The 20th Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-18) of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the highest body of this international organization, which meets every four years, has been taking place since 29 October 2018 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The Portuguese delegation is led by João Cadete de Matos, Chairman of ANACOM, while the Portuguese ambassador to the UAE, Joaquim Moreira de Lemos, and other representatives of ANACOM and the Portuguese embassy in the UAE have also been taking part.
The main topics on the PP-18 agenda are cybersecurity, Internet governance, the relevance of information and communication technologies to sustainable development, the Internet of Things, and the 5th generation of mobile communications.
At the opening ceremony, which included a recorded speech by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, a worldwide call was made to "work as one" to connect the nearly four billion people who still lack Internet access.
This conference sets ITU's policy and strategy, and its budget. Its work is based on the reports submitted by the Council (the body which manages the Union in the inter-conference period) and proposals submitted by ITU Member States individually and often coordinated by the regional organizations of the Union.
It is also incumbent on the PP to elect the Council, the members of the Radio Regulations Bureau (RRB) and the elected officials: the Secretary-General, a post currently held by Houlin Zhao (People's Republic of China), who will be reappointed as the only candidate; the Deputy Secretary-General (with two candidates); and the Directors of the Departments of the three Sectors of the Union, namely, the Telecommunication Standardization Sector, or ITU-T (only one candidate), the Radiocommunication Sector, or ITU-R (three candidates), and Sector of Telecommunication Development, or ITU-D (four candidates).
In addition to the electoral process, PP-18 will discuss the strategy, financing and management of the organization for the next four years, in the context of the financial constraints that most member countries face in the wake of the global economic crisis.
It is estimated that about 2500 people will participate in PP-18. Their number includes heads of state, ministers and other delegates from most of ITU's 193 Member States; there are also representatives of the private sector, academic institutions and other national, regional and international organizations accredited to the Union.
The work of the conference continues until 16 November 2018.
Further information:
- ITU Plenipotentiary Conference brings more than 2500 ICT decision-makers together from around the world to 'work as one' to advance power of 'Tech for Good' https://www.itu.int/en/mediacentre/Pages/2018-PR33.aspx
