ITU/94-11 (Rev) 29 March 1994 ORIGINAL: English Buenos Aires Conference adopts Declaration and Action Plan The First World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC 94) held by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 21 to 29 March 1994. Delegations from 135 countries, headed by ministers or senior officials, and 47 representatives of 31 organizations and agencies, as well as 287 private sector representatives, participated in the Conference . The purposes of the Conference were: * to review the progress made in telecommunication development since publication in December 1984 of the Independent Commission for World-Wide Telecommunications Development Report The Missing Link * to set the goals and objectives up to the year 2000 and to define and establish a common vision and strategies for achieving balanced telecommunication development by and beyond the end of the century; and * to approve an Action Plan which translates the goals and objectives agreed upon into a concrete work programme to be implemented over the next four years, identifying those priorities specific to the ITU and those areas of cooperation with partners of the development sector In his opening address, Dr. Pekka Tarjanne, Secretary-General of the ITU, reviewed developments since the Maitland Report and outlined the challenges facing the world telecommunication sector. In his keynote address, United States Vice President Al Gore called on legislators, regulators and business people to work together to build and operate a Global Information Infrastructure which would bring improved social and economic conditions to all people. He emphasized the need for all countries of the world to participate fully in the benefits of this global network and challenged the Conference to bring this goal quickly within the reach of developing countries. The Conference was inaugurated by His Excellency Dr. Carlos Menem, President of the Republic of Argentina. He convincingly articulated the intimate link between telecommunications and development, not only in his own country but in all countries of the world. The Conference, chaired by Dr. Oscar González, Undersecretary of Communications of Argentina, was addressed by many ministers responsible for telecommunications and other senior representatives of governments and international and regional organizations. They stressed the importance of translating the indisputable potential of telecommunications into concrete action to improve the lives of all peoples of the world, especially those in developing countries. The Conference adopted the Buenos Aires Declaration, the Buenos Aires Action Plan for Worldwide Telecommunication Development as well as a number of resolutions and recommendations. The Declaration highlights the main orientation of telecommunication development as a result of the decisions made by the Conference. The Declaration contains the visions, goals and objectives of telecommunications development to be achieved by the end of this century. It is addressed to governments. The Action Plan is broken down into four chapters: a programme of cooperation among the members of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector, a plan of actions to be carried out by ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) for assisting developing countries, a special programme for the Least Developed Countries and BDT operating expenditures. The resolutions and recommendations provide guidelines for the work to be carried out by the Development Sector. They can also express desired broad objectives which cannot be achieved other than by a combination of factors outside the control of any individual entity. In his closing address, the ITU Secretary-General said "the name Buenos Aires is now written with golden letters into the history of telecommunication development". He added that the leaders of the world now had a lofty declaration to digest and to remember when setting national goals and priorities. "The ITU can be proud of the fact that they have paved the way for the information superhighway that will ultimately unite mankind and give everybody access to the world's riches of information and knowledge", Dr. Tarjanne concluded. On the invitation of Malta, the second World Telecommunication Development Conference is planned to take place in Malta in 1998. The main highlights of the outcome of the Conference are given in annex. PROGRAMME OF COOPERATION The Action Plan includes a list of the topical issues called "Questions" to be dealt with by two Study Groups during the same study period. The Questions as well as the mandate of each study group are spelled out in separate resolutions. The role of the Study Groups is to provide, in a more comprehensive and concrete way, specific guidelines within the general framework of the Action Plan, to assist countries in meeting the development challenges posed by today's telecommunication environment. They cover respectively: * the study of telecommunication development strategies and policies, including financing policies, having regard to the current institutional, structural and regulatory reforms taking place in the telecommunication sector * the means to be implemented by developing countries for applying new technologies, having regard to the economic and commercial advantages they offer and the network planning, harmonization and management problems they might raise More specifically, the mandate of Study Group 1 provides for the compilation of a wide range of existing information, quantifying the role of telecommunication in the social and economic developments, the comparative analysis of regulatory national models and policies, the formulation of recommendations, guidelines and/or handbooks for the evaluation and implementation of strategies and policies aimed at reforming the sector, including with respect to the possible regional and national industrialization. It also covers the development of materials for the evaluation of the impact of the introduction of new technologies and services on the commercial and regulatory environment. Moreover, an inventory of financial strategies and an examination of the criteria as from which suitable tariff policies could be developed by developing countries is called for. Study Group I is also requested to provide directives for the BDT to prepare and maintain, in databanks, information on the sales prices of equipment and services required for developing a telecommunication network, internationally comparable indicators on network development, new services, quality of service, staff, tariffs, financial and investment data, etc and any other statistical information including the world and regional plans. Study Group 2 is called to develop technical solutions to improve access to basic telecommunication services in rural and remote areas of developing countries and to develop manuals and practical guidelines for planning, management, operation and maintenance of telecommunication networks and services based on new technologies. It is also to study and analyze the implications of introducing new technologies and identify those applications specifically affecting planning, harmonization, management and maintenance of telecommunication networks and services that may be particularly relevant to developing countries. It should also serve as a worldwide forum for the exchange of information and discussion of issues relating to the development and management of human resources. The study questions deal with the following subjects: STUDY GROUP 1: * Special concerns of developing countries in relation to the work of the Radiocommunication and Standardization Sectors * Role of telecommunications in economic, social and cultural development * Telecommunication policies and their repercussions at the institutional and regulatory levels as well as in services * Impact of the introduction and utilization of new technologies on the commercial and regulatory environment of telecommunications * Policies and ways for financing telecommunication infrastructures in developing countries * Industrialization and the transfer of technology STUDY GROUP 2: * Special concerns of developing countries in relation to the work of the Radiocommunication and Standardization Sectors * Preparation of Handbooks for developing countries * Planning, management, operation and maintenance of telecommunication networks * Communications for rural and remote areas * Human resources development and management * Impact of telecommunications in health-care and other social services * Public service broadcasting infrastructure in developing countries PROGRAMME OF ASSISTANCE TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES In respect of assistance to be provided by the BDT to developing countries, the Action Plan comprises 12 programmes based on the needs and priorities of the developing countries. For each programme area, goals, objectives and strategies are proposed. The draft Action Plan refers mainly to coordinated activities of regional and global relevance. It is expected that multilateral and bilateral projects complement these activities. The impact of such projects and their contribution to the goals and objectives of the Buenos Aires Action Plan are to be greatly enhanced if they are to be designed and implemented in a coordinated manner within the framework of this Plan. Thus, in dealing with proposals and requests for multilateral and bilateral programmes and projects, countries are invited to take account of this factor when assigning priorities. The programme areas are to be mutually supportive: for example, appropriate policies and strategies as well as adequate information services are conditions for achieving the goals expressed for all other programmes. Human resources development is of crucial importance for the implementation of all programmes. Improvement of broadcasting networks and rural telecommunications will, for instance, offer possibilities to reach people in remote areas with distance education and training. Similarly, the development of telematics and electronic networks will support all other programmes and contribute to reduce the cost of meetings. The 12 programme areas on which the action of the BDT will focus in the period 1995-1999 are: * policies, strategies and financing * human resources management and development * development business-oriented plan * development of maritime radiocommunication services * computer-aided network planning * frequency management * improvement of maintenance * mobile cellular radio telephone system * integrated rural development * broadcasting infrastructure * information services * development of telematics and electronic networks Increasing accessibility of telecommunication services to rural and remote areas in these countries, using appropriate technology, is identified as a priority. SPECIAL PROGRAMME FOR LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES Finally, a special programme for Least Developed Countries was established. The overall strategy of the LDC programme is to implement augmented ITU assistance as a catalytic input to generate sustained investment in telecommunications in LDCs. The LDC programme seeks primarily to eliminate bottlenecks in the five key areas of critical weaknesses which have been identified (rural telecommunication development, human resources development, management, poor maintenance, planning) in order to enhance the capacity of the LDCs to absorb such investments. The ITU LDC programme does not seek ambitious objectives or targets. For the year 2000 the programme is aimed at: * fully meeting the demand for telecommunication services in urban areas. This means virtually eliminating the waiting list for services by that year, which translates to average urban main line density of 5 main lines per 100 population * achieving rural main lines density of 1 main line per 10,000 inhabitants. This density will not as yet amount to easy access to telecommunication services as suggested in the Missing Link report, but is a bold move in that direction A resolution was also adopted, endorsing the special programme of assistance to LDCs as contained in the Buenos Aires Action Plan. Moreover, it requests the Director of the BDT to give special priority to rural telecommunication development in the elaboration of strategies for mobilizing resources and in assistance to the restructuring of the telecommunication sector. In addition, the Secretary-General of the ITU is requested to convey to the Kyoto Plenipotentiary Conference the need to review the ITU regular budget for LDCs. The cost of implementation of the Action Plan which represents the direct contribution of the ITU to the development process, amounts to some 14,6 million Swiss francs of which 70% will be directed to activities in favour of Least Developed Countries including the special programme for LDCs valued at 2,5 million Swiss francs. Since the resources available through multilateral cooperation will not be sufficient to meet the requirements of developing countries, the ITU will associate, within the framework of the Action Plan, the global, regional and national development, financing and investment agencies as well as partners of the private sector. RESOLUTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS In addition to the three resolutions concerning the study groups, the resolution for LDCs and the resolution relating to the holding of regional conferences in developing countries, seven resolutions and two recommendations were adopted. Telecommunication policy and strategy The resolution provides guidelines for governments and administrations when establishing and implementing their telecommunication policies. With respect to the structure of the sector, the following reforms are to be considered with a view to favouring investments, increasing efficiency, broadening the supply of services and improving service quality: * separation of the postal and telecommunication services in order for their respective policies to be more specific to the requirements of each branch * separation of the regulatory and operational functions for a more efficient management based on customers' needs for more cost-effective services * creation of a regulatory body to ensure objectivity and transparency of decisions regulating the sector and for the development and impartial supervision of competition rules * provision of financial and management independence to operators to enable them to develop commercial policies adapted to market requirements The guidelines also stress the need for a clear, consistent and transparent regulatory framework to ensure, on a stable basis, the long-term development of the sector while facilitating technological innovation, infrastructure modernization, service diversification and improved quality of service. National regulatory frameworks should also aim at promoting the provision of basic services in rural or remote areas at an affordable price and at allowing sufficient flexibility to adapt to technological and commercial changes and to the growing market segmentation. Moreover, national regulatory frameworks should allow opportunities for all interested parties including users and the private sector, to provide opinions into the regulatory policy-making process. In the area of general policies, one of the chief objectives at which telecoms policies should aim is to promote access to all basic telecoms services at an affordable charge and encourage the development of networks and services to reduce not only regional but also national disparities. The global interoperability of networks should also be fostered. Moreover, general policies should consider the use of wireless telephone networks to introduce telecommunication services in rural and remote areas. Policies promoting, where appropriate, the development of local or regional telecoms industries were advocated. To this end, opening up at least certain markets to competition should be considered. So should the need to develop a pool of highly-trained manpower in all aspects and of the need to encourage greater R&D efforts. In order to meet the considerable investment needs arising from the development of modern telecoms infrastructures, it is proposed that administrations explore every possibility of attracting investment from national savings and encouraging internal and external private participation including through investment policies and alternatives such as Official Development Assistance, leasing, Build-Operate-Transfer, or joint ventures. The choices will have to take into account the degree of access to multilateral, bilateral and private sources of funding based on the status of the operator (and its evolution within the framework of the restructuring), the degree of liberalization in regulations governing foreign investments, the regulatory framework and the tariff policies/pricing regulation. Support for the environment protection Given the important role played by telecommunication and information technologies in protecting the environment particularly in implementing and conducting several environment-related activities such as monitoring air and rivers, harbours and sea pollution, remote sensing, wildlife studies, forestry development, a resolution was adopted to request the BDT to prepare a policy document on the subject. The resolution also calls for the organization of seminars, training programmes, exhibitions and other similar activities to help disseminate information on applications of telecommunication and information technologies for the protection of the environment. The role of telecommunications in reducing paperwork and hence ultimately contributing to saving forests as well as the role of telecommunications in decentralizing activities to rural areas in order to reduce urban congestion is also highlighted. Board of Advisors The resolution proposes that the four advisory groups which were set up at ITU (World Telecommunication Advisory Council, Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group, Radiocommunication Advisory Group and the Telecommunication Development Advisory Board) meet jointly once a year to exchange views at the highest possible level within the ITU and to facilitate a common approach to broad strategic issues dealt with in each of these groups. Telecommunications to telehealth and other social services Telecommunications represent a useful means to allow universal access to health care and in the protection of human life. It also plays a vital role in improving the productivity and efficiency of several social sectors such as health, education, trade or tourism. For this reason, and in addition to including a question in the study programme of Study Group 2, the Conference adopted a recommendation encouraging studies such as telehealth concerning specific applications of telecommunication in social life, health, education including the quantifying of the advantages of such applications. Disaster Communications Disaster preparedness requires the existence of decentralized means of communications such as those provided by mobile and portable satellite terminals or by amateur radio services to supplement the vulnerable elements of the national, regional and global communication networks. Given the severe human suffering, loss of human lives and damage to property and environment caused by disasters, the Conference adopted a resolution inviting the ITU to continue its studies for the technical, operational and regulatory aspects of radiocommunications for disaster prevention and relief and to consider the issue of an appropriate tariff structure for disaster communications including the possible waiver of charges where appropriate. The resolution also calls for assistance by the BDT to help developing countries, and particularly least developed countries, in developing early warning systems using telecommunications and broadcast services and in preparing their telecommunication services for the event of a disaster. An appeal is also included to administrations to take all practicable steps to facilitate the rapid deployment of disaster relief equipment including through the removal of regulatory barriers and the strengthening of transboundary cooperation between States. Non discriminatory access to high-technology facilities and services Coined the "Buenos Aires initiative", a resolution was adopted to foster non- discriminatory access to new telecommunication technologies and modern telecommunication facilities and services established on the basis of ITU Recommendations. The resolution however stresses that such non-discriminatory access may be only possible without prejudice to national regulations and international commitments within the competence of other international organizations. The resolution is also to be transmitted to the Plenipotentiary Conference - the ultimate policy-making body of the Union - to take measures to foster global access to modern telecommunication facilities and services. Partnership with educational agencies Considering that telecommunications and information technologies are playing an increasingly important role in public services such as health, education including distant learning and public information which, in turn, form an important element of national infrastructure, the Conference adopted a recommendation on the subject. The BDT is requested to draw on the expertise of international education agencies such as COL, CIFFAD, CREAD and UNESCO and promote awareness, through on-going information activities and special events, of the value of telecommunications for public education and training and to inform policy-makers of the need for resources to be devoted to the effective use of technology in this field. The recommendation also calls upon the members of the sectors of the ITU to facilitate the holding of an international round- table of high level representatives of the telecommunication and education communities to formulate strategies for enhancing the deployment of telecommunication systems and services for distance learning. Two other resolutions were adopted on cooperation between the ITU and regional organizations and on the membership, rules of procedures and working methods of the Telecommunication Development Advisory Board. A limited number of press copies of the Buenos Aires Declaration and Action Plan will be available on request early May. A total of 917 participants took part in the Conference CIFFAD: Consortium international francophone de formation à distance COL: Commonwealth of Learning COMRED: Concertation mondiale des réseaux d'éducation à distance CREAD: Consortium des réseaux d'éducation à distance des Amériques