Putting people first
The ITU Council is meeting from 6 to 15 May to put the final touches on its preparations for the forthcoming Plenipotentiary Conference, to be held in Busan, Republic of Korea, from 20 October to 7 November 2014.
Delegates from the 48 countries representing the ITU membership of 193 States were welcomed by ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun I. Touré, who was pleased to see that such a large number of ministers and vice-ministers would be in attendance throughout the Council. "We stand on the threshold of a bright and extraordinary future, delivered by the power of information and communication technologies. This is an important moment for ITU," Dr Touré later said in his State of the Union address.
The agenda covers strategic, operational and financial plans of the Union, a review of preparations for upcoming events including the World Summit on the Information Society ten-year follow-up event (WSIS+10), ITU Telecom World 2014, the World Radiocommunication Conference in 2015 (WRC-15), as well as other key topics such as Internet-related activities and public policy issues, cybersecurity and child online protection, accessibility for persons with disabilities, gender mainstreaming, and conformance and interoperability.
Outgoing Council Chairman Marius Cătălin Marinescu, President of Romania's National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications, singled out some of the major issues addressed since Council 2013 in what he described as a challenging year. These included approval of the Union's four-year rolling operational plans for 2014 to 2017, the elaboration of the draft Strategic Plan and the draft Financial Plan for the period 2016 to 2019, approval of the revised biennium budget covering 2014 and 2015, endorsement of the ITU accessibility policy for persons with disabilities, and progress on its landmark policy to further mainstream gender equality across the whole range of ITU's strategic plans, activities and programmes. The Council furthermore extended free online access to The Council resolutions and decisions to ITU membership as well as to ITU-R handbooks on radio-frequency spectrum management to the general public.
The Council commended the chairmanship of Mr Marinescu and welcomed Aboubakar Zourmba, Deputy Director-General of Cameroon's Telecommunications Regulatory Agency, who was elected Chairman of Council 2014 by acclamation, having served as its Vice-Chairman last year. From the outset Mr Zourmba emphasized the importance of digital inclusion and said that care should be taken to ensure that populations with literacy gaps are not condemned to digital exclusion. Chairman Zourmba noted that the agenda included numerous and complex key issues that would require a concerted effort by all to reach successful outcomes.
Caroline Greenway from Australia was re-elected Chairman of the Standing Committee on Administration and Management after serving in that capacity in 2013. Similarly, Marcin Krasuski from Poland and Vernita Harris from the United States were re-appointed Vice-Chairmen of the Standing Committee.
Secretary-General's State of the Union address
Dr Touré first presented his condolences to the families and friends of victims of the recent Sewol Ferry disaster in the Republic of Korea.
150th anniversary celebrations
With the 150th anniversary of ITU in 2015 approaching fast, Dr Touré invited the Council to celebrate it "with big events worthy of the achievements we have made so far, and worthy of the achievements we will continue to make in the 21st century and beyond". He quoted the renowned American physician and poet, Oliver Wendell Holmes Senior, who wrote in 1858: "The great thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving: to reach the port, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it — but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor."
"After almost 150 years of steady sailing as an organization, and after nearly eight years at the helm of this great ship, I am confident that we are continuing to move in the right direction," he added.
Recent and future ITU activities in brief
Dr Touré then gave a brief account of ITU activities since the Council last met in June 2013, and outlined the main events in the coming months before the Busan conference. The Secretary-General singled out the Global Symposium for Regulators in Manama, Bahrain, from 3 to 5 June, under the theme "Capitalizing on the Potential of the Digital World"; WSIS+10 High-Level Event in Geneva, from 10 to 13 June; the launch of the Measuring the Information Society Report 2014 in early October; and ITU Telecom World 2014 from 7 to 10 December, in Doha, Qatar.
Dr Touré highlighted the key outcomes of the sixth World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-14), held in Dubai from 30 March to 10 April, namely the Dubai Action Plan; the Dubai Declaration, the 45 resolutions that were adopted — and most notably the Development Sector's contribution to ITU's overall strategic plan that will feed into the work of the Busan conference.
On Girls in ICT Day, he noted the tremendous progress made, recalling that 2700 related events in 121 countries had taken place in the past two years, not including the final numbers for the 2014 celebrations which were not yet in. The Council was also informed that ITU and ITU-D Sector Member Telecentre.org Foundation had reached their goal of training one million women in digital literacy skills through their Women's Digital Literacy Campaign.
Dr Touré said that preparations were on track for the World Radiocommunication Conference in 2015. Turning to the Telecommunication Standardization Sector, he mentioned, among other highlights, the adoption of a new broadband standard called G.fast "that will allow delivery of up to 1Gbit/s broadband access over the traditional copper phone lines that still make up a substantial proportion of so-called 'last-mile' networks". He also gave a brief update on intersectoral activities ranging from climate change and sustainability; cybersecurity; and accessibility; and also on the Broadband Commission for Digital Development, which recently published its annual flagship State of Broadband report that tracks countries' progress in meeting ITU targets for national broadband policy, and individual and household Internet uptake.
On Internet-related matters he congratulated the government of Brazil for hosting NETmundial in Sao Paulo two weeks ago — an event he attended as representative of the United Nations, at the request of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, along with Under Secretary-General Wu Hongbo, from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). "I believe that NETmundial is an important milestone in the global dialogue on Internet Governance, and I am pleased that this meeting demonstrated the continuing desire for dialogue between all parties," Dr Touré told the Council, adding that he and Mr Wu delivered a common message from the UN system, namely that, "as a global public good, the Internet should be open, fully-inclusive, free, reliable, robust, secure and trustworthy. It should ensure human rights online, and stakeholders from all nations should have a say in its running and development."
Three eminent personalities to receive World Telecommunication and Information Society Award
The Secretary-General announced that this year's World Telecommunication and Information Society Award will go to "three eminent laureates in recognition of their leadership and dedication towards promoting broadband for sustainable development": Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda; Ms Park Geun-hye, President of the Republic of Korea; and Carlos Slim Helú, President of the Carlos Slim Foundation. The Award will be presented during the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day celebrations on 16 May (17 May being a Saturday).
Strategic Plan and Financial Plan for 2016-2019
The process for preparing the Strategic and Financial Plans of the Union for 2016-2019 was launched at Council 2013. The results of its Council Working Group that has developed these plans will be the basis of the discussions in the coming days and at PP-14. Dr Touré underlined that both plans aim to provide a comprehensive and concrete framework for the fulfilment of ITU's vision and mission, as well as the achievement of its strategic goals.
"Discussion on the new Strategic and Financial Plans marks a milestone in a journey to achieve an even more efficient, effective and focused ITU. This journey can only be successful, however, if we embark on it all together – membership, management and staff," Dr Touré stated. And as a way of encouraging what he described as an "incredibly culturally rich and diverse membership" to move forward together, he cited an old African proverb which says: "Milk and honey have different colours, but they share the same house peacefully."
The Secretary-General concluded by saying that ITU has a bright future enriched by its long-standing friendship built over the last 149 years. Here he quoted the famous words of French writer and philosopher Michel de Montaigne: "The arms of friendship are long enough to reach from one end of the world to the other." And that, he said, is what PP-14 will demonstrate to the world.
Implementation of the 2012-2015 Strategic Plan – A documentary draws wide acclaim
ITU Deputy Secretary-General Houlin Zhao presented a draft report giving an overview of ITU's activities in relation to progress made in its implementation of objectives under the Strategic Plan approved at the last Plenipotentiary Conference in 2010. The report details major ITU events that have taken place since then and the main activities carried out by the three ITU Sectors and General Secretariat, as well as progress achieved in implementing ITU decisions, resolutions and recommendations.
The report will be forwarded by the Council to the Plenipotentiary Conference. In accordance with past practices, it is proposed that the document be finalized under the supervision of the Council Chairman with the assistance of the secretariat to include the outcomes of WTDC-14, further deliberations of Council 2014 as well as updates on other activities such as GSR-14 and the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day.
A documentary portraying the achievements of ITU over the years under review in bringing people together through ever-evolving means of communication and building consensus on telecommunication and information and communication technology development and availability as an enabler of socio-economic development for all drew wide acclaim from Council participants.
ICT access for persons with disabilities
A report on ITU activities in promoting accessibility to ICTs for persons with disabilities for the period June 2013 to May 2014 was then presented to the Council by the plenary Secretary Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Chief of ITU's Strategic Planning and Membership (SPM) Department. The report covered ITU's work to become a more accessible organization, ITU's programmatic activities to promote accessibility to ICTs for persons with disabilities, and ITU's contribution to the UN disability agenda.
Discussions also covered a request from Indonesia for the Council to consider the allocation of further resources for accelerating ICT accessibility and digital inclusion of persons with disabilities, in particular in developing countries. Several councillors expressed their appreciation for ITU's work in this domain, as well as the generous contribution from Rwanda to the ITU Accessibility Fund. Cameroon, China, India,Kenya, Romania and Turkey took the floor to support the request from Indonesia, and to share national experiences in expanding access to ICT for persons with disabilities, and to promote the accessibility of ICT networks, services and applications. Several of these delegations also highlighted the importance of working on the increased affordability of access technologies and called upon the ITU secretariat to launch an advocacy group to raise awareness of this issue, and to promote the establishment of laws, regulations and economic measures to improve accessibility of ICTs.
The United Arab Emirates provided an update on WTDC-14 outcomes in relation to ICT accessibility, and requested the Council to consider aligning the language in ITU with the terminology "persons with disabilities and specific needs" agreed in WTDC-14.
The ITU secretariat took note of these interventions, highlighting that the Council Working Group on the Strategic Plan has agreed to incorporate a new intersectoral objective on ICT accessibility. Should this plan be approved at PP-14 this would imply the allocation of further resources to this area of activity. The secretariat also encouraged councillors to follow the example of Rwanda and provide further voluntary contributions to the ITU Accessibility Fund. The Rwandan delegation announced that its country will continue providing support to the Accessibility Fund in the near future. The Council also noted that financial issues raised by Indonesia in relation to accessibility issues should be discussed at PP-14.
Mainstreaming gender in ITU
The Council noted with appreciation the progress made in implementing the ITU Gender Equality and Mainstreaming Policy (GEM) it approved last year.
SPM chief Doreen Bogdan-Martin presented a report summarizing ITU's objectives and achievements during 2013-2014 in the implementation of Resolution 70 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) on "Gender mainstreaming in ITU and promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women through information and communication technologies".
Among the steps taken to implement the new policy is the creation of a Gender Task Force made up of focal points representing the General Secretariat, the three Bureaux and field offices. This Task Force is preparing an ITU-wide action plan. Meanwhile, the ITU management committee has agreed on several priority actions including:
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The creation of an internal networking platform on gender called "Connect_Her" (councillors were invited to attend an information session on The Connect _Her platform, to be held on Wednesday, 14 May at 9:00 in the Popov room).
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The organization of a side event during PP-14 involving women delegates and women VIPs and VVIPs.
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The launch of an annual GEM award to recognize and celebrate individual contributions and leadership examples to promote gender equality and basic web-based training in gender mainstreaming for all staff.
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The amendment of the staff rules and regulations as well as the terms of reference of statutory committees to include at least two representatives of each gender in the membership and gender sensitivity within their mandate and working methods.
Also, as a temporary measure to redress gender imbalance at all levels (G & P), the Appointment and Promotion Board should ensure that at least two representatives of each gender are included in the short list by selecting the most qualified applicant. Gender guidelines are being elaborated (for recruitment, staff management, programme management, communication and training).
"The implementation of the GEM is a work in progress and we have been pleased to learn and benefit from the experience of our members such as Alcatel-Lucent and Switzerland's OFCOM as well as other UN agencies. Their experience has been most inspiring for ITU," Ms Bogdan-Martin stated.
Bulgaria, Kenya, Mexico, Rwanda, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United States all lauded these efforts, with some expressing the hope to see more done both within ITU and its membership. Mexico and Rwanda shared examples in their countries, which the secretariat agreed could be included in the next progress report. Switzerland suggested considering soft targets, and encouraged the ITU management to introduce more flexible working arrangements. They further requested that more statistics be included in the annual report by grade and gender and on the number of applicants that are pre-selected, shortlisted and then selected.
Dr Touré's views on GEM were presented on his behalf by ITU Deputy Secretary-General Houlin Zhao: "This policy called for a Union-wide action plan, placing responsibility on myself and my fellow elected officials, as well as the Union's senior management, for its implementation. I have made this a priority action for 2014, and am pleased to report that right across ITU measures are now under way to fulfil the scope of this policy. In January I issued a memo to my fellow elected officials outlining a number of actions for this year, including the presence of at least two representatives of each gender on all ITU statutory committees, a review of recruitment practices, training programmes, and new online resources. I'd like to encourage all of you to attend a short 30-minute information session on the work under way, to be held from 9 a.m. to 9.30 a.m. next Wednesday 14 May, which will be very kindly and ably moderated by our Councillor from Rwanda Mr Regis Gatarayiha. ITU is also planning to launch annual "GEM Awards" to recognize and celebrate outstanding contributions and leadership in promoting gender equality. The first of these award ceremonies will take place at a special side-event at PP-14, which is being organized in collaboration with our Korean hosts.
This is an important new step for ITU, and I believe our implementation of the policy you adopted last year will soon put us among the top UN agencies for gender empowerment, in line with the vision of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon."
Free online access to ITU publications
A report by the Secretary-General on free online access to ITU publications and the sales of ITU publications, software and databases presented to the Councilstated that overall publications sales revenues in 2013 reached CHF 18.83 million. The Council was invited to instruct the Secretary-General to grant the general public free online access, via the ITU website, to the Rules of Procedure and to ITU publications relating to the use of telecommunications/ICTs in emergency situations.
Council Working Group on World Summit on the Information Society (CWG-WSIS) reports progress
Professor Vladimir Minkin, Chairman of CWG-WSIS reported on the group's two recent meetings (one held on 19-20 February 2014 and the other on 5 May 2014), and which focused mainly on ITU's role in the Overall Review of the WSIS Implementation (Document C14/38 and its Addendum).
The May meeting made several observations and proposals listed in the Addendum. For example, it noted with satisfaction the preparations for the WSIS+10 High-Level Event, to be held on 10-13 June 2014 and encouraged all countries to ensure the highest possible level of participation.
The WSIS+10 High-Level Event is expected to endorse two important outcome documents: a "WSIS+10 Statement on Implementation of WSIS Outcomes"; and a "WSIS+10 Vision for WSIS Beyond 2015". The WSIS+10 Multistakeholder Preparatory Platform (MPP) is expected to hold its final physical meeting on 28-31 May 2014 in WIPO premises. Membership appreciates the multistakeholder approach being used for WSIS+10 MPP (i.e., serviced by the secretariat consisting of all United Nations agencies that have a mandate in WSIS), and commends its inclusiveness and effectiveness, as well as cost efficiency. Another observation is that additional indicative targets for Action Lines C2 (information and communication infrastructure), C5 (building confidence and security in the use of information and communication technologies) and C6 (enabling environment) under the responsibility of ITU should be based on the targets agreed by the Busan conference within the framework of the strategic and financial plans.
The Council expressed appreciation for the two reports. Saudi Arabia requested that all the agreed WSIS+10 MPP principles should be added to the Addendum. Rwanda expressed its support to the WSIS process. Tunisia reaffirmed its commitment to WSIS and in particular to the ICT4All Forum that is held annually in Tunisia. Mali asked for further explanation on the targets mentioned in the Chairman's summary. Professor Minkin responded that the targets for Action Line C2, C5 and C6 will be based on targets that will be determined for the ITU strategic plan. India stated that the WSIS+10 High-level Event is an important event that will help set the post-2015 agenda of ICTs.
The documents, including the amendment proposed by Saudi Arabia, were then approved.
Working definition of the term "ICT" to be submitted to the Busan conference
The following working definition of the term "ICT": "Technologies and equipment that handle (e.g. access, create, collect, store, transmit, receive, disseminate) information and communication" sparked an interesting discussion.
A report presented by the secretariat gives the background on how the definition was reached. Resolution 140 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) requests the Council "to elaborate through the Sector study groups and submit a working definition of the term 'ICT' to the Council and working groups of the Council, for possible transmission to the next plenipotentiary conference". Council Resolution 1332 further instructs the Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux to elaborate this working definition. Council 2011 instructed the Director of BDT "to conduct consultations with the chairmen of ITU-D study groups and TDAG for the creation of a group for elaboration of a working definition of the term 'ICT' open for the participation of other Sector membership, and the Directors of BR and TSB to conduct consultations with the chairmen of ITU-R and ITU-T study groups, RAG and TSAG regarding the participation of representatives of their Sector study groups in that activity and report to the Council session 2012."
At its 17th session in 2012, TDAG requested ITU-D Study Group 1 to set up the Correspondence Group on the Elaboration of a Working Definition of the Term "ICT". The Correspondence Group was set up in in September 2012 and concluded its work in September 2013, having come up with the definition under discussion.
The 18th session of TDAG in 2013 received liaison statements from TSB, ITU-T SG 12, and the Chairman of ITU-T SG2, voicing concerns about the proposed working definition and invited any further comments to be submitted directly to the Council.
Two views emerged during the Council discussion. The United States noted that the Council is not required to transmit to the Plenipotentiary Conference the working definition of ICT as developed by the Correspondence Group. It therefore proposed that if the Council determines to transmit that definition, it should do so by transmitting the Final Report of the Chairman, Correspondence Group on the Elaboration of a Working Definition of the Term "ICT". The report of the Correspondence Group is self-contained, in that it includes the definitions and all relevant guidelines and parameters, and needs no further amplification.
The United Arab Emirates expressed a different view:
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"The Liaison statement of Director TSB, ITU-T Study Group 12 and ITU-T Study Group 2 which were sent to TDAG highlights various concerns indicating that the working definition requires more refinements.
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The comments of RAG and Coordination Committee for Vocabulary (CCV) from the Radiocommunication Bureau (BR) on this working definition are not available.
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The objective of the definition of ICT is confined to the use in the recommendations and resolutions of each ITU Sector and it is envisioned that a single agreed definition should cover the scope of the entire ITU activities related to ICT.
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The terms "telecommunications/ICT" or "telecommunication/ICT services" are widely used in the Resolutions of the Plenipotentiary Conference and in Resolutions of WTSAs and WTDCs. The use of the working definition of ICT in such scenario requires further analysis."
Based on this, the United Arab Emirates concluded that "the definition of ICT is a work in progress and hence this definition which has not been agreed by all Sectors, shall not be forwarded to PP-14 by the ITU Council."
Algeria, Bulgaria India, Japan, Morocco and the Philippines then took the floor but with no consensus emerging, a working group was set up to pursue deliberations on this issue.
At the time of going to press with this first Issue of the Highlights (Wednesday, 7 May), the matter had been resolved, with the decision to submit the report of the Correspondence Group to PP-14.
Australian Minister emphasizes the need for innovation
Australian Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull recalled that Australia has been a Council Member State for 55 years and ''it is a position that we greatly value. We value the ITU's work in radiocommunications, its work in telecommunications development and [in] reducing the digital divide. and the opportunity Australia has had to work together with the ITU Regional Office in Bangkok on furthering these issues.'' Mr Turnbull noted that the Dubai Declaration recently adopted at the WTDC-14 describes telecommunications and ICT infrastructure, services and applications as powerful tools for economic growth and innovation. ''This is true of course, and yet, infrastructure, services and applications will not foster innovation and from that, economic growth, if innovation is hampered in other ways. Governments cannot legislate innovation, but what we can and should do is make it much easier for businesses in our countries to innovate,'' he said.
Noting that ITU will celebrate its 150th anniversary next year, Mr Turnbull added: ''There is nothing more fundamentally human than communication. We are the most social animals – engagement, communication whether it is profound or frivolous, is human nature. That is why the work of the ITU, enabling that communication, is helping us be ourselves. The ITU is serving the world at the very heart of what it is to be human, at the heart of humanity.''
Malian Minister commends ITU for its great achievements
Mali's Minister for the Digital Economy, Information and Communication, Mahamadou Camara took the floor to congratulate Council Chairman Aboubakar Zourmba on behalf of the delegation of Mali, for his election, saying "You represent Cameroon, but at the same time you represent all of Africa, and you can be sure of Mali's full support. Though I am quite sure you won't really need it because with your great expertise and skills we have every confidence that you will be up to your mission."
The Minister also offered Mali's full support to ITU and its management team, commending the Secretary-General Dr Touré (his compatriot), the Deputy Secretary-General and all three Directors of the Bureaux for the great work they have accomplished for the Union.
Qatar invites Council Member States to ITU Telecom World 2014 in Doha
H.E. Ambassador Faisal bin Abdullah Al-Henzab, Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva expressed his delight that Qatar will host the ITU Telecom World 2014 event. "It is, therefore, my pleasure to […] invite you all to join us in Doha from 7-10 December, and participate in this highly influential event for the global ICT community,'' he said
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Entretien UIT: Mr Aboubakar Zourmba,
Président du Conseil 2014
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