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ITU Council guides implementation of strategic plan
Budget approved for 2016-2017 biennium
Geneva, 21 May 2015 – ITU’s governing Council concluded its
2015 session ahead of schedule after agreeing on the implementation of the
strategic plan and activities of the Union for 2014-2015 as well as the biennial
budget for 2016-2017. Council also reviewed preparations for upcoming events,
such as the World Radiocommunication Conference in November 2015 as well as
other key topics, such as Internet-related activities and public policy issues,
cybersecurity and child online protection, gender mainstreaming, and youth.
Discussion on the operational plan centred on strengthening results-based
management and delivering better linkages with the financial and strategic
plans. Council agreed that the Secretariat be given the flexibility needed,
within existing procedures, to implement the four-year rolling operational
plans.
Council commended the Secretariat for presenting a draft budget, which,
through efficiency measures, for the first time did not call on a withdrawal
from the reserve fund. Some Councillors expressed the need to continue seeking
opportunities for cost reductions, while others proposed that ITU should
identify revenue-generating opportunities in future to prevent it from entering
a vicious cycle of reductions.
ITU's activities in building confidence and security in the use of ICTs and
the importance of regional and international collaboration received support,
with Councillors calling for more detailed reporting concerning the illicit use
of ICTs.
Council discussed options for the Union's Headquarter premises, such as
renovation, replacement and possible relocation to another country. These will
be discussed further at a meeting of the designated working group in September
2015 to prepare the grounds for a Council decision in 2016. It was decided not
to consider rental as a long-term solution.
The WSIS Forum will follow Council, in Geneva, 25-29 May. This year marks a
decade after the World Summit on the Information Society was held, and an
overall WSIS+10 review will take place at the UN in New York in December.
ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao emphasized the importance of meeting the
WSIS goals to connect the world and stressed that the United Nations post-2015
agenda must recognize the catalytic role of ICT in meeting global sustainable
development goals. In this context, Councillors emphasized the importance of the
Connect 2020 agenda in setting clear goals for ITU and its membership to
galvanize growth, inclusiveness, sustainability, and innovation.
Looking to the future, Mr Zhao also re-affirmed the ongoing transformation of
ITU Telecom to reflect new realities in the ICT ecosystem, in particular
recognizing the growing importance of Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs)
in global ICT development and their huge potential for innovation in driving
national and international economic development.
On Sunday 17 May, Councillors, along with international dignitaries,
including a number of government Ministers, marked
ITU’s 150th anniversary
at a ceremony during which recognition was accorded to luminaries, past and
present, who have contributed to ITU’s work in connecting the world. Awards were
presented to Martin Cooper, Robert E. Kahn, Mark I. Krivocheev, Ken Sakamura,
and Thomas Wiegand. Special recognition was accorded to Bill Gates for his
lifetime contributions and his ongoing work with the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation.
The day after the ceremony, ITU and the Republic of Korea signed a
Cooperation Agreement launching the Innovation Platform project to develop ICT
innovation policy and governance in converged ecosystems. “Innovation spurs
development,” Mr Zhao noted. “International cooperation is needed to foster the
right environment for innovation to blossom.”
“This project is in line with ITU’s 150th anniversary theme of innovating
together,” said Mr Sanghun Lee, Director of the Multilateral Cooperation
Division in the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning of the Republic of
Korea, which has contributed 150,000,000 Korean Won (approximately USD 140,000)
to the project. “We emphasize the importance of innovation and creativity in
today’s world.”
The ITU Council will meet next from 25 May to 2 June 2016.
Results of the
ITU150 poster
competition
Results of the 150th anniversary children’s poster competition were announced
during the closing plenary session of Council. Children between ages 5-16 had
been asked to draw what they imagined the world of ICTs would look like 50 years
hence in 2065. The winners were selected from over a thousand entries from
around the world. Inspiring, forward-looking ideas ranged from robots of all
shapes and sizes, flying cars, floating cities and undersea habitats to
unimaginable advances in global communications and stunning medical, ecological
and social innovations.
In the 5-7 age group, the winners are Mohammed Firdaus Ibrahim from Sarawak,
Malaysia; Arya Panthaka Gurugefrom from Sri Lanka; and Anastasia Andreeva from
Geneva, Switzerland.
In the 8-11 age group, the winners are Jerry Auguste from the Dominican
Republic; Muhamad Amir B. Kamaruzzaman from Malaysia; and K. Kaweesha Lakshan
Sithumina from Sri Lanka.
In the 12-16 age group, four winners were selected: Iarlaith Conneally from
France; Yong Chen Ling from Malaysia; Heesoo Choi from Switzerland; and Chua Shu
En from Malaysia.
For more information, please contact:
Sanjay Acharya
Chief, Media Relations and Public Information, ITU
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