting their inputs into ITU-D and TDAG. 2) Enhance
the role of the Global Industry Leaders Forum (GILF). 3) Promote greater
interaction between ITU-D Sector Members and regulators during the GSR and GILF
events; and, 4) Provide additional information to Sector Members about the
procedures and working methods of ITU-D so that they can take fuller advantage
of their Membership.
The Membership
was also invited to consider, in their preparation for WTDC, if this working
group was still needed or whether there could be other effective ways for close
involvement of the private sector in the work of ITU-D.
2
Working Group
on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Project Implementation
Based on the
comments made by 2008 meeting of the TDAG on the BDT Operational Plan for
2008-2011, TDAG established a working group to examine the issues of KPI
definition as well as the acceleration of project formulation and
implementation, to report to the next TDAG meeting on its findings. The Working
Group on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Project Implementation, chaired
by Ms. Marie-Odile Beau (France), worked electronically to finalize the study
(the working group’s Terms of Reference are included below). A website was
established at
www.itu.int/ITU-D/tdag/wgkpis where a number
of documents from TDAG and Council Working Groups on Management and Budget (MBG)
and on the Financial Regulations (FinRegs) were posted to facilitate the work of
the working group.
·
Terms of reference for the TDAG Working Group on Key Performance Indicators
(KPIs) and Project Implementation (Agreed by TDAG 2008)
In
order to assist the TDAG regarding the definition of Key Performance Indicators
(KPIs), and the acceleration of project formulation and implementation, the TDAG
decided to create a correspondence group opened to all TDAG members, chaired by
Ms. Marie-Odile Beau (France), to work electronically and, if need arises, to
organise a face-to-face meeting taking into consideration :
1. The progress achieved on Resolution 1243 of the Council regarding the
implementation of KPI (basic strategic indicators)
2. The progress achieved by the Council Working Group on Financial
Regulations (FinRegs) relevant to the above
3. The progress achieved by the Council Working Group on Management and
Budget (MBG) relevant to the above
4. Any relevant activities by BDT Secretariat.
5. Resolutions 71 and 72 (Rev. Antalya 2006).
The terms of reference of this Group are as follows:
1. To propose quantitative KPIs and possible qualitative when justified to
measure progress on achieving the sectoral objectives and outputs of the
Telecommunication Development Sector.
2. To propose ways and means to accelerate project formulation and/or
implementation on regional initiatives (Resolution 17 Rev. Doha, 2006)
3. To formulate proposed guidelines on the two subjects above to the next TDAG
for its consideration.
·
Report of the
TDAG Working Group dealing with Key Performance Indicators (Presented during
TDAG 2009)
The report of
the working group was presented by the Acting Chairman of the TDAG Working Group
dealing with Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Mr. Dominique Wurges (France
Telecom), who noted that the issue of KPIs is viewed as an important one.
Recognizing that no contribution had been received to date in response to BDT
Director’s letter issued in September 2008, it was proposed that the 2009 TDAG
meeting consider the future activities of the TDAG Working Group on KPIs. In
parallel, following the endorsement by Council 2008 of ITU-wide Performance
Measurement and Reporting Framework, BDT’s work on the implementation of the
outcomes of Council will continue. The document noted that since the previous
TDAG session in 2008, several actions in this regard had been undertaken by BDT.
The work on
KPIs spans the work of all ITU Sectors, as well as the Council Working Groups on
Management and Budget (MBG) and on the Financial Regulations (FinRegs). In order
to ensure that the TDAG had a good understanding of the issues involved and the
work already done in the related Working Groups, Information Document 24 on the
status of the implementation of ITU framework for performance measurement /
reporting (PMR) was also presented and discussed. The report in Document 24 was
presented by the Chairman of the Council Working Group on Financial Regulations.
The document provides a brief overview of the status of the implementation of
the framework for PMR The preliminary assessment of progress towards the 7
Strategic Goals of the Union will be completed before Council- 09, while the
measurement of the 27 top-level KPIs has already been partially completed, based
on comparison between available 2006 and 2007 data. Bearing in mind the ones
that are most relevant to the Operational Plan of the sectors, the Working Group
needs to do some more extensive analysis in order to reduce the number of KPIs
and assess their significance. The need for common indicators for all sectors
has also been emphasized. Further work is being undertaken to define qualitative
measurements (e.g. PMR is developing surveys for assessing staff and membership
satisfaction, and overall quality of services provided by ITU). As a consequence
of the introduction of KPIs, the existing Time Tracking System (TTS) will need
to be enhanced and based on the Results-Based Budgeting (RBB) mechanism for
allocating cost to outputs; the proposal will provide the mechanism for
estimating the costs associated with the Strategic Goals of the Union.
TDAG took note
of the document and thanked the Secretariat and Chairmen of the Working Group
for the information provided, while further noting that it will keep the
important work on KPIs and related activity in mind in future discussions.
3
Working Group
on Human Resource Development (WGHRD)
The Working
Group on Human Resource Development (WGHRD) held three meetings during the
period covered by this report. The meeting summaries can be found at:
www.itu.int/ITU-D/tdag/index.html
·
Creation of the
Working Group on Human Resource Development
Resolution 40
(WTDC-06) called for the creation of a Working Group of TDAG to assist BDT to
enhance the scope of its Human Resource Development (HRD) activities. During the
12th meeting of TDAG, the Vice Chairman of TDAG,
Mr. Ahmed Al-Sherbini,
has been appointed to chair this group, and at the request of the meeting,
prepared terms of reference. Under these proposals, the group’s work will span
analysis of current (HRD) activities, assistance to the BDT in shaping a global
portfolio of training programmes designed to address the needs of regions and
Member States, and a schedule of bi-annual and annual meetings which would
culminate in five-day symposium for all ITU-D members and an annual report to
TDAG. The proposed Terms of Reference for the Working Group were approved by the
12th TDAG meeting.
The main
documents on the work of WGHRD are available at:
www.itu.int/ITU-D/hrd/wghrd/index.html.
·
Terms of reference for the Working Group on Human Resource
Development
In order to
assist BDT staff regarding Human Resources Development activities, and permit
the acquisition of additional expertise from the membership that can enhance the
scope of these activities, the TDAG was instructed through Resolution 40 of the
WTDC-06 (Doha, 2006) to establish a competent Working Group on Human Resources
Development (WGHRD). The Terms of Reference of this Working Group are as
follows:
1. To review
and assess the current activities of the BDT in the field of HR Development.
2. To assist
the BDT/HCB Unit in designing an integrated framework for HRD activities to be
implemented during the period 2007-2010.
3. To
contribute to the development of a global portfolio of training programmes that
addresses the need of the different regions and Member States.
4. To
organize activities when needed at international, regional and national levels.
These activities may take the form of symposia, working groups or workshops, or
direct assistance (sharing of experience) and facilitation of HRD project
implementation in specific areas.
5.
To assist BDT/HCB in continuing to post training materials, case studies,
guidelines and models, where appropriate, on the web-site (www.itu.int/itu-d/hrd)
for use by the ITU membership.
6.
To assist in organizing a five-day symposium for all ITU-D members as well as
the annual/bi-annual regional HR Managers meetings.
7.
To issue an annual report to TDAG including proposed recommendations on future
actions that may need to be taken and identifying the current and future needs
to be addressed by various Human Resources Development projects, including the
GTU/GTTI, other projects and similar initiatives, as well as current and future
Centers of Excellence.
·
First meeting of the Working
Group on Human Resource Development, 4-5 February 2008
The first meeting of WGHRD was held on 4 to 5 February, 2008 in the absence of
the designated WGHRD Chairman, Mr. Ahmed Al-Sherbini.
The WGHRD came
up with an Action Plan for 2008 which focused on the following Actions:
·
To prioritize
the BDT activities in the field of HR Development
·
To assist
BDT/HCB in the implementation of 2008 Global HRD Symposium
·
To assess,
advise and facilitate BDT/HCB on the implementation of the Yearly Operation Plan
The 13th meeting of TDAG took note of the report of activities carried out by
the group, approved the proposed WGHRD action plan for 2008, and advised the BDT
Director to implement it.
·
Second meeting of the Working Group on Human Resource Development,
23 July 2008
The second
meeting of the Working Group on Human Resources Development (WGHRD) was held in
Coventry, United Kingdom, on 23 July 2008 under the chairmanship of Dr. Ahmed
Al-Sherbani. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the Global Symposium on
Human Capital Development, held from 21 to 25 July 2008. It was attended by 25
participants from 20 countries.
There was
active discussion resulting from this report and some of the key issues arising
from this discussion were the following:
·
There is
need to improve the quality of training courses offered by the ITU under the
Centre of Excellence
(CoE)
project in order to maintain the quality standards that have always been
associated with ITU products and services.
·
Consideration should be given to introducing some form of certification into
training courses given by the ITU.
·
There is
need to reconcile and realign apparent conflicting policies with regard to
charging of fees by the ITU where some training under DAP is free while other
training under the Centre of Excellence is charged for.
·
The
effectiveness of the ITU regional Offices is compromised by under-resourcing in
terms of financing and human resources. A case in point given was the Arab
regional office which is currently severely understaffed. The ITU needs to
improve the visibility of its regional presence and be more responsive to the
needs of the regions for support.
In addition,
the meeting approved a questionnaire to be sent in the six official languages
Member States and Sector Members. The questionnaire was composed of 5 parts: 1)
organization and the human resources function; 2) human resource role and new
challenges; 3) human capital development; 4) building the Information Society;
and 5) ITU-D human capacity building.
The Chairman
encouraged all the countries represented to respond to the questionnaire so that
their inputs are taken into account in the final report. Based on countries’
input to the questionnaire, a draft report was to be submitted to the 14th TDAG
meeting in 2009.
·
Third meeting of the Working Group on Human Resource Development, 27 January
2009
The 3rd meeting of WGHRD was held on 27 January 2009. The meeting was attended
by 26 participants from 19 countries representing 19 organizations. Following
the announcement
by Mr. Ahmed El-Sherbini, TDAG Vice-Chairman, that he would not be able to
continue leading the work of the Group, Ms. Simone Scholze, Agência Nacional de
Telecomunicações (Anatel, Brazil) and TDAG Vice-Chairman, was nominated to take
over the chairmanship of the Working Group. WGHRD proceeded with its work per
correspondence throughout 2009.
The meeting
highlighted that the ITU Centres of Excellence (CoE) initiative is now
operational across all regions with the last two CoE regional projects having
been launched in Africa, including a newly established initiative for Spanish
and Portuguese speaking countries. It was noted that BDT is well on the way to
building a global cooperative network of institutions specialized in
telecommunications and ICT training.
In its
recommendations for adoption to TDAG, the WGHRD recommended:
1.
That TDAG
should assess ways in which to strengthen the efficiency of the WGHRD and means
by which to support its activities and increase participation;
2.
That at the
Regional Preparatory Meetings for WTDC-10, Member States should identify their
capacity building needs and the possibility of contributing to the work of the
WGHRD, as well as discussing the future of the WGHRD itself.
Following up on
the questionnaire sent to Member States and Sector Members in 2008, an analysis
of the input received was presented to the 14th TDAG meeting. Responses were
received from 26 countries in all 6 regions.
The 14th meeting of TDAG complimented the WGHRD on the progress of its
activities achieved
during 2008 and encouraged Member States to identify their capacity building
needs in preparation for the upcoming RPMs. TDAG committed to continue to assess
ways in which to strengthen the efficiency of the WGHRD and means by which to
support its activities and increase participation. It was noted that it is
important not to confound the work of the special TDAG Working Groups, such as
the WGHRD and WGPS, with the related work that is undertaken within the
respective Programmes and within other HRD activities, CoE, etc. and in relation
to WSIS Action Line C4. It was further noted that the TDAG Working Groups can
take advantage of other ITU and BDT events to meet also in between the planned
annual meetings.
·
Forth meeting
of
the Working Group on Human Resource
Development, 23 February 2010
The forth
meeting of WGHRD took place on 23 February 2010. The report of the meeting
included some of the challenges identified by the group during previous
meetings, such as the overlap of some activities conducted under the CoE
initiative and regular BDT program activities, the need for a more formalized
certification program, better support for the regional offices, the availability
of human and financial resources required for the operation of the Working
Group, and the means of interaction between the WGHRD and BDT. The group further
highlighted the importance of the ITU Regional Human Capacity Development Forums
that were held in all regions in 2009.
The 15th
meeting of TDAG thanked WGHRD for the insightful report and took note of it. In
addition, the Director of BDT thanked the Chairman of WGHRD for the work
undertaken and emphasized that capacity building was part of the overall BDT
work and that consideration should be given to the real need to continue
creating specific groups for activities that are already well established in the
BDT.
Furthermore,
during the 15th session of TDAG, Brazil introduced a contribution outlining some
concerns and challenges facing the WGHRD. The contribution drew attention to
four main challenges related to the WGHRD's work: 1) low participation from ITU
Members; 2) lack of effectiveness of the WGHRD actions in organizing activities
such as symposiums and workshops, considering that the Group does not have a
specific budget and holds meetings only once a year; 3) Insufficient
systematization as to the many different capacity building activities carried
out by ITU; and 4) insufficient information from BDT as to the actions that are
being carried out, which prevents the group from effectively advising ITU as to
what should be done. A new permanent cooperation mechanism between the ITU CoE,
ITU Regional Offices and ITU Members, in coordination with TDAG and BDT, to be
supported by ITU Academy, was proposed. The contribution proposed the Terms of
Reference for a new group that would appoint representatives from each ITU
region to act as Vice-Chairs for 4 year terms. During the subsequent discussions
in WGHRD it had been suggested that two representatives be appointed from each
ITU Region.
TDAG took note
of the document and recognized the significant efforts deployed by BDT in the
area of capacity building. Resolution 40 might be revised accordingly during
WTDC-10.
4
Joint
Coordination Activity on Accessibility and Human Factors (JCA-AHF)
The joint
coordination activity on accessibility and human factors (JCA-AHF) was
established in December 2007. JCA-AHF reports to ITU-T Study Group 2, with copy
to all other Study Groups. The Convener of JCA-AHF is Ms. Andrea Saks (USA).
·
Terms of
reference for the JCA on Accessibility and Human Factors
The JCA on
Accessibility and Human Factors has been formed to increase awareness, to
provide advice concerning the accessibility of ITU facilities and services, to
assist study groups in the identification of standardization opportunities and
solutions that improve the accessibility and human factors aspects of their
work. The JCA-AHF will collaborate and coordinate as appropriate with relevant
external bodies, to promote self-representation by persons with disabilities in
the standardization process so as to ensure their experiences, views and
opinions are taken into account in all the work of study groups, in Resolution
70 (WTSA-08).
The Joint
Coordination Activity on Accessibility and Human Factors along with ITU-T Study
Group 2 and ITU-T Study Group 16, coordinate the work on Accessibility and Human
Factors, in accordance with Resolution 70 (WTSA-08). It shall give high priority
to work on the relevant Questions, in accordance with the accessibility
guidelines, as shown in the Guide for ITU-T study groups – Considering end-user
needs in developing Recommendations and in the Telecommunication Accessibility
Checklist for standards writers, the importance of universal design of
accessible telecommunication/ICT services, products and terminals and
accessibility guidelines, as shown in Recommendation ITU-T F.790.
The JCA-AHF
mandate should seek active participation of all study groups and to request
their Chairmen, at the start of each study group meeting, to remind meeting
participants to take appropriate account of the Resolution 70 (WTSA-08).
In accordance
with Resolution 70, the JCA-AHF should also communicate the ITU-T
standardization work with regard to accessibility and human factors and perform
the above tasks by actively participating in accessibility-related studies in
ITU-T, ITU-R and ITU-D.
·
Activities and
interim meetings of JCA-AHF 2008-2009
A full summary
of activities and interim meetings on accessibility (May 2008 – March 2009) is
available at:
www.itu.int/oth/T2E02000010. During this
period, the
membership counted almost 100 participants, coming from ITU-T and Study Groups,
BDT and BR, SDOs, NGOs and groups representing
persons with disabilities.
The first
JCA-AHF meeting took place on 30 March 2009. The Interim JCA-AHF report
(March-November 2009) gives an overview of the various ITU-T and ITU-D SG
meetings and DCAD activities, that were attended in 2009 and, the two
accessibility presentations, given in ITU-T workshops and outside workshops. The
full report is available at:
www.itu.int/oth/T2E02000022.
The JCA-AHF
Convener and Secretariat participated in the activities of the Study Groups of
ITU-T and ITU-D, making sure that accessibility was included in Recommendations
and in future work plans.
·
Second virtual
meeting of the JCA-AHF, 2 December 2009
The second
virtual meeting of 2009 of JCA-AHF was held 2 December 2009. It was attended by
representatives from ITU-T SGs and ITU-D SGs and other interested parties,
including SG Counselors, Chairmen, Vice Chairmen and Rapporteurs from both
Sectors. The JCA-AHF Rapporteur explained the role of the JCA-AHF and its
membership and invited others to join the work of the group. The Rapporteur
further highlighted the importance of captioning for ITU meetings, and
encouraged TDAG participants to consult the JCA-AHF website at:
www.itu.int/ITU-T/jca/ahf/ for additional information on the
work of this group. There were no changes to the terms of reference and work
plan and as such, the 2009 plan was to be carried over, intact, to 2010.
The 15th
meeting of TDAG took note of the report and supported the proposals to align the
language in the Strategic Plan 2012-2015 to include “gender” and “persons with
disabilities”.
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