Recognizing WSIS Impacts

WTDC RESOLUTION 73 (Rev. Dubai, 2014)

ITU centres of excellence

The World Telecommunication Development Conference (Dubai, 2014),

• recalling
  • a)Resolution 139 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, on telecommunications/information and communication technologies (ICTs) to bridge the digital divide and build an inclusive information society;
  • b)Resolution 123 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, on bridging the standardization gap between developing and developed countries;
  • c)the terms of the Hyderabad Declaration;
  • d)Resolution 15 (Rev. Hyderabad, 2010), of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), on applied research and transfer of technology;
  • e)Resolution 37 (Rev. Dubai, 2014) of this conference, on bridging the digital divide;
  • f)Resolution 40 (Rev. Dubai, 2014) of this conference, on the Group on capacity-building initiatives (GCBI);
  • g)Resolution 47 (Rev. Dubai, 2014) of this conference, on enhancement of knowledge and effective application of ITU Recommendations in developing countries, including conformance and interoperability testing of systems manufactured on the basis of ITU Recommendations;
  • h) Resolution 73 (Hyderabad, 2010) of WTDC, on ITU centres of excellence,
• considering
  • a)that ITU centres of excellence have been operating successfully since 2001 in several languages including English, Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, French, Russian and Portuguese in different regions of the world;
  • b) that there has been a major strategic review of the ITU Centres of Excellence programme, in accordance with the new results-based management approach and taking into account the changing sector environment, which has made recommendations for the future programme;
  • c) that GCBI has reviewed the recommendations of the review and advised that the future work shall be focused on the new strategy;
  • d) that the Centres of Excellence programme will come into operation as from 1 January 2015;
  • e)that, in every country, specialists in the field of telecommunications/ICTs hold great potential for development of the sector;
  • f)that there is a need for constant upgrading of the qualifications of telecommunication/ICT specialists;
  • g)that key ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU‑D) projects in regard to the training of telecommunication/ICT staff, including the work of the ITU centres of excellence, make a significant contribution to upgrading the qualifications of telecommunication/ICT specialists;
  • h)that the centres of excellence should be financially self-sustaining,
• recognizing
  • a)that telecommunication/ICT staff training and capacity building, taking into account gender equality, youth and persons with disabilities, as well as the population as a whole, should be constantly developed and improved;
  • b)that ITU centres of excellence fulfil an important role in the ITU capacity-building scheme, under the ITU Academy activities;
  • c)that partnerships and cooperation between ITU centres of excellence and with other education centres contribute to effective training of specialists;
  • d)the sovereign right of each State to formulate its own policy in regard to the licensing of services for capacity building;
  • e) the need to attract, first and foremost, qualified experts from academia to the work of the ITU centres of excellence;
  • f) that activities in the field of human capacity building are being organized and held in parallel in the ITU centres of excellence and in the regional/area offices under the operational plan of ITU‑D,
• resolves
  • 1 that the activity of ITU centres of excellence should be continued and executed in accordance with the new Centres of Excellence strategy;
  • 2 that the programme’s themes be agreed by each WTDC and constitute a high priority for the ITU members and other stakeholders in accordance with a prior assessment of needs conducted at global and regional levels in consultation with regional organizations in the telecommunication/ICT sector and in accordance with the ITU strategic plan;
  • 3 when setting priorities for the work of the ITU centres of excellence, to proceed from the current needs of the region, which are to be identified using the regional organizations or associations in the telecommunication/ICT sector as well as through consultations with ITU members;
  • 4 to consider that human capacity-building efforts should be concentrated in the ITU centres of excellence, whose activities should be included in the operational plans;
  • 5 that the numbers of centres of excellence will be regulated and endorsed by the Telecommunication Development Advisory Group (TDAG);
  • 6 that a regular assessment of the activities of centres of excellence shall be conducted and reported to TDAG,
• instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau
  • 1 to provide assistance for the work of the ITU centres of excellence according it the necessary priority attention;
  • 2 in drawing up ITU‑D operational plans, to incorporate therein activities prepared and carried out by the ITU centres of excellence under the corresponding ITU‑D action plans;
  • 3 to make the necessary organizational arrangements for the formulation of standards for ITU human capacity-building activities;
  • 4 to facilitate the work of the ITU centres of excellence, providing them with the necessary support;
  • 5 to make the necessary organizational arrangements for setting up, within the ITU regional/area offices, a database of experts and participants in ITU centres of excellence activities, for exchanges of experts in the field,
• calls upon Member States, Sector Members and Academia of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector
  • to participate actively in the ITU Centres of Excellence activity, including through the provision of recognized experts, training materials and also financial support.