ITU to establish 4-year roadmap, elect management team at PP-18

By G9ija

International Telecommunication Union (ITU) will establish 2020-2023 roadmap at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2018 (PP-18) to hold in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 29 October to 16 November.
ITU Plenipotentiary Conference is the supreme decision-making body of the ITU that convenes representatives of the Union’s 193 member states every 4 years.

According to a statement by the Union, the 2020-2023 roadmap will include setting ITU’s general policies, adopting a four-year strategic and financial plans, and addressing key issues related to ICTs as requested by ITU members.

“PP-18 will set out the roadmap for 2020-2023 at a time when information and communication technologies (ICTs) are transforming lives and societies around the globe.

“PP-18 will take stock of the progress towards achieving the ITU Connect 2020 Agenda, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), whose central promise is to leave no one behind.

“This will then inform ITU members as they strive to meet ITU’s overarching goal of ‘connecting the unconnected’,” the statement read.
At PP-18, the 193 ITU member states, including Nigeria, will elect ITU’s management team, comprising of ITU Secretary-General, Deputy Secretary-General, Directors 3 Bureaux (radiocommunication, standardization, development), 48 council members and 12 members of the radio regulation board.

While candidate for post of ITU Secretary-General is Houlin Zhao from China, candidates for post of ITU Deputy Secretary-General are Malcolm Johnson from United Kingdom and Brahima Sanou from Burkina Faso.

Candidates for the post of Director of the ITU radiocommunication bureau are István Bozsóki from Hungary, Mario Maniewicz from Uruguay and Mindaugas Žilinskas from Lithuania.

Candidate for the post of Director of the ITU telecommunication standardization bureau is Chaesub Lee from Republic of Korea.

Candidates for the post of Director of the ITU telecommunication development bureau are Doreen Bogdan-Martin from the United States, William Ijeh from Nigeria, Jean Philémon Kissangou from Republic of the Congo and Cosmas Zavazava from Zimbabwe.

Others are candidates for the radio regulations board and council member states.

PP‑18 will be preceded by the last meeting of the 2018 session of the ITU Council (the Union’s governing body in the interval between Plenipotentiary Conferences) on Saturday, 27 October 2018.