Council 2009 wraps up with key decisions on global issues
and a balanced budget for ITU for 2010-2011

• Document 104

On its final day, the Council considered and approved the report of the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Administration and Management. Presenting the report, the Committee’s Chairman González Bustamante from Mexico said that the Committee held eight meetings. During this time, the Committee considered 28 documents. This issue of the Highlights is an abridged version of that report and looks at some of the conclusions reached in the Committee and approved by the Council.

In his closing remarks, ITU Secretary-General, Hamadoun I. Touré said “We were honoured to have with us for this Council several ministers, deputy ministers, and ambassadors. We were even more honoured to have as our Chairman, the distinguished Minister of Communications from Ghana, His Excellency Mr Haruna Iddrisu”.

Chairman awarded the ITU Silver Medal and certificate
"You have steered our discussions so smoothly and ably. Your ability to summarize difficult debates and to guide us has been most impressive,” Dr Touré stated. This view was shared by all delegations who took the floor at the end of the Council. Dr Touré presented the ITU Silver Medal and certificate to Mr Iddrisu in recognition of his “outstanding leadership of the 2009 Session of the ITU Council”.

 
Going paperless... and climate change
In a year so marked by negotiations on the issue of climate change, Dr Touré said: “This was our second test for the Council to work as far as possible in a paperless environment. And I am delighted to see that for a second time it worked again. Our figures indicate that we reduced paper usage by 766 kilos. This equates to almost one and a half tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions we saved – equivalent to driving a typical family vehicle in the United States for almost four months. And working electronically has again allowed the secretariat to enhance time to publication and provide quick access of documents and reports to councillors.”

Dr Touré's speech highlights the key decisions and the innovative working methods of the Council and provides an outlook for 2010.

The Council approved a budget of CHF 332 639 000 for the 2010-2011 biennium. This represents CHF 169 271 000 for the 2010 budget year and CHF 163 368 000 for the 2011 budget year (see table below). 

The budget for 2010-2011 was presented to the plenary on 21 October (see Issue No. 2 of the Highlights) before being considered by the Standing Committee.

Just like in the plenary, delegates in the Standing Committee expressed great appreciation for what they described as “a well detailed and transparent budget document”. They recognized the considerable amount of work that must have gone into preparing the budget. The Committee also welcomed the zero nominal growth approach in the amount of the contributory unit, especially given the current global economic and financial environment.

As Dr Touré put it in his closing remarks: “We approved the biennial budget for 2010-2011 in record time! I think this is due to the transparent manner in which the budget was presented, and I thank you for your confidence.”

The Council also set the amount of the annual contributory unit for 2010 and 2011 at CHF 318 000, based on the class of contribution chosen by Member States. Compared with the situation on which this budget is based, the total number of contributory units from Member States has increased by 2 per cent, thanks to the Republic of Korea doubling its contribution from 5 to 10 units, and to the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Sultanate of Oman and the State of Qatar which changed from ½ unit to one unit.
 
For Sector Members, the annual value of the contributory unit for these two years has been set at CHF 63 600. The contributions for Associates have been set at CHF 10 600 for those participating in the work of the Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU–T) and the Radiocommunication Sector (ITU–R). In the Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU–D), Associates will pay CHF 3975. Associates from developing countries participating in the work of ITU-D will pay CHF 1987.50. Some concerns were expressed with regard to the decline in the number of Sector Members that could become critical if this trend continues.

All delegations who took the floor commended the Chairman of the Standing Committee and the secretariat for a job well done.

• Document 44

In its Resolution 147, the Plenipotentiary Conference (Antalya, 2006) instructed the Council to conduct a study with the aim of improving the efficiency of ITU management by addressing such issues as reporting structures; role, accountability, number and tenure of elected officials; functioning of the Coordination Committee; election procedures, and responsibility and accountability of advisory groups.
 
The secretariat undertook consultations with Member States on these and other issues through Circular Letter 143 and presented the results to the Council in Document 44. Several Member States also submitted proposals on these matters in Documents 69, 74, 75 and 76.
 
There was strong support for stabilizing the basic instruments of the Union (notably, the Constitution) and for an in-depth review of all the revenue sources for the Union; for example,  the contributory unit system, membership types and fees, document and other sales items, including those being sold on a “cost-recovery” basis.
 
Many delegations expressed the need for more consultations with all Member States, advising them of the key challenges and questions to be resolved and providing them with references to relevant documents considered at Council 2009.

The Council has instructed that the Secretary-General continue consultations with all Member States as a follow-up to Circular Letter 143. The issues to be discussed in the new consultation will include:

• Terminology for the titles of the Directors of the Bureaux.
  
  
• A review of the relationship between the timing of the Credentials Report and elections at Plenipotentiary Conferences.
  
  
• A review of the contributory unit system for Member States.
  
  
• A review of existing and new revenue sources and associated costs, including financial contributions from Sector Members and Associates.
  
  
• Methods to stabilize the basic instruments of the Union, and, in particular, the Constitution, on the understanding that this should focus on existing text and should not include new issues.

The Secretary-General will report to Council 2010 on these matters, along with a proposed time plan with specific action items to be considered.

Ms Maite Comas Barnés, Vice-President of the Staff Council, made a statement in accordance with Resolution 51 (Rev. Minneapolis, 1998) of the Plenipotentiary Conference.

Some concern was voiced over the present relations between the Staff Council and the Administration.  A number of delegations made positive suggestions towards improving the situation.  They called on both parties to work towards improving communications and acknowledged the willingness on both sides to begin work on rebuilding trust and dialogue.

Since Council 2008, the Tripartite Group on Human Resources Management has held two meetings with a focus on three major issues:

• the establishment of an ITU ethics policy containing two main components: “whistle blowing” provisions and financial disclosure;
  
  
• the implementation of the new contractual arrangements approved by the 2008 session of the Council;
  
  
• the establishment of a Strategic Plan on human resources management. The Tripartite Group on Human Resources.
  

The Tripartite Group on Human Resources Management is chaired by Bruce Gracie from Canada. When presenting the group’s report (Document 25) to the Standing Committee, Mr Gracie acknowledged the conflict which now exists between the ITU management and the Staff Council. Reference was made to Council Decision 517 on the strengthening of the dialogue between the Management and the Staff Council. Mr Gracie offered to amend this Council Decision in his capacity as Chairman of the Tripartite Group– an offer that had been accepted by the Standing Committee.  The revision is expected to serve as a basis for reinstating a good and constructive relationship between the Management and the Staff Council. 

Discussions also took place in the Standing Committee regarding the implementation of the new contractual arrangements.  One delegation had suggested that the wording “acceptable performance" used in para. 2.1 (of Document 25) as a condition of the conversion of fixed-term appointments into a continuing one be substituted by "satisfactory performance", which corresponds to the language used in the UN common system.

In addition, upon request of the United States delegation, it was decided to ask that the Secretary-General ensure that the conditions for the implementation of the new contractual arrangements are in line with the framework established by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) in its 2005 report.  Reference was made in particular to the fact that the ICSC recommended that "Appointment to a continuing contract is acquired through open and transparent selection procedures in accordance with the organization’s staff regulations and rules".

Noting these remarks during the Standing Committee, the Chief of the Administration and Finance Department acknowledged that the intent of those interventions was to ensure that the process of conversion to continuing appointment should not be merely an administrative one.  As a result, ITU should implement a level of oversight, such as a review of staff performance and any recommendations from Directors being submitted to the Coordination Committee for final approval before conversion.
 
The Council noted the Report of the Chairman of the Tripartite Group on Human Resources Management and approved the revision of Decision 517 “Strengthening Dialogue between the ITU Administration and the ITU Staff Council” (see Annex D to Document 104).

The Council also adopted the proposal to ensure a level of management oversight to the process of conversion of staff from fixed-term status to continuing status.

The post of an ethics officer, reporting to the Secretary-General, is to be established during the 2010-2011 biennium. Document 43 provides the background on this proposal from the secretariat, along with a framework for policies in the areas of financial disclosure and protection of staff from retaliation (whistle blowing).
 
During the discussion in the Standing Committee, there was strong support for the creation of this post, but also some concern about integrating the ethics function into existing ITU policies. The responsibilities of the post are expected to grow and evolve over time. And to be successful, there will have to be “protections” for the ethics officer, as well, the Committee noted.
 
In the Committee, several delegations raised concerns regarding the policy on financial disclosure. These included the scope of the policy regarding types of financial disclosure.  Delegates also stated that they preferred such policies to follow standard United Nations practice.
 
The issue of whistle blowing legislation also received comments from many delegations. Several requests were made for additional text and/or improvements to existing text including:

• The need to make the language more positive.
• The need to reflect more strongly the concept of good faith.
• A review of the time limitation of reporting.
• Legal issues such as jurisdiction and self-incrimination.
• Protection to the organization against frivolous claims.
• The need to harmonize this policy with the UN.
• The need to clarify penalties, if any, associated with misconduct.

The Council approved the position of ethics officer, along with the basic principles contained in the two proposed policies. Revisions to these policies will be submitted to Council 2010 through the Tripartite Group. Once adopted, these policies will not be applied retroactively.

• Document 56(+Corr.1)

During the Standing Committee, delegates were informed that when preparing Document 56 (+Corr.1), ITU had consulted and reviewed other UN agencies’ human resources strategies and best practice, documents and relevant references of the International Civil Service Commission and the HR-Network, as well as strategies from public and private enterprises.

This document will be accompanied by a detailed implementation plan, along with performance indicators. In addition, the secretariat will submit to the Council, every year, a status report on the Human Resources strategy action plan, highlighting the progress made and the next steps.
 
Expressing appreciation for the secretariat’s document, the Standing Committee had described it as a “living” and extremely important document and as a very “ambitious” and “positive” start for the future of the ITU workforce.
 
Nevertheless, some delegations expressed concern over the fact that the Staff Council had not been involved in the drafting of the strategy. These delegations suggested postponing the endorsement of the document to the next Council session in April 2010 so that more details regarding costs and any other financial implications can be provided. Another delegation emphasized the importance of linking the Human Resources Strategy to the ITU strategic plan, to operational plans and to the biennial budget.
 
The Standing Committee:

• Pointed to the importance of strengthening dialogue between the management and the Staff Council during the implementation phase of the Human Resources Strategy.
  
  
• Expressed its appreciation regarding the suggested policies towards reaching equitable gender and geographical distribution, and urged the secretariat to try to reach better results in these two areas.
  
  
• Showed particular interest on issues such as the “Young Professional Programme, internship, succession planning, higher standard of recruitment, and staff training and development”.
  
  
• Made comments regarding the “Separation policy – whether voluntary or agreed upon –”, especially with regard to the policy’s financial implications.

Having noted these comments, the Council endorsed the Human Resources Strategic Plan as the foundation of a comprehensive framework for action.

• Document 60

Document 60 was presented to the Standing Committee and responds to Resolution 48 (rev. Antalya, 2006). The document covers a wide range of staff and management related issues, including recruitment, staffing, post classification, training, performance evaluation, conditions of employment and staff-benefits. It also outlines the action of the Administration and Finance Department, and in particular the two Human Resources Divisions towards improving and modernizing ITU policies and procedures in human resources management.

The Standing Committee expressed its high appreciation for this document and its content, but made remarks regarding gender balance and geographical distribution. It urged the secretariat to consider implementing a more active and affirmative action towards reaching better results in these two areas, making reference also to the various proposals outlined in Document 56 in this regard.  Special emphasis was placed on establishing new recruitment strategies that could help increase the diversity of the workforce and help redress the gender and geographical imbalance.

With reference to staff morale, a general survey is under preparation and would be launched soon. The objectives of the survey are twofold:  to assess as much as possible the staff morale and to invite all staff of the Union to provide the administration with inputs and contributions to the follow-up actions for the Human Resources Strategic Plan.

The Council noted the report of the Secretary-General.

• Document 67

Document 67 provides the background on the proposal from the secretariat to strengthen the Administration and Finance Department with the creation of a new post at the D1 level. The document underlines that, given the operational needs of the human resources functions within ITU, there is a clear need to create an additional senior-level post in the area of human resources. In line with ITU procedures, the creation of the post was submitted to the Council for approval, and Council was invited to note the job description for the post. 
 
The proposal was considered in the Standing Committee, which was advised that the new post had been approved by the Coordination Committee and that provisions had been included in the 2010-2011 budget to finance it. Several delegates noted the need for such a post, but asked for further clarification on the history of senior posts in the Administration and Finance areas and also on the need for such a post so soon after the full reorganization of the Department.
 
The Council approved the creation of the post and noted the job description in Document 67.

• Document 32

Document 32 on the reorganization of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB) was presented to the Standing Committee on Thursday morning (29 October) by TSB Director Malcolm Johnson. WTSA-08 had given TSB a lot of new work, in particular for the high-level industry group, the IPv6 group, the conformance and interoperability testing programme, and on accessibility and climate change. Mr Johnson underlined the need to reorganize TSB in order to cope with the additional workload (some 174 actions).
 
The main changes are the creation of a WTSA Programmes Division to implement these actions, and the creation of a Policy and Technology Watch Division in response to WTSA Resolution 66. These two Divisions, together with the existing Workshop and Promotion Division, form a new Telecommunication Standardization Policy Department, which will be headed by the Deputy to the Director of TSB. 
 
The study group counsellors and assistants, together with the Operational Bulletin and numbering team, form a new Study Group Department.  This Department would be headed by a staff member at D1 level, a position which already existed in the TSB budget (but had been frozen). The post would now be funded through the abolition of a P5 post. In total, 9 posts would be abolished and 9 new posts created, increasing the number of P-level posts.
 
Many delegations took the floor, following Mr Johnson's presentation, and praised the efforts and achievements of TSB and supported the reorganization. These included the Russian Federation, the Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Canada, Mali, Burkina Faso, Bulgaria and Malaysia.
 
Mr Johnson responded to questions to confirm that the budgetary implications of the reorganization were minimal and were foreseen in the 2010-2011 budget. The number of TSB posts would remain at 63 and a succession plan of the numerous P5 posts of counsellors retiring in the next one to three years was being put in place. The Republic of Korea commented that this would ensure a smooth transition.
 
The United States pointed out that the Technology Watch Function was an important part of the reorganization and stressed that contributions in this area be driven by Member States. This view was shared by Canada. Mr Johnson explained that TSB sought comments and input of researchers that it got to know through the Kaleidoscope Event before publication of the final version of the Technology Watch Reports. Malaysia welcomed the Kaleidoscope initiative and Bulgaria, agreeing with these views, commented that TSB had made a careful assessment of its needs and that the other two Bureaux and the General Secretariat should carry out a similar exercise.
 
The Council approved the reorganization of TSB and the job description of the D2 post of Deputy to the Director, Telecommunication Standardization Bureau and Chief, Telecommunication Standardization Policy Department (see Annex E to Document 104), along with the qualifications required for this post (see Annex F to Document 104).

• Document 37

Document 37 responds to Resolution 157 (PP-06) to strengthen the project execution function in ITU and activities carried out since Council session of 2008. The document was considered by the Standing Committee and highlighted the following key issues:

• Projects in the process of implementation and those pending official closure:
  
  • BDT is in the process of implementing over 80 projects (estimated at around USD 71 million). At present, there are 93 projects that have been operationally completed, but not officially closed (number reduced from 104 previously).
    
    
• retention of remaining undisbursed funds:
  
  • Under its project closure efforts, BDT is in the process of negotiating with project funding partners to retain the remaining funds of projects which are operationally completed. Subject to the confirmation of the projects’ funding partners, BDT will use these remaining funds to implement ICT development projects;
    
    
  • retention of interests generated by the project’s budget.

BDT also presented activities highlighting lessons learned and best practice in project management and resource mobilization as well as the enhancement of its own staff in project management.
 
Turkey underlined that project execution is essential to ITU. In its Document 87, the Turkish delegation proposed that the Council consider introducing an interest retention policy in Annex 2 to Article 14 of the Union’s Financial Regulations. Such a policy would require that unless otherwise stipulated in the project document, interest should be retained by ITU to help reduce a project’s costs or to fund other projects. The Turkish proposal was welcomed and supported, in particular, by the delegations of the Russian Federation, Cuba and Bulgaria.
 
The secretariat responded to questions from the United States, which sought to know the reasons for the delay in closing projects and why more human resources were requested, and from Malaysia regarding budget implications.
 
Bulgaria explained that backlog of unclosed projects is typical within the UN system, as administrations are slow to respond when asked what to do with the remaining funds or interests.
 
The Council instructed the Secretary-General to take measures to close all outstanding completed projects, as soon as possible.

As recommended by the Standing Committee, the Council approved, in principle, the creation of an Audit Committee, subject to the need for Group FINREGS to further analyse and discuss the issues raised by delegates and already included in Document 18 (Rev.1). The final decision on this matter will be taken at Council 2010 (see also the Highlights of 26 October).

• Financial Operating Report for the Financial Year 2008

The Council approved the financial operating report, including the audited 2008 accounts for the TIES (Telecom Information Exchange Services) special account, technical cooperation projects (United Nations Development Programme, trust funds and Special Fund for Technical Cooperation), voluntary contributions and the ITU Staff Superannuation and Benevolent Funds (see Resolution in Annex B of Document 104).

The ITU Staff Pension Committee consists of three members of the Council, three staff members appointed by the Secretary-General, and three participants chosen by the staff. There are also three alternates designated for each staff category. The Council appointed the representatives shown in the table below to the ITU Staff Pension Committee.

The Resolution also says that the group will present its final report, well in advance of WCIT, for the use of Member States in preparing their proposals to that conference. This final report will be submitted to WCIT by the Secretary-General.

The Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux will make available to this group the means necessary to implement the provisions of this Resolution, within the available financial resources of the Union.

It invites the relevant study groups within the three Sectors, each within its field of competence to carry out any further necessary studies aimed at preparing for WCIT and to report to the group, as appropriate. It invites Member States and Sector Members to contribute to the work.

The group is open to all Member States and Sector Members and will work in the six official languages of the Union. It will:

1. Consider, as appropriate, relevant work regarding the International Telecommunication Regulations (ITR) that took place prior to the work of the Expert Group to review the ITRs.
   
   
2. Take into account the work and the outputs of the Expert Group to Review the ITRs and of the World Telecommunication Policy Forum (Lisbon, 2009), with emphasis on Opinion 6.
   
   
3. Study contributions and note information documents submitted to it, including the contributions presented to Council 2009 and the comments made during discussions at Council 2009.
   
   
4. Discuss proposals for revisions to the existing ITRs, including proposals for suppressions of provisions and/or abrogation as appropriate.
   
   
5. Discuss proposals relating to new and emerging issues.
   
   
6. Reflect the results of all discussions, with possible reflection of parties' positions in the minutes of the meetings, without taking any decisions on those positions.
   
   
7. Reconcile differences in approaches as contained in the inputs to the extent possible, or, in the case where the approaches cannot be reconciled, include the differing views and their justification.
   
   
8. Prepare proposals to revise and/or abrogate as appropriate, the WATTC-88 Resolutions, Recommendations and Opinions.
   
   
9.  Prepare proposals as appropriate for draft new Resolutions, Recommendations and Opinions for consideration by WCIT.