The 2014 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference was be held 20 October – 07 November in Busan, South Korea.
Why is the Plenipotentiary Conference Important?
The Plenipot is where governments have the opportunity to change the governing instruments of the ITU, known as the Constitution and Convention. These texts outline the organization’s mission, scope of work, rules of procedure and structure. Governments may also adopt new Resolutions, Decisions and Recommendations that will shape the ITU’s work for the coming years.
In addition, the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference is the meeting where Member States:
- Elect the ITU Senior leadership;
- Set the strategic plan of the ITU;
- Adopt or modify Resolutions related to policy and other telecommunication matters;
- Map out the financial plan of the Union (including membership fee structures).
The Internet Society’s Submission on the 2014 ITU Plenipotentairy Conference
We committed to collaborating with partner organizations in every region of the world, each within its area of responsibility and expertise, in order to increase access to the Internet to further economic and social development.
The ITU has an important role; promoting core infrastructure development and cross-border connectivity, allocating spectrum to enable the deployment of new technologies and services, and providing technical assistance and capacity building in developing countries. We believe that the current ITU mandate is sufficient to carry out the critical tasks outlined into the future.
Read our full submission on the 2014 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference.
How Does the ITU Plenipotentiary Work?
ITU Plenipotentiary Conferences consider inputs and documents from a range of sources including regional groups, ITU Member States and the ITU Council. Regional organizations meet in the months ahead of the main event in order to align regional positions and find common ground ahead of the treaty negotiation.
The key regional organizations include (but not limited to):
- Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL)
- African Telecommunication Union (ATU)
- Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT)
- Arab States
- European Conference of Postal and Telecommunication Administrations (CEPT)
- Regional Commonwealth Countries (RCC) Commission for International Cooperation Coordination (CIS)
2014 Outcomes
Download a table of outcomes from the 2014 Plenipot. Any unresolved matters will be generally be brought forward to the 2018 Plenipotentary Conference in Dubai.