How to become a Member State

If the State is a Member of the United Nations:

  • it becomes a Member State of the ITU by acceding to the Constitution and the Convention of the International Telecommunication Union (Geneva, 1992). Such accession shall be made simultaneously in the form of one single document covering both the Constitution and the Convention;
  • the instrument of accession shall be deposited with the ITU Secretary-General.
  • Model Instrument of Accession for UN Members

If the State is not a Member of the United Nations:

  • the application for membership needs to have a secured approval by two-thirds of the Member States of the Union;
  • after such approval, the admission procedure is the same as described above in the form of one single document.
  • Model Instrument of Accession for non-UN Members

Financial Information

The expenses of the Union are met from the contributions of its Member States, Sector Members, Associates, Academia, as well as cost recovery activities and voluntary contributions for specific projects.

Contributions from ITU’s Member States, Sector Members, Associates, and Academia account for around 75 per cent of its total funding. At each Plenipotentiary Conference, ITU Member States select the size of their contribution according to the below scale, with 1 contributory unit representing CHF 318,000 per year:

From the 40 unit class to the 2 unit class:

In steps of 1 unit

From the 2 unit class, as follows:

1 ½  unit class
1 unit class
1/2 unit class
1/4 unit class
1/8* unit class
1/16* unit class 

              

* Only member States listed by the United Nations as least developed countries and those     determined by the Council may select the 1/16 and 1/8 unit classes of contribution.

For additional information on ITU Finances, please refer to Article 28 of the Constitution and Article 33 of the Convention of ITU.

Learn more on how ITU is funded.