INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION
RADIOCOMMUNICATION ADVISORY GROUP

GENEVA, 23-25 JANUARY 1995 Document RAG95/10-E
9 December 1994
Original: English
                            
                                 
                                 
     Radiocommunication Study Group Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen
                                 
                                 
             COMMENTARY ON ASPECTS OF WORKING METHODS
                                 
                                 

1    Coordination meeting of Working Parties and Task Groups of one
     Study Group

     When two or more Working Parties and/or Task Groups in one
Study Group meet at the same time, some Study Groups have adopted
the practice of holding a joint coordination meeting of the Working
Parties and Task Groups of the Study Group.

     Such meetings are of value to the participants present since
they:

     - provide an efficient means of informing participants of
        current issues and progress;

     - provide an opportunity for review of the organization at
        working level within the Study Group;

     - provide an opportunity for an exchange of information on
        work in progress and on documentation being developed. In
        this way the need for formal liaison statements within a
        Study Group will be substantially reduced.

     It is proposed that possibility of such joint coordination
meetings should be recognized as a part of the working methods:

     - A joint coordination meeting of Working Parties and Task
        Groups of a Study Group, which are meeting at the same
        time, may be held if desirable.

     - Such a joint coordination meeting may review and consider
        the organization and work being undertaken by the groups
        concerned.

     - A joint meeting should be chaired by the Chairman of the
        Study Group, a Vice-Chairman or by a participant nominated
        by the Study Group Chairman.

     - A joint coordination meeting will not constitute a Study
        Group meeting and will not undertake any of the tasks or
        functions of a Study Group identified in Resolution ITU-R
        1, § 2.

     It may be noted that, exceptionally, a meeting of a Study
Group may be arranged at any time when there is an urgent need to
meet the provisions of Resolution ITU-R 1, § 2. The timing of such
a meeting may be coincident with the Working Party meetings and
will be subject to the constraints of budget and facilities.


2    CPM preparations

     Present experience is demonstrating the severe difficulties
for both the Bureau and for administrations and ITU Members in
undertaking the preparations for the CPM, essentially within one
year. This is due to the fact that the new process for WRCs and
their preparation is just beginning.

     Preparation is now in hand for CPM-97 which should alleviate
the pressures in 1996 to some extent.

     It is recommended that Questions should be considered with a
view to possible future agenda items, even more than four years
ahead, so that adequate preparations may be made in advance to the
maximum extent that the agenda topic allows.


3    Block meetings of Working Parties and Task Groups

     According to Resolution R 1 § 2.18, the programme of meetings
should take into account, inter alia, "the desirability of
contiguous meetings on related topics". This requirement is
important for the benefit for participants.

     However, the lengthy "block" meetings which have been held in
the past place great peak demands on the ITU Conferences and Common
Services Departments and particularly the services of the Bureau
and on the BR Secretariat Editing Services. It is proposed that in
future, smaller block meetings of related groups should be
separated by a period of at least one week, in order that the
preparation and editing work should be easier to perform for the
BR. This is also important for the editorial groups, which often
receive the draft Recommendations very late before SG meetings, due
to an overloading of the BR and the linguistic service.


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