Geneva, Switzerland, 21 to 30 March
This session of ITU Council was an opportunity to make a difference—for the Union and for the world. Council Member States aligned their work, resources and priorities with the opportunities and challenges presented by today’s digital transformation—to continue to meet the needs and expectations of the people ITU serves.
As you go back to your capitals, I hope you will build on what we have achieved here
– ITU Secretary-GeneralCouncil 2022 by the numbers
Key outcomes
State of the Union
ITU Secretary-General Mr Houlin Zhao delivered his State of the Union address at the opening of Council 2022: “When the pandemic first hit, we had to act quickly and efficiently – to keep up ITU’s regular engagement and address a succession of pressing issues. It was not always easy, but we forged ahead together. That is what it means to be part of the ITU family, and it has never been more important. We have learned some important lessons, which will be invaluable as we navigate one of the busiest and most important years in ITU’s recent memory.” Read the op-ed: My message to ITU Council 2022: Time to cooperate on digital transformation – ITU Hub. Read the full address: ITU Council 2022.
Annual Report: 2018 to 2022
Council 2022 approved the report on the implementation of the strategic plan and the activities of the Union from April 2018 to February 2022. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have helped sustain the vital fabric of life – enabling government services, work, business, education, healthcare and much more to continue despite the pandemic. As the UN specialized agency for ICTs, ITU has risen to the moment. Nevertheless, 2.9 billion people are still offline around the world – and most of them live in rural areas. “I congratulate [the Union] on the hard-won achievements of these past four years and encourage you to redouble our efforts to build a more fair, sustainable and inclusive digital future,” said Secretary-General Houlin Zhao.
Dive into ITU’s work over the last four years here.
Administrative matters
Council 2022 approved the Strategic and Financial Plans for 2024-2027 which will be submitted to PP-22. Council also approved the draft operational plan for the Union for 2023.
Resolution on Assistance and Support to Ukraine
As the UN specialized agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs), ITU deplores the widespread destruction of critical infrastructure, failure of telecom services and mobile phone outages that have occurred across Ukraine since the beginning of the war. Council 2022 adopted a resolution on “Assistance and support to Ukraine for rebuilding their telecommunication sector”. As the war goes on, ITU echoes United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres’ call for the conflict to stop now and reaffirms the importance of telecommunications and ICTs for peace and development.
Preparations for PP-22
The ITU Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-22), set to be held from 26 September to 14 October 2022, will bring together the world’s ICT leaders to “connect and unite.” ITU members and observers received invitations in September 2021. Registration will begin in May 2022 and will be carried out exclusively online. Requests for three-minute policy statements will be accepted from May 2022 onwards. Member States wishing to submit candidatures for the election of ITU’s top five executives are requested to do so by 23:59 (Geneva time) on 29 August 2022. PP-22 will be a green, gender-responsive event that also includes youth. The Government of Australia recently announced an initiative aiming to prepare women delegates for multilateral negotiation, chairing, speaking, and policy-making roles. The PP-22 website offers further information. See you in Romania!
ITU Gender Equality and Mainstreaming (GEM) Policy
As the United Nations specialized agency for ICTs, ITU works to bridge the digital divide and build an inclusive digital society. Incorporating a gender perspective into ITU’s work is essential to ensure that the benefits of ICTs are made available to all on a fair and equitable basis. At the same time, ITU is committed to cultivating an inclusive culture among its workforce. Council 2022 endorsed a ITU Gender Equality and Mainstreaming (GEM) Policy which also encourages Member States and other stakeholders to increase the participation of women in ITU’s activities. The gender-related activities for the achievement of the organization’s objectives shall be reported to Member States annually.
Geneva is the home for the Council; a second home for many of us.
– Chair of the Virtual Consultation of CouncillorsUnion’s Headquarters premises project
Our vision is to create a state-of-the-art work and conference environment – so staff, members, delegates and visitors can meet, network and work in a smart, sustainable, forward-looking and fit-for-purpose setting. Council 2022 noted the progress report on the Union’s Headquarters premises project which remains on schedule and on budget. Leaders and thousands of experts from around the world meet every year to discuss the future of ICTs at ITU’s HQ, so there is no better place in the world to showcase the latest technology and modern work solutions your country or company has to offer! Discover how you can engage with the project through sponsorships or donations here. Meanwhile, the ITU Secretariat thanks its sponsors and donors to date, and Switzerland for its support and collaboration, and providing ITU an interest-free loan.
World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, 17 May 2023
A vast ‘connectivity chasm’ remains in the least developed countries (LDCs), where almost three quarters of people have never connected to the Internet. Women in LDCs are particularly left behind, with roughly four out of every five still offline (Facts and Figures 2021). Council 2022 approved the theme for the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) 2023: “Empowering the least developed countries (LDCs) through information and communication technologies.” The purpose of WTISD, ITU’s anniversary, is to help raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet and other ICTs can bring to societies and economies, as well as of ways to bridge the digital divide between the haves and the have-nots. As every year, ITU membership and all stakeholders will be invited to contribute by participating in ITU’s work and sharing their experiences and challenges before and on 17 May.
Policy framework on multilingualism in ITU
The ability to communicate in both speech and writing in multiple languages is essential to multilateral communications. Multilingualism is paramount in the work of the United Nations system and indispensable to the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. At ITU, multilingualism improves the efficiency, performance and transparency of our work, and reflects our deep-seated commitment to diversity. Following the recommendations of the UN Joint Inspection Unit in its 2020 report, ITU developed a Policy Framework on Multilingualism, which was endorsed by Council 2022. Work will now continue with the production of administrative and operational guidelines to ensure the use of the Union’s six official languages on equal footing throughout ITU’s activities – from document translation to conference interpretation, staff training and development, machine translation tools, OneITU webpages and all communications.
Generation Connect Global Youth Summit
ITU held an information session on the Generation Connect Global Youth Summit which is set to take place from 2 to 4 June in Kigali, Rwanda, just ahead of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC). The world today is home to around 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 and 24, with close to 90 per cent of them living in developing countries. This is the largest generation of youth in history. ITU’s Generation Connect initiative was launched just over a year ago, as part of the implementation of the ITU Youth Strategy. The Generation Connect Global Youth Summit aims to achieve meaningful youth engagement, consultation, collaboration, empowerment, participation and calls for action, aimed at bringing the voices of young people into the ITU discussions and activities. ITU Members are encouraged to bring young people to the Youth Summit, partner with ITU in the different sessions of the program and sponsor the event. Check out how you can support the Summit here.
Partner2Connect
ITU held an information session on the Partner2Connect Digital Coalition, the Pledging Platform and Partner2Connect Digital Roundtable, set to take place from 7 to 9 June in Kigali, Rwanda, during the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC). The Online Platform is set to receive pledges and commitments from governments, businesses, civil society, and academia to drive digital transformation all over the world. The Platform serves as a key place for leaders to declare their organizations’ commitment to closing the digital divide and as a “marketplace” to catalyse new partnerships and collaboration. Inmarsat, GIZ, Vodafone, Microsoft and the Government of Ghana have already submitted their pledges. Check out how you can pledge here.
Council 2022 at a glance
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.