Recognizing WSIS Impacts

WTSA RESOLUTION 44 (Florianópolis, 2004; Johannesburg, 2008; Dubai, 2012)

Bridging the standardization gap between developing 1 and developed countries

The World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (Dubai, 2012),

• considering
  • a) that Resolution 123 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) of the Plenipotentiary Conference on bridging the standardization gap between developing and developed countries 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 on follow-up and implementation of the operative paragraphs of this resolution supporting coordination in this respect at the regional level through regional offices and organizations;
  • b) that Resolution 139 (Guadalajara, 2010) of the Plenipotentiary Conference invites Member States to rapidly implement Resolution 37 (Rev. Hyderabad, 2010) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference on bridging the digital divide;
  • c) that Resolution 166 (Guadalajara, 2010) of the Plenipotentiary Conference on the number of vice-chairmen of sector advisory groups and other groups to promote more effective participation of developing countries;
  • d) that Resolution 169 (Guadalajara, 2010) of the Plenipotentiary Conference allowed admission of the academia, universities and their associated research establishments from the developing countries to participate in the work of the three sectors of the union for 1/32 of the Sector Member contributory unit,
• recognizing
  • a) that the tasks undertaken in the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) cover Recommendations, conformity assessment and matters having policy or regulatory implications;
  • b) that the harmonious and balanced development of the worldwide telecommunication facilities and services is of mutual advantage to the developing as well as the developed countries;
  • c) that there is a need to reduce the cost of equipment and of rolling out of networks and facilities taking into account the needs and requirements of developing countries;
  • d) that the disparity between developing and developed countries in standardization has five components:
    • the disparity of voluntary standardization
    • the disparity of mandatory technical regulations
    • the disparity of conformity assessment
    • disparity in human resources skilled in standardization, and
    • the disparity in effective participation in ITU-T activities;
  • e) that it is of high importance for developing countries to increase their participation in the establishment of telecommunication standards;
  • f) that based on the findings of the ITU Study on Standardization Capability of developing countries, there is a need to improve coordination of information communication technologies (ICT) standardization activities in many developing countries to improve their contribution in ITU-T study groups, and that the establishment of national standardization secretariats could enhance both the standardization activities at national level and contribution in ITU-T study groups;
  • g) that the development of guidelines would enhance the participation of developing countries in ITU-T study groups,
• also recognizing
  • a) that Decision 12 of the 2010 Plenipotentiary Conference confirmed free-of-charge on-line access for the general public to the ITU-T and ITU-R Recommendations, the ITU-R Reports, and the basic texts of the Union (Constitution, Agreement and General Regulations of the conferences, assemblies and other Union meetings), as well as the final minutes of the plenipotentiary conferences;
  • b) that annual reports presented at the ITU Council regarding policies of free on-line access to ITU publications indicate that said policies have been able to raise the level of awareness regarding standardization activities carried out at the ITU and to promote greater participation of developing countries in these activities;
  • c) that, under the strategic plan for the Union for 2012-2015, ITU-T is to work to “provide support and assistance to developing countries in bridging the standardization gap in relation with standardization matters, information and communication network infrastructure and applications, and relevant training materials for capacity building, taking into account the characteristics of the telecommunication environment of the developing countries”,
• noting
  • a) that while ITU has made significant progress in defining and bridging the standardization gap,the developing countries are still encountering multifarious difficulties in ensuring their efficient participation in the work of ITU-T, in particular engaging in and following up the work of the ITU-T study groups;
  • b) that the biennial budget structure now includes a separate expenditure line item for bridging standardization gap activities, while at the same time voluntary contributions are being encouraged, and a management mechanism for this fund has been implemented by the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB) in close coordination with the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT);
  • c) the budgetary limitations, especially in developing country institutions, for attendance at ITU-T events of specific interest to them;
  • d) that ITU’s programmes for fostering partnerships, under the patronage of ITU-T, continue to strengthen and expand the assistance ITU provides its members, particularly developing countries;
  • e) the importance of having appropriate consultative frameworks for developing countries for the formulation and study of Questions, preparation of contributions and capacity building;
  • f) that the organizational set-up and working methods of Study Groups 2, 3, 5 and 12 could serve to improve the level of developing country participation in standardization activities within some of the other study groups and contribute to achieving the objectives of Resolution 123 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010);
  • g) that joint meetings of regional groups of different ITU-T Study Groups, and in particular if concatenated with a regional workshop and/or a meeting of a regional standardization body, will encourage participation of developing countries in these meetings and increase the effectiveness of such meetings;
  • h) that the Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group (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;
  • i) that ITU can further improve both the quality and quantity of participation in standardization from developing countries through vice chairmen’s and chairmen’s role in mobilizing participation from their regions,
• taking into account
  • a) the relevant conclusions of the Global Standardization Symposium;
  • b) that the actual participation by developing countries, where it exists, is usually limited to the final approval and implementation stages, rather than in the preparation of proposals prepared in the various working groups;
  • c) that coordination at a national level in many developing countries to handle ICT standardization activities in order to contribute to work in ITU-T needs to be improved;
  • d) TSAG agreed to create a mentor role in ITU-T study groups to coordinate with representatives from developed and developing countries with the objective of sharing information and best practices with regard to the application of ITU-T Recommendations to enhance the standardization activities in developing countries and in the regional groups,
• recalls
  • that Resolution 1353 of the ITU Council recognizes that telecommunications and ICT are essential components for developed and developing countries to achieve sustainable development, and instructs the Secretary-General, in collaboration with the Directors of the Bureaux, to identify new activities to be undertaken by ITU to support the developing countries to achieve sustainable development through telecommunications and ICT,
• resolves
  • 1 that the action plan annexed to this resolution having the objective of bridging the standardization gap between developed and developing countries, should be continued and reviewed on an annual basis to take into account the requirements of developing countries;
  • 2 that ITU-T, in collaboration with the other Sectors as appropriate, shall develop a programme to:
    • i) assist developing countries in developing methods that facilitate the process of linking innovations to the standardization process;
    • ii) assist developing countries in developing means to align their industrial and innovation national strategies towards the goal of achieving highest impact on their socio-economic ecosystems;
  • 3 to request the Director of TSB to strengthen cooperation and coordination with the relevant regional organizations, in particular those of the developing countries;
  • 4 that, subject to Council approval, there should be free on-line access to the manuals, handbooks, directives and other ITU material related to understanding and implementation of ITU-T Recommendations particularly in the area of planning, exploitation and maintenance of telecommunications networks;
  • 5 to support, within available or otherwise contributed resources, and on a case-by-case basis, the coordinated creation of regional groups of ITU-T study groups, and encourage cooperation and collaboration of these groups with other regional standardization entities;
  • 6 to maintain in the annual budget of the Union a separate expenditure line item for bridging the standardization gap activities, while at the same time voluntary contributions should be further encouraged;
  • 7 that all vice-chairmen and chairmen from developing countries appointed to the leadership positions in TSAG and ITU-T study groups include the following responsibilities among others from developing countries be charged with the responsibility to:
    • i) closely work with ITU members in the region in order to mobilize them to participate in the ITU standardization activities to assist in bridging the standardization gap;
    • 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 and send a report to TSAG,
• further resolves that ITU regional offices
  • 1 be engaged in the activities of TSB in order to promote and coordinate standardization activities in the region to support the implementation of the relevant parts of this Resolution and to carry out the objectives of the action plan, and to launch campaigns to attract new Sector Members, Associates and Academia from developing countries to join the ITU-T;
  • 2 assist the vice-chairmen, within the offices’ budgets, to mobilize members within their respective regions for increased standardization participation,
  • 3 organize and coordinate the activities of the regional groups of ITU-T study groups ;
  • 4 provide the necessary assistance to the regional groups of ITU-T study groups;
  • 5 provide assistance to the regional telecommunication organizations for the setting up and management of regional standardization bodies,
• invites the Council
  • 1 to increase the ITU-T budgetary provisions for fellowships, interpretation and translation of documents for TSAG, ITU-T study groups and regional study group meetings;
  • 2 to encourage the establishment of a specialised panel for stimulating ICT innovations, under ITU-T, with the objective of enhancing global collaborative innovation to bridge the standardization gap between developed and developing countries and to identify and support innovations from developing countries;
  • 3 to report as appropriate on this matter to the 2014 Plenipotentiary Conference;
  • 4 to advise the 2014 Plenipotentiary Conferenceon its implementation of invites the Council;
• instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, in collaboration with the Directors of Telecommunication Development Bureau and the Radiocommunication Bureau, within available resources,
  • 1 to continue implementing the objectives of the action plan annexed to this resolution;
  • 2 to assist developing countries with their studies, particularly in respect of their priority questions and towards developing and implementing ITU-T Recommendations;
  • 3 to continue the activities of the implementation group established within the TSB to organize, mobilize resources, coordinate efforts and monitor work related to this Resolution and its action plan;
  • 4 to take the appropriate actions for each new ITU-T Recommendation having implementation aspects, and to consider the need for developing implementation guidelines;
  • 5 to arrange for the drafting of a set of guidelines on the application of ITU Recommendations at national level, having regard to the provisions of Resolution 168 (Rev. Guadalajara, 2010) of the Plenipotentiary Conference;
  • 6 to avail the support needed for regional mobilization for standardization;
  • 7 to carry out the necessary studies on the role of innovation management and innovation stimulation programmes on bridging the standardization gap between the developed and developing countries;
  • 8 to include in the TSB budget proposal to the ITU Council funds identified for the implementation of this resolution by taking into account financial constraints and existing and planned BDT activities;
  • 9 to assist in institutionalizing the terms of reference (ToR), specified in resolves item 8 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;
  • 10 to report on the implementation of this plan to future WTSAs and Plenipotentiary Conferences, with a view to reviewing this resolution and introducing the appropriate amendments in the light of implementation outcome, as well as the budgetary adjustments needed to implement this resolution;
  • 11 to provide assistance, if requested, to developing countries to develop guidelines for use by the national entities of the requesting country in order to enhance their participation in ITU-T study groups, with the assistance of the ITU regional offices for bridging the standardization gap;
  • 12 to enhance use of electronic channels such as webinars or e-learning for education and training on implementation of ITU-T Recommendations;
  • 13 to provide all necessary support for creating and ensuring the smooth functioning of the regional groups;
  • 14 to take all necessary measures to facilitate the organization of meetings and workshops of regional groups;
  • 15 to report on the effectiveness of regional groups to the ITU Council;
  • 16 to conduct, as appropriate, workshops and seminars to disseminate information and increase understanding of new Recommendations, in particular for developing countries,
• instructs study groups and the Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group
  • 1 to be actively involved in the implementation of the programmes set forth in the action plan annexed to this resolution;
  • 2 to coordinate joint meetings of ITU-T Study Groups’ regional groups,
• further instructs the study groups
  • 1 to take account of the specific characteristics of the telecommunication environment of the developing countries in the process of establishing standards in the fields of planning, services, systems, operation, tariffs and maintenance, and to provide solutions/options relevant to developing countries wherever possible;
  • 2 to take appropriate steps to have studies carried out on questions connected with standardization which are identified by World Telecommunication Development Conferences;
  • 3 to continue liaising with study groups of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector, where appropriate, when developing new or revised ITU-T Recommendations, on the specific needs and requirements of developing countries, in order to broaden the appeal and applicability of the Recommendations in those countries,
• invites the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau
  • 1 to work closely with the Directors of BDT and the Radiocommunication Bureau (BR) in order to encourage the formation of partnerships under the patronage of ITU-T as one of the means for financing the action plan;
  • 2 to consider holding, whenever possible, workshops concurrently with the ITU-T regional groups meetings in coordination and collaboration with the Director of the BDT,
• invites regions and their Member States
  • 1 to pursue the creation of regional groups of parent ITU-T study groups in their respective regions in accordance to resolves 5 of this Resolution and Resolution 54, and to support its meetings and activities as appropriate in coordination with the TSB;
  • 2 to take an active part in the activities of the ITU-T regional groups and support regional organizations in setting up regional frameworks for the development of standardization activities;
  • 3 to create regional standardization bodies, as appropriate, and encourage its joint and coordinated meetings with the ITU-T Study Groups’ regional groups in the respective region, to the effect that these standardization bodies be an umbrella for such regional groups meetings;
  • 4 to develop draft terms of reference and working methods for regional groups, which are to be approved by the parent study group,
• encourages Member States and Sector Members
  • to take the objectives set out in the action plan in the Annex to this Resolution into account in their participation in ITU-T.