Standing Committee on Administration and Management (ADM)
The Standing Committee on Administration and Management (ADM) continued its work on the afternoon of Monday 30 May, basing its agenda on the established time management plan
C16/TD3 and focusing mainly on the issues covered by document
C16/50.
International Numbering Resources (INRs) (continued)
Discussions on the INRs, initiated on the afternoon of Friday 27 May (see
Council Highlights Issue #4), continued on Monday afternoon.
A number of Councillors took the floor supporting the recommendations in
C16/69 on the generation of revenues from INRs, as part of the general ITU efforts for the implementation of PP Decision 5 and Res. 158. Other Councillors supported the view that since the 2016-2017 budget is balanced, the proposal should no longer be pursued, since the costs relating to INRs are already covered by fees paid by members. The Secretariat explained that difficulties are expected in presenting an equally balanced budget for the 2018-2019 biennium without identifying new sources of revenue. In the absence of consensus, Caroline Greenway (Australia) was nominated by the ADM Chair to lead an ad hoc group to discuss the matter further and report back to ADM.
DONA
The United States presented document
C16/78, expressing the view that the implementation of certain provisions of the MoU with DONA would entail financial and strategic consequences for ITU.
Saudi Arabia and Russia presented documents
C16/93 and
C16/89, respectively, both expressing the view that based on the information and legal analysis provided by the Secretariat (CWG-FHR 5/2 and
CWG-FHR 6/19), the MoU was signed in accordance with ITU's objectives and fundamental instruments.
A number of Councillors endorsed the United States' suggestion to terminate the MoU, favouring instead the establishment of a Service Level Agreement for the purpose of ITU internal document management. Other Councillors associated themselves with Saudi Arabia and Russia, noting potential benefits to Member States, especially for developing countries.
Divergence was also noted on whether the MoU criteria and guidelines currently under discussion (see
Council Highlights Issue #4) could be applied on this MoU in a retro-active manner.
Following a query by Councillors, the Secretariat Legal Counsel advised that there is no incompatibility between the MoU and the fundamental instruments of the Union.
Following comments with regards to the promotion of DOA by ITU, Chaesub Lee, the Director of TSB, noted the distinction between DOA and ITU-T Standard X-1255, which was approved by ITU Membership, and urged members to clearly distinguish the difference between these two elements.
The Chair noted that a majority was in favour of maintaining the MoU, and proposed forwarding this information to Council. With regards to a proposal made by the United States for Council to confirm the list of conclusions concerning ITU's activities on DOA found in
C16/78, it was decided that these would be reviewed by the ADM following an offline consultation between the United States and the Secretariat, based on the views expressed during the meeting.
Thanks to Bruce Gracie…
Bruce Gracie, Chair of CWG-FHR, presented two recommendations for approval by Council, one designating CWG-FHR as the focal point in discussions relating to financial implications on future ITU premises, and the other encouraging members to include young individuals on their delegations to ITU events.
The Chair of ADM commended Bruce Gracie for the huge contributions he has made to the work of CWG-FHR.
Defrayal of expenses
The Secretariat presented document
C16/14 on the improvement of management and follow-up of the defrayal of ITU expenses, recommending the continuation of close collaboration in following-up on the payment of fees, the exclusion of long-term suspended entities that are unlikely to be re-engaged and repay their dues, and the continued support by administrations in following-up entities with payment arrears. ADM recommends that Council take note of the report and endorse the recommendations.
Entities dealing with telecommunication matters
The Secretariat presented document
C16/47 on the provisional participation of entities dealing with telecommunication matters in the activities of the Union, inviting Council to review the requests for participation with respect to their conformity with Council's procedures and to confirm the action taken by the Secretary-General regarding the admission of seven 'entities dealing with telecommunication matters'. ADM recommended that Council act accordingly.
Annual review of revenue and expenses
The Secretariat presented document
C16/9, on the implementation status of the first year of the 2016-2017 budget in relation to revenue and expenses, noting that a balanced financial result between revenue and expenses is foreseen at year end 2016. ADM recommended that Council note the document.
ASHI
The Secretariat presented report
C16/46 on the status of the ASHI liability, stating that the related obligation as of 31 December 2015 amounts to CHF 472.8 million; this is significantly lower than ASHI liability of CHF 512.7 million a year earlier. ITU will continue to focus on cost containment with the new service provider, and has implemented an increase since 2014 in the percentage of contributions for CMIP members to ensure the financing of health insurance-related claims on a pay-as-you-go basis. Furthermore, ITU will continue to fund the ASHI reserve as much as possible from budgetary surpluses. After comments were received from different Councillors, ADM recommended that Council note the document.
Sixth Plenary Meeting
The sixth plenary meeting took place on the morning of Tuesday 31 May.
Gender champions and gender mainstreaming
At the beginning of the plenary session, Houlin Zhao, ITU Secretary-General, congratulated US Ambassador Pamela Hamamoto and Michael Møller, Director-General of the UN Office at Geneva, on founding the extremely valuable International Geneva Gender Champions Initiative.
Michael Møller observed that "ICTs are among the main factors shaping our future and everyone should have full access to their benefits" and explained the vision behind the Geneva Gender Champions Network and how it seeks to promote gender equality – including declining invitations to participate in male-only panels.
Pamela Hamamoto noted that "technology is critical to social and economic development, and that's exactly why it is also critical that women and girls have equal access to ICTs and to opportunities to develop 21st century skills".
The Secretariat presented document
C16/6 on gender mainstreaming in ITU (Res 70) and promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women through ICTs. The report highlights, among other activities, the GEM-TECH Awards, the intensifying of training during WRC-15, the completion of the gender guidelines for staff, and the annual celebrations for International Girls in ICT Day on 23 April, which has reached an estimated 200,000 girls in over 160 countries. ITU is now tracking gender balance in participation at ITU meetings and conferences.
Councillors congratulated the Secretary-General, the Secretariat, and Doreen Bogdan-Martin for the work achieved in this area, but noted that much remains to be done, and encouraged ITU to work harder to achieve better gender balance within the Union, especially in the higher professional categories. Council reviewed the report and agreed on priorities for the next year including reviewing the Gender Mainstreaming Policy as a 'living document' and reporting back to Council in 2017, including the gender balance at the Working Party level.
Regional presence
Yushi Torigoe, Deputy Director of BDT, presented document
C16/25 on 'Strengthening the regional presence (Res 25)' detailing the activities and scope of ITU's regional offices, with seven annexes in document
C16/INF/8. A number of Councillors expressed appreciation for the work and activities of the Regional and Area Offices, and encouraged ITU to continue strengthening its regional presence, as arms of and ambassadors for ITU, and as the nearest point of contact to the countries. Calls were made for even closer collaboration and integration within ITU. Council noted the report, subject to the various needs, suggestions, priorities and observations made by Councillors.
Standing Committee on Administration and Management (ADM)
The Standing Committee on Administration and Management (ADM) continued after the coffee break on Tuesday morning, working on the basis of the time management plan
C16/TD3.
2015 Operating Report
The Secretariat presented ITU's Financial Operating Report for 2015,
C16/42R1, covering: ITU's audited accounts; verified accounts of contributions; technical cooperation projects; the financial results of ITU Telecom World 2015; and benevolent funds.
The main indicators for the regular budget for 2015 show that CHF 158.1 million was received as income, against outgoings of CHF 157.1 million, with continuing financial management and cost implementation of the budget resulting in an operating surplus of CHF 0.3 million paid into the reserve account. ITU has been taking measures to improve efficiencies and reduce costs in implementing activities.
ITU's liquidity was satisfactory throughout the year. The Secretariat has analyzed the risks associated with a possible reduction in contributions. A Health Insurance Fund was created in 2014, and ITU paid in CHF 2.1 million, resulting in a total Fund of CHF 8 million in 2015. The main indicators show the Union's immediate financial situation to be healthy.
External Auditor's Reports
The External Auditor presented document
C16/40 covering the audit of the financial statements for 2015, ITU Staff Superannuation and Benevolent Funds, and UNDP, ICT-DF and Trust Funds. An Audit Certificate has been issued confirming that ITU's financial statements for 2015 are in accordance with IPSAS and in compliance with the Union's Financial Regulations and Financial Rules.
The report includes recommendations and suggestions made by the External Auditor and corresponding comments from the Secretary-General. The External Auditor thanked ITU management and the Secretary-General for their very positive response to the report and its recommendations. It is in the shared common interests of all to improve financial reporting.
The Secretariat responded to some questions raised by Councillors concerning the introduction of IPSAS, the timeframe for implementing recommendations and submitting reports to Council. CWG-FHR will undertake the monitoring of recommendations by the External Auditor and IMAC.
Houlin Zhao, the Secretary-General, stated his satisfaction and thanked the External Auditor for his report and positive contribution to ITU's work. ADM took note of these documents and recommended that Council approve Annex 2 of
C16/40 and the accounts.
ITU Telecom World 2015 accounts
The External Auditor presented document
C16/41 concerning the accounts of ITU Telecom World 2015, which yielded a higher than forecast net positive result of CHF 255,523.73. Two recommendations and ten suggestions were noted in the report, including sponsorship and admission fee forecasts, barter arrangements and exchange rates. ADM recommended that Council note the document.
IMAC
Beate Degen, the Chair of the Independent Management Advisory Committee (IMAC), presented the IMAC Annual Report,
C16/22 + Add.1, and thanked everyone for their cooperation and collaboration. The report presents elements concerning the IMAC terms of reference, UN ASHI, ITU headquarter premises, ITU's approach to risk management, the IPSAS transition, and the effectiveness of internal controls, as well as external and internal audit, among other recommendations.
IMAC will continue to monitor the implementation of the External Auditor's recommendations, as well as ITU's internal controls system. IMAC recommends that internal audit maintains a very close collaboration and formalized relationship with the external auditors, and calls for clear oversight and monitoring of the budget for regional offices.
Councillors thanked IMAC for its comprehensive report. The Chair of IMAC responded to questions focusing on security issues, budgetary allocations for regional offices, the timeline for implementation of IMAC recommendations and the Union's future financial outlook. Malcolm Johnson, the Deputy Secretary-General, expressed his appreciation for IMAC's work and elaborated further on ITU's response. ADM recommended that Council approve the IMAC report and its recommendations, taking account of the comments made.
The Council Highlights are provided as a service to ITU Member State Administrations. They are not official documents, and do not provide a substitute for the Summary Record; we nonetheless hope that Member State Administrations will find them useful and informative. |
