International Telecommunication Union

The fifteenth session of the Administrative Council of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) was held in Geneva from May 28 to July 2, 1960, under the chairmanship of Mr. Libero Oswaldo de Miranda (Brazil). In pursuance of a decision of the Plenipotentiary Conference of ITU held in Autumn 1959 to increase the part played by the Union in the Expanded Program of Technical Assistance, the Council devoted a considerable part of the session to technical assistance. Discussion revolved around the review of previous procedures applied to ITU technical assistance problems and consideration of procedures that would enable the Union to take a more active part in technical assistance. Since telecommunication projects had been submitted to ITU by the Special Fund, thus making ITU an executive agent of the Fund, the Council passed a resolution outlining the procedure by which ITU should take part in the Fund's activities, along with a directive to the General Secretariat to inform countries of the possibility of recourse to the Fund with a view to financing telecommunication projects. After a long discussion, the Council decided that ITU could also provide technical assistance through the preparation of seminars on technical telecommunication subjects and through the assistance of the Consultative Committees. The Council urged closer contact between the ITU Secretariat and the countries requiring technical assistance in order to specify the needs of those countries and to follow up current expert missions more efficiently. The possibility of regional representation in ITU was considered, but the consensus was that it would be too expensive for the Union at present. Concerning the financing of telecommunication projects, the Council acknowledged the help that might be given by private or international banking concerns and requested the Secretary-General to send to administrations all the information he could assemble on this question.