Draft Structure of the Conference and Mandates of the Committees

Meeting of heads of delegation

Terms of reference: in accordance with No. 49 of the General Rules of conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union, the inaugural meeting of the conference shall be preceded by a meeting of heads of delegation. At this meeting, the heads of delegation shall prepare the agenda for the first plenary meeting and make proposals for the organization, chairmanships and vice-chairmanships of the conference, its committees and, as appropriate, working group(s) of the Plenary.

Committee 1: Steering Committee

Terms of reference: to coordinate all matters connected with the smooth execution of work and to plan the order and number of meetings, avoiding overlap wherever possible in view of the limited number of members of some delegations.

This committee is made up of the Chairman, and the Vice-Chairmen of the conference as well as the Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen of the committees and working Group(s) of the Plenary.

Committee 2: Budget Control

Terms of reference: to determine the organization and facilities available to the delegates, to examine and approve the accounts for expenditure incurred throughout the duration of the conference and to report to the plenary meeting on the estimated total expenditure of the conference, as well as an estimate of the costs that would be entailed by the execution of the decisions taken by the Conference.

Committee 3: Objectives

Terms of reference: to review and approve the agenda and make proposals for the organization of work; to review and approve the outputs, key expected results and key performance indicators for the Objectives; to review and agree on the related Study Group questions, related regional Initiatives and establish appropriate guidelines for their implementation, review and agree on relevant resolutions; and to ensure that the output is in accordance with a results-based management approach aiming to improve management effectiveness and accountability.

Committee 4: ITU-D Working Methods

Terms of reference: to review and approve the agenda and make proposals for the organization of work; to examine proposals and contributions relating to cooperation among members and to evaluate the working methods and functioning of the ITU-D study groups, to assess and identify options for maximizing programme delivery and to approve appropriate changes thereto with a view to strengthening the synergies between study group questions, programmes and regional initiatives.

Committee 5: Editorial Committee

Terms of reference: to harmonize the texts relating to the conclusions of the conference, as defined in Article 22 of the ITU Constitution, in the six official languages of ITU, without altering the sense, with a view to their submission for approval to the plenary meeting.

Explanatory note

In accordance with No. 63 of the General Rules of conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union, the plenary meeting of the World Telecommunication Development Conference may set up committees to consider matters referred to the conference.

Furthermore, it is suggested to set up the two Working Groups of the Plenary set out below.

Working Group A: ITU-D Strategic Plan and Declaration

Possible terms of reference: to draw up a draft Declaration and the input of the ITU-D Sector to the Union's strategic plan to be adopted at the next Plenipotentiary Conference.

Working Group B: WSIS+10 and beyond

Possible terms of reference: to examine proposals and contributions related to WSIS in the context of the evolution of the telecommunication / ICT environment.