Governor of the Communications Commission Announces the Kingdom's Candidacy for Membership of the ITU Council 2019-2022

His Excellency the Governor of Communications and Information Technology, Dr. Abdulaziz bin Salem Al-Ruwais, is currently participating in the activities of the "2018 Session of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Council," in the presence of His Excellency the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Kingdom to the United Nations in Geneva, Dr. Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Al-Wasel.

On this occasion, His Excellency delivered a speech expressing his happiness at attending and participating in the 2018 session of the Council, affirming the Kingdom's continued commitment to supporting the Union in a way that ensures it carries out the tasks that would serve the telecommunications and information technology sector at the international level.

His Excellency Dr. Al-Ruwais noted that the Kingdom is proud of its membership in this esteemed Council for more than fifty-three years, during which it contributed to making decisions with important impact in building the Union's present today, and paving the way for its future distinction through joint efforts by it and all members. In this regard, His Excellency the Governor of the Communications and Information Technology Commission announced the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's intention to retain its seat in the Council's membership by running for it, and to run for a position on the Radio Regulations Committee. His Excellency affirmed, in conclusion of his speech, that the Kingdom will continue working with the international community to develop the telecommunications and information technology sector, and to help ITU member states, especially developing and least developed countries, to be able to benefit from technical and regulatory developments.

The Commission said that the ITU Council includes 48 countries, including the Kingdom, out of a total of 193 member states of the Union, and its current meeting discusses a number of topics related to the telecommunications and information technology sector, including those related to 5G and artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and spectrum management, especially for future technologies. The Council also discussed ways to include small and medium enterprises in the work of the ITU. On the sidelines of the Council meetings, His Excellency Dr. Al-Ruwais held a number of side meetings with heads of delegations, during which a number of topics related to the field of telecommunications and information technology were discussed.

It is noted that the Kingdom has been a member of the International Telecommunication Union since 1949, and has previously chaired the ITU Council twice, and has held its membership in the Council since 1965, having been re-nominated in every electoral round since that date, harnessing its capabilities and human expertise to support the activities of the Union, which is the specialized United Nations agency for telecommunications and information technology, as the Union works on managing the radio frequency spectrum, allocating satellite orbits, and preparing international standards and recommendations concerning aspects of telecommunications and information technology such as future networks, network security and its operational aspects, and quality of service.