Getting to know the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies

ITU at a glance

01 About us

Part 1:

Who are we?

01 About us

Who are we?

ITU is the United Nations specialized agency for information and

communication technologies (ICTs)

Enabling a connected world

ITU at a glance

01 About us

Who are we?

ITU at a glance

What we share:• Subscribe to the purposes and principles of

the Charter of the UN• Address a global issue• The rationale of operation• System-wide resolutions• Coordination mechanisms• Grouped under the chairmanship of UN SG

What makes us different:• Membership• Mandate• Governing bodies• Set of own resolutions• Secretariats • Executive heads

02 How we got here?

Timeline

02 How we got here

Timeline

1865We were founded

1880Invention of radio

1906First SOS

1925First TV broadcast

1932New name: International Telecommunication Union

1957Space age comms

ITU

ITU at a glance

02 How we got here

Timeline

1969Roots of Internet

1973First mobile phone call

2003/5WSIS/ Bridging the Digital Divide

2010Broadband Commission

2014ICT innovation and Digital Inclusion

2015Let’s celebrate!

ITU at a glance

Membership

The members03

03 The members

Who are we?

193MEMBER

STATES

+700PRIVATE SECTOR

ORGANIZATIONS

+100ACADEMIAMEMBERS

Our members

ITU at a glance

03 Member States

ITU at a glance

193 Member States participating through your:

Administration (CS No. 1002):A governmental entity which has been officially identified to represent its government at ITU.

Designated Focal Point:Designed by the Administrations of ITU Member States to deal with ITU related issues An additional representatives may be chosen to deal with matters related to a particular Sector (ITU-T, ITU-R or ITU-D) or more specifically a single study group.

03 Sector Members

ITU at a glance

03 ITU Academia Membership

North and

South

America37 members

Europe

20 members

Asia and Pacific

23 members

Africa

5 members

Arab States

10 members

CIS

5 members

The Academia Challenge: From 100 to 150 Academia

Members by December 2015

ITU at a glance

Structure

How we are composed04

04 Structure

Headquarters, Regional and Area Offices

ITU at a glance

04 Structure

ITU at a glance

Our governance

04 The Plenipotentiary Conference

ITU at a glance

The Plenipotentiary Conference is the supreme organ of ITU, convened every 4 years, to:

• Elect its management team (Elected Officials) and Members of Council and of the RRB;• Establish the strategic and financial plan for the Union;• Determine general policies for fulfilling the purposes of the Union;• Deal with such other telecommunication questions as may be necessary.

Who is invited: Member States (CV 268) Observers

• State of Palestine (Res. 99 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010));• The United Nations (CV 269A);• Regional telecommunications organizations; • Intergovernmental organizations operating satellite systems (CV 269C);• Specialized agencies of the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency (CV 269D);• Sector Members referred to in CV 229 (recognized operating agencies, scientific or industrial organizations and

financial or development institutions) and CV 231 (regional and other international telecommunication, standardization, financial or development organizations).

04 Structure

ITU at a glance

Structure & Functioning of the Council

Chairman and Vice-Chairman elected for one

year

One annualordinary session

of 8/9 days

7 Council Working Groups

Can holdconsultations

during the year

Can takedecisions by

correspondencebetweensessions

Council Composition (CV 54; Res. 164, Guadalajara, 2010)

MEMBER STATES

Americas (9 seats)

Western Europe (8 seats)

Eastern Europe (5 seats)

Africa (13 seats)

Asia and Australasia (13 seats)

Elected for approximately a four-year term (between two ordinary PPs)

ITU at a glance

DURATION

Structure04

04 Structure

ITU at a glance

Council 2015-2018 : composition

•Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Paraguay, United States, Venezuela

Region A (9 seats)(Americas)

•France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, Lithuania, Switzerland, Turkey

Region B (8 seats)(Western Europe)

•Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Russian FederationRegion C (5 seats)(Eastern Europe)

•Algeria, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda

Region D (13 seats)(Africa)

•Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea (Republic of), Kuwait, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, United Arab Emirates

Region E (13 seats)(Asia and Australasia)

05 Meet us

What we do

05 Meet us

What we do

Coordinating radio-frequencyspectrum and assigning orbitalslots for satellites

Bridging the digital divide

Establishing global standards

ITU at a glance

‘Committed to Connecting the World’

3Sectors

ITU Radiocommunication

ITU Standardization

ITU Development

05 Meet the sectors

ITU-R

/RADIOCOMMUNICATIONS/

Meet the sectors

ITU - R

Global management of radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits

Ensures equitable and efficient use of radio-frequency spectrum to accommodate huge growth in demand for spectrum

ITU-R coordination of orbital slots prevents radio interference preventing malfunctioning of satellite services

KEYROLE

05

ITU at a glance

Meet the sectors

ITU - R

IMT-2000 and IMT-Advanced technical frameworks underpin mobile 3G and 4G networks

Excellent track record in maintaining harmonious satellite coordination

MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS

05

ITU at a glance

Recommendations on 3DTV, Ultra High Definition TV (UHDTV) standards

05 Meet the sectors

ITU - R

Reviews and revises the Radio Regulations

Excellent track record in maintaining harmonious satellite coordination and ensures reliable radio services remain available at all times

WORLD RADIOCOMMUNICATION CONFERENCE (WRC)

ITU at a glance

Addresses all radiocommunication matters of a global nature

Reviews and instructs the Radio Regulations Board (RRB) and the Radiocommunication Bureau

05 Meet the sectors

ITU-T

/STANDARDIZATION/

05 Meet the sectors

ITU - T KEYROLE

Crucial role in defining operation and interoperability of technologies that underpin global communications network

200 - 300 new global standards approved every

year, with over 4,000 in use today

ITU at a glance

Standards enable global communications by ensuring ICT networks and devices speak the same language globally.

05 Meet the sectors

ITU - T MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS

Optical Core Networks

40GB per second

Coming next:Beyond 100GB

per second

H.264The Prime Time

Emmy awardwinning video codec and its

successor, H.265

ITU at a glance

G.fastNew broadband

standard designed to

deliver access speeds of up to

1Gbit/s over existing

telephone wires

05 Meet the sectors

ITU - T WORLD TELECOMMUNICATION STANDARDIZATION ASSEMBLY (WTSA)

Sets the overall direction and structure for ITU-T, in every 4 years – next one in Q4 2016

Establishes ITU-T Study Groups and approves top priorities and work programmes

ITU at a glance

05 Meet the sectors

ITU-D

/DEVELOPMENT/

05 Meet the sectors

ITU - D KEYROLE

Spread equitable and affordable access to telecommunications to help stimulate social and economic development

Human capacity-building in developing and least developed countries (LDCs)

Helps to ensure that people everywhere are empowered to reap the benefits that connectivity delivers

ITU at a glance

05 Meet the sectors

ITU - D MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS

Measuring the Information Society report

Enhancing cybersecurity in LDCs – CIRT programme and cyber-drills

ITU at a glance

Helping countries prepare for and respond tonatural disasters.

Helping bridge the gender divide by equipping over 1m women with digital literacy skills

05 Meet the sectors

ITU - D WORLD TELECOMMUNICATION DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE (WTDC)

Draws up ITU-D Action Plan and Mandate

Establishes ITU-D Study Groups and approves toppriorities, questions and work programms

ITU at a glance

Sets the overall direction and structurefor ITU-D, in every 4 years

What we organize06

Study Groups

06 Our work

STUDY GROUPS

Bring together experts from public and private sectors and academia to discuss current ICT trends and develop Recommendations and Standards for the global ICT sector

Companies that compete aggressively in the marketplace, work collaboratively with ITU SGs

ITU at a glance

06 Our work

STUDY GROUPS

ITU at a glance

Key Themes

Cybersecurity/trust

Climate Change

Broadband

5G

IoTSmart Sustainable Cities

Spectrum and Satellites

Policy/regulatory issues

Broadcasting

Money money

Multimedia

and more…

Major Events

What we organize07

07 What we organize

EVENTS

ITU Telecom World

ITU at a glance

Annual event offering a platform forstrategic debate, innovation-showcasing and networking for the global ICT community

Aim to help ideas go further, faster to make the world better, sooner.

Accelerating innovation & the growth of ICT SMEs

Ideal way to reach and engage with global decision makers, industries, & other stakeholders

COMING SOON:

07 What we organize

EVENTS

Each Sector has its

main Conference/

Assembly

Meet every four years

to agree on roadmap

for coming four year

period.

Next: World Radio

Conference in

November. Treating-

making conference.

Sector Conferences

ITU at a glance

07 What we organize

EVENTS

Annual meeting of

statistics experts and

other stakeholders

Next event:

November-December

2015 in Japan.

ITU at a glance

07 What we organize

EVENTS

ITU’s premier

academic conference.

Held annually.

Next event: December

2015 in Spain. Theme

of “Trust in the

Information Society”

Will hold consultation

on ITU and Academia

collaboration

Kaleidoscope

ITU at a glance

07 What we organize

EVENTS

The WSIS Forum, a

multistakeholder

platform, held annually

in May to review the

implementation of the

outcomes of World

Summit on the

Information Society

(Geneva 2003, Tunis in

2005)

World Summit on the Information Society/ WSIS

ITU at a glance

07 What we organize

EVENTS

World Telecommunication and Information Society Day / WTISD

ITU at a glance

WTISD

Held annually on 17 May with a yearly

theme to mark the founding of ITU in

1865.

Award ceremony: to recognize eminent

personalities for their leadership and

dedication in promoting the use of the ICT

insocieties and economies, and by finding

ways to bridge the digital divide.

Member States and Sector Members are

invited to celebrate the day annually by

organizing national activities.

2016 Theme: Better city, better life with

ICTs

07 What we organize

EVENTS

Global Symposium for Regulators / GSR

The only annual event

to unite the global

community of ICT

regulators to examine

and debate the latest

ICT regulatory

challenges

Timing of 2016 event

to be announced

ITU at a glance

Publications

What we publish08

08 What we publish

PUBLICATIONS

ITU News keeps

readers up-to-date

with news from ITU

and ICTs from

around the world

4.500 +Titles

ITU NEWS

ITU at a glance

08 What we publish

PUBLICATIONS

ITU-R Radio Regulations

ITU-T ‘ITU-T

Recommendations and

selected Handbooks - DVD-

ROM’

ITU-D Annual ‘Measuring the

Information Society’ (MIS)

Report

The three sectors

publish a variety of

general, regulatory

and conference

publications

ITU at a glance