Delegates approve Financial and Strategic plans, reinforce Union’s mandate in development, standards-making and global management of radio frequency resources

Guadalajara, Mexico, 22 October 2010 — ITU’s 18th ITU Plenipotentiary Conference draws to a close today with delegates agreeing on ITU’s essential role in several key areas. ITU’s mandate has been strengthened in bridging the digital divide, strategies to accelerate broadband roll-out, and implementing the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society, and extending its involvement in areas such as better use of information and communication technologies to manage climate change and disaster response; conformance and interoperability; and accessibility for persons with disabilities.

A last minute compromise saw consensus on a number of key Resolutions on Internet issues. The agreements strengthen and underline ITU’s commitment to work with the Internet community and extend the benefits of the Internet to all global citizens.

The Conference also agreed on ITU’s Strategic Plan 2012-2015, and adopted the Financial Plan for the same period. Both will help the Union implement the decisions of the conference during the next four years until the 2014 Plenipotentiary.

ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré told delegates that the Guadalajara conference had been one of the most challenging in the Union’s 145-year history: “I came to this 18th Plenipotentiary Conference with news of the extraordinary progress that had been made in ICT development in the space of just four years,” he said. “I am absolutely confident that when we meet again, in four years’ time, I will be able to report even more dramatic progress. And that this progress will be very much due to the work that has been done here, by you, in Guadalajara.

“ITU will continue to work with our Member States and Sector Members − and indeed stakeholders across the broader ICT sector − to face the changes in the ICT environment; to cooperate with our membership; and to protect the all-important principle of multilateralism and cooperation among the international community in the modern world,” he said.

For full text of press release, see: http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2010/41.aspx

The Plenipotentiary Conference is the key event at which ITU member States decide on the future role of the organization, thereby determining the organization's ability to influence and affect the development of Information and Communication Technologies-ICTs- worldwide. During the plenary session, Jamaica's Minister of State in the Prime -Minister's office Clive Mullings said that Jamaica is committed to the use of information, communication and technology to drive development, increase knowledge and meet the challenges of our time.

He noted that since becoming a member State of the ITU in 1963, Jamaica has been committed to the best use of information and communications technologies for the advancement of Jamaicans and the peoples of the world.

To listen to the full UN Radio report: http://www.unmultimedia.org/radio/english/detail/104600.html

Hasan Mahmood Delwar, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission

Shi Yuchun, Ministry of Industry & Information Technology, China

Dr Ali Naser Al-khwildi, Communications & Media Commission, Iraq

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-Policy statements from a total of 93 Member State delegations.

-Over 2,500 delegates registered from 167 countries at the conference, with over 2,000 delegates coming to Guadalajara – including 130 Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Ambassadors.

-545 meetings held onsite in Guadalajara Expo, dealing with a total of 528 proposals from members during the Conference.

-Over 800 local staff assisting with the event, along with more than 250 ITU staff, including over 70 interpreters.

-More than a thousand shuttle bus journeys have conveyed staff and delegates to and from their hotels.

-Over 35,000 pictures have been taken by ITU photographers, with almost 2,000 being published online and available for download by delegates. Over 100,000 photo views on Flickr.

-28 videos produced which have been watched over 4,000 times on YouTube as well as being broadcast here in Guadalajara Expo. While PP-10 has been on, ITU’s YouTube channel as a whole has just passed a quarter of a million video views.

-Over 1,500 media clippings from Angola to Venezuela and from Armenia to Zambia.

-Over 75,000 visits to the PP-10 website over the past two and a half weeks, and almost half a million page views.

-Over 90,000 hours spent on the Wi-Fi network by almost 2,000 unique Wi-Fi client devices, and over 1,500 unique wired LAN devices.

-Over 200 hours of live broadcast webcasts, representing well over a thousand hours of audio/video archives, considering the six languages used.

-1,500 hours of interpretation and almost six thousand pages of translated documents.

-Less paper than ever before used– saving an estimated printing of just over a million pages!. In terms of greenhouse gases saved, this amounts to over 5 tonnes, or the equivalent of running a typical family car for a whole year.

-15,000 gifts were distributed to PP-10 participants.

Los aparatos actuales pueden ser utilizados por cualquier tipo de usuario sin importar sus capacidades. Ya perfeccionan en Alemania técnica para manipular computadoras y celulares con la mente.

Guadalajara.- El mercado del equipo tecnológico elaborado específicamente para personas con discapacidad está en declive debido a la accesibilidad que hoy ofrecen los dispositivos de tecnología. Desde pantallas touchscreen que ofrecen respuesta auditiva y táctil hasta aparatos que pueden ser controlados por el pensamiento humano, los nuevos productos han borrado la línea que divide al mercado especializado del regular.

Así lo aseguró Reinhard Scholl, de la oficina de Estandarización de Telecomunicaciones de la Unión Internacional de Telecomunicaciones (UIT), quien fue el principal promotor del uso extendido de la tecnología especializada en la Conferencia de Plenipotenciarios de la UIT.

El especialista explicó que la expansión del mercado de los dispositivos enfocados a las personas con discapacidad puede favorecer al total de la humanidad, “según estudios de Estados Unidos, 10 por ciento de la población del mundo tiene algún tipo de discapacidad, pero este porcentaje aumenta debido a que cualquier persona, con el paso del tiempo, sufrirá de discapacidades y afectaciones ocasionadas por la edad”. En este contexto, consideró que los costos de los dispositivos disminuirán.

Lea el texto completo en: http://www.milenio.com/node/559121

The conference noted that the dates for the next Radiocommunication Assembly (RA) have been set for 16‑20 January 2012, and those for the next World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) for 23 January - 17 February 2012. It agreed on the  schedule of future conferences, assemblies and forums for the years 2011-2014 as shown below:

-World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA): November 2012;
-World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT): November 2012;
-World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC): March-April 2014;
-Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-14): to be held in Korea (Republic of).

These events should be held within the periods. However,  the precise dates and places, where not already decided, will be set by the Council after consultation of the Member States, leaving sufficient time between the various conferences. Their exact  duration will  be decided by the Council after their agendas have been established. The conference emphasized that the dates and durations of  RA‑12 and WRC-12, for which the agendas have been  established must not be modified.

This new resolution seeks to establish a sound basis for ITU’s work surrounding the role of telecommunications/ICT in climate change and the protection of the environment. Recognizing existing Council and World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) resolutions on ICTs and climate change, it acknowledges that ICTs contribute to greenhousegGas (GHG) emissions, but also play an important role in tackling climate change and protecting the environment.

The resolution notes the body of existing work carried out by ITU-T on methodologies for evaluating the energy efficiency of ICT equipment and monitoring their impact and effects on climate change. It also acknowledges ITU-R’s leadership in studying the use of radiocommunication systems and remote sensing applications to improve climate monitoring, disaster prediction and relief, as well as the work done by ITU-D in this domain.

ITU is called upon to continue demonstrating  its leadership and developing its activities in this area, including through workshops, seminars, training courses and best practice guidelines. ITU should promote awareness of the environmental issues surrounding telecommunication/ICT equipment and encourage energy efficiency in the design and  manufacture of such equipment to promote a clean and safe environment. The Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB) should continue its work on evaluation methodologies for energy efficiency and the GHG emissions of ICTs. ITU should also provide assistance to developing countries to strengthen their human and institutional capacity for tackling and adapting to climate change, including disaster management planning.

The Resolution invites ITU’s membership - its Member States, Sector Members and Associates – to contribute to the work of ITU as well as the broader UN process on climate change. It asks ITU’s broader membership to take the necessary measures to reduce the effects of climate change by developing and using more energy-efficient ICT devices, applications and networks and to promote recycling and the reuse of ICT equipment. It also calls upon them to continue or initiate public and private programmes including ICTs and climate change, while giving due consideration to relevant ITU initiatives. It is hoped that this Resolution will help pave the way for ITU’s work in the area of ICTs and climate change, one of the biggest challenges facing mankind, and indeed the planet, today.

In response to considerable concern about how best to protect vulnerable children and youth online, this new resolution seeks to establish a mandate for ITU’s work and activities in this area, pursuant to the existing ITU Council resolutions. It recognizes the diverse nature of access to ICTs and the increasingly widespread use of ICTs by children, at times without control or guidance. It acknowledges the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) outcome documents, which recognized the role of ICTs in enhancing the development of children and as a tool to achieve international development goals, such as the  Millennium Development Goals.

The Resolution encourages ITU to continue its Child Online Protection (COP) initiative as a platform to raise awareness and educate stakeholders in this vital issue. It also requests the ITU Council to continue its Council Working Group on child online protection - in the discussions relating to this resolution, a large number of Member States indicated their support for the continuation of the Council Working Group. It encourages the ITU Secretary-General to coordinate ITU activities with other initiatives at the national, regional and international levels, as well as bringing this resolution to the attention of the UN Secretary-General with the aim of increasing the  commitment of the UN system in child online protection.

This resolution seeks to establish a clear basis for ITU’s activities to help bridge the standardization gap. It acknowledges that technological realities and needs vary from country to country and region to region. However, persistent concerns have arisen over developing countries’ ability to participate in ITU’s standardization activities, and it notes that major disparities in knowledge and management of standards remain between developed and developing countries. The resolution suggests that this standardization and ‘knowledge gap’ may potentially arise through lack of awareness of standardization activities, difficulties in accessing information, lack of training or lack of financial resources to engage in travel.

In order to help overcome divides in participation, knowledge and management of standards, the resolution asks the ITU Secretary-General and the Directors of the three ITU Bureaux to work closely with each other on this issue and to step up actions to reduce the standardization gap. It resolves that close coordination should be maintained among the three Sectors at the regional level, involving ITU’s regional offices. ITU is encouraged to identify means and support for the participation of representatives of developing countries in its meetings and to report on its follow-up. ITU Member States and Sector Members are invited to make both financial and in-kind contributions to support ITU’s actions and help boost the fund for bridging the standardization gap. This resolution provides a sound basis for helping boost the participation of developing countries in ITU’s standardization activities.

The conference carefully  examined the proposals from Member States with regard to the free on-line access policy on ITU publications. They considered this as an issue of high importance. The decision reached  on 21 October  is not only of a financial nature, but also more of a strategic dimension for ITU’s  work, the conference underlined. In his report to the conference, Bruce Gracie, who chaired Committee 6, where the issue was widely debated , said: “The adverse impact on ITU’s  revenue has to balance with the increased visibility that the free online policy is providing”. Free access to ITU-T Recommendations was recognized as being an outstanding achievement for international telecommunications, and members advocated for the adoption of a symmetrical approach across ITU. The ITU secretariat had explained, during the debates,  that the estimated loss over a four-year  period  would be  CHF 1.2 million. According to the new decision,  free online access will be provided for ITU-R Recommendations, ITU-R Reports, the Basic Texts of the Union and the Final Acts of Plenipotentiary Conferences to the general public on a permanent basis. The Decision also instructs the Secretary-General to prepare a report on the revenue of sales of ITU Publications, software and databases, and to present this report to Council 2011.

The ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) and the ITU Telecommunications Sector (ITU-T) are collaborating with other expert organizations in work relating to human exposure to electromagnetic fields. ITU has expertise in calculating and measuring the field strength and power density of radio signals, while WHO and the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) have specialized health expertise and competence to assess the impact of radio waves on the human body.

Today the Plenipotentiary Conference adopted a new resolution that will spur ITU work in this area to assist national administrations, particularly in developing countries. ITU will collect and disseminate information on exposure to electromagnetic fields, and on methods of measuring exposure.

Regional seminars and workshops will be held to build human capacity, and Member States are expected to share their expertise and resources. The Council and the next Plenipotentiary Conference will get reports on the matter.

Guidelines on limits of exposure to electromagnetic fields have been established by ICNIRP, the International Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC). The new resolution sets out a complementary role for ITU in supporting Member States in measuring exposure and in related capacity-building.

The conference decided that ITU will continue to implement Resolution 76 of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (Johannesburg, 2008) and Resolution 47 (Rev. Hyderabad, 2010), along with the recommendations of the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau ( TSB), endorsed by the Council at its 2009 session, regarding:

-a conformity assessment programme;
-an interoperability events programme;
-a human resources capacity building;
-recommendations to assist in the establishment of test facilities in developing countries.

This is the thrust of a new resolution just adopted on conformance and interoperability. The resolution emphasizes that this programme of work be implemented in parallel without any delay. The Director TSB is asked to prepare a business plan for the long-term implementation of this resolution.
The programme of work includes building up a pilot database into a fully functioning conformity database. The implementation of the conformity database will take into consideration the outcome and effect on Member States, Sector Members and stakeholders, how it will help bridge the standardization gap, potential liability issues, and the results of the regional ITU conformity and interoperability consultations.

A major part of the programme will be to assist developing countries to establish regional or subregional conformity and interoperability centres that can carry out interoperability testing.

Malcolm Johnson, who was recently re-elected Director of TSB with an overwhelming majority, is called upon to study the possibility of a future ITU Mark programme. This would be a voluntary programme permitting manufacturers and service providers to make a visible declaration that their equipment conforms to ITU-T Recommendations.

The Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) is expected to collaborate with the Director of TSB and Director of BR to advance the implementation of Resolution 47 (Rev. Hyderabad, 2010) and to assist Member States in dealing with the problem of counterfeit equipment. Developing countries, in particular, are worried about counterfeit equipment because it may negatively affect the quality of their telecommunication infrastructure.

Resolution 76 (Johannesburg, 2008) deals with studies related to conformance and interoperability testing, assistance to developing countries, and a possible future ITU Mark programme.

ITU’s ability to assess and recognize conformity and interoperability will be a driver for raising awareness and building capacity in developing countries. BDT will be the focal point for this activity through its global and regional initiatives, including the centres of excellence.

Presenting the report of the Director of TSB to the Working Group of the Plenary where agreement was first reached on the new resolution, R. Scholl said that a major concern raised at WTSA-08 was the lack of conformance and interoperability of equipment being placed on the market, especially in developing countries. To respond to that concern, TSB has developed a pilot conformity database, which is currently available only to ITU members. Entry in the database is voluntary and free of charge. Details of products and services that have been recognized by ITU as being in conformity with ITU-T Recommendations can be listed in the database. Subject to testing, a vendor is entitled to claim recognition of conformity.

ITU’s Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) held two interoperability events - in July and in September 2010 - to test its IPTV suites of standards, and a third event will take place in December. These events are generating a lot of interest. Also, the mood evident during three regional ITU consultation meetings on conformance assessment and interoperability was of considerable support for Resolution 76 of WTSA-08. The overall consensus was that it would benefit both developing and developed countries if this resolution was implemented without further delay.  In this regard, the resolution adopted in Guadalajara represents an important milestone.

The resolution updates and sets out the role of ITU in relation to the role of administrations of Member States in the management of internationalized domain names (IDNs). It recognizes the need to promote the use of internationalized domain names in order to overcome linguistic barriers to Internet access and recalls previous standardization work done by ITU-T in non-Latin character sets for data transfer globally. Noting that the current domain name system does not fully reflect the diverse and growing language needs of all users and that IDNs should be widely accessible, it instructs the ITU Secretary-General and Directors of the three Bureaux to take an active part in international discussions, initiatives and activities on the deployment and management of internationalized Internet domain names, in cooperation with relevant organizations, including WIPO and UNESCO. It calls upon ITU elected officials to take action to ensure the sovereignty of ITU Member States with regard to ITU-T Recommendation E.164 numbering plans (in whichever application they are used) and to promote the role of the ITU membership in the internationalization of domain names in different language scripts using their specific character sets. Again, it also calls for greater collaboration and coordination between ITU and relevant organizations (including, but not limited to ICANN, the RIRs, the IETF, ISOC and W3C on a reciprocity basis) and awareness-raising at the national and regional levels among interested parties.

This updated resolution complements existing ITU resolutions on ITU’s role in public policy issues (for example, Council Resolution 1305  approved at its  2009 Session). It describes ITU’s role with regard to international public policy issues pertaining to the Internet and recognizes that ITU deals with both technical and policy issues related to IP-based networks, including the existing Internet, future Internet and the evolution to NGN.. According to the Resolution, significant effort has been put in by ITU on ENUM, “.int”, internationalized domain name (IDN), and country code top-level domain (ccTLD) issues through workshops and standardization activities.

The resolution also emphasizes that ITU’s Dedicated Group on Internet-related public policy issues should continue its work. It notes that the Dedicated Group would be more efficient if it became autonomous and directly responsible to the ITU Council, with all three Sectors contributing to its work. On this basis, the Resolution asks that Council makes the Dedicated Group a Council Working Group enjoying open consultation to all stakeholders. (This suggestion remains subject to Council’s approval and endorsement following PP-10).

The resolution instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB)  to continue performing its role in technical issues and to liaise and cooperate with appropriate entities on issues related to the management of Internet domain names and addresses and other Internet resources (such as IPv6, ENUM and IDNs). It further instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT)  to organize international and regional forums to discuss policy, operational and technical issues on the management of Internet domain names and addresses and other Internet resources.

This resolution calls for ITU to continue to play a facilitating role in the coordination of international Internet-related public policy issues. Again, significantly, it calls for greater collaboration and coordination between ITU and relevant organizations (including, but not limited to ICANN, the RIRs, the IETF, ISOC and W3C on a reciprocity basis). It instructs the ITU Secretary-General to take a significant role in international discussions and initiatives on the management of Internet domain names and addresses and other Internet resources and for ITU to continue to play a facilitating role in the coordination of international Internet-related public policy issues. It invites ITU membership to participate in discussions in this field, to cooperate with relevant organizations and to contribute to the Dedicated Group and ITU Study Groups on related matters.

This Resolution revised and updates an existing resolution from Antalya (2006). It considers recent advances in global information infrastructure, including the development of Internet Protocol (IP)-based networks and the Internet, as well as future IP developments and new applications. It also acknowledges various challenges with regard to quality of service, uncertainty of origin (of IP traffic) and the high cost of international connectivity. It recognizes ITU-T’s work on IP‑based network issues, including service interoperability with other telecommunication networks, numbering, signalling requirements and protocol aspects, security and infrastructure component costs, and issues associated with the evolution to next-generation networks (NGN).

The Resolution requests all three Sectors to consider their future work programmes on IP-based networks and on migration to NGN and future networks. It asks ITU-T to continue its collaborative activities with ISOC/IETF and other relevant organizations, in respect of interconnectivity and migration to NGN. It asks ITU to fully embrace the opportunities for telecommunication/ICT development arising from the growth of IP-based services, and to continue its study of international Internet connectivity as an urgent matter. It also encourages ITU to identify clearly the range of Internet-related issues falling within its responsibilities according to its basic texts and the WSIS outcome documents. The Resolution calls on ITU membership to raise awareness at the national, regional and international levels. However, the most significant item in this resolution lies in its call for greater collaboration and coordination between ITU and relevant organizations (including, but not limited to ICANN, the RIRs, the IETF, ISOC and W3C on a reciprocity basis), as well as UNESCO and the Broadband Commission for Digital Development.

This new resolution is ITU’s first Plenipotentiary resolution focused on IPv6, and breaks new ground for ITU as it seeks to modernize and adapt its work to Internet Protocol (IP)-based next-generation networks. Considering the imminent exhaustion of IPv4 addresses and that specific actions must be defined for the transition to IPv6, it recognizes the opportunities opened up for the development of ICTs by IPv6 and that the early adoption of IPv6 is the best way forward to avoid scarcity of IP addresses and the follow-on effects of IPv4 address exhaustion.

The resolution seeks to step up the exchange of experiences and information regarding the adoption of IPv6 with all stakeholders and create opportunities for collaborative efforts to support the transition to IPv6. It seeks to assist Member States which require support in the management and allocation of IPv6 resources. It notes the work of the existing IPv6 working group set up by the 2009 Session of Council and asks it to undertake detailed studies of IP address allocation for both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. It also calls for ITU to study and monitor current allocation mechanisms, identify any flaws arising and communicate proposals for changes to existing policies, if appropriate. It invites Member States to develop specific initiatives at the national level fostering interaction between governmental, private and academic entities and civil society.

Logra el respaldo de 119 países de los 161 miembros, ocupando así, el sexto puesto de la Unión Internacional de Naciones Unidas el cual se realiza en México del 04 al 22 de octubre / La Unión Internacional de Telecomunicaciones es el organismo encargado de coordinar con los gobiernos y el sector privado el desarollo de comunicaciones

La República Bolivariana de Venezuela quedó reelecta como miembro del Consejo "Región A - América" de la Unión Internacional de Telecomunicaciones (UIT), durante la realización de la Conferencia de Plenipotenciarios.

La Delegación venezolana logra el respaldo de 119 países de los 161 miembros, ocupando así, el sexto (6) puesto de la Unión Internacional de Naciones Unidas (ONU) el cual se realiza en la ciudad de Guadalajara, México del 04 al 22 de octubre.

El embajador Trino Díaz durante su intervención presentó la "Declaración Política", en el cual enunció los avances que Venezuela ha alcanzado en materia de "acceso y democratización de las telecomunicaciones" desde 1998, con el "propósito de asegurar el uso de las Tecnologías de la información y comunicación (TIC) como herramientas habilitadoras de conocimiento que han permitido la participación protagónica de nuestra población en su desarrollo socio-económico".

Lea el texto completo en: http://www.vtv.gov.ve/noticias-ciencia-y-salud/46748

This new resolution recalls ITU’s role in implementing the WSIS outcomes, as outlined in Resolution 140 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010). It also cites Paragraph 111 of the Tunis Agenda, which  requested the United Nations General Assembly to make an overall review of the implementation of WSIS outcomes in 2015. In response to that request, the United Nations General Assembly, in its Resolution 60/252, decided to conduct an overall review of the implementation of the Summit outcomes in 2015.

The new resolution instructs the ITU Secretary-General to initiate consultations with  the United Nations Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) in order to prepare the overall review of implementation of WSIS outcomes in 2015, including the possibility of holding a high-level event in 2014 or 2015. He is also instructed to propose to CEB to make the necessary preparations based on the multi-stakeholder approach; pursue efficient and effective coordination with all stakeholders in preparing the overall review; and report to the Council on the results of this process, for its consideration and decision.
 
For its part, the Council is instructed, in the light of the results of the Secretary-General’s consultation, to:

- consider and decide on ITU's role in, and contribution to, the overall review process;
- examine ways and means to enhance ITU’s lead role in any relevant preparatory process;
- request the Secretary-General, under the preparatory process, to coordinate with all stakeholders and provide mechanisms, including the possibility of holding open consultations;
- evaluate, at its 2011 session, the financial burden for ITU that might result from its contribution to the preparatory process;
- report to the next Plenipotentiary Conference on preparations for final overall review of the implementation of the WSIS outcomes and formulate proposals for further activities.

After negotiations led by the Chairman of the Conference, Fernando Borjón, and ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun I. Touré and with the active participation of the parties concerned, a compromise was reached with regard to revisions to Resolutions 99 (Rev. Antalya, 2006) on the “status of Palestine” and 125 (Rev. Marrakesh, 2002) on “assistance and support to Palestine for rebuilding its telecommunication networks”.

Resolution 99 has been updated and resolves that, pending any further change in the current status of Palestine as observer in ITU, Palestine shall participate in all ITU conferences, assemblies and meetings and in treaty-making conferences with the following additional rights to what they already have:

-the right to raise points of order;
-the right to co-sponsor proposals;

Palestine shall have the right to attend the Heads of Delegation meetings. It shall also have the right to request the verbatim insertion of any declaration made during the course of a debate.

Assistance and support to Palestine for rebuilding its telecommunication networks
Resolution 125 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) first recalls  the  decision of the United Nations General Assembly  to use the designation "Palestine" in the United Nations system. The update considers that  the international community has an important role in assisting Palestine to develop a modern and reliable telecommunication network. It states that a large part of the Palestinian telecommunication infrastructure has been significantly damaged in recent years. Other changes to the resolution call upon Member States to make every effort with a view, among other things, to providing all forms of assistance and support to Palestine, bilaterally or through executive measures taken by ITU, in rebuilding, restoring and developing its telecommunication  network. In this regard, the Council is invited to allocate the necessary funds, within available resources, to  implement the  updated resolution. The Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) is instructed to take appropriate measures, within the mandate of BDT, to facilitate the establishment of international access networks, including terrestrial and satellite stations, submarine cables,  optical fibre and microwave systems.

The State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples (2010) report  contains alarming statistical data on this group in such areas as health, human rights, education and employment. Committee 6 examined the Inter-American proposal on this subject, and requested, following a debate that the proposal be reviewed with a view to improving the Union’s mechanism for granting fellowships. It was argued that the state of indigenous people places them in a situation similar to that of least developed countries, despite the fact that some of them live in developed countries.

ITU is encouraged, through a new resolution entitled "facilitating digital inclusion initiatives for indigenous peoples", to make it easier to grant fellowships to indigenous people as part of the Digital Inclusion Initiative of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D). The aim is to allow indigenous people to attend workshops, seminars, events, and other types of capacity-building events organized by ITU. But the resolution adds the caveat that Member States will have the authority to consider the requests of indigenous people, if and when the country is eligible for fellowship grants. The new resolution also cites Resolution 68 of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (Hyderabad, 2010) on the inclusion of indigenous people in the activities of BDT, requesting ITU to recognize and encourage indigenous people to participate in ITU's work.

A new resolution notes the vulnerability of critical national infrastructure and its increasing dependence on information and communication technologies and the threats resulting from the illicit use of these technologies. It says that Illicit use of ICT could have a detrimental impact on a country’s infrastructure, national security, and economic development. The resolution is entitled “ITU's role with regard to international public policy issues relating to the risk of illicit use of information and communication technologies”. It instructs the Secretary-General to take the necessary measures to:

- raise awareness of Member States regarding the adverse impact that may result from the illicit use of information and communication resources.

- maintain the role of ITU to cooperate within its mandate with other United Nations bodies in combating the illicit use of ICT.

The resolution underlines the importance of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). It resolves that ITU in its capacity as facilitator of WSIS Action Line C5 on “building confidence and security in the use of ICT”, will organize meetings of Member States and relevant ICT stakeholders, including geospatial and information service providers, to discuss alternative approaches to solutions in order to address and prevent the illicit application of ICT, while taking into consideration the overall interests of the ICT industry.

The Secretary-General is instructed to collect best practices from Member States on their actions taken to prevent the illicit use of ICT, and provide assistance to those who need it .

Member States and relevant ICT stakeholders are invited to pursue their dialogue at the regional and national levels in order to find mutually acceptable solutions. They should also provide the support needed to implement this resolution.

A new resolution sets out ways for ITU to mainstream people with disabilities in all its work. Entitled “Telecommunication/information and communication technology accessibility for persons with disabilities, including age-related disabilities”, the resolution recognizes a number of international agreements. These include the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which requires States Parties to adopt appropriate measures to provide access for persons with disabilities - on an equal basis with others - to ICT, emergency services and Internet service; Resolution 70 of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (Johannesburg, 2008), Resolution 58 of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (Hyderabad, 2010); the Tunis Commitment, made at the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (Tunis, 2005), and the Phuket Declaration on Tsunami Preparedness for Persons with Disabilities. 

The World Health Organization estimates that ten per cent of the world's population (more than 650 million people) are people with disabilities. This percentage may increase because of the greater availability of medical treatment, enabling sick or injured people live longer. Increased life expectancy in general means that there are more elderly people with the disabilities that come with age. Also, people may acquire disabilities through accidents, wars and the circumstances of poverty.

ITU is already collaborating with external entities and bodies concerned with this subject, and adopt a comprehensive action plan to extend access to telecommunication/ICT to people with disabilities. The experiences, views and opinions of people with disabilities have to be taken on board when developing and progressing ITU work.

The Secretary-General and Directors of the Bureaux will have to coordinate accessibility-related activities between the ITU-T, ITU-R, ITU-D, and ensure that the needs of persons with disabilities are taken into account. Of course, the financial implications of providing access will need to be considered. Within ITU, it may be possible to expand the fellowship programme to enable delegates with disabilities to participate in the work of the Union. Another useful step will be to identify, document and disseminate examples of best practices among ITU Member States and Sector Members.

Member States and Sector Members can help by developing guidelines to enhance the accessibility, compatibility and usability of telecommunication/ICT services, products and terminals. They can also introduce telecommunication/ICT services that are appropriate for people with disabilities, both in terms of technology and cost.

Reports on this matter will be submitted to the ITU Council and to the next Plenipotentiary Conference. A special trust fund has been set up by ITU to support activities relating to this resolution, and Member States and Sector Members are invited to contribute.

Le Directeur-élu du BDT de l’UIT, Brahima Sanou, aborde les principaux défis qui devra relever le Bureau de développement des  télécommunications. Il souhaite souligner l’importance de l’investissement, partager les bonnes pratiques et l’expérience http://bit.ly/9mTs9f

Director-elect for ITU's Radiocommunication Bureau, François Rancy, outlines the main challenges for the radiocommunication sector and discusses the attraction of the UHF band: http://bit.ly/9mTs9f

With the re-election in Guadalajara of myself as Secretary-General, Houlin Zhao as Deputy Secretary-General and Malcolm Johnson as Director of TSB, and the fresh election of François Rancy as Director of BR and Brahima Sanou as Director of BDT, we now have a powerful management team in place to carry out the Union’s work from 2011 to 2014.

We have a strong mandate from membership, and we have much to achieve over the next four years. We will therefore be counting on the continuing efforts of each and every member of ITU staff, as well as our Sector and Associate Members, to deliver on the promises made at the Plenipotentiary Conference in Guadalajara.

We will need to be productive, efficient and effective in our daily work if we are to meet our goals, and I am confident that the spirit of cooperation and partnership which has seen our great Union stay proud through the past 145 years will see us chart our way safely through the coming four years.

For full text plus video interview, see: http://www.itu.int/en/osg/focus/Pages/four-years.aspx

Next-generation networks (NGN) are important - indeed essential - for all countries, especially the developing ones, as proposals to the Guadalajara Conference underlined. Resolution 137 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) on “next-generation network deployment in developing countries” has been revised to reflect the outcomes of the World Telecommunication Development Conference, held in Hyderabad, India, in May-June 2010 (WTDC-10); the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly, held in Johannesburg , South Africa, in 2008 (WTSA-08); and the work of ITU-T Study Group 13 Focus Group on future networks. The revisions also include reference to WSIS Action Lines 2 (information and infrastructure) and 6 (an enabling environment).

Developing countries are still facing major challenges, exacerbated by shortages of resources, experience and capacity building in planning and deploying networks, especially next-generation networks. The conference also noted the delay in implementing and adopting these networks in developed countries. It recognized  that the existing digital divide could get worse  with the emergence of new technologies, including post-NGNs, if developing countries are not able to introduce these networks in a universal and timely manner.
 
The revisions make reference to Resolution 143 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010), which calls for the provisions in all ITU documents relating to developing countries to be extended to apply adequately to the least developed countries, small island developing States, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

The Directors of the three ITU Bureaux are instructed, among other things, to continuously consolidate their efforts in studies and standards-development activities on the deployment of NGN and future networks, especially those designed for rural areas and for bridging the digital divide and the development divide. In addition, the Directors are to coordinate studies and programmes under ITU-T’s  Next-Generation Network Global Standards Initiative (NGN-GSI) and ITU-D’s Global Network Planning Initiatives (GNPi), as well as coordinate ongoing work in study groups and through relevant programmes defined in the Hyderabad Action Plan of WTDC-10. They will also seek solutions to speed up the deployment of affordable NGN in rural areas, using the success stories of developing countries that have migrated to such networks and benefit from their experience.

The Council is instructed to consider the reports and proposals made by the Secretary-General and the three Bureaux on implementing this resolution, making the appropriate linkage with the operative part of WTSA Resolution 44 (Rev. Johannesburg, 2008). It should also take appropriate action to ensure that the Union continues to pay attention to addressing the needs of developing countries.

Member States and Sector Members are called upon to strengthen cooperation between developed and developing countries, and among developing countries themselves, in improving national, regional and international capabilities to implement NGNs in a way that will enable them to handle future networks, especially in rural areas.

Reliable public broadcasting and telecommunication systems are indispensable for promoting the socio-economic development of countries - notably those having suffered from natural disasters, domestic conflicts or war. Serbia is one such country. The conference has updated Resolution 126 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) on “assistance and support to the Republic of Serbia for rebuilding its destroyed public broadcasting system”. ITU’s  key role in rebuilding that country's telecommunication sector has been widely recognized.

The resolution underlines that the newly established public broadcasting facility in Serbia, public entity “Broadcast Multiplex and Network Operator” (ETV) – formerly a part of the Radio Television of Serbia –  has been severely damaged. The damage to public broadcasting in Serbia, as the conference recognized, should be a matter of  concern to the whole international community, in particular ITU. As public broadcaster, ETV is a public entity, which should start broadcasting digital television programmes on 4 April 2012. However, under the present conditions and in the foreseeable future, Serbia will not be able to bring its public broadcasting system and the digital switch-over process up to an acceptable level without help from the international community, provided bilaterally or through international organizations. The resolution, as updated, calls upon Member States to offer all possible assistance. It instructs the Council to allocate the necessary funds, within available resources. It instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau to use the necessary funds (also, within available resources), in order to continue appropriate action. The Secretary-General will coordinate the activities carried out by the ITU Sectors to ensure that the Union’s action in favour of Serbia is as effective as possible. He will report on the matter to the Council.

Gender equality and women’s empowerment can be advanced in several ways through information and communication technologies (ICT). Encouraging girls to choose a career in the field of ICT, and fostering the use of ICT for the social and economic empowerment of women and girls, are obvious examples. The growing number of women in the ICT field with decision-making could push the work of ITU in this direction.
 
The revised resolution encourages Member States and Sector Members to facilitate the employment of women and men equally in the ICT/telecommunication field, including at senior levels of responsibility, and to increase opportunities for women and girls in ICT careers during elementary, secondary and higher education. One way to do this would be by establishing an international “Girls in ICT” day, to be celebrated annually on every fourth Thursday of April. This would provide an occasion for ICT companies, other companies with ICT departments, ICT training institutions, universities, research centres, and all ICT-related institutions to organize an open day for girls. Another way would be to support the work of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) and of a “Global Network of women ICT decision-makers”. In this regard, the ITU Secretary-General is instructed to encourage the launch of such a network.

A gender perspective will be incorporated in the implementation of the ITU strategic plan and financial plan for 2012-2015, as well as in the operational plans of the Union’s three Bureaux and the General Secretariat. According to the resolution, the Council has the responsibility of expanding on the ITU initiatives of the past four years, to accelerate the gender mainstreaming process in ITU as a whole, within existing budgetary resources, so as to ensure capacity building and promotion of women at senior-level positions. In the resolution, the Council is instructed to consider selecting the theme “Women and Girls in ICT” to mark World Telecommunication and Information Society Day in 2012.

To implement the resolution, the Secretary-General is instructed to announce a year-long Call to Action with a focus on the theme “Women and Girls in ICT”, while the Director of BDT is to bring to the attention of other UN agencies the need to increase the interest and opportunities for girls and young women in ICT careers. The resolution invites Member States and Sector Members to establish and observe annually and internationally “Girls in ICT” day.