Document :

ITU-SG CL  Contribution  84

Title :

Contribution by Switzerland - Clarifying the role of ITU's governing bodies in the organization's structures for IT governance and data/information governance

Date :

2025-06-03

Source :

Switzerland

Destination Groups :

ADM

Meeting :

2025-06-17

Access :

Public Document

Abstract :

On issues crucial to the proper functioning of the organization, the roles of Plenipotentiary Conferences (PP) and Council should be to decide, approve, and endorse. However, for IT governance and data/information governance at ITU (vital functions of today's businesses), this is not currently the case. Indeed, ITU Council is only informed in a piecemeal and unsystematic manner, even on strategic aspects related to these areas. This contribution aims to ensure that ITU Council assumes its responsibilities in these areas essential to the proper functioning of the ITU.
If ITU aspires to be the United Nations' specialized agency for information and communication technologies/digital technology, it must be exemplary in its internal management of IT and data/information. This requires the involvement of ITU's governing bodies in the elaboration, determination, and revision of key elements (e.g. strategies, finances, transversal challenges) of IT governance and data/information governance beyond mere punctual subsequent information.
The restructuring of the Information and Communication Technology Committee (ICTC), renamed the ICT Governance Committee (ICTGC) , of which Council was informed at its 2024 session, falls, in our opinion, short of giving a solid basis to IT management and data management at ITU, especially as it does not acknowledge a role for the governing bodies of the Union.