Preparing for the Plenipotentiary
Conference in Guadalajara

"Broadband will no doubt be one of the many topics we will discuss in October in Guadalajara at PP-10, as we define and chart the future shape and direction of the Union over the next four years."

This year's session of the ITU governing body, the Council, got under way on 13 April 2010 with India taking over the rotating chairmanship from Ghana. Mr R.N. Jha, Deputy Director-General, Department of Telecommunications, Government of India, who was vice-chairman last year, was elected Chairman by acclamation. The vice-chairmanship this year falls to Region A (Americas) and went to Mexico’s Fernando Borjón, Coordinador de Desarrollo Tecnológico, Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes, following consultation by the Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun I. Touré. Leadership of the Council’s Standing Committee on Administration and Management remains the same as last year, with Reynaldo C. González Bustamante of Mexico as Chairman, alongside Vice-Chairmen Jason Ashurst (Australia) and Blanca González (Spain).

Normally, there is a one-year interval between two sessions of the Council. However, because of the Plenipotentiary Conference, which will take place in Guadalajara, Mexico, from 4  to 22 October 2010 (PP-10), this year’s session had to start earlier, leaving just a little over five months for its preparation.

Message from the Chairman

In his opening address, Mr Jha noted that despite these time constraints, the Council had a large number of important documents to consider from the Secretariat and from the Member States (see Agenda). Mr Jha added that as ITU celebrates its 145th anniversary this year, its importance is increasing as newer technologies, applications and services are introduced that contribute to economic growth worldwide. “ITU needs to continue to reorganize and reorient itself in order to fulfil its growing role and remain relevant with time as knowledge and technology evolve,” he said. He called on ITU to ensure that policies and regulatory frameworks remain synchronized with the newer technologies, particularly, as next-generation networks get deployed.

Highlighting the importance of information and communication technology (ICT) services and how they have improved and continue to improve our lives, Mr Jha commented that: “One can remain without food and water for a few days, but for a civilized society, it has become impossible to remain unconnected and uninformed, even for a single day.” He asked for the cooperation of all so that “significant decisions can be taken on the number of topics of serious concern for the success of ITU in the future”.

• The process of establishing an independent [Oversight/Audit Advisory] Committee that has been considered further, with more inputs from Member States to develop its terms of reference and complementary functions to be played in support of the existing governance structure.
  
  
• The grounds set to ensure deeper transparency and accountability as a measure to improve governance through the implementation of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) system.
  
  
• The improvement made on the development of a new Human Resources Strategic Plan and its Implementation Action Plan, considered by all as “a living document” because it allows for inputs to be made by the Staff Council in close collaboration with Management, following regular discussions.
  
  
• The creation of an Ethics Office as a step towards the development of an ITU Ethics Policy.
  
  
• The contribution made by the Union to the policy process to promote the deployment of ICT as a tool in the global agenda to mitigate the effects of climate change following approval by the Council last year of the resolution on ICT and climate change just before the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009.
  
  
• The assessment of activities undertaken by the group created by the Council on Child Online Protection to look at ITU's role with regard to international public policy issues concerning creating a safer Internet environment for children.

On staff matters, Mr Iddrisu commented that Council 2010 would see “the collaboration between Management and the Staff Council, move to a higher pedestal, following the resumption of formal dialogue, consultation mechanisms and meetings between the Administration and Staff Council since Council 2009”.  This, he noted “is a pointer to the fact that Management and Staff Council have heeded the call of Council 2009 to work together and promote peace and harmony and work towards the attainment of the objectives of the Union. They have our commendation”, Mr Iddrisu added.
 
He then drew attention to the report of the Telecommunications Standardization Bureau (TSB) on the Management of Regional Internet Registries to benefit all. In this regard, he informed the Council of the Declaration made at the African Union Heads of Government Summit calling on African countries to support AfriNic, as the Regional Registry for Internet Number Resources for Africa. He said Africa now had an Internet penetration rate of just about 6.8 per cent, compared to the rest of the world with a penetration rate of about 28.9 per cent.  AfriNic, he said, should be supported in the performance of its role as the Regional Internet Registry (RIR) in a bid to bridge this gap. He said Ghana looked forward to being re-elected to the Council to continue to discharge its service to ITU.

• Full text
  
  

A minute of silence was observed to mark the sad and untimely passing of former ITU Secretary-General Dr Pekka Tarjanne, who held office from November 1989 to January 1999 and Poland's President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria, as well as his entourage of senior officials, who died in a tragic plane crash in Smolensk, in the Russian Federation, on 10 April 2010.

Dr Touré described Dr Tarjanne as “a passionate believer in the power of ICT to change the world, and a leading advocate of the ‘Right to Communicate’ as a fundamental human right”. He added that "Dr Tarjanne was not only a tireless campaigner for ICT development and international cooperation, but a scientist who took a keen interest in the work of ITU in radio-frequency management and standards development." He recalled that "Dr Tarjanne presided over ITU during an era of unprecedented growth, and charted a sure and steady course for the organization through a period of immense change and upheaval." He then informed the Council that a Book of Condolences for Dr Tarjanne was open for signing, and would be sent to his family in Finland.

Dr Touré also expressed condolences to the Government and the People of Poland on behalf of ITU. “This is a terrible event for Poland, and for all who know Poland,” Dr Touré said.

Dr Tarjanne was a close personal friend of many councillors, who all paid tribute to his huge contribution to the Union and also expressed their deep sorrow for Poland's national tragedy. The Polish Ambassador thanked the Council for the sympathy and solidarity it expressed towards the Polish delegation and nation. He said a Book Condolence was open at the Polish Permanent Mission for signing.

Recent achievements and looking ahead

Dr Touré highlighted some of the recent achievements of our Union, in particular the work to develop 3D TV standards, the universal charger solution for mobile phones, as well as ITU's timely interventions in restoring communications in the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes in Haiti and Chile,  and the mudslides in Uganda between January and March 2010. Looking ahead, he emphasized the importance of WTDC-10 for  PP-10 . A number of Regional Preparatory Meetings have been held around the world to provide inputs on strategies and priorities to WTDC-10. "The Conference will adopt a declaration and an action plan that will pave the way to building on the foundations of a truly global information society," Dr Touré said.

 

Dr Touré informed the Council that ITU and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) were in the process of establishing a Broadband Commission for Digital Development. The commission will be chaired by President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, with the Director-General of UNESCO Irina Bokova and Dr Touré holding the vice-chairmanship. The commission has the full backing of the United Nations Secretary-General, and will report to the 2010 MDG Summit later this year in September. The commission complements ITU’s own ‘Build on Broadband’ campaign, launched in January 2010 to increase awareness on the vital role broadband will play in the 21st century. The Secretary-General underlined that with this campaign, ITU had taken the lead in getting ICT back into the mainstream of the mandate of the United Nations and its specialized agencies.

Dr Touré suggested the holding of a High-Level Segment (HLS) dedicated to “Our Shared Broadband Future”, on the opening day of the Plenipotentiary Conference. HLS would bring together Heads of State and CEOs from ITU Sector Members to share their vision for the future of ICT and broadband Internet.

He also called for more stable and predictable funding mechanisms for the future of the Union. Dr Touré said that “with the implementation of new systems, such as IPSAS, we now have the necessary transparency and discipline to achieve this”. He expressed the hope that with better reporting mechanisms, Member States will be convinced that supporting ITU’s work is good value for money. And as the world moves out of the financial crisis, he hoped that Member States will consider increasing their contributions to ITU.

PP-10 should take steps towards stabilizing the basic texts of the Union, with a view to creating durable texts that do not require frequent amendment by Member States, the Secretary-General underlined.

Member States should work together with the secretariat to increase Sector membership and broaden and strengthen the Union. “As a market-responsive organization in a fast-changing environment, we need to work constantly to continue to increase our relevance,” Dr Touré told the Council. “We must attract and welcome new members from all branches of ICT while retaining existing members,” he stressed.
 
Another key question on which PP-10 should ponder is whether the membership categories – which go back to 1998 and beyond – are still relevant and appropriate in today’s world. "In a world with close to five billion mobile cellular subscriptions and two billion Internet users, perhaps we can simplify things for prospective members" Dr Touré noted, calling on the Council to explore this issue “taking into account the complex needs of different constituencies”.

The Secretary-General’s State of the Union address was well received. Saudi Arabia described it as “convincing and complete”. Tanzania commended ITU for its efforts on emergency telecommunication assistance to Haiti, Uganda, Chile and the rest of the world. The Secretary-General was commended for raising the visibility of the Union on the international scene. Pakistan, Malaysia and Algeria liked its focus on broadband, with Algeria saying that they would participate in boosting broadband through the Commission.

• Document C10/35
  

ITU Deputy Secretary-General presented Document C10/35 on the activities of the Union since the last Plenipotentiary Conference in Antalya, Turkey, in 2006. The report covers the period 2007-2010, as well as ITU TELECOM WORLD 2006, which took place in Hong Kong, China, in December 2006.  It highlights the main activities and accomplishments, as well as progress in achieving the implementation of the seven Strategic Goals of the Union for 2008-2011, Mr Zhao said.

The report is structured in five parts as follows:

• The introduction in Part 1 highlights key trends in ITU membership and the present status of ratification of the basic instruments of the Union.
  
  
• Part II summarizes the activities of Council in its extraordinary and ordinary Sessions since 2006 and Council Working Groups.
  
  
• Part III gives an overview of progress in ITU’s work to implement the Strategic Plan 2008-2011. It summarizes the work of all three Sectors and the General Secretariat in meeting their specific objectives.
  
  
• Part IV describes progress in the specific Decisions, Resolutions and Recommendations on which ITU is required to report to the Plenipotentiary Conference.
  
  
• The Table in Part V summarizes all the Decisions, Resolutions and Recommendations which ITU is required to report on and the recommended possible action for PP-10.

Mr Zhao said the report would be completed when the working groups finalize their work in June, but that this would not have a big impact on the rest of the report.
 
Canada asked for part 5 to be acknowledged or noted, but not approved as there may be proposals from the regions. This view was supported by the United Arab Emirates and France, with Sweden suggesting that this section of the report be presented as a separate document.
 
Algeria described it as a “report of critical importance” but expressed concern about the declining number of Sector Members and asked the reasons for the decline. Mr Zhao explained that the decline is, in part, due to a very dynamic market, with convergence of technologies, operators, and also the financial crisis. On the other hand, what are the benefits for the private sector joining ITU? This, he said, was a frequent question, noting that one benefit is the free-online access to some of ITU's publications. He underlined the need for assistance from Member States to promote the Union. In terms of getting more Member States in the Union, he added that he has been tasked to get East-Timor to join ITU.

France thanked the Deputy Secretary-General and the secretariat for what he called “a thorough report organized around the seven strategic goals”, adding that it will be a very useful document for developing the future strategic plan.
 
Germany, noting the low number of Member States (26) that had ratified the Union’s Constitution and Convention since Antalya, said that this illustrated the pressing need to work towards stable instruments at PP-10. Kenya, while expressing appreciation for the report, also shared this view and requested that information be provided on the number of Member States that have acceded or ratified the basic instruments six months before a Plenipotentiary Conference.
 
The United States agreed with earlier comments, but expressed concern with regard to Part 4 (notably Resolution 146 and the WTPF Opinions). He added that the cover page of Document C10/35 should reflect the status of hyperlinks, along the lines agreed last year (see Document C09/36). According to this agreement "… The inclusion of an internal hyperlink in a document submitted for approval should not result in implicit approval of the content of the hyperlink's target. Any approval on the part of the organ in question must be explicit."
 

Malaysia sought to know the views of the secretariat on the proliferation of working groups, which take rather long to complete their work, according to that delegation. The delegation also suggested that these groups should only be set up when absolutely necessary, underlining that critical decisions have to be taken quickly and that these groups are very expensive and not many countries can take part in them and are, therefore, left out from decision-making.

• Document C10/20 and Addendum 1
  
  

• Extrapolation of the approved 2010-2011 budget to the 2012-2015 financial period.
  
  
• Zero nominal growth approach (amount of the contributory unit maintained at CHF 318 000 for the 2012 – 2015 period).
  
  
• Programme variation: estimated growth of CHF 5.6 million (WCIT-12, WRC/RA-12 and WRC-12 post conference work).
  
  
• Assessed contributions: the situation as of January 2010 indicates a reduction of about 1 per cent in the number of full equivalent contributory units due to a drop in the number of Sector Members, corresponding to a potential loss of CHF 5.2 million over the four-year period.
   
  
• Cost recovery income is assumed to stay constant overall. Income from Satellite Network Filings activities is expected to reduce by CHF 2 million, compared with the extrapolated value of the 2010-2011 budget. This takes into account the assumption that the incoming notices in 2012-2015 are expected to follow the regular activity level. This should be offset by the cost recovery income from other products and services, assuming an annual growth of 1.5 per cent on average.
  
  
• On exceptional circumstances, withdrawals from the Reserve Account may be required in order to balance revenue and expenditure, once other measures have been exhausted (for example those foreseen in Annex 2 to Decision 5 (Rev. Antalya, 2006)).
  
  
  

Bruce Gracie, Chairman of the Council Group on the Financial Regulations and Related Financial Management Issues (FINREGS), underlined the need to establish linkages between the strategic plan and the budget structure going forward. “We should consider merging decisions 5 and 6 from Antalya, given that we were unable to reach agreement on a financial plan in Antalya,” Mr Gracie said. He proposed that the FINREGS group should meet on 15 June, review elements of the Financial Plan and provide input to Mr Bigi’s group for discussion on 16 June 2010.
 
Dr Touré also recalling that “we came from Antalya without financial plan” stressed that this should not happen at PP-10, with a balanced plan. “We are returning good money every time to the Reserve Account”, he said adding that he will continue visiting countries and satellite super powers, who also realize that their level of contributions does not reflect their financial strength. He noted that there may be gaps now… but that the picture would be clearer closer to PP-10. “ We were able to balance the budget in 2007 without any problem, and in record time in 2009. So we should be able to do the same before the conference,” Dr Touré said.
 
Germany stressed the need to have “a paper with concrete goals” and that reflects “where we want to be five years from now”. The United States supported this view, as well as Mr Gracie’s comments, adding that there was no time to finish the review in RAG. He also emphasized the need to look for concrete measures to reduce the gap in the draft financial plan. “We do not want to see the Reserve Account as a way of balancing the budget… it is not a long-term sustainable option,” the United States commented. The councillor expressed support for the efforts being made by the Secretary-General to put the Union on a sustainable path. Malaysia noted that key performance indicators were already being used by the group as a way forward to a clear strategic plan.
 
Switzerland, underlining the importance of tabling a balanced budget at PP-10, noted that we should not underestimate the issue of how we manage our spending. “We laud the efforts of the Secretary-General, but we must look at other measures and set priorities. Dipping into our Reserve Account should not be a habit, but must be an emergency,” the Swiss delegate said, adding that we should look at using real zero growth as opposed to zero nominal growth.
 
Saudi Arabia, echoing the sentiments of previous speakers said that the draft plan “is a working document”. Indonesia called for the strengthening of regional offices to better meet the needs of the regions. Bulgaria underlined three things: the need for a balanced budget, the linkages between all three plans (i.e. the Strategic Plan, the Financial Plan and the Operational plans of the three ITU Sectors and the General Secretariat), and how do we cope with the economic and financial crisis, which might last a long time? Bulgaria also expressed appreciation for the Secretary-General’s efforts to have a balanced budget.
 
Noting that 80 per cent of the budget is staff cost, Bulgaria said that the secretariat should provide the Council with the percentage of staff in the General Services and Professional categories. “Now, with computers, is the ratio still needed?” the councillor queried, adding that staff should be made more efficient and adapted to the environment. He said that the establishment of a redundancy fund would help deal with some of these issues, and emphasized that “we should use the Reserve Account very rarely”.
 
Mr Bigi stated that the plan was still at an early stage and that it is up to members to decide the priorities to be featured in it, adding that he would be happy to hold another meeting of the group on the Elaboration of the Strategic and Financial Plans during this session of the Council.
 
 

The Council noted the report of the Management and Budget Group presented by its Chairman Mr Jha (now Council Chairman). MBG has the mandate, inter alia, to provide advice and guidance to the elected officials regarding the implementation of the strategic and operational plans. At its meeting in February 2010, MBG considered reports from FINREGS, the group on the Elaboration of the Strategic and Financial Plans, and from the Tripartite Group on Human Resources Management. It also reviewed issues related to linking strategic, financial and operational planning. Mexico, which now holds the vice-chairmanship of the Council, takes over the chairmanship of MBG.