– 159 – (6.2 – United Nations and other organizations) R 800 (C-1977, last amended C-1984) Telecommunications, an important factor in economic and social development: role of the ITU in this domain The Council, having examined the note by the Secretary-General entitled, “Telecommunications, an important factor in economic and social development: role of the ITU in this domain” (Document 5073/CA32), noting a) that in all countries, regardless of their level of development, the existence of an adequate telecommunication infrastructure is of vital importance for economic and social development in different areas and that in consequence many international organizations, in addition to the ITU, are interested in one or more aspects of telecommunication development; b) that not all international organizations are sufficiently aware of the role of the ITU in the regulation and standardization of telecommunications or of the activities of the Union in preparing reports and recommendations relating to the planning and exploitation of the telecommunication infrastructure and services; c) the request addressed to the Director-General of UNESCO by the General Assembly of the United Nations, in its Resolution A/RES/31/139, to report, in cooperation with the specialized agencies concerned, on progress achieved in the development of mass communication systems, this report to be considered at the 33rd Session (1978) of the Assembly, considering a) that the International Telecommunication Union is recognized by the United Nations as the specialized agency responsible for taking such action as may be appropriate under its basic instrument for the accomplishment of the purposes set forth therein; b) that article 4 of the International Telecommunication Convention, Nairobi, 1982, states the purposes of the Union as being: – to maintain and extend international cooperation between all Members of the Union for the improvement and rational use of telecommunications of all kinds, as well as to promote and to offer technical assistance to developing countries in the field of telecommunications; – to promote the development of technical facilities and their most efficient operation with a view to improving the efficiency of telecommunications services, increasing their usefulness and making them, so far as possible, generally available to the public; – to harmonize the actions of nations in the attainment of those ends; c) that through its organs, as specified in Article 5 of the International Telecommunication Convention, the action of the Union in the domain of telecommunications extends from regulation and standardization to the completion of technical studies leading to intergovernmental agreements on the planning, operation and maintenance of telecommunication services of all kinds, including telecom-munication transmission systems and tariffs intended for mass communications; d) that the ITU participates fully in the United Nations Development Programme as the executing agency for telecommunication projects,