ITU is governed by the Plenipotentiary Conference and the Council. The Plenipotentiary Conference is the supreme organ of the Union which determines the direction of the Union and its activities. It meets every four years. The Council, composed of 48 Member States, acts as the Union’s governing body in the interval between Plenipotentiary Conferences.
In times of COVID-19, to ensure business continuity of the Union‘s governing bodies, Councillors agreed to hold virtual consultations of Councillors to discuss the most urgent topics for the Union, and draw proposed conclusions to be approved either by a next physical session of the Council or by correspondence for those calling for an urgent decision by the Council. The first one was held in June. A second one – VCC-2 – was organized from 16 to 20 November 2020. These virtual consultations have allowed Member States to address most of the items initially included on the agenda of the annual 2020 physical session of the Council.
Translated into ITU’s six official languages on the Interprefy platform
Delegates attended the meeting on the interprefy platform
Days
Council Member States were represented
Delegates representing 12 Observer Member States and the Observer State of Palestine
Delegates from Regional Telecommunication Organizations and Observer Sector Members
Documents
Significant uncertainties persist regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, including when it may be possible to resume physical meetings and travel. The scheduling of the main ITU events has therefore been discussed at length during the VCC-2.
The following ITU events were noted:
The following ITU events are subject to consultation of Council Member States by correspondence:
During the VCC-2, Councillors debated items that were considered as urgent for the good functioning of the Union and called for an urgent decision before the end of the year.
Subject to consultation by correspondence, the Councillors provisionally approved:
Subject to consultation by correspondence, Councillors noted the reports of the Council Working Groups and endorsed their recommendations, the report of the internal auditor, as well as the report by the Working Group on Internal Controls.
Councillors debated a range of other key issues, including: reviewing the sustainability of ITU Telecom events, considering ITU's regional presence, business continuity issues, and ITU's new building project, as well as a the impact of COVID-19 on the Union's activities.
This year, the world has been navigating unchartered waters. Due to COVID-19, isolation measures, national and local lockdowns, and the adoption of home teleworking and remote learning have boosted demand for telecom/ICT services very suddenly. Councillors congratulated ITU on how it has been responding to the continuing COVID-19 crisis, including remote teleworking, the transition to virtual meetings, and measures for the safety and security of staff. The ITU COVID-19 Updates webpage highlights all ITU initiatives, events, products and partnerships related to COVID-19.
With the outbreak of COVID-19 and introduction of global restrictions on gatherings and travel, a race began in February 2020 to continue to provide services to its membership uninterrupted during the pandemic. By mid-March, ITU had suspended all travel and physical meetings and gone fully virtual (including Study Group meetings). ITU has been using several conferencing technology platforms to support the business continuity of the Union and adapt to the different types of meetings. In May 2020, ITU developed "Guidelines and Best Practices for Virtual Events and Remote Participation". In early November, ITU started providing support for regional virtual events with remote interpretation. The ITU Secretariat is working further on simplifying and standardizing the support to Member States with respect to virtual and hybrid meetings to support the 'new normal'.
ITU is working on a new OneITU website for you, other members and partners. Mobile friendly, in six languages, with smarter navigation and fresh content, it demonstrates how we use the Union’s expertise to create impact on the ground. We’d love to share the prototype and get your feedback by 20 December.
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ITU is working on a new OneITU website for you, other members and partners. Mobile friendly, in six languages, with smarter navigation and fresh content, it demonstrates how we use the Union’s expertise to create impact on the ground. We’d love to share the prototype and get your feedback by 20 December.
(Takes about 10 minutes)
Test now
