Egypt acquired the membership of the Administrative Council of the International Telecommunication Union for Africa for the period from 2023 to 2026 after being re-elected to the membership of the Council of the Union in the elections that took place during the activities of the Plenipotentiary Conference.
The conference was organised by the International Telecommunication Union in the Romanian capital Bucharest from 26 September to 14 October with the participation of more than 180 countries.
The Administrative Council of the International Telecommunication Union is the authority authorised to review the activities and operational plans of the various sectors in the union and the general secretariat and to issue decisions in this regard during the four years that fall between the Plenipotentiary Conferences.
Additionally, the council takes all steps to facilitate implementation of the provisions of the ITU constitution and convention, administrative regulations, and decisions of the Plenipotentiary Conferences.
Egypt had participated in the conference for two days with a high-level delegation headed by Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat.
Talaat held a number of meetings with the ministers and senior officials participating in the work of the conference to discuss the most important developments in the international communications arena, discuss opportunities to enhance cooperation, support Egypt’s candidacy in the elections that were held for membership in the ITU Administrative Council for Africa, and support the Egyptian candidacy for membership in the ITU Radio Regulations Board.
This was all done within the framework of working to enhance Egypt’s position and international leadership in the field of communications and IT.
In a statement, the minister said that Egypt has been a member of the Council of the International Telecommunication Union since 1973 and a regular member of the union since 1876.
During the current council’s tenure from 2023 to 2026, Egypt looks forward to completing its path of actively participating in the work and activities of the union that aim to serve the international telecommunications and IT sector, as well as adopt the views and issues of Africa within the International Telecommunication Union.
He also pointed out that this win reflects the confidence of the international community in Egypt’s leading role and active contributions to the activities of the union.
Al-Sayed Azzouz — the Egyptian candidate for the National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority — won the membership of the Radio Regulations Committee of the International Telecommunication Union as a representative of Africa.
The committee consists of 12 members who are elected at the Plenipotentiary Conference — three of which represent Africa — and meets four times a year in Geneva.
The committee is concerned with approving the procedural rules used by the Radiocommunication Bureau in applying the provisions of the radio regulations and recording the frequency assignments submitted by member states.
It is worth noting that the elections for the 2023 to 2026 period were very competitive, with 17 African countries vying for 13 seats in the 48-member Union Council.
The Plenipotentiary Conference is considered the supreme policy-making body within the International Telecommunication Union and is held every four years, during which member states decide the future role of the global organisation in the field of telecommunications around the world and its role in the development of information and communication technology and its trends at the global level, and the adoption of strategic and financial plans up till the next conference.
During the conference, the organisation’s senior management — the secretary-general, the deputy secretary-general, and directors of the ITU Sectoral Offices — the member states of the Council, and the members of the Radio Regulations Board are elected.
