Information Session – ITU Website and Database on Projects
The afternoon of Tuesday 19 May started with an information session on the ITU Website and Database on Projects. The meeting was hosted by BDT, with the presentation of the newly designed website and related database being made by the Chief of the Projects and Knowledge Management Department, Cosmas Zavazava.
The presentation covered ITU's dual role as a UN specialized agency and as an executing agency for implementing projects, project funding sources (Funds-in-Trust, Voluntary Contributions, Regular Budget and ICT-DF), thematic areas as defined by ITU-D Strategic Plan Objectives (2015-2018), Project Management Tools and the current projects portfolio of 50 ongoing projects valued at over US$ 60 million.
Following this overview, there was a demonstration of the projects user-friendly website and database that provides detailed information for the Membership and the public, and provides an easy way of searching and filtering projects by region, theme, and by source of funds.
Standing Committee on Administration and Management (ADM)
The Standing Committee on Administration and Management (ADM) continued its work on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning, continuing on the basis of the time management plan C15/TD3 – and completing its work ahead of schedule! Congratulations to all involved, and especially the Chair and Vice Chairs!
IMAC (Continued)
The discussions concerning IMAC, which started yesterday (see Council Highlights No 6) continued with the presentation of the report of the IMAC Selection Panel on IMAC members by the Chair of the Panel, Gönke Roscher, C15/75,providing an overview of the selection process. ADM recommended that Council approve the Draft Decision on Appointment of Members of IMAC for a period of four years from 1 January 2016.
The Secretariat presented a document concerning the cost/benefit analysis of IMAC in relation to the internal audit and external audit functions, C15/51. Councillors appreciated this report, and ADM recommended that Council note the document.
The Councillor from Japan presented a contribution proposing that IMAC set timelines / deadlines for the implementation of the IMAC recommendations, C15/68. Councillors expressed support for the need for time frames to be established in order to facilitate the follow-up of the implementation, but some suggested that the timelines / deadlines themselves might be established by the Secretariat rather than IMAC. It was suggested that the time frames would be easier to establish if levels of risk for each recommendation were established. ADM endorsed the Japanese contribution with a number of modifications, including IMAC setting the time frames in cooperation with the Secretariat.
ITU Telecom World 2014 Accounts
The Secretariat presented the audited accounts of ITU Telecom World 2014, C15/40, showing a surplus of nearly CHF 785,000. The Secretariat responded positively to a request that in future, for efficiency and to streamline meetings, the audited accounts be presented to ADM before the report from the External Auditor is presented, or that a combined report on ITU accounts and ITU Telecom World accounts be presented by the Secretariat as well as a combined report from the External Auditor on these accounts. A question was asked concerning the staff costs; the Secretariat responded that these are reflected as core expenses in Annex B of the report. ADM recommended that Council note the document.
Internal Auditor's Report
The Secretariat presented the report of the Internal Auditor on internal audit activities, C15/43, covering the period from March 2014 to February 2015. Councillors congratulated the Secretariat on the improvements in the function and reporting of the internal audit, but queried the partial conformance of some activities (this is being addressed) and the difficulty of accessing the internal audit reports (this would require a change in the financial regulations). ADM recommended that, after consideration by the Committee, Council note the document.
Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs)
The Secretariat presented a document concerning Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) having financial and / or strategic implications, C15/94. In response to a question, the Secretariat confirmed that as agreed in an earlier session, the document would only be available in English, as it had previously been an information document; but it would be available in all six languages by 29 May, subject to the confirmation of Plenary. There followed considerable discussion on the issue of translation in general, and the translation of document C15/94 in particular.
The Councillor from the United States presented a contribution on ITU participation in MOUs with financial and / or strategic implications which can be beneficial for ITU members, C15/61, noting that to date Member States have had little oversight in terms of evaluating the benefits or the financial, operational, or legal consequences of the MoUs entered into by ITU. The Councillor for UAE presented a contribution also addressing ITU participation in MOUs with financial and / or strategic implications, C15/87. Both contributions included criteria and guidelines for ITU participation in MOUs with financial and / or strategic implications.
There was very considerable support from Councillors on the need for clear criteria and guidelines concerning MoUs. A number of Councillors requested that the Council Working Group on Financial and Human Resources (CWG-FHR) discuss the issue and present its conclusions to Council 2016. The need to allow the elected officials sufficient flexibility to mobilize resources, and the need to avoid obstructing the work of the Secretariat and to avoid micro-managing the Union were also highlighted.
ADM recommended that Council request CWG-FHR to proceed on the basis of the discussions above, and the Tuesday afternoon meeting ended there.
Resuming its work on Wednesday morning (20 May), ADM took up the agenda with two documents related to ITU and the Dona Foundation: document C15/95, concerning Digital object architecture (DOA) and the master framework agreement between ITU and the Dona Foundation, which was presented in detail by the Secretariat; and document C15/57, concerning ITU's participation in a particular MOU with financial and / or strategic implications (Res. 192), which was presented by the Councillor for the United States.
A number of Councillors echoed the concerns raised in document C15/57, noting possible legal and IPR implications as well as financial and strategic implications – including the need to consider staff time as a cost. A number of other Councillors spoke in favour of the DOA, noting potential benefits to Member States, and especially for developing countries, and argued for the continuation of the MoU with Dona.
The Chair of ADM requested that the Secretariat provide further substantive information on this issue to membership, in good time for the next meeting of CWG-FHR, in order that the next session of Council in 2016 can make informed decisions as necessary. Councillors concurred with this approach. The TSB Director emphasized that ITU is not choosing one particular technology over another and that ITU-T's responsibility is to facilitate interoperability of heterogeneous technologies. He mentioned that related work continues in the ITU-T study groups, in particular ITU-T SG17 (responsible for ITU-T X.1255) and ITU-T SG11. The TSB Director said that several major industry sectors are interested in exploring the potential of DOA.
Enhancing ITU's access control systems
The Secretariat presented a document on enhancing ITU's access control systems with modern and efficient secured identity management, C15/96, noting that this proposal will not only reduce costs significantly (ROI is anticipated at 9.1 million Swiss francs over a ten year period) but will also enhance the security of staff, delegates and visitors. Councillors spoke in support of the excellent initiative. Questions were raised concerning alternative systems such as that used by the Palais. The Secretariat clarified that there were 22 UN agencies interested in the initiative, which was originally mandated by the UN General Assembly, and that other alternatives (standards) had indeed been evaluated. In terms of timing, the rollout is planned for 2016 and 2017, starting with staff and then being applied to delegates. The Secretariat provided further detail concerning the financing issues and cost benefits.
International Numbering Resources (INRs)
The Secretariat presented a report on consultations regarding revenue generation from International Numbering Resources (INRs), C15/48, noting that there is a divergence in views across different Member States, and presented a document containing the detailed consultations' responses, C15/97.
The Councillor from the United States presented a contribution concerning issues associated with using revenues from fees for ITU assignment of INRs to balance the ITU budget, C15/60, noting that consensus had not been achieved in any earlier discussions on this issue.
The Councillor from Bulgaria presented a contribution from Bulgaria, Hungary, Netherlands, Romania and Slovak Republic, concerning the recent consultation on INRs undertaken by TSB, C15/73 Rev.2; there was also an information document available from Bulgaria concerning the economic impact of the ITU's INR charge proposals, C15/INF/17 concluding that there is no economic impact to operators.
Councillors universally supported ITUs efforts to cut costs and increase revenue generation, but there was divergence of opinion concerning whether further work on the INRs by ITU was desirable, or whether ITU should pursue a potential pilot project. Equally, there was some divergence concerning whether this issue should continue to be studied through the ITU-T Study Groups or through the CWG-FHR.
The Secretariat informed Councillors that 370,000 Swiss francs had been saved since 2010, but that there was still a deficit of around 700,000 Swiss francs – a shortfall that could be covered by the proposed pilot project, which would be expected to raise around one million Swiss francs.
Some Councillors agreed with the Chair's suggestion that, given the lack of consensus, the matter should be studied further in ITU-T Study Group 2, with support from Study Group 3, but some Councillors asked for the issue to be studied by CWG-FHR instead.
Resuming the discussions after the lunch break, the Chair proposed that the matter be taken up by CWG-FHR at its next meeting in October, with subsequent questions, if any, sent to ITU-T Study Group 2 (meeting in January 2016) and ITU-T Study Group 3 (meeting in February/March 2016) for discussion and analysis. Study Group 2's outcomes would be returned to the CWG-FHR meeting in February, and Study Group 3's outcomes to an extraordinary meeting of CWG-FHR ahead of Council 2016.
Conclusion of ADM
The Secretariat brought up an issue that was not on the agenda concerning ITU's role in funding the Resident Coordinator, to the tune of US$ 100,000 per year. Councillors expressed their support, as long as this was funded from within the existing budget.
The Chair concluded the Standing Committee on Administration and Management, thanking the Vice Chairs and the Secretariat, and Councillors for the very positive spirit throughout ADM. Many Councillors took the floor to thank the Chair and express their satisfaction with the meeting(s) of ADM during C15.
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.
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Photos and videos
ITU Telecom World 2014
Interview with Thomas Wiegand, ITU150 Laureate
ITU Interview: Robert Kahn, ITU150 Laureate
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