​​Address by Wonki Min, Chairman of ITU Council 2015​

​Distinguished councillors,
Mr Secretary-General,
Mr Deputy Secretary-General,
Directors of the Bureaux,

Dear colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is my great honour to open the Inaugural Plenary Meeting of the 2016 ITU Council. The year of 2015 was very special to ITU, as it marked the 150th anniversary of the Union. Indeed, it was our great pleasure to celebrate 150th anniversary of the ITU during the 2015 Council session. I would like to express my gratitude to the Committee for the preparation of the 150th anniversary celebrations and its chair, Mr Nasser Bin Hammad for his committee's excellent work.

Distinguished colleagues,

Looking back on the 2015 ITU Council, we came up with a lot of accomplishments. As the 2015 Council was the first Council since the 2014 Plenipotentiary Conference, it took actions to follow the PP-14's resolutions, decisions, and recommendations on topics such as Internet-related activities and public policy issues, cybersecurity, child online protection, accessibility for persons with disabilities, gender mainstreaming, and ICT and youth.

We also made important decisions on the roadmap for the implementation of the Connect 2020 agenda as envisioned in resolution 200 of PP-14. In addition, Council reaffirmed resolution 140 in PP-14 regarding the role of ITU in the WSIS implementation by revising resolution 1332 and resolution 1334.

In the meanwhile, the 2015 Council also addressed important management issues. I'm very proud of the fact that we achieved the balanced budget of 321.3 million CHF for the 2016-2017 Biennium without withdrawal from the Reserve Account, as approved by PP-14. In this regard, I would like to appreciate the efforts made by the Secretariat, in particular Mr Alassane Ba and the ADM Committee and its 2015 chair, Mr Marcin Krasuski.

Also, we dealt with the strategic, operational and financial plans and the four-year rolling operational plans of the Union.

In the 2015 Council, a new decision on the creation and management of Council Working Groups was adopted including the principles and rules for the creation, management and termination of Council Working Groups.

Regarding ITU's Headquarters Premises, we agreed to suppress option 3 of rental and to focus only on the three remaining options: replacement, renovation, and relocation.

Distinguished colleagues,

The 2016 Council has much work to do. Considering the number of contributions from the Member State and the Secretariat it will be a huge challenge to address all the issues presented to the Council in only seven working days.

However, I am confident that the incoming Chairperson, Ms Julie Zoller of the United States, will guide the Council to address challenges effectively with her wisdom and experience, and the Council will achieve the progress which our Member States wish to make for the present and future of ITU.

I think this is time for me to thank ITU's staff for all the assistance I have received during my chairmanship, with special thanks to Ms Doreen Bogdan, Mr Arnaud Guillot and Ms Beatrice Pluchon, as well as to the Secretary-General, Mr Houlin Zhao, the Deputy Secretary-General, Mr Malcolm Johnson, and Bureau Directors François Rancy, Chaesub Lee and Brahima Sanou.

In preparation of the Council meeting, I have noted the diligent work of the Council Working Groups that vigorously carry out their tasks. I would like to thank all participants to the Council Working Groups. In particular, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Chairs of the Council Working Groups, Mr Bruce Gracie, Dr Vladimir Minkin, Mr Majed Al Mazyed, Dr Sherif Hashem, Mr Xavier Bellmont and Mr Paul Najarian.

Before closing my remarks, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my country, the Republic of Korea, for giving me a chance to serve as the Chair of the 2015 ITU Council.

Finally, I want to say thanks to all of you from the bottom of my heart and I wish the 2016 ITU Council great success. 

Thank you very much.