General Secretariat

19 January 1998

• Member States and Sector Members of ITU

• Organizations which have the right to attend ITU conferences and meetings as observers

¾

Dear Sir/Madam,

Further to my Circular-letters Nos. 56 of 9 September 1997 and DM-1094 of 14 October 1997 concerning the Second World Telecommunication Policy Forum, I am pleased to confirm that the meeting will take place at the Geneva International Conference Centre (CICG) from 16 to 18 March 1998. It will be preceded by an Information Session to be held on Sunday, 15 March 1998.

I therefore have pleasure in extending an invitation to all ITU members (Member States and Sector Members), as well as to organizations admitted as observers to ITU conferences and accredited media representatives, to attend the Forum. You will find attached some practical information for participants.

I am taking this opportunity to enclose a second version of the report. A third version will be circulated in mid-February 1998. As part of the preparations for the event, a series of country case studies of the changing international telecommunication environment has been commissioned. These studies will be made available to all participants and presented at the Information Session on Sunday, 15 March.

Given the success of the First World Telecommunication Policy Forum, and in view of the strategic importance of the theme "Trade in Telecommunications", we are expecting a large audience. I would therefore urge you to complete the attached registration form and transmit it to us at your earliest convenience.

I should like to reiterate my appeal to the Union's membership, as well as to all other interested parties, to make voluntary contributions towards covering the costs of this Forum, including the special Information Session, and assisting representatives from the LDCs to take part in the event.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for any further information you may require. I look forward to welcoming you at the Forum.

Yours faithfully,

Pekka TARJANNE
Secretary-General

Annexes:

• Secretary-General's Report

• Practical information for participants

• Registration

Conference venue

The Conference will take place at the Geneva International Conference Centre (CICG) from 16 to 18 March 1998.

Working hours will be 0900 to 1200 and 1400 to 1700.

Interpretation will be provided in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian and Chinese.

Registration and attendance

You will find enclosed a registration form together with information on hotel accommodation in Geneva. I should emphasize the importance of early registration in order to help the Secretariat to plan for and prepare this event.

For their convenience and in order to avoid queues, it is strongly recommended that delegates register by mail, fax or e-mail in advance of the Forum. However, it will be possible to register on-site during the event. ITU Member States and Sector Members planning to attend are invited to designate their heads of delegation. A separate registration form is required for each delegate attending the Forum. All the above information can be faxed to +41 22 730 5881 or sent by e-mail to thynell@itu.int.

Participation in the Forum is open to all ITU Member States and Sector Members. As during the first WTPF, and in order to foster a spirit of openness and cooperation, delegations will be seated in an alphabetical order which includes the names of both ITU Member States and Sector Members. ITU Member States will be placed in the WTPF seating plan in French alphabetical order. Sector Members who choose to register in their own names will be placed in the seating plan according to the organization names that appear in the latest version of the ITU Global Directory.

Organizations which have observer status at ITU conferences and meetings are welcome to attend the Forum in that capacity, and are invited to register by means of the procedures described above. They will be seated in French alphabetical order in a section set aside for observers.

For logistical reasons, reserved seating can be guaranteed only for delegates who have registered prior to the event.

Attendance by the public

In Resolution 1083, the Council resolved that WTPF would be open to attendance, but not direct participation, by the public, and instructed me to make documentation available to the public against payment of an appropriate fee designed to recover the costs associated with their attendance. This fee has been set at 200 Swiss francs.

Information session

In view of the success of the Information Session that was held in conjunction with the first Policy Forum, we would propose to hold another such session on Sunday, 15 March at 1100 hours. The purpose would be to present information on issues relating to the theme of "Trade in Telecommunications", as well as additional general information concerning the Forum, including the case studies. In a pamphlet that we intend to issue in advance of the Forum, we shall indicate the venue for this session.

Participation in the session would be open to all Forum participants and attendees.

Since no provision was made for an information session in the Forum budget, I have sought voluntary contributions from ITU Member States and Sector Members.