Conference swears in newly elected officials

The conference decided today that the newly elected officials and the members of the Radio Regulations Board (RRB) will take office on 1 January 2007.

At the swearing-in ceremony, the Secretary-General elect, Dr Hamadoun Touré, led his team of elected officials to take the oath of office (see screen on the right-hand side). The following oath was taken in four different languages.

“I solemnly swear to exercise in all loyalty, discretion and conscience the functions entrusted to me as a staff member of the International Telecommunication Union; to discharge these functions and to regulate my conduct with the interest of the Union only in view, without seeking or accepting instructions or assistance from any Government or other authority external to the Union in regard to the accomplishment of my duties.”

Dr Touré took the oath in French, followed by the Deputy Secretary-General elect, Houlin Zhao, in Spanish; the Director elect of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, Malcolm Johnson, in English; and the Director elect of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, Sami Al-Basheer, in Arabic. All five elected officials, including the re-elected Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau, Valery Timofeev, received their letters of appointment from the Conference Chairman, Tanju Çataltepe.

A word of thanks to the outgoing team… and best wishes to the new team

Several delegations took the floor to thank the outgoing Secretary-General, Yoshio Utsumi, and his entire team for having led ITU with dynamism and clear-sightedness. They also expressed warm support and encouragement for the new team.

Japan expressed sincere thanks to all delegates and the entire ITU membership underlining that without the understanding and strong support from the Member States Mr Utsumi, as Secretary-General, could not have accomplished all the significant achievements that he did, including the two phases of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). He expressed the hope that Mr Utsumi would devote himself to accomplish successfully this conference as well as ITU TELECOM WORLD 2006 as his last duty.

Singapore, on behalf of the Asia-Pacific region, expressed appreciation and thanks to the outgoing Deputy Secretary-General, Roberto Blois; and in particular to Mr Utsumi for their leadership. He said that under Mr Utsumi, ITU had become a permanent facilitator in the WSIS process. And WSIS has provided a common understanding and vision, as well as a clear road map for building the information society by 2015. Besides leading many efficiency drives to improve ITU, the outgoing Secretary-General had contributed greatly to the increased participation of the private sector in ITU activities, Singapore said, adding that these were just a few of the many achievements of the Utsumi legacy. He thanked Mr Utsumi for his hard work and dedication, and offered him best wishes in his future projects.

The Syrian Arab Republic, on behalf of the Arab group, also conveyed gratitude to the outgoing Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General for the tireless efforts they had made in the service of ITU. “We will always remember Mr Utsumi and Mr Blois now and in the future. We we wish them full success in all their future endeavours, and hope that they will continue to participate in the activities of the Union,” the Syrian delegate said.

Kenya, on behalf of the African group, wished the outgoing team the very best “nothing but the very best in their endeavours”. To the new team, he wished “utmost support in whatever way possible from the African group”.

Norway, on behalf of Europe, also extended gratitude to the outgoing team for their efforts over the years. In particular, the Norwegain delegate thanked Mr Utsumi for having always stayed strongly focused on streamlining the management of the union and improving its financial management and budgeting processes. He also wished the new team the very best in the coming four years.

The Chairman of the Conference also thanked the outgoing officials for their support over the last 18 months in the preparations for PP-06.
 

Emergency telecommunications

The importance of ratifying a life-saving treaty

The recent tragic events in the world clearly demonstrate the need for high-quality communication services to assist public safety and disaster relief agencies in minimizing risk to human life and to cover the necessary general public information and communication needs in such situations. Asia-Pacific countries, which have suffered some of the worst disasters in recent times, say that such problems could be alleviated by countries implementing the Tampere Convention on cross-border emergency telecommunications. They had put forward a proposal to the conference calling for ratification of this treaty as rapidly as possible.

A proposal from 22 European countries called upon ITU to play an active role in promoting ratification and accession to and implementation of the Tampere Convention. It underlined that “a wider understanding and cooperation between governments is needed” in order to foster the practical implementation of the “life-saving treaty.”

In 1998, an Intergovernmental Conference on Emergency Telecommunications was held in Tampere, Finland. It resulted in the Tampere Convention on the Provision of Telecommunication Resources for Disaster Mitigation and Relief Operations, and ITU was one of the organizations at the forefront in drafting the document. The Convention provides the legal framework for the cross-border use of telecommunications in international humanitarian assistance. It also protects providers of telecommunication assistance while safeguarding the interests of the disaster-hit country. The Convention came into force on 8 January 2005, following its ratification by 30 States just two weeks after the massive Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004. Since then, however, only a few more countries have ratified the treaty.

Asia-Pacific countries had underlined, in their proposal, the need to update Resolution 36 in a way that would urge ITU membership to “work towards accession to the Tampere Convention as a matter of priority.” The European countries also said that this was of great importance because of “the seriousness and magnitude of potential disasters that may cause dramatic human suffering.” They stressed that reliable telecommunication links were indispensable at every level of disaster management, and that the Tampere Convention “is an international tool for ensuring fast communication in disasters.” So, the more widely it is ratified and implemented, the more lives are likely to be saved.

Today, the conference approved updates to Resolution 36 now entitled “Telecommunications/information and communication technologies in the service of humanitarian assistance”. It instructs the Secretary General and the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) to work closely with the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator to support Member States which so request in their work towards their national accession to the Tampere Convention. They should also assist Member States that so request with the development of their practical arrangements for implementation of the Tampere Convention, in close collaboration with the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator. Member States are invited to work towards their accession to the Tampere Convention as a matter of priority. And Member States Parties to this Convention are urged to take all practical steps for the application of the treaty.

Other new elements in revised Resolution 36 are the references made to:

• Resolution 646 (WRC-03) of the World Radiocommunication Conference on public protection and disaster relief.

• Resolution 34 (Rev. Doha, 2006) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference on the role of telecommunications/information and communication technologies (ICT) in early warning and mitigation of disasters and humanitarian assistance.

• Paragraph 91 of the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society adopted by the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society.

• The third Tampere Conference on Disaster Communications (Tampere, 2006), which encouraged wider understanding and cooperation between governments on implementation of the Tampere Convention.

• The United Nations World Conference on Disaster Reduction (Kobe, Hyogo, 2005), which encouraged all States, taking into account their domestic legal requirements, to consider, as appropriate, acceding to, approving or ratifying relevant international legal instruments relating to disaster reduction, such as the Tampere Convention.

Special measures for least developed countries and
Small Island Developing States

The conference expressed concern over the growing number of least developed countries (LDC) — there are now 50. It also underlined the need to address the situation of Small Island Developing States (SIDS). It has updated Resolution 30, which now instructs the Secretary-General and the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) to continue to review the state of telecommunication/ICT services in these countries and to identify areas of critical weakness requiring priority action. In updating Resolution 30, the conference noted the United Nations resolutions on programmes of action for LDCs and SIDS. It also recognized the importance of telecommunications/ICT for the development of these countries. It also noted Resolution 49 (Doha, 2006) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference and the Doha Action Plan, which provides for extending these measures to include SIDS.

Both the Secretary-General and the Director of BDT are expected to propose to the Council concrete measures that can bring about genuine improvements and provide effective assistance to LDCs and SIDS from the Special Voluntary Programme for Technical Cooperation, ITU's own resources and other sources of finance. They will report on this matter annually to the Council, which will consider these reports and take appropriate action so that ITU can continue to display its keen interest and cooperate actively in the development of telecommunication/ICT services in the least developed countries and Small Island Developing States. To this end, the Council will make appropriations from the Special Voluntary Programme for Technical Cooperation, ITU’s own resources and any other sources of finance. It is also to keep the situation under constant review and to report on the matter to the next plenipotentiary conference in 2010.

World Telecommunication and Information Society Day

Celebrating annually World Telecommunication Day and World Information Society Day was considered by the conference as being of significant value in supporting ITU’s main strategic orientations. To this end, Resolution 68 has been updated and is entitled “World Telecommunication and Information Society Day”. It invites Member States and Sector Members to celebrate the day annually by organizing appropriate national programmes. They should do so with a view to stimulating reflection and exchanges of ideas on the theme adopted by the Council; debating the various aspects of the theme with all partners in society; and formulating a report reflecting national discussions on the issues underlying the theme, to be fed back to ITU and the rest of its membership.

Instituted by the Plenipotentiary Conference in Malaga-Torremolinos in 1973, the World Telecommunication Day is celebrated annually on 17 May, date of the signature of the first International Telegraph Convention marking the founding of ITU. The Tunis Agenda, adopted by the World Summit on the Information Society in 2005 acknowledged that there was a need to build more awareness of the internet. And on 27 March 2006, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution (A/RES/60/252) stipulating that World Information Society Day shall be celebrated every year on 17 May.

The updated Resolution 68 invites the Council to adopt, for each World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, a specific theme that reflects the main challenges which the changing telecommunication and ICT environment poses for both developed and developing countries. It invites Member States to make available to the Secretary-General reports which may be produced on the main issues discussed at the national level. The Secretary-General will circulate to the entire ITU membership a consolidated document based on these national reports in order to foster the exchange of information and views among and with the membership on a host of selected strategic issues.
 

Use of the six official languages of the Union on an equal footing

The conference approved a new resolution that reaffirms the fundamental principle of equal treatment of the six official languages of ITU (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish). Resolution COM6/5 notes with satisfaction the steps taken so far to implement Resolution 115 (Marrakesh, 2002), which had called for the use of the six languages on an equal footing as from 1 January 2005. It recognizes the importance of maintaining and improving the multilingual content of services required by the universal character of United Nations system organizations. This is also called for in the United Nations Joint Inspection Unit report on “Multilingualism in the United Nations System” (Document JIU/REP/2002/11).

While implementation of Resolution 115 had been successful, the switchover to six languages could not be expected to happen overnight, the conference acknowledged. So, a "transition period" to full implementation is inevitable. Resolution COM6/5 points out that in order to fully implement Marrakesh Resolution 115, it will be necessary to “align working methods and optimize staffing levels in the six languages”. It recognizes the work accomplished by the Council Working Group on Languages. It also notes the start made by the secretariat to implement the working group’s recommendations as agreed by the Council at its 2006 session, in particular with regard to the unification of linguistic databases for definitions and terminology and the centralization of editing functions.

The budget constraints facing ITU are also recognized in Resolution COM6/5. It calls for all necessary measures to be taken to maximize interpretation and the translation of ITU documentation in the six languages on an equal footing, although some work in ITU (for example working groups, study groups, regional conferences) might not require the use of all six languages. The Council is instructed to review the interim measures and principles for interpretation and translation proposed by ITU’s three Sectors (Radiocommunication, Standardization and Development) and the General Secretariat. It will then adopt final measures taking account of the financial constraints, and bearing in mind the objective of full implementation of treatment on an equal footing.

In addition, the Council will pursue and monitor appropriate structural measures, including a fundamental review of ITU documentation and publication services. The aim is to eliminate any duplication and create synergies. The Council will also keep a watchful eye on the means of expediting the timely delivery of ITU documentation and publications in the six languages and on the optimum levels of staffing (including core staff), temporary assistance and outsourcing.

The resolution calls for the judicious use of information and communication technologies in language and publication activities. It says that this should be done taking account of experience gained by other international organizations, notably through the International Annual Meeting on Language Arrangements, Documentation and Publications (IAMLADP).

Furthermore, the Council is instructed to monitor the work carried out by the ITU secretariat on a number of fronts, such as:

• Paying special attention to completion of the integration of the terminology database for Arabic, Chinese and Russian and provide for the priority translation into Arabic, Chinese and Russian of terms and definitions.

• Merging all existing databases for definitions and terminology into a centralized system, with proper measures for its maintenance, expansion and updating, with a possible completion date by the end of 2007.

• Creating the necessary centralized editing functions for each language, on an equal footing between languages, with a possible completion date by the end of 2008.

• Harmonizing and unifying working procedures in the six language services, and providing them with the necessary qualified staff and tools to meet their requirements, with a possible completion date by end 2009.

• Developing a market-oriented publication policy for all ITU publications (both paper and electronic), with the objective of promoting ITU publications, reducing costs and generating sufficient income on a cost-recovery basis.

• Enhancing ITU’s image and the effectiveness of its public-information work, making use of all ITU’s six languages, in, among other things, publishing ITU News, creating ITU websites, organizing internet broadcasting and archiving of recordings, and issuing documents of a public-information nature, including announcements of world and regional ITU TELECOM exhibitions and forums, e-flashes and so on.

The Council will report to the next plenipotentiary conference on the implementation of this resolution.

Accredited media can download hi-res photos on PP-06 from www.itu.int/plenipotentiary/2006/newsroom/photos/index.asp using their username and password.