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Professor Minkin, Chairman of
the Working Group on the World
Summit on the Information
Society (WG-WSIS), congratulated
ITU on making good progress in
implementing WSIS-related
activities. These include:
Action Lines C2 (Information and
communication infrastructure);
C5 (Building confidence and
security in the use of
information and communication
technologies); and C6 (Enabling
the ICT environment) for which
ITU is sole facilitator; as well
as WSIS Forums and WSIS
Stocktaking. ITU has also made significant contributions to Action Lines CI,C3,C4,C7 and C11 where it is a co-facilitator and Action Lines C8 and C9 where it is a partner. He called on Member
States to assist ITU in leading
and effectively implementing the
WSIS process, and presented a
draft new resolution to that
effect.
Draft plan of action
proposes a high-level meeting in
2014
Professor Minkin reported that,
as a follow-up to Resolution 172
from the Guadalajara Conference,
an open and comprehensive
consultation had been conducted
as part of an overall review of
the implementation of WSIS
outcomes. This review had been
well coordinated with all the
other United Nations agencies
concerned, and led by ITU under
the umbrella of the United
Nations Group on the Information
Society (UNGIS). The UNGIS open
consultation had concluded with
a draft plan of action,
presented by ITU as current
chairman of UNGIS (chairmanship
of this group is rotated among
United Nations agencies). This
draft plan of action sets target
outcomes for activities up to
2015, and proposes a high-level
meeting in 2014.
Dr Hamadoun I. Touré, ITU
Secretary-General, recalled the
history of WSIS, noting that
although ITU had organized the
original two-phase Summit, it
had not reaped the associated
benefits. Since 2007, however,
ITU had made every effort to
work with Member States and the
United Nations agencies
concerned to ensure effective
implementation of the WSIS
outcomes. There was now
consensus within the United
Nations Chief Executives Board
(CEB) that ITU should lead the
overall review on the
implementation of the WSIS
outcomes (WSIS +10), Dr Touré
told the Council. ITU would host
CEB in April 2012 and Dr Touré
expressed the hope that ITU
would continue to lead the
overall review.
Dr Touré pointed out that, while
information technology is well
recognized as being within the
mandate of ITU, the Union needs
a clear message and clear
mandate to continue WSIS
leadership. Under ITU’s
leadership, the disparate
cluster of WSIS events had
developed into the large-scale
outcome-oriented WSIS Forums, a
very successful component of the
WSIS implementation process, he
said, adding that ITU took
particular pride in the
multi-stakeholder spirit of the
WSIS Forums.
ITU, which holds the UNGIS
chairmanship for 2011-2012,
continues to work in close
cooperation with all the United
Nations agencies concerned. The
United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) plans to hold
a high-level event in 2013 with
respect to the action lines for
which UNESCO is sole
facilitator, and ITU is considering organizing a high-level event in
2014, which will feed into the
United Nations Millennium
Development Goals Summit in
2015.
Comments from the floor
All speakers acknowledged the
important work of ITU, in
particular in coordination and
leadership, in ensuring the
success of WSIS and especially
the WSIS Forums. India, Tunisia
and the United States welcomed
the draft resolution submitted
by the Chairman of WG-WSIS that
would allow ITU to lead and
effectively implement the WSIS
process, but with the United
States seeking clarification
with respect to the
extra-budgetary resources
mentioned in the draft.
Saudi Arabia reiterated its
support for the WSIS and
for ITU’s role in the WSIS
process. Several speakers,
including India, Tunisia, Mali,
Egypt, Poland, Switzerland,
Costa Rica and Greece, endorsed
the proposal for ITU to hold a
high-level meeting on the
overall review of the WSIS
outcomes (WSIS+10) in 2014. The
United States requested more
information on that meeting, in
particular regarding
coordination with other United
Nations agencies, especially
UNESCO. Greece, the United
States and Saudi Arabia asked
about the scale of the meeting,
and what it would require in
terms of resources. Egypt
offered to host the high-level
meeting. The United States,
Poland and Switzerland supported
the setting up of a drafting
group on the overall review of
the implementation of WSIS
outcomes.
India welcomed the setting up of
a Council working group on
Internet-related issues. The
United Arab Emirates appreciated
ITU’s efforts, but pointed to a
lack of reporting on WSIS
implementation from the
stakeholders. The Council should
therefore encourage stakeholders
to report on their activities in
the area of WSIS implementation
so that the evaluation could be
as accurate and effective as
possible.
Canada requested an explanation
of the relationship between the
three action lines (C2, C5 and
C6) and the Hyderabad action
plan, and of the relationship
between these and the Union’s
strategic and operational plans.
ITU needs a clear mandate for
WSIS+10
Tunisia stressed that WSIS was
an ITU achievement and that ITU
must continue to play a
leadership role within the
United Nations system in the
WSIS context. The ICT4ALL Summit
would be held at the beginning
of 2012, and would feed into the
WSIS Forum 2012.
Mali and Egypt agreed that ITU
must maintain its leadership
role in the WSIS follow-up. Mali
pointed out that, because of the
crucial role of ICT in achieving
the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs), it was clear that ITU
was at the heart of attaining
the MDGs. Egypt said it wants to
raise the level of ITU in the
United Nations system,
especially in the area of
information technology. Poland
also praised the leading role of
ITU in WSIS, and highlighted the
important role of ICT,
especially during the present
economic crisis. ITU needed a
clear mandate to exercise its
duties.
Switzerland recalled that ITU
had done a lot for WSIS since
the preparatory period and the
original two-phase summit. The
role of ITU in WSIS+10 had to be
explicitly recognized, and ITU
must continue to cooperate with
all the United Nations agencies
concerned. Work should continue
in the same spirit, in a
multi-stakeholder approach.
Algeria expressed the hope that
all consultations on WSIS +10
would be inclusive and
constructive, adding that there
was a need for political
commitment and solidarity on the
part of Member States.
ITU Secretary-General
Dr Hamadoun Touré |
WSIS-related activities are
funded through extra-budgetary
resources, so Resolution 140
revised by the Guadalajara
Conference invites Member
States, Sector Members and
Associates to contribute to the
Special Trust Fund set up by ITU
to support this work. The United
Arab Emirates, the Sultanate of
Oman, Belgium, Mexico and
Zimbabwe have already
contributed to the 2011 Fund.
Highlighting these developments,
Dr Touré reiterated ITU’s
commitment to coordinate fully
with the heads of all the United
Nations agencies concerned,
underlining the good spirit of
collaboration and fruitful
cooperation that already exists
between them. He had met the
United Nations Secretary-General
on 18 September 2011 and
informed him about the WSIS
contribution to the MDG process.
ITU is supporting and working
with UNESCO for their planned high-level
meeting in 2013 and the results
of that event would feed into
ITU’s own high-level meeting in
2014, Dr Touré told the Council.
He recalled that when the United
Nations Secretary-General asked
all UN agencies to help him in
the MDG process his contribution
as Secretary-General of ITU was
the Broadband Commission for
Digital Development in order to
speed up the attainment of the
MDGs through broadband.
Next steps: Two ad hoc
groups are set up
The Council decided to set up two ad hoc groups: an ad hoc group on the overall review in the implementation of the WSIS outcomes, chaired by Professor Minkin; and an ad hoc group on the terms of reference of the Dedicated Group on Internet, chaired by Majed Al Mazyed (Saudi Arabia).
Creation, management and
termination of Council working
groups
Discussions at the Plenipotentiary Conference in Guadalajara highlighted the need to rationalize the work of Council working groups. The conference noted that over the last four years, it had become apparent that the growing number of the Council working groups had put considerable strain on Member State and Sector Member resources. It took Decision 11 calling on the 2011 ordinary session of the Council to only create working groups on the basis of the key issues, goals, strategies and priorities set for ITU in its strategic plan for the years 2012–2015. Also, this ordinary session should decide the working groups’ mandates, their working procedures and their leadership. Finally, it should adopt criteria for deciding on “the termination of working groups according to circumstances under which termination is appropriate”.
Key points
The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in their joint Document C11/64 proposed the following
criteria that could be used to terminate a working group:
- When a working group has completed the tasks under its mandate by meeting the terms of reference.
- When there is a change in the charter or requirements related to the working group.
- When there is a risk of duplication of effort and hence to avoid this, the working group is disbanded.
- If the scope of the working group can be merged with another group to form a single working group.
- When it is not possible to continue the working group because its work could no longer be given priority in the light of the available resources.
The proposal put forward by both countries also advocates the inclusion of these criteria in the Rules of Procedure of the Council, specifically under Rule 11 on “Committees and working groups”. Several Member States supported this proposal and noted the need to have a mechanism by which criteria are established and recorded. They also acknowledged the advantages of including such criteria in a resolution in order to ensure flexibility and modification at future Council sessions. They expressed the sentiment that criteria should also respond to new circumstances and provide flexibility for new situations that arise. It was agreed that guiding principles should be established for the creation, management and termination of Council working groups. These groups should also be limited in number, and their scheduling and electronic working methods should be enhanced; and finally, inclusiveness and participation in their work should be encouraged.
Next steps
The Council set up an ad hoc group, under the leadership of Canada, to draft a resolution providing guiding principles for the creation, management and termination of Council working groups. The draft will be based on the report of the secretariat (Document C11/43) and Document C11/64, as well as on the comments made by councillors, and will be reviewed at a future Plenary in the second week of the Council.
Report on the Information and communication Development Fund endorsed
The Committee on Administration
and Management has endorsed the
report on the Information and
communication Development Fund
(ICT-DF) and the recommendation
to transfer CHF 1 million from
the working capital exhibition
fund to the ICT-DF capital
account. The purpose of the
ICT-DF is to finance development
projects.
Since its creation, the ICT-DF
has financed 88 projects fully
or partially. The projects
financed by the ICT-DF come
under four headings: Human
capacity building,
infrastructure development,
application of new technologies,
and countries with special
needs. The strengthening of the
ICT-DF will further support the
implementation of the regional
initiatives of ITU’s
Telecommunication Development
Sector (ITU-D) and facilitate
the participation of partners
and donors.
Discussion on
the draft budget for 2012-2013
continues
The Standing Committee on
Administration and Management
(ADM) continued its review of
the draft budget of the Union
for 2012-2013. Following initial
discussions, it had requested
the secretariat to prioritize
the activities listed in Table
13 of Document C11/10 as
Unfunded Mandatory Activities
(UMACs). In response, the
secretariat presented three
scenarios outlined in Document
C11/DT/4 as follows:
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Scenario 0:
Initial biennial
draft budget of
CHF 319,084,000
and UMACs at CHF
10,878,000.
-
Scenario 1: CHF
319,234,000 (including the
Independent Management Advisory
Committee-IMAC) with UMACs
reduced to CHF7,778,000.
-
Scenario 2: CHF
319,234,000 with UMACs further
reduced to CHF 5,044,000.
An ad hoc group was
created, chaired by Canada, to
further discuss the issue of
UMACs.
Discussion on these
scenarios will continue in ADM
Committee meetings during the
second week of the Council.
Meanwhile, the Committee
expressed concern on the level
of the Reserve Account,
stressing that it should be
maintained at a reasonable
level. The secretariat explained
that the minimum level of the
Reserve Account is set as 6 per
cent of the total annual
expenses of the Union, according
to Decision 5 (Guadalajara,
2010). The current level is 11
per cent, which is largely above
the minimum, the secretariat
added.
Choice of class of
contribution for defraying the
Union’s expenses
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CHF 318,000 has been
retained as the amount of
contributory unit for the period
2012-2015.
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Member States
contributory units: 339 ¼.
-
Sector Members
contributory units: 237 ½.jjj
The ADM Committee will be
submitting a recommendation to
the Plenary, asking it to take
note of Document C11/41, which
contains the above details.
Suspension/removal of
Sector Members and Associates
Sector Members and
Associates, who have not paid
their annual contributions
within six months after the due
date are suspended from
participation in ITU in
accordance with Resolution 152
(Rev. Guadalajara, 2010).
In the absence of an
agreed repayment schedule or of
payment of contributions, these
members are removed three months
after the notification of
suspension of participation.
The ADM Committee will be
submitting a recommendation to
the Plenary, asking it to take
note of the suspension measures
taken by the Secretary-General
and highlighted in Document
C11/34.
Improvement of management
and follow-up of the defrayal of
ITU expenses by Sector Members
and Associates
Resolution 152
(Guadalajara, 2010) instructed
the Secretary-General to report
to the Council on the management
and follow-up of the defrayal of
ITU expenses by Sector Members
and Associates. Positive results
have been obtained from the
application of this resolution,
for example: better collection
rates and reduction in the debt
of Sector Members and
Associates.
The Council is requested
to grant the Secretary-General
flexibility with regard to
application of Resolution 152.
Several councillors sought
clarification of the term
“flexibility”. The secretariat
explained that flexibility was
being requested in terms of
recovery of arrears, negotiation
of payment conditions and
special terms and conditions for
acquisitions, adding that
automatic exclusion was
counter-productive and could
lead to loss of members. The
secretariat recommended that the
automatic exclusion of members
should be deferred until next
year.
The ADM Committee will be
submitting a recommendation to
the Plenary, asking it to take
note of the report in Document
C11/21 and to grant the
Secretary-General flexibility,
while still conforming to
Resolution 152.
Arrears and special
arrears accounts
The secretariat reported
on the status of arrears and
special arrears accounts as of
31 December 2010 and on actions
taken to settle arrears and
special arrears accounts
(Document C11/36 Rev.1).
One councillor expressed
concern about writing off
arrears and special arrears,
unless there are pre-agreed
conditions on a repayment
schedule. The secretariat
assured the ADM Committee that
arrears are written off only
when companies have fully
complied with the agreed
repayment schedule or when there
is no possibility of debt
recovery (in case of
bankruptcy).
The ADM Committee will be
submitting a recommendation to
the Plenary, asking it to note
Document C11/36 Rev.1 and to
authorize the Secretary-General
to write off CHF 2,496,768 of
interest on arrears and
irrecoverable debts, and adopt
the draft decision contained in
Annex B of that document.
Contributory share of
Panasonic Corporation for
defraying union expenses
Panasonic Corporation has
requested to reduce its class of
contribution from 2 to 1 unit as
of 1 January 2012, due to
exceptional circumstances
following the earthquake that
struck Japan in March this year.
Annual financial implications of
such a request would amount to
CHF 63,600.
The ADM Committee will be
submitting a recommendation to
the Plenary, asking it to adopt
the draft Resolution in Annex B
of Document C11/58 containing
Panasonic Corporation’s request.
Annual Review of Revenue and Expenses (Document C11/8)
Annual review of revenue and expenses is required in accordance with No. 73 of the ITU Convention. Contributory unit for 2010-2011 is CHF318,000. Actual total revenue for 2010 amounted to CHF 161.49 million or 95.4 per cent of the annual budget and 48.5 per cent of the 2010-2011 biennium budget. Actual total expenses for 2010 amounted to CHF 161.71 million or 95.5 per cent of the annual budget and 48.6 per cent of the 2010-2011 biennium Budget. Staff costs cover 82.4 per cent of the total expenses. Councillors commended the secretariat in their efforts in earning significant savings of more than CHF 7 million and encouraged them to continue the good work. General comments were also made by councillors on the need to apply fiscal prudence, strict budget discipline and the prudent use of the Reserve Account to balance the budget.
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