TECH4GOOD
Monchito Ibrahim
Very few people have heard of ITU, what it does and why it is one of the most important UN agencies today.
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) was a little-known multilateral organization initially created to regulate the telegram industry. It was founded in Paris in 1865 as the International Telegraph Union and became the United Nations specialized agency to regulate the telecommunications sector in 1947. Today, it covers all matters related to information and communications technology.
I do not have the official figures, but I guess 90 percent of us are not even aware that it exists. Why should we care about it?
ITU’s work affects the lives of almost everyone on the planet today. Every time you make a phone call via mobile, access the internet, or send an email, you are benefitting from the work of ITU. It underpins the many complex systems and technologies that make modern life possible. We are talking about telephones, radio, television, internet access, cybersecurity, and even setting the correct international time. Today, it is responsible for the future of the internet, including critical standard-setting and regulatory activities which have the potential to positively impact developing countries like the Philippines.
The Philippines has been an active member of ITU since 1912 and has consistently won an elected seat in the ITU Council representing the Asia and Australasia region for four terms beginning in 2006. It shares ITU’s commitment to achieving connectivity for all and has played a critical role in shaping the future of ICT specifically in considering broad telecommunication policy issues to ensure that the Union's activities, policies, and strategies fully respond to today's dynamic, rapidly changing ICT environment. It has also served as a member of several Council working groups, co-organizing ITU workshops and participating in various ICT development studies as well as benefitting a lot from the development initiatives of the Union.
The Plenipotentiary Conference (PP), ITU’s highest policy-making body, meets once every four years to set the Union’s general policies, adopt the four-year strategic and financial plans, and elect the senior management team of the organization, and the member States of the Council.
The Council, on the other hand, acts as the Union’s governing body in the interval between Plenipotentiary Conferences. It is responsible for ensuring the smooth day-to-day running of the Union.
This year, Romania will be hosting the 2022 Plenipotentiary Conference on Sept. 26 to Oct. 14 in its capital city, Bucharest. As expected, the Philippines will again be vying for one of the 13 Council seats allocated for the Asia and Australasia region against 15 other member states. Led by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Philippines is now in the midst of preparing for its candidature. Much is at stake here as the Philippines has never lost an election from the time it won a seat in 2006.
Although government-led, the preparatory work and campaign will involve the active participation of the private sector. This would include the local telcos, the broadcasting industry, and the cable TV service providers. As in previous campaigns, it will be an “all-hands-on-deck” work plan for the Philippines so it will be seen as a whole-of-country strategy. The private sector players are not just expected to share in the work but, more importantly, are also expected to chip in funds for a well-oiled campaign to ensure a win for the Philippines.
The campaign will also involve the attached agencies of DICT like the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), the National Privacy Commission (NPC), and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center.
ITU's global membership includes 193 Member States as well as some 900 companies, universities, and international and regional organizations. It has become a community of more than 20,000 professionals resulting in a rich and diverse network of experts and leaders in the global ICT ecosystem working together to help shape the future ICT policy and regulatory environment, global standards, and best practices to help spread access to ICT services most especially to underserved communities worldwide.
Why is the private sector actively involved?
ITU’s power and regulatory ability have direct implications for the use and application of digital technology worldwide. Its decisions and outcomes cover such areas as broadcasting, cybersecurity, inclusivity, internet access, and ICT technologies in general. They are implemented through national-level rules and regulations, technical standards, and practices of the industry. Member states are held accountable for implementing these decisions and reporting to ITU on progress. And all of these starts from the outcomes of several working groups that include the private sector.
ITU development programs, policies, and regulations matter and that is why we need to see that the Philippines retain its seat in the ITU Council so the country will continue to have a say in ensuring that the right rules are put in place to drive investments, innovation and opportunities are shared inclusively.
(The author is the lead convenor of the Alliance for Technology Innovators for the Nation (ATIN), vice president of the Analytics Association of the Philippines, and vice president, UP System Information Technology Foundation.)