The 20th Plenipotentiary Conference (PP) of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) was held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates from 29 October to 16 November 2018.
From left to right: Paulo Peres, Technician, International Organisations Area, External Affairs Department, ANACOM; João Cadete de Matos, Chairman of ANACOM's Board of Directors; Filipe Batista, Head of Cooperation and Development Area, External Affairs Department, ANACOM.
The national delegation was headed by João Cadete de Matos, Chair of ANACOM, and also included the Portuguese Ambassador to Abu Dhabi (EAU), Joaquim Moreira de Lemos, together with Filipe Batista and Paulo Peres, both from ANACOM’s External Affairs Department.
The PP, which takes place every four years, has special significance as it is the highest body of the Union and elects its officials – Secretary-General, Deputy Secretary-General, the Directors of the three sectors, the members of the Radio Regulations Board and the members of the ITU Council. The meeting also approves the strategic and financial plans for the next four-year period.
Voting took place from 1 to 6 November, with the re-election of Houlin Zhao from China to the post of Secretary-General. The electoral results for the various posts can be found at ITUPP - election result https://www.itu.int/web/pp-18/en/home/electionResult.
The national delegation had the opportunity to hold several meetings with various entities, notably Poland’s Minister of Digital Affairs, the Minister of the Digital Economy of Côte d'Ivoire, with virtually all delegations from candidate countries to the ITU Council, and also spoke to candidates for the posts of Deputy Secretary-General and Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau.
The PP's work focused on the discussion on new resolutions and proposals for revising existing resolutions and also on the Union's strategic and financial plans. A number of current issues were also discussed, including Internet regulation and security, the need for regulatory mechanisms for over-the-top operators and the development of cybersecurity policies.
At the end of the Conference, Member States reaffirmed their commitment to the common vision of a connected world, where information and communication technologies are a source of well-being, for everyone, everywhere.
Consult:
- Chair of ANACOM in an interview for the International Telecommunications Union
https://www.youtube.com/embed/ClIcrJYw0Us?autoplay=1
Further information:
- ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2018
