Recognizing WSIS Impacts

WTSA RESOLUTION 56 (Johannesburg, 2008)

Roles of TSAG and ITU-T study group vice-chairmen from developing countries

The World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (Johannesburg, 2008),

• considering
  • a) that Resolution 123 (Rev. Antalya, 2006) of the Plenipotentiary Conference instructs the Secretary-General and the Directors of the three Bureaux to work closely with each other in pursuing initiatives that assist in bridging the standardization gap between developing and developed countries;
  • b) that Resolution 139 (Antalya, 2006) of the Plenipotentiary Conference invites Member States to undertake concerted action in order to achieve the objectives of Resolution 37 (Rev. Doha, 2006) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference;
  • c) that, as a result of Resolution 44 of this assembly, there is increased awareness, interest and participation of ITU members from developing countries in standardization activities;
  • d) that, despite the achievements towards bridging the standardization gap during the period 2005-2008, there is still a need for more focus, especially in the area of active involvement of officials from developing countries in the leadership of the Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group (TSAG), the study groups of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) and their working parties,
• noting
  • a) that the standardization gap between developed and developing countries should be bridged by collective efforts from both developed and developing countries;
  • b) that TSAG vice-chairmen, who are appointed on a regional representation basis, as well as study group vice-chairmen from developing countries, can be charged with specific responsibility, which can further enhance more active participation of, especially, developing countries in the standardization work of ITU-T;
  • c) that ITU can further improve both the quality and quantity of participation in standardization, by instituting terms of reference (ToR) for regional representatives appointed to the leadership positions in TSAG and ITU-T study groups that specifically include the responsibility to:
    • i) mobilize all ITU members in the region to participate in the ITU standardization activities
    • ii) make activity reports to the regional countries, in particular on standardization activities
    • iii) make mobilization and participation reports to the ITU body concerning the region
    • iv) chair any regional group established,
• taking into account
  • a) that developing countries could benefit from increased participation, through instituting such ToR;
  • b) that the regional representatives, who are nearer the ITU Member States in the region, are in the best location to mobilize the ITU Member States within their region for better participation, which results in a reduction of the standardization gap,
• resolves
  • 1 that all vice-chairmen from developing countries be charged with the responsibility to:
    • i) mobilize all ITU members in the region to participate in the ITU standardization activities
    • ii) make mobilization and participation reports to the ITU body concerning the region
    • iii) prepare and submit a mobilization programme for the regions that they represent at the first meeting of TSAG or a study group;
  • 2 that the ITU regional offices shall assist the vice-chairmen, within the offices’ budgets, to mobilize members within their respective regions for increased standardization participation,
• instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau
  • 1 to work closely with the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) on availing the support needed for regional mobilization for standardization;
  • 2 taking into account financial constraints and existing and planned BDT activities, to include in the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB) budget proposal to the ITU Council funds identified for the implementation of this resolution;
  • 3 to assist in institutionalizing these terms of reference in the working of TSAG and ITU‑T study groups, to ensure that the specific ToR are made known to aspiring vice-chairmen before their appointment.