Secretary-General's Speech at the First Plenary Meeting of Kyoto Plenipotentiary Conference 19 September 1994 Mr. Chairman, Honourable Ministers, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends, Welcome to the first working session of PP-94. As we all know, compared to many previous Plenipotentiary Conferences in our 130-year history, we have a great deal of work to do and relatively little time in which to do it. We will have to be disciplined if we want to have a smooth, efficient and successful conference. I will therefore try to set a good example by being brief in these opening remarks, as our Chairman has requested. A longer version will be distributed in writing. The five-year period since our last Plenipotentiary Conference has been a time of momentous change, not just in the ITU, and not just in telecommunications, but in the world as a whole. One result of this change is that 184 countries are now Members of the ITU, an increase of 18 since Nice. I should like to welcome all the new ITU Members who are attending their first Plenipotentiary Conference. We also have the privilege of extending a special welcome to an old Member, the Republic of South Africa, after an absence of many years. For the past five years, "the changing telecommunications environment" has been the ITU's theme song. Some of you may be tired of this tune. You might want to hear a different song. I am afraid this will not be possible, if we want the ITU to remain the leading forum for international telecommunications. We must analyse how the ITU can achieve its purposes in the rapidly changing international environment, and resolve to take all the action necessary to reinforce and strengthen the Union's leading position. In these opening remarks, I should like to give you my personal assessment of the challenges facing the Union as we devise our strategy for the twenty-first century. To my mind, we should approach this task with a clear understanding of the heavy responsibilities we bear. Today communications, in the broadest sense of the term, is the biggest business in the world. It is certainly one of the most profitable, in all senses of the word. Does any one of us doubt that telecommunications will be one of the most important forces shaping the world of tomorrow? For better or for worse, the long-term well- being of the human race and our natural environment depends on good communications and, m ore to the point, on our ability to foster the development of the global telecommunications network, in harmony with the fundamental values we all share. Five years ago, when I addressed the Nice Plenipotentiary Conference, I made the following statements: - Telecommunications is more important than ever; - Development is more important than ever; - Telecommunications is development. The past five years have confirmed the truth of these statements. It should now be clear to every government that human development depends on telecommunications. This is true whether we are talking about economic, social, cultural or political development. The ITU's first World Telecommunication Development Report, which was published earlier this year, unfortunately showed that the telecommunications gap between developed and developing countries has narrowed only marginally. It showed that there is special cause for concern in the case of the least developed countries (LDCs), where telecommunications growth is failing to keep up with social demands. It is imperative that the ITU seek by all available means to narrow the telecommunications development gap as a matter of urgent priority. I agree with the conclusions of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), which took place in Buenos Aires last March, that in pursuing this goal we must pay particular attention to the needs of the LDCs, as well as to sustainable rural development worldwide. Today, we are in a better position than ever before to tackle these problems. The structures which were established at Nice are in place. And as a result of the WTDC, we have a comprehensive telecommunications development strategy to guide our action for the next four years. We do not yet know what the results the Buenos Aires Action Plan will be. The Study Groups, which are a central feature of the plan, have not yet met, and this conference will give ITU Members their first opportunity to study in detail the four-year programme designed to implement the decisions of the WTDC. I know that many of you will want to examine these plans with care. You will want to assure yourselves that they truly meet the needs of developing countries. You will also want to be assured that our development plans are financially responsible, and that they are manageable within our expenditure ceilings. I urge you to approach this task in a frame of mind that is constructive, compassionate and fair to the needs of all ITU members. We have a unique opportunity at this Conference. I believe that we are finally in a position to respond successfully to the development challenge, to find the long- lost "missing link". Let us rise to the occasion. As we examine development issues, we might well draw inspiration from the example of the Asia-Pacific Region. Not long ago, almost all the countries in this region ranked among the least developed, in terms both of telecommunications and of overall economic development. As we know, over the past decade a number of Asia-Pacific countries have experienced explosive rates of growth in both areas, conclusively demonstrating the close links which exist between telecommunications and economic development. Today, the Asia-Pacific region is the most dynamic region in the world. It is also among the most innovative in its approach to telecommunications development. While each country and region has distinctive needs, some of the models developed in the Asia-Pacific region might successfully be applied in other parts of the world. Meeting the development challenge is a task of enormous scope and complexity. It will require the imagination and energy of all of our members, both "Capital M" and "small m". Increasingly, governments recognize that they must find ways to harness the entrepreneurship and resources of the private sector if they wish to achieve their development goals. The private sector, for its part, should recognize that it has social responsibilities, and should be willing to accept appropriate obligations in exchange for the opportunity to participate profitably in telecommunications development. Meeting the development challenge will require the combined efforts of all three ITU Sectors. Radiocommunication and standardization both have important contributions to make to the Union's development programmes. In addition to the benefits they bring to developed countries, innovative technologies -- such as cellular telephones, mobile satellite services and VSATs -- may make it possible to provide basic telecommunication services in underserved or unserved areas of the world more rapidly, and at considerably less cost, than could be done by relying solely on traditional technologies. If the development and deployment of innovative technologies is effectively managed and coordinated through the combined efforts of the three ITU Sectors, universal service could in the not too distant future become a reality everywhere in the world. There is much we can do to meet the development challenge, simply by making the best possible use of ITU resources. But this task cannot be the work of the ITU alone. Heads of state, regional bodies and other international organizations, such as the new World Trade Organization, all have a part to play. The fundamental challenge facing the ITU is to focus the energies and resources of all these players -- inside and outside the ITU -- on developing a truly global telecommunication network which is accessible any time, to anyone with a need to communicate, anywhere in the world. In the twenty-first century, the "right to communicate" should finally be recognized as a fundamental human right. To meet this challenge, the ITU must become a truly open organization -- open to its members, open to its partners, open to new ideas, open to new ways of doing things, open to the infinite possibilities of modern telecommunications. Let us therefore resolve from the very outset that the Kyoto Plenipotentiary Conference will provide the world with the key to this "Open Telecommunications Organization" (Ky - OTO)! We have already begun to see the benefits of this open approach. One of the innovations of the APP was to establish bodies to advise the Directors of the new Sectors. The advice of these groups has enriched the draft strategic plan for 1995-99 which will be considered by this Conference. The World Telecommunication Advisory Council has also made a number of important contributions to the work of the ITU. WTAC has developed a vision of the role telecommunications should play in the world of tomorrow and has given me advice on many of the critical issues facing the Union. One of these issues is the financing of telecommunications development. As directed by the Nice Plenipotentiary Conference, I have continued to study the proposal originally made in the Maitland Commission's report to establish a new organization -- WorldTel -- independent from the ITU, to promote and fund telecommunications development. After carefully considering this proposal, WTAC recommended that I commission a feasibility study of the WorldTel concept. The WorldTel feasibility study has been funded outside the ITU regular budget by interested parties. It will be completed by the end of the year. In the final analysis, the feasibility of WorldTel will depend not on the ITU, but on the willingness of investors to support the WorldTel concept. However, if WorldTel succeeds, we will have done something very important for developing countries, simply by sponsoring a good idea and showing leadership in a good cause. The regulatory colloquia we have hosted over the past couple of years are another good example of the benefits that can be achieved through openness to new ideas, new ways of doing things and ITU leadership. There has been a great deal of interest in the reports of the first two colloquia. And participants have made it clear that they value the opportunity to meet and discuss important matters of common interest on an informal basis. The outstanding success achieved in recent years by the TELECOM exhibitions and fora is another excellent example of the benefits that can come from being open to new ways of doing things. The world TELECOMs held every four years in Geneva have become the "Olympic Games" of the telecommunications industry; they are the largest events of their kind anywhere in the world. During the past four years, we have also held very successful regional TELECOMs, mainly in conjunction with our regional development conferences. When I meet with government and industry leaders from around the world, I often find that they know about the ITU mainly because of TELECOM. There are important lessons to be learned from TELECOM's success if we want the ITU to play a leading role in the information society of the twenty-first century. Many of the most important questions facing this Conference involve the three fundamental factors illustrated by these examples - - openness, innovation and leadership. For several years, there has been much talk about the need to enhance participation in the ITU by "non-administration entities and organizations" -- or "small-m members" as they are more informally known. At the very least, I hope that this Conference will find more elegant terminology to designate our partners in developing the global telecommunications network. More importantly, I believe that the future role of our "small-m members" is the fundamental strategic issue facing this conference. While we may not be able to resolve all the questions surrounding this issue, it is very important that we send a strong and credible signal to the international telecommunications community -- a signal which says clearly that we want all members of this community to participate more fully and more effectively in the ITU. Let us resolve to work with them over the next four years to make this happen. While it is not possible to forecast the results of this process in detail, certain facts should be clear from the beginning. Since 1934, the ITU has been a single organization. Its members share a number of common purposes, rights and obligations. However, the ITU is not a unitary organization. It has a federal structure, in which each Sector has different responsibilities, goals and working methods. Moreover, the roles of Members and "members" differ significantly from one Sector to another. In the regulatory domain of the Radiocommunication Sector, the interests of governmental Members are clearly paramount. In the Standardization Sector, on the other hand, the work is done by and for the "members". In the Development Sector, partnership between the public and private sectors is the key to success. Because of these real and important differences, it is clear that there cannot be a single, uniform solution to the question of "small-m" membership. Our challenge will be to find solutions that strengthen each Sector individually and the ITU as a whole. This question will not be easy to resolve. However, we must approach it in the proper perspective. Those of you who are familiar with the history of the ITU may recall that private companies were first admitted to participate in Union activities at our third Plenipotentiary Conference, which took place in Rome in 1871-72. After 120 years, surely the time has come to take the next step! Kyoto must be the turning-point on the issue of "small-m member" participation. If we lack the imagination and courage to solve the problem of reconciling the ITU's intergovernmental foundations with the new realities of world telecommunications, I fear for the Union's future. Another key issue involving questions of openness, innovation and leadership concerns the idea of creating a new forum where ITU members could discuss their telecommunications policies and strategies. This is a new idea which our hosts, to their credit, have had the courage to propose. However, it is not an easy idea to accept. It touches our loftiest purposes and our deepest concerns. In the changing telecommunications environment, the role of government is changing. In the past, most ITU Member Administrations played several roles. They were planners, operators and regulators, all in one. There is now a worldwide trend to separate these roles. In the new environment, the principal role of many Member Administrations is to establish policies and devise strategies. Since we are an intergovernmental organization, is it not natural for the ITU to provide a forum where its members can discuss their policies and strategies? Is this not particularly the case when the lack of an international policy framework threatens to impede the development of the global information infrastructure? But is there not the risk that such a forum might undermine the sovereign right of nations to regulate their telecommunications? Is there not a danger that it might interfere with the efficient working of international markets? Striking the right balance between these competing concerns will not be easy. Several Members have already proposed solutions While I applaud their efforts, I do not think that the right answer has yet been found. Since I am an optimist, I am confident that the Kyoto Conference will find a way of solving this challenging problem. To help us find the right answer, we might apply a simple test to the different proposals for resolving this issue. Our fundamental concern should be whether a proposed course of action will help to develop the global telecommunications network in ways that are consistent with the purposes of the ITU and serve the interests of all its members. In other words, we should ask ourselves how the policy forum could help to make the vision of the global information infrastructure a reality. If we keep this objective in mind, we cannot go wrong. As the Conference progresses, you may be sure that we in the Secretariat will make ourselves fully available to you for whatever help and advice we can provide. I hope that we will be able to contribute usefully to your discussions, but of course the final responsibility for a successful conference is yours. The Plenipotentiary Conference is the supreme body of the Union. I know that you are fully conscious of the responsibilities you bear. What you decide here will determine the future of the Union for many years to come. Responsibility is not an unmixed blessing but I am sure that, fortified by the tradition of past Plenipotentiary Conferences, you will see to it that the Union is fully equipped to carry out its task in the twenty-first century. As we go about our work over the next four weeks, may openness, leadership and innovation be our guiding stars. May the results of Kyoto illuminate the work of the ITU for the next four years. May they capture the attention, imagination and commitment of all those whose help we need in our noble enterprise. May this Conference be a turning point in the long and glorious history of the Union. May it mark a new beginning in the development of global telecommunications. Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to conclude, for I have already taken up enough of our precious time. I am confident that the Kyoto Plenipotentiary Conference will be a milestone in the history of the Union and that together we will achieve a full measure of success.