The ITU 19th Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-14) ended on 7 November, with 150 countries having signed its Final Acts. More than 51 resolutions, including 21 new resolutions were approved by PP-14 and address the current and future ICT agenda of the global community. This final Issue of the Highlights features the final moments of the conference. In particular, it highlights the results of the work done in Committee 5 (Legal and Policy Matters) and the revised and new resolutions approved by the plenary from this Committee; the Financial Plan of the Union for the years 2016-2019; and the Connect 2020 Global Agenda, among others.
Legal and Policy Matters
The conference considered and approved a number of recommendations from its Committee 5 dealing with legal and policy matters of the Union.
Stable Constitution
Committee 5 discussed the outcome of the work of the Council Working Group on a Stable Constitution and looked into different ways to ensure the stability of ITU's Constitution and Convention in the years up to, and beyond, 2018. On Thursday, 6 November, the plenary agreed to Committee 5's recommendation:
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that no modifications should be made by PP-14 to the provisions, structure of, and hierarchy between, the Constitution and the Convention; and
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to disband the Council Working Group on a Stable Constitution established under Resolution 163 (Guadalajara, 2010) and to abrogate this resolution.
Space Protocol
The conference endorsed the following recommendation from its Committee 5:
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that the Council should continue to monitor any further developments regarding ITU's possible role as Supervisory Authority of the International Registration System for Space Assets under the Space Protocol; and
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that the ITU secretariat should continue to express interest in ITU assuming the aforementioned role and respond to any questions on this matter raised by Member States between now and the next Plenipotentiary Conference in 2018.
Public access to ITU documents
A recommendation to make available to the public at large all ITU conference and assembly input and output documents as from 2015 ─ unless disclosure would cause potential harm to a legitimate private or public interest that outweighs the benefits of accessibility ─ was endorsed by the plenary after a protracted discussion.
In line with this recommendation, the conference also decided to instruct the Council Working Group on Financial and Human Resources to:
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continue to review this matter to determine the extent to which ITU documentation should be made publicly accessible, to prepare a draft ITU document access policy for submission to the Council, and to consider the necessity to establish a dedicated group for this purpose; and
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transmit the proposed access policy to the Council for its consideration and provisional approval and its implementation, as appropriate,
to instruct and authorize the Council to:
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consider the report of the Council Working Group and as appropriate approve and implement the policy on an interim basis; and
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instruct the Council to submit the policy to the 2018 Plenipotentiary Conference for final decision.
Articles 36 and 38 of the Convention
The conference agreed to clarify in the minutes of its plenary that in the French version of Articles 36 and 38 of the ITU Convention, the word "taxes" should be understood to mean "tarifs".
Methods to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Radio Regulations Board
The conference agreed not to modify Resolution 119 (Rev. Antalya 2006) on methods to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Radio Regulations Board. It decided to include in the minutes of its plenary, the following text recommended by its Committee 5:
"Following discussions about a possible modification of Resolution 119 (Rev. Antalya, 2006) to include a request to the Radio Regulations Board (RRB) and to the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) 2015 to consider the conditions for reconsideration of a previous RRB decision, it was noted that WRC or the RRB are the appropriate bodies to decide on such conditions, on the basis of proposals from administrations."
In addition, on the proposal of its Committee 5, the conference decided that each RRB member would be required to sign the following declaration at the time of taking office in order to prevent any conflict of interest in their duties:
"I, the undersigned, declare that I adhere to the provisions set forth in Nos. 98 and 99 of the ITU Constitution and will exercise in all loyalty, discretion and conscience the functions entrusted to me as a member of the Radio Regulations Board:
In the exercise of their Board duties, the members of the Radio Regulations Board shall serve, not as representing their respective Member States nor a region, but as custodians of an international public trust. In particular, each member of the Board shall refrain from intervening in decisions directly concerning the member's own administration.
No member of the Board shall request or receive instructions relating to the exercise of his duties for the Union from any government or a member thereof, or from any public or private organization or person. Members of the Board shall refrain from taking any action or from participating in any decision which may be incompatible with their status defined in No. 98 above."
SATCOL satellite system
Committee 5 discussed (but did not adopt) a draft new resolution on an extension of the deadline for bringing into operation of the Colombian satellite system "SATCOL" at orbital positions 70.9° West, 38° West and 131° West. The conference decided to include the following text in the minutes of the plenary as recommended by Committee 5:
"Regarding the SATCOL 1B (FSS) satellite network, should the Administration of Colombia not be in a position to comply with the regulatory deadlines for bringing into use, it is recommended that the Administration of Colombia (Republic of) bring the matter to the attention of WRC-15 for action, as appropriate, taking into account Article 44 of the ITU Constitution and the difficulties this developing country has and is experiencing bringing the frequency assignments into use. On an exceptional basis, it is also recommended that the Radiocommunication Bureau should take any appropriate action to facilitate consideration of the case by the 2015 World Radiocommunication Conference."
Apportionment of revenues in providing international telecommunication services
It was agreed not to modify Resolution 22 (Rev. Antalya 2006) Apportionment of revenues in providing international telecommunication services. The relevant ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) study groups are invited to continue their work on network externalities for international Internet connections and on the development of appropriate costing methodologies for international Internet connections.
Election procedures
On election procedures, the conference agreed to include in the minutes of this plenary, the following statement from its Committee 5: "It is desirable to improve the electoral process of the elected officials in the Union. In this regard, Council should study the issue and recommend to Member States options for implementing new procedures to improve the electoral process of Secretary-General, Deputy Secretary-General and Directors of the Bureaux. Due consideration should be given to several options such as presentations, interactive sessions, live sessions, interviews, submission of questions, through webcasting and remote participation, as well as further enhancing the election portal in the ITU website. Council is invited to initiate these studies in its 2015 session in order to implement these possible improvements."
Definition of the term "ICT"
Committee 5 agreed not to provide a definition of the term "ICT" at this conference. After an extensive discussion, the conference maintained this conclusion from its Committee 5.
General Rules of Conferences, Assemblies and Meetings of the Union
Committee 5 had also considered a proposal to amend the General Rules of Conferences, Assemblies and Meetings of the Union (Franking privileges ─ No. 166). It concluded that the wording of this specific provision does not accurately reflect current practices in terms of the agreement between the host country and the Union. It nonetheless agreed not to amend No. 166 at this conference. The plenary also agreed with this conclusion.
All the resolutions listed below were first agreed in Committee 5 and subsequently approved by the conference.
New resolutions:
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Resolution COM5/1 (Busan, 2014): Global flight tracking for civil aviation.
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Resolution COM5/2 (Busan, 2014): Strengthening the role of ITU with regard to transparency and confidence-building measures in outer space activities.
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Resolution COM5/3 (Busan, 2014): Review of the current methodologies and development of a future vision for the participation of Sector Members, Associates and Academia
in the activities of ITU.
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Resolution COM5/4 (Busan, 2014): Combating counterfeit telecommunication/ICT devices.
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Resolution COM5/5 (Busan, 2014): Assisting Member States to combat and deter mobile device theft.
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Resolution COM5/6 (Busan, 2014): Countering misappropriation and misuse of international telecommunication numbering resources.
Revised resolutions
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Resolution 21 (Rev. Busan, 2014): Special measures concerning alternative calling procedures on international telecommunication networks.
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Resolution 146 (Rev. Busan, 2014): Review of the International Telecommunication Regulations.
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Resolution 166 (Rev. Busan, 2014): Number of vice-chairmen of Sector advisory groups, study groups and other groups.
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Resolution 169 (Rev. Busan, 2014): Admission of academia, universities and their associated research establishments to participate in the work of the three Sectors of the Union. This Resolution was agreed on the understanding that resolves 4 of said Resolution is to be interpreted as meaning that academia participation does not include ITU treaty-making conferences.
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Resolution 177 (Rev. Busan, 2014): Conformance and interoperability.
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The conference agreed not to modify Resolution 86 (Rev. Marrakesh, 2002) Advance publication, coordination, notification and recording procedures for frequency assignments pertaining to satellite networks.
Suppressed resolutions
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Resolution 163 (Guadalajara, 2010): Establishment of a Council working group on a stable ITU Constitution (see recommendation above).
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Resolution 171 (Guadalajara, 2010): Preparations for the 2012 world conference on international telecommunications.
Financial Plan for the Union for the period 2016-2019
The conference approved the Financial Plan of the Union for the years 2016-2019. As reported earlier, following the presentation of Document 44 to Committee 6 on the draft Financial Plan for the Union for 2016-2019 and draft Decision 5, an Ad hoc group was created chaired by the United States. This group drafted a revised text of Decision 5.
Emphasis was put on a new culture of efficiency and economy at ITU, strengthening the control of the finances of the Union and the funding of the ASHI (After Service Health Insurance) and long-term liabilities of the Union. The measures for reducing expenditure contained in Annex 2 to Decision 5 were carefully reviewed in this respect.
Annex 1 to Decision 5, the Financial Plan of the Union for 2016-2019, was reviewed and adjusted by CHF 20.3 million, compared with the initial draft in Document 44. This resulted from a decrease by 10.5 in the number of the contributory units of Member States and the non-inclusion of new financial resources from the INR (International Numbering Resources) in the financial plan.
The financial plan was balanced on the expenses side by reductions on the Bureaux and General Secretariat Departments planned expenditure, deletion of the INR implementation costs and reduction of the planned net assets funding. In addition, cost savings amounting to CHF 13 million were adopted covered by efficiency measures, a potential increase in the number of the contributory units, other revenue, including new financial resources, and possible withdrawal from the Reserve Account upon Council decision.
Committee 6 adopted the new Financial Plan at its tenth meeting. Revenue and Expenses are balanced and equally amount to CHF 635.7 million. The amount of the contributory unit remained unchanged at CHF 318 000. This plan was later adopted by the plenary.
Connect 2020: Global telecommunication/information and communication technology goals and targetsThe Annex to new Resolution WG-PL/9 (Busan, 2014): Connect 2020 Agenda for global telecommunication/information and communication technology development, features the four goals of this agenda.
Goal 1: Growth – Enable and foster access to and increased use of telecommunications/ICT
– Target 1.1: Worldwide, 55 per cent of households should have access to the Internet by 2020.
– Target 1.2: Worldwide, 60 per cent of individuals should be using the Internet by 2020.
– Target 1.3: Worldwide, telecommunications/ICT should be 40 per cent more affordable by 2020.
Goal 2: Inclusiveness – Bridge the digital divide and provide broadband for all
– Target 2.1.A: In the developing world, 50 per cent of households should have access to the Internet by 2020.
– Target 2.1.B: In the least developed countries (LDCs), 15 per cent of households should have access to the Internet by 2020.
– Target 2.2.A: In the developing world, 50 per cent of individuals should be using the Internet by 2020.
– Target 2.2.B: In the least developed countries (LDCs), 2 per cent of individuals should be using the Internet by 2020.
– Target 2.3.A: The affordability gap between developed and developing countries should be reduced by 40 per cent by 2020. Note: These include the least developed countries, small island developing States, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.
– Target 2.3.B: Broadband services should cost no more than 5 per cent of average monthly income in developing countries by 2020.
– Target 2.4: Worldwide, 90 per cent of the rural population should be covered by broadband services by 2020.
– Target 2.5.A: Gender equality among Internet users should be reached by 2020.
– Target 2.5.B: Enabling environments ensuring accessible telecommunications/ICT for persons with disabilities should be established in all countries by 2020.
Goal 3: Sustainability – Manage challenges resulting from telecommunication/ICT development
– Target 3.1: Cybersecurity readiness should be improved by 40 per cent by 2020.
– Target 3.2: Volume of redundant e-waste to be reduced by 50 per cent by 2020.
– Target 3.3: Greenhouse gas emissions generated by the telecommunication/ICT sector to be decreased per device by 30 per cent by 2020.
Goal 4: Innovation and partnership – Lead, improve and adapt to the changing telecommunication/ICT environment
– Target 4.1: Telecommunication/ICT environment conducive to innovation.
– Target 4.2: Effective partnerships of stakeholders in the telecommunication/ICT environment.
Resolutions on Palestine
Proposed revisions to two resolutions concerning Palestine were a potential source of discord on the penultimate day of the conference, however assiduous negotiations by delegates from many countries, led by ITU Secretary-General, Dr Hamadoun I. Touré, and PP-14 Chairman, Wonki Min, were successful in reaching compromise texts that achieved consensus. The two revised resolutions, Resolution 99 (Status of Palestine in ITU) and Resolution 125 (Assistance and support to Palestine for rebuilding its telecommunication networks), provide for increased participation of the State of Palestine in the work of the Union.
The new rights afforded by amendments to Resolution 99 also allow the State of Palestine to be seated alongside delegations of Member States in French alphabetical order, give the delegation the right to present proposals in its own name, (with the exception of amendments to the ITU Constitution, Convention and General Rules), and allow representatives from the State of Palestine to serve as chairmen or Vice-chairmen of technical study groups and focus groups.
"I am delighted that this potentially divisive issue was able to be resolved in a short space of time through the concerted efforts of ITU members," said Secretary-General Dr Touré. "This positive outcome is a shining example of ITU's culture of global collaboration and bridge-building, which has kept us at the forefront of the industry we serve for 150 years."
Closing statements
Addressing the penultimate session of the conference plenary on Thursday 6 November, ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun I. Touré reflected on some of the key achievements of PP-14 over the past three weeks as he prepares to hand over the ITU leadership to Secretary-General Elect Houlin Zhao at the end of the year.
Secretary-General Dr Touré singled out the agreement on ITU's Strategic Plan for 2016- 2019, and the resolution on Connect 2020, which sets out a clear vision and shared objectives for the future of the ICT sector. In parallel, he recalled, that the conference had approved a balanced financial plan for the next four-year period, in spite of a reduction in Member State contributory units.
The outgoing Secretary-General also reserved special mention for the resolutions passed in Busan on civil aviation flight tracking, ITU's campaign to harness ICT to combat the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, cybersecurity, GEM-TECH Awards organized by ITU in conjunction with UN Women, gender equality, measures to address the scourge of counterfeit digital devices, broadband connectivity, the Young ICT Policy Leaders programme, and the setting up of an experts group on international telecommunications regulations.
"PP-14 has renewed and strengthened the consensus among ITU Member States on the role that should be played by the Union in the fields of Internet and cybersecurity – further enhancing ITU's engagement with all stakeholders, as well as recognizing the importance of contributing to the WSIS process," he said. "I was also pleased to see renewed emphasis on the need for affordable international Internet connectivity for all the world's people, as well as the importance of nurturing a truly multilingual Internet." He also noted that for the first time since 1992, no amendments to the Constitution and Convention had been enacted at the conference.
"During all these years at the helm of the Union, I have never hesitated in taking the decisions that needed to be taken – based on the best of my knowledge, with full sincerity, and with my mind focused on the desire to win, to make ITU a stronger organization, and to help make this world a better place for all," he said.
Mr Touré praised the excellent organization of PP-14 and the facilities offered by the Republic of Korea and noted that some 2 500 delegates from 171 countries, including 167 Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Ambassadors, had participated."
After paying tribute to the leadership of Dr Touré over the past eight years, Secretary-General Elect Houlin Zhao said: "I would personally like to thank each and every member of the delegations for placing your very clear confidence in me, as the next Secretary-General. You have given all of us an incredibly strong mandate, and you have put your trust in continuity for this great Union of ours, as we prepare ourselves for the next 150 years of ITU's history. Together with the new management team, and the support of membership, I am confident that we can go on to achieve great results, building on the outstanding work which has already been performed under Dr Touré's leadership, and taking the Union to new levels of excellence. I pledge to you, here in this City of Busan, where you overwhelmingly elected me that I will continue to do my very best to honour the confidence that you have accorded me. It is an incredible honour to lead the Union forwards, and you can count on me to live up to your expectations."
Conference Chairman Wonki Min had this to say: "Over the last three weeks we have worked long and hard to approve over 51 resolutions, including 21 new resolutions which address the immediate needs of the global community. We have also suppressed 7 resolutions. Indeed, I believe PP-14 has put to rest any notion that ITU is a slow moving organization. Together, we have demonstrated that ITU and its membership can take decisive action to address issues that affect the global community. The resolution on flight tracking will help to make air-travel safer. And the resolution on Ebola will help bring the full potential of ICT to bear against this disease."
Mr Min then commented that the strategic plan adopted for 2016-2019 will help ITU make important contributions to the global development agenda beyond 2015 and that Member States' endorsement of ITU's Connect 2020 vision will strengthen efforts to include ICT in the United Nations Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals.
He added that the revised resolution on gender mainstreaming, the series of GEM-TECH events and the very special participation of President Paul Kagame of Rwanda in these events reaffirmed ITU's commitment to women in ICT. He praised Member States for demonstrating their support for ICT and youth by adopting a landmark resolution that will support ITU's efforts to engage and enhance the capacity of global youth.
"We have also worked hard, despite sudden and unforeseen challenges, to adopt a financial plan that will support the outcomes of PP-14 and maintain the good financial health of ITU. And of course, we elected the new ITU management team that will guide the work of the Union over the next four years," Mr Min said.
"I believe we have achieved these outcomes because of your incredible effort, willingness to find compromise, and commitment to ITU's tradition of consensus building. Your hard work and cooperation have delivered a successful PP-14. Indeed, I am very happy to say that we worked through the entire conference without a single vote, or even a single point or motion of order. I think this might be a record! "He extended his special thanks to the Chairmen of the Conference Committees and the Working Group of the Plenary for these great achievements.
Awards in recognition of hospitality and excellence
At the closing ceremony, Secretary-General, Dr Touré, awarded the Mayor of Busan, Suh Byung-soo, the ITU gold medal and certificate, in recognition of his exceptional support and warm welcome of the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2014.
Secretary-General, Dr Touré, also awarded Conference Chairman, Wonki Min, the ITU gold medal and certificate, in recognition of his outstanding contribution in support of the activities of the International Telecommunication Union and for his Chairmanship of the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2014.
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Dr. Hamadoun I. Touré, Secretary-General of ITU
PP-14 Highlights Video: GEM-Tech Awards 2014
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