ITU's governing Council met in Geneva from 15-25 May to review progress since its last meeting in 2016, and to chart future developments. Council 2017 was chaired by Eva Spina, Director General for Planning and Management of Spectrum at Italy's Ministry of Economic Development and was attended by over 380 delegates, representing a total of 84 member states (48 Member States of Council and 36 Observer Member States), including several ministers, vice-ministers and ambassadors.
In his State of the Union Address, ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao noted the advances that have been made over the past year, saying, "We've seen tremendous progress in the area of information and communication technologies in recent years. More people are connected. Technologies, such as broadband and 4G services, have been deployed. E-commerce, e-health, e-money, and many more electronic services have reached more and more people around the world. I am pleased to see that the role of ICTs in helping to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals is gaining wide recognition."
In her opening remarks, Ms Spina highlighted that, "We are on the eve of the 2018 Plenipotentiary Conference, in an important moment of transition, in which to make an assessment on the results achieved and to shape activities for the coming years. The great spirit of collaboration among ITU members is the tool that will allow us to meet all of our goals."
Council members engaged in rich debates throughout the meeting, and came together to agree on several important decisions that serve to strengthen ITU.
These include the approval of the draft ITU budget for 2018-2019, approval of the four-year rolling operational plans for its Radiocommunication, Standardization and Development sectors, as well as that of the General Secretariat for 2018-2021. A Council working group on the elaboration of ITU's strategic and financial plans for 2020-2023 was also established.
Additionally, an action plan was strongly endorsed to implement the ITU Gender Equality and Mainstreaming Policy. This policy presents a shared vision for integrating a gender perspective throughout and provides a tool to ensure that gender equality remains a core consideration in ITU's strategic plans, activities and programmes.
Steps were also taken to modernize the delivery and operations of ITU's Plenipotentiary Conference, the Union's highest policy-making body. Measures were agreed to improve its environmental sustainability and to make information more easily accessible – such as becoming paperless, developing mobile-friendly online content, strengthening the regional preparation process, and creating online campaign spaces for election candidates that will include candidate vision statements.
The meeting also included the announcement by China that it is increasing its contribution by an additional six contributory units, which was recognized with gratitude by the Secretary-General. He also noted with thanks the participation of all members, and their acknowledgement of the effective work of ITU and its staff.
"We are very grateful to you for your recognition of our efforts and progress in the efficiency and effectiveness of the Union -- for the confidence that you continue to show in us," said the Secretary-General in his closing remarks to members. "Rest assured that we will continue our efforts to implement the decisions and agreements adopted by Council 2017. We will continue to do our utmost to serve our membership the best we can," he added.
Looking forward, the Secretary-General also highlighted the upcoming ITU Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-18) set to take place 29 October to 16 November 2018, and thanked the United Arab Emirates for offering to host this event in Dubai.
In advance of PP-18, ITU will convene the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-17) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 9 to 20 October 2017, with the theme ICT for Sustainable Development Goals.
Quick links to additional ITU Council 2017 information resources:
Documentation / Photos / Video
