– 126 – (5.2 – ITU-R) 5.2 Radiocommunication (ITU-R) R 1148 Status of the members of the Radio Regulations Board (C-1999) The Council, considering a) the provisions of Articles 8 (No. 56), 9 (No. 63), 12 (No. 82) and 14 (Nos. 93 to 101) of the Constitution (Geneva, 1992) and those of Articles 2 (Nos. 20 to 22) and 10 (Nos. 139 to 147) of the Convention (Geneva, 1992), as amended by the Kyoto (1994) and Minneapolis (1998) Plenipotentiary Conferences; b) that the members of the Radio Regulations Board (RRB) are elected by the Plenipotentiary Conference as custodians of an international mandate; c) that they can therefore not be considered as “experts” within the meaning of No. 1001 of the Convention; d) that the Headquarters Agreement does not establish a special status for RRB members; e) that RRB members are bound by the Convention to participate in radiocommunication conferences, radiocommunication assemblies and, in the case of the chairperson and vice-chairperson of RRB, in the Plenipotentiary Conference, whether these conferences and assemblies are held at or away from headquarters; f) that the Plenipotentiary Conference (Minneapolis, 1998) decided that the Council should consider the appropriate means to provide RRB members with the rights and immunities necessary to carry out their duties, on the basis of a report by the Secretary-General following consultation of the host country (Document PP-98/271), having examined the report drawn up by the Secretary-General (Document C99/61) in response to the decision by the Plenipotentiary Conference (Minneapolis, 1998), having taken cognizance of the memorandum by the Radio Regulations Board (Document C99/66) transmitted to it by the Secretary-General, resolves to instruct the Secretary-General 1 to continue to apply, in respect of RRB members, Article 17 of the Agreement between the Swiss Federal Council and the Union concerning the organization’s legal status in Switzerland and to identify, in cooperation with the Swiss authorities, ways and means of improving the situation of RRB members in order to facilitate the exercise of their duties; 2 to provide RRB members with an ITU document attesting to their status as elected members of RRB and setting forth those provisions of the headquarters agreement that apply to them; 3 to see to it that the agreements concluded between the Union and the host countries of conferences or meetings in which the members, chairperson and vice-chairperson of RRB have a duty to participate (No. 141 of the Convention) contain provisions granting RRB members the privileges and immunities necessary for the exercise of their duties at the said conferences or meetings; 4 to report to the Council on the measures taken, requests the competent authorities of the countries of which elected RRB members are nationals to offer facilities, in particular with regard to the type of travel documents they issue, enabling RRB members to travel without hindrance in the exercise of their duties for the Union,