The 8th Annual CTO Forum
Towards a Digital Commonwealth 2010
13-15 September 2010
Dr. Bruce Gracie
Commonwealth ITU Group Chairman
TSAG Chairman
International
Telecommunication
Union
SCOPE OF THE PRESENTATION
 Issues of the Plenipotentiary Conference 2010
(PP-10) of interest to the Asia-Pacific Region
 Results of the Commonwealth ITU Group
Meeting, 9-10 September 2010
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Strategic Purposes of the CIG
 Generate common objectives on key issues
among 54 Commonwealth Member States for
major ITU conferences and assemblies
 Assist countries in their preparations in order
to bridge the access to information gap as a
complement to national and regional
preparations
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Draft Strategic Plan (PP Document 48)
 Represents the process by which ITU defines
its direction and framework for making
decisions on allocating its resource
 Defines strategic orientations/goals;
objectives; outputs; expected results; and key
performance indicators by Sector and General
Secretariat
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Draft Strategic Plan Cont’d
Strategic Goal of the Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R)
 To ensure interference-free operations of
radiocommunication systems by means of
implementing the Radio Regulations and Regional
Agreements, as well as updating on an efficient
and timely manner these instruments through the
processes of the World and Regional
Radiocommunication Conferences;
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Draft Strategic Plan Cont’d
Strategic Goal of the Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R)
 To establish Recommendations intended to assure
the necessary performance and quality in
operating radiocommunication systems;
 To seek ways and means to ensure the rational,
equitable, efficient and economical use of the radio
frequency spectrum and satellite orbit resources
and to promote flexibility for future expansion and
new technological developments.
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Draft Strategic Plan Cont’d
Strategic Goal of the Telecommunication Standardization
Sector (ITU-T)
 To develop interoperable, non-discriminatory
international standards (ITU-T Recommendations);
 To assist in bridging the standardization gap
between developed and developing countries;
 To extend and facilitate international cooperation
amongst international and regional standardization
bodies.
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Draft Strategic Plan Cont’d
Strategic Goal of the Telecommunication Development
Sector (ITU-D)
 To promote the availability of infrastructure and
foster an enabling environment for
telecommunication/ICT infrastructure development
and its use in a safe and secure manner;
 To provide assistance to developing countries in
bridging the digital divide by achieving broader
telecommunication/ICT-enabled socio-economic
development;
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Draft Strategic Plan Cont’d
Strategic Goal of the Telecommunication Development
Sector (ITU-D)
 To expand the benefits of the information society to
the membership in cooperation with public and
private stakeholders, and to promote the integration
of the use of telecommunications/ICTs into the
broader economy and society as drivers of
development, innovation, well-being, growth and
productivity globally.
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Draft Strategic Plan Cont’d
Strategic Goal of the General Secretariat
 Effectiveness and efficiency in the planning,
management, coordination and delivery of services
to support the Union and its Membership, ensuring
the implementation of the financial and strategic
plans of the Union and coordinating inter-sectoral
activities as identified in ITU Basic Texts.
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Commonwealth Common Objectives
(CCOs)
 33 CCOs identified
 One or more Commonwealth Coordinators
associated with each CCO
 CCOs provide focus for negotiations at PP-10
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CCOs Cont’d
Elaboration of the Draft Strategic Plan
Planning Parameters and Structure include the following:
 The Strategic Plan should be based on the existing
ITU federal structure
 There should be a common terminology consistent
with a results-based budgeting platform
 The three-level pyramidal structure of the current
Strategic Plan should be maintained (Strategic
Orientations/Goals; Objectives; Outputs)
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CCOs Cont’d
Elaboration of the Draft Strategic Plan
Planning Parameters and Structure include the following:
 There should be one Strategic Orientation/Goal per
Sector and the General Secretariat
 One Output should be linked to no more than one
Objective
 Expected results and KPIs should be identified at
the level of Objectives
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CCOs Cont’d
Draft Financial Plan
Planning parameters and key assumptions:
 Extrapolation of the approved 2010-2011 budget to
the 2012-2015 financial period
 Zero nominal growth approach to continue (amount
of the contributory unit maintained at CHF 318,000
for Member States for the 2012-2015 period)
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CCOs Cont’d
Draft Financial Plan
Planning parameters and key assumptions:
 Implementation of the key features of Resultsbased Management to continue
 Balance between income and expenditure to be
achieved mainly through increases in the level of
contributions and, in exceptional circumstances,
through judicious withdrawals from the Reserve
Account
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CCOs Cont’d
Human Resources Management and Development Issues
 Focus is on modifications to PP Resolution 48 (Rev.
Antalya, 2006)
 Modifications reflect recent approval by Council of a
new HR Strategic Plan and its implementation
arrangements, as well as a new ITU Ethics policy
 The Annex to Resolution 48 on matters for reporting
to Council on staff and recruitment now also include
a reference to staff in regional and area offices, to
the need for succession planning, and services and
facilities for staff with disabilities
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CCOs Cont’d
Amendments to Selective PP Resolutions/Decisions
 Resolution 66 (Rev. Minneapolis, 1998), Documents
and publications of the Union – the establishment of
a two-tier pricing policy is now foreseen whereby
the ITU membership pay a price based on cost
recovery, whereas all others, i.e. non-members, pay
a “market price”
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CCOs Cont’d
Amendments to Selective PP Resolutions/Decisions
 Resolution 91 (Rev. Antalya, 2006), Cost recovery
for some ITU products and services – the fact that
the application of cost recovery mechanisms are
specific to the relevant business processes of the
various products and services subject to cost
recovery has now been clarified, along with a
clarification that the direct and indirect cost of
providing products and services are recovered
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CCOs Cont’d
Amendments to Selective PP Resolutions/Decisions
 Decision 5 (Rev. Antalya, 2006), Income and
expenditure for the Union for the period 2008-2011
and Decision 6 (Marrakesh, 2002), Financial plan of
the Union for the period 2004 to 2007 – Decision 5
will include the key planning assumptions for the
elaboration of the Financial Plan, to be reflected in
an Annex; a second Annex outlines possible
measure for reducing expenditures
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CCOs Cont’d
Suppression of Selective PP Resolutions/Decisions
 List includes those Resolutions/Decisions where
actions have been completed, and/or superseded by
other actions/initiatives/decisions
 A total of 9 CCOs included in this list.
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CCOs Cont’d
Conformance and Interoperability Testing
 Action plan approved by Council
 Conformity database is under development – record
information provided by companies on conformity of
their products to ITU-T Recommendations
 “Informal” interoperability events underway
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CCOs Cont’d
Conformance and Interoperability Testing
 Programme of capacity building events being
prepared in cooperation with the BDT, as well as the
establishment of test facilities in developing
countries
 A business plan for the long-term implementation of
the action lines is being developed
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CCOs Cont’d
Electronic Working Methods
 Methodologies needed to facilitate the engagement
of the membership in the activities of the Union
without the need to attend physical meetings
 Further development of electronic meetings (e.g. via
webinars or videoconferencing) and associated
working methods is essential
 Electronic meetings will contribute to “green”
agenda
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CCOs Cont’d
Terminology/Security Definitions and Terms
 New terms to be referenced in resolutions (e.g. ICT
and cybersecurity) rather than embedded in legal
instruments to enhance flexibility in updating and
refining such terms in the future
 The creation of a comprehensive glossary could be
explored as a viable approach
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CCOs Cont’d
ITU Activities in Cybersecurity
 PP-10 actions to be guided by outcomes of WTDC-
10 re: a revised Programme 2, revised Question
22/1 and a modified Resolution 45, Mechanisms for
enhancing cooperation on cybersecurity, including
countering and combating spam
 ITU actions to be focused on the technical (ITU-T
Study Group 17) and capacity building domains
(ITU-D)
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CCOs Cont’d
Role of other Stakeholders in the work of the ITU
 The engagement of other stakeholders important for
the future of ITU work
 ITU has developed the tools, mechanisms and
activities to facilitate the engagement of other
stakeholders, including workshops, forums, etc.
 The organization of workshops should continue to
be promoted, and should take place as feasible
outside of Geneva
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CCOs Cont’d
Regional Presence
 Report of the UN Joint Inspection Unit on the
Effectiveness of ITU Regional Presence presented to
Council
 Specific recommendations of the JIU to be
addressed by PP-10
 Recommendations include the possible
reconfiguration of regional and area offices; the
decentralization of certain functions; and on
enhancing capabilities of the regions to address
radiocommunication and standardization matters
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CCOs Cont’d
Accessibility for persons with disabilities
 New draft Resolution on the subject to be
considered by PP-10
 New draft Resolution would build on the Resolutions
adopted by WTSA-08 and WTDC-10
 Various versions of a new draft Resolution have
been presented by the APT and the US
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CCOs Cont’d
Groupings of Meetings
 To the extent possible and feasible, ITU meetings,
workshops, seminars, forums, etc. should be
grouped with other meetings to facilitate attendance
and reduce costs
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CCOs Cont’d
Information and Communication Technology
and Climate Change
 New draft Resolution on the subject to be
considered by PP-10
 New draft Resolution would build on Resolutions
adopted by WTSA-08, Council-09 and WTDC-10
 Various versions of a new draft Resolution have
been presented by the CEPT and the APT
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CCOs Cont’d
Information and Communication Technology
and Climate Change
 The environmental effects of climate change is a
key focal point of ITU-T Study Group 5
 ICT and climate change a key priority for ITU in the
coming years
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CCOs Cont’d
Admission of Academia, Universities and their associated
Research Establishments
 A new draft Resolution will be presented to PP-10
for approval
 Work on a new draft Resolution builds upon
Resolution 71 adopted by WTSA-08, and on the
work of Council in examining the financial impacts
 The conditions for admission of academia to the
work of ITU have also been addressed by the
Council
 A proposal on a new draft Resolution has been
submitted by the APT
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CCOs Cont’d
International Telecommunication Regulations
 There is agreement that the ITRs are overdue for
revision and the convening of a World Conference
on International Telecommunications (WCIT) in
November 2012 is supported
 The environment in which the ITRs, which were last
revised in 1988 as International Telephone and
Telegraph Regulations, has changed significantly
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CCOs Cont’d
International Telecommunication Regulations
 It is no longer appropriate for Administrations to
make commitments on operational issues on behalf
of private companies in such an international treaty
as the ITRs
 For the success of the WCIT, there needs to be a
thorough preparatory process that takes account of
the review of the Convention and Constitution,
planned to take place between 2010-2014
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CCOs Cont’d
Internet Governance Issues
 There is support for the multi-stakeholder model for
addressing Internet matters
 The engagement of other stakeholders can be an
important tool in advancing implementation of WSIS
outcomes pertinent to ITU’s mandate and Action
Lines
 As indicated on previous slides, ITU has developed
the tools, mechanisms and activities to facilitate the
engagement of other stakeholders and that these
tools, such as workshops, seminars, forums, etc.
should continue to be promoted in Geneva and
elsewhere, when feasible
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Concluding Remarks
 Coordination arrangements will continue during PP10 with meetings to be held on a regular basis as
other meeting schedules dictate
 Given the success and importance of the work of
the Commonwealth ITU Group at previous
conferences and assemblies, including at PP-06,
H.E. Haruna Idrissu, Minister of Communications,
Government of Ghana has agreed to serve as
coordinator during PP-10
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Concluding Remarks
 Such coordination will be particularly important at
the beginning of PP-10 to discuss support for
various Commonwealth candidacies for the elected
positions, the Council and the Radio Regulations
Board
 Commonwealth candidates had a high success rate
in 2006, and it is expected that the trend will
continue at PP-10
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Future Work
 Activities have already begun for the CIG in
preparing for WRC-12
 Coordination activities are also planned for WTSA12 and an associated WCIT-12
 The Commonwealth ITU Group owes much of its
success to the hard work and dedication of its
membership, and to the support of Ofcom UK, the
CTO, the Commonwealth Secretariat and to the ITU
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Thank you!
bruce.gracie@ic.gc.ca
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