India has been re-elected as a member of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) for another 4-year term, that is from 2019 to 2022.
The country secured 165 votes and placed third among the 13 other nations that were elected to the council from the Asia-Australasia region. India ranked 8th among the 48 countries elected to the council globally. The 193-member states elect representatives to the council.
The elections were held during the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2018 in Dubai, UAE.
The International Telecommunication Union is a specialised organisation under the United Nations that deals with issues related to information and communication technologies. It consists of 193 countries and about 800 private sector entities and academic institutions.
The ITU and the Internet Society signed a cooperation agreement during the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in 2014 on joint activities to combat the harmful effects of spam.
The collaboration includes workshops, capacity building, online and in-country trainings, and report reviews.
According to the Internet Society’s website, the Plenipotentiary is a conference that happens every four years to allow the ITU to set its strategic direction, finances, leadership and to make any changes needed to the organisation’s constitution and convention.
The Plenipotentiary’s objective is to stand up for the Internet, the network of networks that is open, globally-connected, secure, and trustworthy. No single person, business, government or entity can or should control it.
India has been an active member of the ITU since 1869 and has been a regular member of the ITU council since 1952.
The Indian Telecommunications Minister, Mr Manoj Sinha said that India is delighted to be a member of the ITU Council again. This is recognition of the role the country plays in the area of telecom and ICT on the global stage.
He added that India shares the dream and vision of the ITU to realise the world as one nation and knowledge society.
India and the ITU recently launched an ITU South Asia Area Office and Technology Innovation Centre in New Delhi. The centre is set to be operational by January 2019.
The International Telecommunication Union local area office in India will increase the availability of technology for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). SMEs are crucial for the development of India’s economy and employment rate.
The ITU said that the ICTs of today help manage and control emergency services, water supplies, power networks and food distribution chains. They support health care, education, government services, financial markets, transportation systems, e-commerce platforms and environmental management.
India under the ITU aims to bring the benefits of these modern communication technologies to people across the country in an efficient, safe, easy and affordable manner.