The third ITU World Telecommunication Policy Forum (Geneva, 2001),

considering

1. that the purposes of the Union include promoting the extension of the benefits of new telecommunication technologies, encouraging continued participation by the private sector in telecommunication development, offering technical assistance in the field of telecommunications, and promoting the mobilization of the material, human and financial resources needed for implementation of telecommunication systems;
2. that Council-2000 requested that action be taken to assist Member States and Sector Members in meeting the human resources development challenges presented by new telecommunication technologies such as voice over IP,

recognizing

1. that economic, social, technical and regulatory environments are changing in the context of ongoing telecommunication and information technology developments;
2. that transition to an IP environment places new demands on the management and operation of Member States and Sector Members as well as other private entities;
3. that these new challenges need to be addressed by ITU, and in particular ITU-D/BDT, which plays a crucial role in assisting countries that are developing and building institutional, physical and organizational telecommunication capacity,

further recognizing

1. that the speed with which countries can extend the benefits of telecommunication technologies will depend on their ability to deploy skilled personnel who are able to meet the operational and policy challenges stemming from the new environment;
2. that, in today's environment of globalization, shortages of skilled personnel and the absence of comprehensive human resources policies are impeding the transition to a new IP environment in all countries;
3. that technology transfer from Sector Members and Member States may help reduce the knowledge gap, although the problem is exacerbated by the "brain-drain",

encourages Member States and Sector Members to take into account

that training and education of a broad range of people benefits individuals, the communications system, communities and the economy as a whole, in particular, training and education for staff members of small and medium-sized communication enterprises, and keeping gender perspectives in consideration;

invites the ITU, particularly ITU-D

to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and views, by Member States and Sector Members, of global trends in all new technologies, in particular IP applications, including the activities of other standardisation bodies, infrastructure development, IP-based services and applications, and regulatory activities and policies.

invites ITU-D

1. to encourage Member States and Sector Members to create integrated human resources transition plans for new technologies, business operations and regulatory and policy activities;
2. to assist Member States and Sector Members in evaluating and identifying new and changing human resources requirements in order to meet the challenges of an evolving communications environment;
3. to draw upon existing BDT research and skilled personnel to identify:
   1. HRD/HRM and training issues related to network evolution;
   2. HRD/HRM and training issues related to new technologies, including IP;
   3. skills leading to the creation of a business environment that will attract infrastructure investment,

invites ITU-T and ITU-R

to collaborate with and assist the Director of BDT in creating the technical training components of ITU-D workshops, seminars, training projects, and modules,

invites Sector Members

to suggest, initiate, and/or participate in ITU-D human resources development and infrastructure investment programmes,

invites Sector Members and Member States

to work with educational institutions, NGOs and other organizations in order to draw upon resources, studies and expertise and to collaborate in assisting countries with training, resource retention and other HRD/HRM issues,

invites the Secretary-General and the three Directors

1. to disseminate widely information on the urgent need for the United Nations and Member States to review and develop policies that lead to:

1. recognition of the widespread opportunities for people skilled in information and telecommunication technologies;
2. widespread training and education of all levels of their citizens, taking account of human factor aspects, in all domains of information and telecommunications technologies;