Council(2014(

Geneva,(6(3(15(May(2014!!

( !( !

Agenda(item:((ADM(4(Document(C14/INF/203E(

6(May(2014(

English(only(

(

Note(by(the(Secretary3General(

Access(to(ITU(documents!

"!2!"!!

!(

(

(

CONTRIBUTION(BY(THE(SECRETARIAT(

Access(to(ITU(documents(

(

Summary(

This!document!presents!a!review!of!practices!in!the!UN!and!the!Specialized!Agencies!and!an!overview!of!practices!in!ITU!with!regard!to!public!access!to!information.!It!is!a!factual!document!presented!to!the!Council!Working!Group!as!background!for!its!discussion!of!the!issue.!

The!document!does!not!present!any!view!from!the!Secretariat!on!a!possible!way!forward.!

The!General!Secretariat!and!the!Sectors!remain!at!the!disposal!of!the!Group!for!further!details!if!needed. Practices!in!non!UN!Agencies!such!as!other!standardization!organizations!should!be!considered.!!

(

(

(

1. MANDATE(OF(THE(GROUP((

(

At!its!2013!session,!in!Decision!563,!the!Council!decided!to!amend!the!Terms!of!Reference!of!the!Council!Working!Group!on!Financial!and!Human!Resources!and! requested! the!Group! to! review!the!document!access! policy! in! ITU! to! determine! the! extent! to! which! documentation! should! be! made! publicly!accessible.!This!document,!prepared!by!the!secretariat,!provides!a!basis!for!discussion.!It! is!based!on!a!review!of!practices!in!the!UN!and!the!Specialized!Agencies!and!an!overview!of!practices!in!ITU.!!

COUNCIL(WORKING(GROUP(ON(

FINANCIAL(AND(HUMAN(RESOURCES!!

GENEVA!–!24!and!25!February!2014( !

( (

! Document(CWG3FHR33/15(

20(February(2014(

English(only(

"!3!"!!

(

2. ACCESS(TO(DOCUMENTS(VS(ACCESS(TO(INFORMATION:(DEFINITION(OF(KEY(TERMS1(

!Confusion!and!misunderstanding!often!arise!when!talking!about!access!to!documents,!documentation,!publications,! and! information.!Based!on! the!definition!below! it! is! proposed! for! the!present! review! to!refer!to!information!access!rather!than!to!document!access.!!!2.1!Information!

! A!communication!or!representation!of!knowledge!such!as!facts,!data!or!opinions!in!any!medium!or!form!

! An!assemblage!of!data!intended!for!communication!either!through!space!or!across!time!!Information!is!independent!of!any!medium!in!which!it!is!captured!as!content.!Recorded!information!may! be! captured! in! databases,! spreadsheets,! documents,! publications,! sound! records,! motion!pictures,!etc.

!2.2!Document!

! Recorded!information!which!can!be!treated!as!a!unit,!regardless!of!form!or!medium!!! A!generic!term!for!a!physical!entity!consisting!of!any!substance!on!which!is!recorded!information!

or!data!for!the!purpose!of!conveying!or!preserving!knowledge!A!document!is!the!medium!by!which!a!message!(information)!is!conveyed.!

!Examples!of!documents!include!minutes,!reports,!speeches,!correspondence,!memos,!emails,!forms,!proposals,! briefing! papers,! procedures,! instructions,! applications,! sales! invoices,! contracts,!passports,! birth! certificates,! financial! documents,! diaries,! photographs,! audio! recordings,! video!recordings.!!See!Annex!1!for!further!discussion!of!“what!is!a!document.”!!

!2.3!Publication!(noun)!

! Material!produced!for!sale!or!distribution!to!the!public!!

Publications!are!information!products!created!specifically!for!distribution!to!the!public.!!2.4!Access![to!information]!

! The!right,!opportunity,!or!means!of!finding,!using,!or!retrieving!information!

____________________ 1 Definitions!come!from!the!Oxford!English!Dictionary;!ISO!15489"1!(2001)!Information!and!documentation!–!Records!management;!the!Online!Dictionary!for!Library!and!Information!Science!(http://www.abc"clio.com/ODLIS/odlis_A.aspx);!and!International!Council!on!Archives,!MultilingualArchival!Terminology!database!(http://www.ciscra.org/mat/).!

"!4!"!!

! The! permission! to! locate! and! retrieve! information! for! use! (consultation! or! reference)! within!legally!established!restrictions!of!privacy,!confidentiality,!and!security!clearance!

!2.5!Information!disclosure!

! The!act!of!making!information!known!by!revealing!it!to!the!public!!3. SURVEY(OF(INFORMATION(ACCESS(POLICIES(&(PRACTICES(IN(THE(UN(AND(OTHER(UN(SPECIALIZED(

AGENCIES((

!3.1! The!Secretariat!made!a!survey!of!14!UN!Agencies,!Funds!and!Programmes!including!FAO,!ICAO,!IAEA,! IFAD,! ILO,! UNDP,! UNESCO,! UNIDO,! UNICEF,! UPU,! WHO,! WMO,! WIPO! and! the! World! Bank.!Preliminary! Research! has! been! made! through! Internet.! Results! have! been! communicated! to! the!Agencies! through! the!UN!Governing! Bodies! Secretariat!Group.! The! following!Agencies! have! validated!the!information:!FAO,!IFAD,!UNESCO,!UNIDO,!WIPO!and!WMO.!!3.2! With!a!view!to!promoting!transparency!and!accountability!and!to!providing!accurate!and!timely!information! to! partners! and! stakeholders! –! including! the! public! –! several! Agencies! have! adopted!Information!Disclosure!policies!in!the!past!few!years.!

! Examples:! ILO! (2008),!UNDP! (2008,! revised!2013),! IFAD! (2010),!UNICEF! (2010,!updated!2011),!World!Bank!(2010,!revised!2013).!!

!These!policies!are!based!on!a!presumption!of!full!disclosure!of!all!information!and!documents!generated!by! the! organization.! In! all! cases,! however,! this! presumption! is! subject! to! exceptions! for! information!falling!into!well"defined!categories!deemed!to!be!confidential!and!therefore!not!available!to!the!public.!In!general,!the!exceptions!are!limited!to!what!is!essential!to!protect!the!privacy!of!individuals!and!third!parties,! legal! privilege,! contractual,! proprietary! or! commercial! information! and! internal! governance!matters.!!3.3! Other! organizations! do! not! have! a! formal! access/disclosure! policy,! but! regularly! provide! a!wealth!of! information!related!to! their!operations!and!governance!to! the!public.! In!all!cases,! the!same!exceptions!to!access!as!those!found!in!the!formal!access/disclosure!policies!described!in!point!3.2!above!are!followed.!

! Examples:!WIPO,!UNESCO,!WHO,!IAEA,!FAO!!!3.4! The!public!access!to!conference!and!meeting!information!in!these!agencies!is!detailed!in!Annex!5.!!!!4. ITU(POLICY(&(PRACTICE(

From! the! creation! of! the! International! Telecommunication! Union,! collecting! and! communicating!information!has!been!at!the!heart!of!its!activities.!!!!

"!5!"!!

4.1 Current(policy((ITU!policy!is!reflected!in!the!following!two!documents,!approved!by!the!Secretary"General!at!the!time:!

! Information! Circular! (4! November! 1982)! "! internal,! “Archives! of! the! Union:! description! and!access”!(see!Annex!2)!

! MultipleQdestination! letter! DMQ1013! (27! January! 2000),! “Guidelines! for! TIES! access”! (see!Annex!3)!

!Information!Circular!(4!November!1982)!concerns!public!access!to!historic!records!held!by!ITU’s!Archives!Service!and!declares!that!both!conference!and!meeting!documents!and!“ITU!files”!will!be!closed!to!public!consultation!for!a!period!of!30!years!from!the!date!of!the!document!or!from!the!date!of!the!most!recent!document!in!the!file.!!Exceptions!to!this!rule!are!made!for!personnel!files!and!files!containing!information!whose!disclosure!“might!be!prejudicial!to!the!interests!of!the!Union!or!its!officials.”!!MultipleQdestination!letter!DMQ1013!covers!electronic!access!by!Member!States,!Sector!Members!and!Permanent!Missions!to!ITU!working!documents!for!conferences!and!meetings.!!The!underlying!principles!in!these!guidelines!are!the!following:!

• All!working!documents!for!conferences!and!meetings!(including!“contributions,!delayed!contributions,!other!working!or!temporary!documents,!reports,!etc.”)!are!not!accessible!to!the!public.!

• For!ITU!members,!the!right!to!access!is!linked!to!membership!or!participation!status.!Member!States,!Sector!members,!Associates,!Academia,!etc.,!each!have!different!rights!of!access!to!conference!and!meeting!documents.!(See!Annex!4!for!an!overview!of!who!has!access!to!what.)!

• All!types!of!conference!and!meeting!documents!are!treated!the!same!(i.e.,!for!any!specific!conference!or!meeting,!there!is!no!difference!in!access!to!agenda,!Member!State!contributions,!summary!records,!documents!discussed!in!a!committee!or!any!other!documents!of!the!meeting).!

• Access!rights!(for!electronic!copies!of!documents)!are!implemented!through!TIES!accounts.!!These!documents!have!neither!been!reviewed!nor!updated!since!2000.!!4.2 Confidential(information(

Regarding!confidential!information,!ITU!respects!the!same!set!of!exceptions!to!access!as!those!found!in!the!formal!access/disclosure!policies!described!in!point!3.2!above.!!4.3 Information(made(available(to(the(general(public(

ITU!has!traditionally!made!a!variety!of!information!available!to!the!public!and!continues!to!do!so!today.!Information!that!is!regularly!provided!to!the!public!–!for!sale!or!for!free!–!includes!the!following:!

! Press!releases!! Speeches!

"!6!"!!

! Statements!! Circulars/Circular!letters2!! General! information! about! the! organization’s! activities! (brochures,! flyers,! web! pages,! social!

media!platforms)3!! Photographs!and!videos!of!ITU!events!and!activities!! Documents!and!information!related!to!the!history!of!the!organization!(History!of!ITU!Portal)!! Publications,!including:!

o Basic!texts!of!the!organization!o Administrative!Regulations!o Final!Acts!of!ITU!conferences!o ITU!Recommendations!o Handbooks,!guidelines,!manuals!o Service! publications! (e.g.! International! Frequency! List,! lists! of! radio! and! telegraph!

stations)!o Software! and! databases,! especially! related! to! management! of! the! radio"frequency!

spectrum!and!satellite!orbits!as!well!as!some!ITU"T!databases.!!o Various!reports!and!analyses,!including!reports!on!trends!o Proceedings!of!workshops,!seminars!and!colloquia!o Statistics!and!statistical!interpretations!o Terminology!lists!and!glossaries!o ITU!News! (formerly!Journal!télégraphique,!1869"1933,!and!Telecommunication!Journal,!

1934"1993)!!!!4.4 Public(access(to(ITU(conference(and(meeting(information(

ITU! conferences! include:! Plenipotentiary! Conferences,! world! conferences! on! international!telecommunications,! world! and! regional! radiocommunication! conferences,! world! and! regional!telecommunication!development!conferences.!

!Significant!ITU!meetings!include:!Council!meetings,!the!Assemblies!of!the!ITU"T!and!ITU"R!Sectors,!Study!Group!meetings,!the!meetings!of!the!Sector!Advisory!Groups,!and!RRB!meetings.!!4.4.1 Access!by!type!of!information!In! ITU,! all! conference! and! meeting! documents! have! the! same! status! for! the! purposes! of! providing!access.! No! distinction! is! made! between! agenda,! Member! State! contributions,! General! Secretariat!contributions,!minutes!of!meetings,! etc.!Access! is! restricted! to! ITU!members!only;! no!public! access! is!

____________________ 2 Access!to!SG!Circular!letters!is!restricted!to!TIES!users,!but!access!to!all!types!of!Circular!letters!in!the!3!Sectors!is!open!to!the!public.!3!The!annual!Report!on!the!Activities!of!the!Union!was!published!until!2001.!!Since!then,!the!report!is!only!available!as!a!Council!document,!with!

access!restricted!to!TIES!users.!

"!7!"!!

provided.!This!practice! is! very!different! from! that!of!other!UN!agencies!where!access! rights!may!vary!according!to!the!type!of!document.!!

! An!exception!to!ITU!practice!was!made!for!WCIT"12.!It!was!decided!during!the!conference!that!contributions!from!Member!States!would!be!made!accessible!to!the!public.!All!other!documents!of!the!Conference!remained!restricted!to!TIES!users.!

See!Annex!5!for!a!comparative!analysis!of!access!to!the!documents!of!ITU’s!plenipotentiary!conferences!and!Council!meetings!with!access!to!the!documents!of!governing!body!meetings!of!other!UN!Agencies.!

!4.4.2 Access!by!time!period!ITU! has! never! provided! public! access! to! conference! and! meeting! documents! before! and! during!meetings,!but!has!often!provided!access!to!all!or!part!of!the!documents!after!a!meeting!has!concluded.!This!practice!was!common!in!the!past,!but!has!gradually!become!more!restricted!since!1992.!There!are!still!a!variety!of!cases!today!where!documents!for!conferences!and!meetings!are!made!available!after!a!certain!time!period!has!elapsed.!

! Two! exceptions! to! the! practice! of! not! providing! access! to! documents! before! and! during!meetings!are:!!o WCIT"12:! It! was! decided! during! the! conference! that! contributions! from! Member! States!

would!be!made!accessible!to!the!public!immediately.!o All!RAG!meetings:!All!documents!are!immediately!available!to!the!public.!

See!Annex!6! for!details! regarding! conference!and!meeting!documents! that!have!been!made!available!after!the!meeting!has!concluded.!!5 KEY(ISSUES(TO(CONSIDER(WITH(RESPECT(TO(AN(INFORMATION(ACCESS(POLICY(FOR(ITU(

!This!section!highlights!key! issues!to!consider!during!a!review!of! ITU’s!access!to! information!policy!and!practices.!!5.1 Discussions! about! an! access/disclosure! policy! should! start! with! clear! definitions! of! the! terms!“information”,!“document”!and!“publication”!in!the!ITU!context.!

5.2 Agreement!is!needed!on!the!basic!principles!of!access!and!the!reasons!for!those!decisions!(i.e.,!what! types! of! information! can! be!made! available! to! the! public/restricted! to!members/only! available!internally,!when,!and!why,!and!who!can!decide).!

5.3 The! policies! and! practices! of! relevant! non"UN! agencies,! particularly! other! standards"setting!bodies,!should!be!considered.!

5.4 As! other! agencies! have! found,! it! is! important! to! find! a! balance! between! transparency! and!accountability! on! the! one! hand! and! efficiency! in! decision"making! processes! on! the! other! hand.!Membership!benefits!should!also!be!considered.!

5.5 An!access!policy!should!establish!basic!principles!governing!access!to!all!types!of!information!–!and!in!all!formats!and!media!–!created,!received!and!used!by!the!organization.!

"!8!"!!

5.6 Any! exceptions/restrictions! on! access! should! concern! categories! of! information! where!disclosure! would! cause! potential! harm! to! a! legitimate! private! or! public! interest! that! outweighs! the!benefits!of!accessibility.!Common!categories!of!exceptions!include:!

! personal!information;!! information!related!to!legal,!disciplinary!or!investigative!matters;!! information!that!would!compromise!safety!and!security;!!! information!provided!by!member!states!or!third!parties!in!confidence;!! commercial!information;!and!! financial!information.!!

Exceptions!can!also!be!defined!to!protect!and!promote!frank!internal!deliberations!and!decision"making!processes.!

5.7 A!clear!policy!and! formal!procedure! for!handling! requests! for!access! to! restricted! information!should!be!included.!

5.8 An! access! policy! should! include! a! clear! statement! on! the! scope! and! duration! of! restrictions!(either!for!a!specified!period!of!time!or!until!a!specified!condition!has!occurred).!

5.9 A! distinction! should! be! made! between! policies! and! procedures.! Policies! establish! the!fundamental! principles;! they!define!what! is! to!be!done!and!why! (for!what!purpose)! and!may! include!criteria!to!be!applied!to!guide!future!decisions!and!actions.!Procedures!address!how!the!policy!will!be!implemented.!Procedures!can!be!detailed!and!can!be!tailored!to!specific!types!of!technology!or!specific!cases.!An!information!access!policy!should!focus!on!types!of!information!(content),!while!procedures!for!implementing!the!policy!may!be!specific!to!different!formats!and!media.!

(

! !

"!9!"!!

ANNEX(1(

(

What(is(a(document?(

(

Document!–!Generic!or!specific?!The!word! “document”! is! a! generic! term!which! covers! any! type!of! recorded! information! ranging! from!brief! email!messages! to! complex! legal! agreements,! informal! notes! to! official! executive!orders! and! all!types!of!documents!in!between.!Individual!constituencies!sometimes!use!this!general!term!to!refer!to!a!very! specific! type! of! document! important! to! that! constituency.! For! example,! in! many! international!organizations,!and!especially!within!the!United!Nations!system,!the!term!“documents”!is!often!used!to!refer! to! the! official! records! of! meetings.! In! other! agencies,! “documents”! refers! to! a! set! of! standard!documents! created! during! a! project! cycle.! Since! confusion! and!misunderstanding! can! arise!when! the!same! term! is!used! to! refer! to!different! things,! it! is! important! that! any!discussion!about! “documents”!start!with!a!clear!indication!and!definition!of!the!type!or!category!of!documents!being!addressed.!!Examples!of!types!of!documents!that!are!often!referred!to!with!a!specific!collective!name!include:!

! Conference!and!meeting!documents!! Project!documents!! Financial!documents!! Policy!and!procedure!documents!! Procurement!documents!! Background!documents!! Working!documents!

!Document!or!publication?!Documents!are!created!primarily!or!exclusively!as!working!tools!for!internal!use,!while!publications!are!deliberately!created!with!the!intention!of!distributing!them!to!the!general!public.!Some!documents!may!later! become! available! to! the! public,! but! this! disclosure! does! not! change! the! documents! into!publications.!!At! ITU,! as! is! the! case! throughout! the! United! Nations! system,! some! types! of! documents! –! such! as!conference! and! meeting! documents! –! are! widely! distributed! to! ITU! members! (traditionally! in! print;!today!electronically)!for!use!in!their!ITU"related!work.!This!wide!distribution!is!sometimes!referred!to!as!“publishing”!the!documents!and,! indeed,!software!used!to!post!documents!on!the! Internet!often!uses!the!terminology!“publish!to!the!Web.”!Documents!and!publications!have!different!purposes,!however,!and!distribution!of!a!document!does!not!change!its!nature!as!a!working!tool!for!internal!use.4!!

____________________ 4 It!is!interesting!to!note!that!up!until!2004,!the!Radio!Regulations!defined!a!set!of!publications!called!“Service!documents”!that!included!the!International!Frequency!List!and!lists!and!call!signs!of!various!types!of!radio!stations.!As!of!the!2004!edition!of!the!Radio!Regulations,!they!are!called!“Service!publications”.!

"!10!"!!

Publications!may!be!provided! to! the!public! free!of! charge!or!by! sale.!Recent! ITU!decisions! to!provide!“free! online! access”! to! publications! such! as! ITU! Recommendations,! Final! Acts! of! conferences! and!Administrative!Regulations!are!related!to!the!cost!of!access.!In!all!cases,!the!documents!in!question!are!publications!and!are!therefore!intended!for!public!distribution.!It!is!important!not!to!confuse!discussions!about!providing!costQfree!access!to!information!with!decisions!about!providing!access!rights!to!types!of!information.!!! !

"!11!"!!

ANNEX!2!Information(Circular((4(November(1982)(

!!

"!12!"!!

!

"!13!"!!

ANNEX!3!Multiple3destination(letter(DM31013((27(January(2000)(

!!

"!14!"!!

"!15!"!!

!

"!16!"!!

ANNEX(4(

Access(to(ITU(conference(and(meeting(documents(

!!

( (

PP(

WRC(

RA(

WTDC(

WTSA(

WCIT((

COUNCIL(

TDAG(

TSAG(

RAG(

SG(

ITU3T(

SG(

ITU3D(

SG(

ITU3R(

MEMBER!STATES!

! O! O! O! O! O! O! O! O! O! O! O! O! O!

SECTOR!MEMBERS!!

T! O! C! C! O! O! O! O! O! O! O! O! O! C!R! O! O! O! O! C! C! O! O! C! O! C! O! O!D! O! C! C! O! C! C! O! O! C! O! C! O! C!

ASSOCIATES! T! C! C! C! O! O! C! C! O! C! O! O! O! C!R! C! C! C! O! C! C! C! O! C! O! C! O! O!D! C! C! C! O! C! C! C! O! C! O! C! O! C!

ACADEMIA! T! C! C! C! O! O! C! C! O! C! O! O! O! C!R! C! C! C! O! C! C! C! O! C! O! C! O! O!D! C! C! C! O! C! C! C! O! C! O! C! O! C!

OBSERVERS! ! O! O! O! O! O! O! O! O! O! O! O! O! O!PUBLIC!PRESS!!

! C! C! C! C! C! C! C! C! C! O! C! C! C!

!

O:!Open!C:!Closed!

! !

ANNEX%5%Comparative%analysis%of%access%to%the%documents%of%ITU’s%plenipotentiary%conferences%and%Council%meetings%with%access%to%the%documents%of%

governing%body%meetings%of%other%UN%Agencies%(Based%on%internet%research%and%consultationof%UN%Governing%Bodies%Secretariat%Group5)%%

%

%

FAO%

ICAO

%

IAEA

%

IFAD

*%

ILO*%

UNDP*

%

UNESCO

%

UNIDO%

UNICEF*%

UPU

%

WHO%

WMO%

WIPO%

WB*

%

ITU%

GENERAL''CONFERENCE'

' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '

Agenda'PL' O' O' O' O' O' ' O' O' ' O' O' O' O' ' C'Agenda'COM' O' C' C' C' O' ' O' O' ' C' O' O' O' ' C'Secretariat'Contributions'/Report''

O' O' O' O' O' ' O' O' ' C' O' O' O' ' C'

Member'States'Contributions'

O' O' O' O' C' ' O' O' ' C' O' O' O' ' C'

In'session/draft'documents'PL'

O' O' O' O' O' ' O' O' ' C' O' O' O' ' C'

In'session/draft'documents'COM'

O' O' O' C' C' ' O' O' ' C' O' O' O' ' C'

Summary'records'of'PL'

O' O' O' O' O' ' O' C' ' C' O' O' O' ' C'

Summary'records'of'COM'

O' C' C' C' C' ' O' C' ' C' O' NA' O' ' C'

Decisions'/Resolutions'

O' O' O' O' O' ' O' O' ' C' O' O' O' ' C'

'

____________________ 5 Please note that the classification of documents can be interpreted differently by each organization

C'18'C''

'

COUNCIL/BOARD%

FAO%

ICAO

%

IAEA

%

IFAD

*%

ILO*%

UNDP*

%

UNESCO

%

UNIDO%

UNICEF*%

UPU

%

WHO%

WMO%

WIPO%

WB*

%

ITU%

Agenda'PL' O' C' C' O' O' O' O' O' O' C' O' O' O' O' C'Agenda'COM'' O' C' C' O' O' O' O' O' C' C' C' O' O' O' C'Secretariat'Contribution/'Report'

O' C' C' O' O' O' O' O' O' C' O' O' O' O' C'

Member'States'contributions'

O' C' C' C' C' C' O' O' C' C' C' O' O' C' C'

In'session/draft'documents'PL'

O' C' C' C' C' C' O' O' O' C' C' O' O' C' C'

In'session/draft'documents'COM'

O' C' C' C' C' C' O' O' C' C' C' O' O' C' C'

Summary'records'PL'

O' C' C' C' O' C' O' C' O' C' O' O' O' O' C'

Summary'records'COM'

C' C' C' C' O' C' O' C' C' C' C' O' O' C' C'

Decisions'/Resolution'

O' O' O' O' O' O' O' O' O' C' O' O' O' O' C'

'

*Organization'having'adopted'a'documents'disclosure'policy'or'an'Information'disclosure'policy'O:'Documents'are'disclosed'to'the'public'C:'Document'are'closed'to'the'public'PL:'Plenaries'COM:'Committees'

Information'as'of'11/02/2014'' '

!"19"!"

ANNEX%6%%

ITU%conference%and%meeting%documents%made%available%after%the%meeting%has%concluded%%Public" access" to" ITU" conference" and"meeting"documents"after"meetings" have" concluded"has" varied"over"

time"and"with"the"type"of"conference"or"meeting."

"

ITU)Conferences)! 186531947:" All" conference" documents" (input" documents," reports," minutes" of" meetings" and" other"

output"documents)"as"well"as"the"Final"Acts"were"published"by"the"Bureau"(the"predecessor"of"today’s"

General"Secretariat)"in"the"months"following"the"conference."

! 194731989:" In"1947,"faced"with"financial"constraints"and"a"large"volume"of"documents"from"the"three"

Atlantic"City"conferences,"the"new"ITU"Administrative"Council"decided"that"only"the"Final"Acts"and"the"

summary" records" (minutes)" of" the" plenary" meetings" of" the" conferences" would" be" published.6" " In"

addition"to"the"publication"of"the"summary"records"of"plenary"meetings,"a"complete"set"of"conference"

documents" was" deposited" in" the" ITU" Library" to" be" open" for" public" consultation." This" practice" was"

followed"for"all"subsequent"conferences"up"to"1989.""

! 19923present:" Only" the" Final" Acts" of" conferences" are" published.7" Access" to" electronic" copies" of" the"conference"documents"varies."

o Plenipotentiary) conferences:) Access" to" electronic" copies" of" all" documents" of" plenipotentiary"

conferences"from"1998"to"present"is"restricted"to"users"with"TIES"access."

o World)Radio)Conferences)(WRCs):)Access"to"electronic"copies"of"documents"for"WRCs"from"1997"to"

2003" is" open" to" the" public." However" access" to" electronic" copies" of" documents" of" the" last" two"

conferences,"WRC!07"and"WRC!12,"is"restricted"to"users"with"TIES"access."

o World) Telecommunication) Development) Conferences) (WTDC):) Access" to" electronic" copies" of" the"documents" of"WTDC!98" is" open" to" the" public." Access" to" all" documents" of"WTDCs" from" 2002" to"

present"is"restricted"to"TIES"users."

Council)meetings)Access"to"all"documents"of"Council"meetings"is"restricted"to"TIES"users.""The"Resolutions"and"Decisions"are"

published"after"each"session"of"Council."

"

Sector)Assemblies)(WTSA)and)RA)))From" the" establishment" of" the" CCIs" in" the" 1920s" (CCIF" and" CCIT"which" later"merged" to" form"CCITT," and"

CCIR)," the"proceedings"of" the"Plenary"Assemblies"of" these"bodies"were"published"after" the"meeting."The"

reports" of" the"plenary"meetings" and" committee"meetings" of"WTSAs" continue" to" be"published"up" to" and"

including" the" latest" WTSA" (Dubai," 2012)." There" are" no" published" proceedings" for" Radiocommunication"

Assemblies"(RAs).""

"

____________________ 6 ITU"Administrative"Council,"2nd"meeting"(Geneva,"January!February"1948)."

7"There"is"one"exception:""the"input"documents"of"the"Buenos"Aires"World"Telecommunication"Development"Conference"(WTDC!94)"were"published"in"3"volumes"following"the"conference."

!"20"!"

Study)Group)and)Sector)Advisory)Group)meetings)Access"to"all"Study"Group"documents"is"restricted"to"ITU"members"for"a"period"of"30"years"from"the"date"of"

the" document." The" public" may" consult" documents" older" than" 30" years." The" same" restriction" applies" to"

documents"of"TSAG"and"TDAG."All"RAG"documents"are"immediately"available"to"the"public."

"

"

"

_________"