Speech by Malcolm Johnson, ITU Deputy Secretary-General

Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group : Welcome Remarks

01 February 2016, Geneva, Switzerland

TSAG Chairman and Vice-Chairmen
Director TSB, Director BR
Ambassador of Tunisia
Colleagues and friends, 

It is a pleasure to welcome you to this first session of TSAG in 2016. 

I would like to convey best regards from ITU Secretary Houlin Zhao. Mr Zhao is on mission but hopes to be able to address TSAG on Friday at its closing plenary. 

This is an important year for the ITU-T with WTSA from 25 October – 4 November, preceded by the Global Standards Symposium on the 24 October to be held at the kind invitation of the Tunisian Government in Hammanet, pending consultation of Member States. 

TSAG will play an key role in preparing for WTSA both at this meeting and the additional meeting in July, as will the RevCom.  

ITU-T has gained a reputation for initiating many new activities that later span the breadth of ITU work. This is to the credit of TSAG's will to innovate.   

Academia membership is on the rise following the introduction of a single Academia membership fee for access to all aspects of ITU work at the last Plenipotentiary Conference. Prior to the introduction of this single fee, ITU-T accounted for the majority of ITU's academia members and we now have over 100 academia members playing an increasingly active role. 

ITU-T continues to lead our efforts to strengthen academic participation in ITU activities, sharing lessons learnt from the healthy participation of academia in ITU-T as well as the success of the Kaleidoscope series of academic conferences. 

ITU-T's work to combat climate change and improve energy efficiency is gaining in stature and we see great momentum building in this field of study.  

I led the ITU delegation to COP21 climate change conference in Paris last December where we held a number of side events, which were very well attended, presenting our important role in ICTs and climate change, especially in regards to smart cities. 

The development of smart sustainable cities has become a key policy issue for administrations around the world, and ITU is playing a central role in creating an enabling environment for a safer, happier life in our cities. 

The development of smart cities will depend on efficient public-private collaboration, which is why it is important that the new SG20 enjoys the support of the full membership of ITU-T. 

As a UN agency, ITU holds a unique position in the ICT standardization ecosystem, with sound principles underlying its process, principles that ensure that all voices are heard, and that ITU meets the needs of all its membership, including in particular developing countries.

Also last December I was pleased to lead the ITU delegation to the UN General Assembly ten-year review of the WSIS – the World Summit on the Information Society. One aspect that was emphasized there is the important role WSIS will play in ensuring that ICTs are properly deployed to enable the implementation of all 17 of the sustainable development goals. This will be a major focus of ITU's work in the coming years, including in the ITU-T Sector. 

I would like to conclude by thanking Chaesub Lee for all he has done in his busy first year as TSB Director. Our members have very much appreciated how he has heard their concerns and worked to respond in their best interests. 

I thank TSAG Chairman Bruce Gracie and his management team you for all their hard work in preparing for this meeting and always ensuring an efficient TSAG meeting.

And finally, I would like to thank the many thousands of experts that drive the success of ITU-T: the Rapporteurs and Editors, Study Group Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen, Chairmen of Working Parties, Chairmen of Focus Groups, and all the participants to the meetings. Your contribution to the work of ITU is highly appreciated.  

So I wish you all a very successful and enjoyable meeting, especially in your preparations for the upcoming WTSA-16.

Thank you.