Photo: A. de Ferron (ITU 010008)
The growing importance of trade in telecommunications has prompted the need for closer cooperation between ITU and the World Trade Organization. To strengthen relations between the two organizations, ITU Secretary-General, Yoshio Utsumi, and WTO Director-General, Mike Moore, signed a Cooperation Agreement on 22 November 2000. The text of the Agreement was approved by the 2000 Session of the ITU Council and is subject to final approval by the Plenipotentiary Conference in 2002.
The Agreement will foster cooperation activities between these organizations on important matters at the intersection of trade and telecommunication policies. It will also better enable ITU to assist Member States that are interested in becoming members of WTO. As at 25 January 2001, 27 ITU Member States were in the process of joining WTO. The Agreement allows each organization to participate as an observer at specified meetings of the other. For example, ITU will have observer status at the WTO Ministerial Conference and Council on Trade in Services, and will be invited to other WTO meetings when topics relating to telecommunications are raised. Furthermore, ITU will automatically receive information on dispute resolution matters.
An agreement was signed on 9 November 2000 by Yoshio Utsumi, ITU Secretary-General, and Larry E. Price, President of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) on the publication of a handbook of basic texts on the amateur service as defined in the Radio Regulations updated by the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-2000) in Istanbul in May-June 2000.
First row (from left to right): Larry E. Price and Yoshio Utsumi. Second row (from left to
right): Robert W. Jones, Philippe Capitaine and Roberto Blois
Photo: A. de Ferron (ITU 010007)
Also attending the ceremony were Roberto Blois, ITU Deputy Secretary-General, Robert W. Jones, Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau (BR) and Philippe Capitaine, BR Administrator and President of the International Amateur Radio Club.
The handbook will be of great interest not only to the many radio amateurs in the world but also to national administrations and frequency management agencies and to national radio amateur associations.