Archived Newsroom • Press Release |
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ITU and WMO co-host meeting of UN System Chief Executives
UN Secretary-General and UN Heads meet in a
paper-smart environment
Geneva, 13 April 2012 – Chief Executives of the United
Nations and its agencies are meeting in Geneva today at the International
Telecommunication Union and World Meteorological Organization.
The United Nations Chief Executives Board meets twice a year and is chaired
by the UN Secretary-General. Present at this meetings are the Heads of 29 United
Nations system organizations. The Chief Executives Board is responsible for
keeping up to date on current political issues and concerns that face the United
Nations. Additionally, they approve policy statements on behalf of the system
when the reporting bodies make recommendations to do so.
This is the first time that ITU and WMO are hosting the Chief Executives
Board (CEB).
And this is the first time that the CEB is meeting in a paper-smart
environment.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has long been an advocate of information and
communication technology as an instrument of social development. There is
growing recognition within the UN system that collaborative working methods
through on-line wikis, proprietary social media networks and other technologies
are improving the quality of work while reducing its impact on the environment.
As part of the “UN Change Plan”, Mr Ban has promoted “Paper-Smart” meetings
with a view to making the upcoming Rio+20 Summit and the 67th Session of the
General Assembly rely less on paper documents and more on online information,
introducing Member States and the Secretariat to this modality through various
pilots in early 2012.
ITU, with its mandate to promote a paperless work environment, has already
taken far-reaching steps to increasingly equip staff with smart devices. The
recently concluded World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-12), attended by
over 3000 delegates, was nearly 100% paper free. By eliminating 96 per cent of
required paper documents for WRC-12 this year, savings amounted to 98 million
fewer pages printed, thereby avoiding 960 tons of CO2
emissions.
The CEB meeting is a pilot to acquaint UN Chief Executives with this novel,
environment-friendly method of doing business.
Determined to introduce more improvements and efficiencies, ITU is working on
online Remote Participation for delegates attending meetings and events in order
to further reduce the carbon footprint while promoting inclusiveness and cutting
costs for participants. ITU is also collaborating with WMO and other agencies on
climate-friendly initiatives, such as earth observation radiocommunications.
For more information, please contact:
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Sanjay Acharya
Chief, Media Relations
and Public Information
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YouTube:
High-res broadcast quality video available on demand
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About WMO
WMO, a specialized agency of the
United
Nations, is the UN system's authoritative voice on weather, climate and
water. WMO provides world leadership in expertise on the state and behavior of
the Earth's atmosphere, its interaction with the oceans, the climate it produces
and the resulting distribution of water resources. WMO originated from the
International Meteorological Organization, which was founded in 1873. It has a
membership of 183
Member
States and 6 Territories. www.wmo.int
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