1

1 These General Rules of conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union (hereinafter referred to as "these General Rules") shall apply to conferences, assemblies and meetings of the International Telecommunication Union (hereinafter referred to as "the Union"). In the event of inconsistency between a provision of these General Rules and a provision of the Constitution or the Convention, the latter instruments shall prevail.

2

2 Meetings of a Sector, other than conferences or assemblies, may adopt working procedures which are compatible with those adopted by the competent conference or assembly of the Sector in question. In the event of inconsistency between those working procedures and a provision of these General Rules, the latter shall prevail.

3

3 These General Rules shall apply without prejudice to the amendment provisions contained in Article 55 of the Constitution and in Article 42 of the Convention.

4

1 The precise place and the exact dates of the conference shall be fixed in accordance with the provisions of Article　1 of the Convention, following consultations with the inviting government.

5

2

1) One year before the date of opening of the conference, the inviting government shall send an invitation to the government of each Member State.

6

2) These invitations may be sent directly or through the Secretary-General or through another government.

7

3 The Secretary-General shall invite as observers the organizations, agencies and entities referred to in Article 23 of the Convention.

8

4

1) The replies of the Member States must reach the inviting government at least one month before the date of opening of the conference and should include whenever possible full information on the composition of the delegation.

9

2) These replies may be sent directly to the inviting government or through the Secretary-General or through another government.

10

3) The replies of the organizations, agencies and entities referred to in Article 23 of the Convention must reach the Secretary-General one month before the opening date of the conference.

2 Invitation to radiocommunication conferences when there is an inviting government

11

1 The precise place and exact dates of the conference shall be fixed in accordance with the provisions of Article　3 of the Convention, following consultations with the inviting government.

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2

1) Subject to the relevant provisions of Article 24 of the Convention, the provisions of Nos.　5 to 10 above shall apply to radiocommunication conferences.

13

2) Member States should inform the Sector Members of the invitation they have received to participate in a radiocommunication conference.

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3

1) The inviting government, in agreement with or on a proposal by the Council, may notify the international organizations other than those referred to in Nos.　269A to 269D of the Convention which may be interested in sending observers to participate in the conference.

15

2) The interested international organizations referred to in No.　14 above shall send an application for admission to the inviting government within a period of two months from the date of notification.

16

3) The inviting government shall assemble the requests and the conference itself shall decide whether the organizations concerned are to be admitted.

3 Invitation to radiocommunication assemblies, world telecommunication standardization assemblies and telecommunication development conferences when there is an inviting government

17

1 The precise place and exact dates of each assembly or conference shall be fixed in accordance with the provisions of Article　3 of the Convention, following consultations with the inviting government.

18

2 One year before the date of the opening of the assembly or conference, the Secretary-General, after consultation with the Director of the Bureau concerned, shall send an invitation to:

19

20

21

22

3 The replies must reach the Secretary-General at least one month before the date of opening of the assembly or conference and should, whenever possible, include full information on the composition of the delegation or representation.

4 Procedure for convening or cancelling world conferences or assemblies at the request of Member States or on a proposal of the Council

23

1 The procedures to be applied for convening a second world telecommunication standardization assembly in the interval between successive plenipotentiary conferences and fixing its precise place and exact dates or for cancelling the second world radiocommunication conference or the second radiocommunication assembly are set forth in the following provisions.

24

2

1) Any Member State wishing to have a second world telecommunication standardization assembly convened shall so inform the Secretary-General, indicating the proposed place and dates of the assembly.

25

2) On receipt of similar requests from at least one-quarter of the Member States, the Secretary-General shall inform immediately all Member States thereof by the most appropriate means of telecommunication, asking them to indicate, within six weeks, whether or not they agree to the proposal.

26

3) If a majority of the Member States, determined in accordance with No.　47 of the Convention, agree to the proposal as a whole, that is to say, if they accept the proposed place and dates, the Secretary-General shall so inform immediately all Member States by the most appropriate means of telecommunication.

27

4) If the proposal accepted is for an assembly elsewhere than at the seat of the Union, the Secretary-General, with the assent of the government concerned, shall take the necessary steps to convene the assembly.

28

5) If the proposal as a whole (place and dates) is not accepted by the majority of the Member States determined in accordance with No.　47 of the Convention, the Secretary-General shall inform the Member States of the replies received, requesting them to give a final reply on the point or points under dispute within six weeks of receipt.

29

6) Such points shall be regarded as adopted when they have been approved by a majority of the Member States, determined in accordance with No.　47 of the Convention.

30

3

1) Any Member State wishing to have a second world radiocommunication conference or a second radiocommunication assembly cancelled shall so inform the Secretary-General. On receipt of similar requests from at least one-quarter of the Member States, the Secretary-General shall inform immediately all Member States thereof by the most appropriate means of telecommunication, asking them to indicate, within six weeks, whether or not they agree to the proposal.

31

2) If a majority of the Member States, determined in accordance with No.　47 of the Convention, agrees to the proposal, the Secretary-General shall so inform immediately all Member States by the most appropriate means of telecommunication and the conference or assembly shall be cancelled.

32

4 The procedures indicated in Nos. 25 to 31 above, with the exception of No.　30, shall also be applicable when the proposal to convene a second world telecommunication standardization assembly or to cancel a second world radiocommunication conference or a second radiocommunication assembly is initiated by the Council.

33

5 Any Member State wishing to have a world conference on international telecommunications convened shall propose it to the Plenipotentiary Conference; the agenda, precise place and exact dates of such a conference shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of Article　3 of the Convention.

5 Procedure for convening regional conferences at the request of Member States or on a proposal of the Council

34

In the case of a regional conference, the procedure described in Nos.　24 to 29 above shall be applicable only to the Member States of the region concerned. If the conference is to be convened on the initiative of the Member States of the region, it will suffice for the Secretary-General to receive concordant requests from a quarter of the total number of Member States in that region. The procedure described in Nos.　25 to 29 above shall also be applicable when the proposal to convene such a conference is initiated by the Council.

6 Provisions for conferences and assemblies when there is no inviting government

35

When a conference or an assembly is to be held without an inviting government, the provisions of Sections 1, 2 and 3 above shall apply. The Secretary-General shall take the necessary steps to convene and organize the conference or assembly at the seat of the Union, after agreement with the Government of the Swiss Confederation.

7 Change in the place or dates of a conference or an assembly

36

1 The provisions of Sections 4 and 5 for convening a conference or assembly shall apply, by analogy, when a change in the precise place and/or exact dates of a conference or assembly is requested by Member States or is proposed by the Council. However, such changes shall only be made if a majority of the Member States concerned, determined in accordance with No. 47 of the Convention, have pronounced in favour.

37

2 It shall be the responsibility of any Member State proposing a change in the precise place or exact dates of a conference or assembly to obtain for its proposal the support of the requisite number of other Member States.

38

3 Where the issue arises, the Secretary-General shall indicate, in the communication referred to in No.　25 above, the probable financial consequences of a change in the place or dates, as, for example, when there has been an outlay of expenditure in preparing for the conference or assembly at the place initially chosen.

8 Time-limits and conditions for submission of proposals and reports to conferences

39

1 The provisions of this section shall apply to the Plenipotentiary Conference, world and regional radiocommunication conferences and world conferences on international telecommunications.

40

2 Immediately after the invitations have been despatched, the Secretary-General shall ask Member States to submit, at least four months before the start of the conference, their proposals for the work of the conference.

41

3 All proposals the adoption of which will involve amendment of the text of the Constitution or the Convention or revision of the Administrative Regulations must carry references identifying by their marginal numbers those parts of the text which will require such amendment or revision. The reasons for the proposal must be given, as briefly as possible, in each case.

42

4 Each proposal received from a Member State shall be annotated by the Secretary-General to indicate its origin by means of the symbol established by the Union for that Member State. Where a proposal is made jointly by more than one Member State the proposal shall, to the extent practicable, be annotated with the symbol of each Member State.

43

5 The Secretary-General shall communicate the proposals to all Member States as they are received.

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6 The Secretary-General shall assemble and coordinate the proposals received from Member States and shall communicate them to Member States as they are received, but in any case at least two months before the opening of the conference, making them available by electronic means. Elected officials and staff members of the Union, as well as those observers that may attend conferences in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Convention, shall not be entitled to submit proposals.

45

7 The Secretary-General shall also assemble reports received from Member States, the Council and the Sectors of the Union and recommendations by conferences and shall communicate them to Member States, along with any reports by the Secretary-General, at least four months before the opening of the conference. The reports shall also be made available by electronic means.

46

8 Proposals received after the time-limit specified in No.　40 above shall be communicated to all Member States by the Secretary-General as soon as practicable, and made available by electronic means.

47

9 The provisions of this chapter shall apply without prejudice to the amendment provisions contained in Article　55 of the Constitution and in Article　42 of the Convention.

9 Order of seating

48

At meetings of the conference, delegations shall be seated in the alphabetical order of the French names of the Member States represented.

10 Inauguration of the conference

49

1

1) The inaugural meeting of the conference shall be preceded by a meeting of the heads of delegation in the course of which it shall prepare the agenda for the first plenary meeting and make proposals for the organization, chairmanships and vice-chairmanships of the conference and its committees, taking into account the principles of rotation, geographical distribution, the necessary competence and the provisions of No. 53　below.

50

2) The chairman of the meeting of heads of delegation shall be appointed in accordance with the provisions of Nos.　51 and 52 below.

51

2

1) The conference shall be opened by a person appointed by the inviting government.

52

2) When there is no inviting government, it shall be opened by the oldest head of delegation.

53

3

1) The chairman of the conference shall be elected at the first plenary meeting; generally, the chairman shall be a person nominated by the inviting government.

54

2) If there is no inviting government, the chairman shall be chosen, taking into account the proposal made by the heads of delegation at the meeting described in No.　49 above.

55

4 The first plenary meeting shall also:

56

57

58

11 Powers of the chairman of the conference

59

1 The chairman, in addition to the other prerogatives conferred upon the chairman under these Rules of Procedure, shall open and close the meetings of the Plenary Meeting, direct the deliberations, ensure that the Rules of Procedure are applied, give the floor to speakers, put questions to the vote, and announce the decisions adopted.

60

2 The chairman shall have the general direction of all the work of the conference, and shall ensure that order is maintained at plenary meetings. The chairman shall rule on motions of order and points of order and, in particular, shall be empowered to propose that discussion on a question be postponed or closed, or that a meeting be suspended or adjourned. The chairman, if finding it appropriate to do so, may also decide to postpone the convening of a plenary meeting.

61

3 It shall be the duty of the chairman to protect the right of each delegation to express its opinion freely and fully on the point at issue.

62

4 The chairman shall ensure that discussion is limited to the point at issue, and may interrupt any speaker who departs therefrom and request such speakers to confine their remarks to the subject under discussion.

12 Setting up of committees

63

1 The Plenary Meeting may set up committees to consider matters referred to the conference. These committees may in turn set up subcommittees. Committees and subcommittees may set up working groups.

64

2 Subcommittees and working groups shall be set up when necessary.

65

3 Subject to the provisions of Nos. 63 and 64 above, the following committees shall be set up:

12.1 Steering Committee

66

a) This committee shall normally be composed of the chairman of the conference or meeting, who shall be its chairman, the vice-chairmen of the conference and the chairmen and vice-chairmen of committees.

67

b) The Steering Committee shall coordinate all matters connected with the smooth execution of work and shall plan the order and number of meetings, avoiding overlapping wherever possible in view of the limited number of members of some delegations.

12.2 Credentials Committee

68

A plenipotentiary conference, a radiocommunication conference or a world conference on international telecommunications shall appoint a credentials committee, the mandate of which shall be to verify the credentials of delegations to these conferences. This committee shall report on its conclusions to the Plenary Meeting within the time specified by the latter.

12.3 Editorial Committee

69

a) The texts prepared in the various committees, which shall be worded as far as possible in their definitive form by these committees, taking account of the views expressed, shall be submitted to an editorial committee charged with perfecting their form without altering the sense and, where appropriate, with combining them with those parts of former texts which have not been altered.

70

b) The texts shall be submitted by the Editorial Committee to the Plenary Meeting, which shall approve them, or refer them back to the appropriate committee for further examination.

12.4 Budget Control Committee

71

72

73

74

13 Composition of committees

13.1 Plenipotentiary conferences

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Subject to No.　66 of these General Rules, committees shall be composed of the delegates of Member States. Unless otherwise decided by the plenary meeting, the observers referred to in Nos. 269A to 269E of the Convention shall be authorized to attend such committees, with the exception of the steering, credentials, budget control and editorial committees.

13.2 Radiocommunication conferences and world conferences on international telecommunications

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1 Subject to No. 66 of these General Rules, committees of radiocommunication conferences shall be composed of the delegates of Member States. Unless otherwise decided by the plenary meeting, the observers referred to in Nos.　278, 279, 280 and, as appropriate, 282 of the Convention shall be authorized to attend such committees, with the exception of the steering, credentials, budget control and editorial committees.

76A
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2 Subject to No. 66 of these General Rules, committees of world conferences on international telecommunications shall be composed of the delegates of Member States. Unless otherwise decided by the plenary meeting, the observers referred to in Nos. 278 and 279 of the Convention and observers of Sector Members shall be authorized to attend such committees, with the exception of the steering, credentials, budget control and editorial committees.

77
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(SUP)

13.3 Radiocommunication assemblies, world telecommunication standardization assemblies and telecommunication development conferences

78
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In addition to delegates of Member States and representatives of any entity or organization included in the relevant list referred to in No. 237 of the Convention, the committees of radiocommunication assemblies, of world telecommunication standardization assemblies and of telecommunication development conferences, with the exception of the steering, budget control and editorial committees, may be attended by the observers referred to in Article 25 of the Convention.

14 Chairmen and vice-chairmen of subcommittees

79

The chairman of each committee shall propose to the committee the choice of the chairmen and vice-chairmen of the subcommittees which may be set up.

15 Summons to meetings

80

Plenary meetings and meetings of committees, subcommittees and working groups shall be announced in good time in the meeting place of the conference.

16 Proposals presented before the opening of the conference

81

Proposals presented before the opening of the conference shall be allocated by the Plenary Meeting to the appropriate committees set up in accordance with Section　12 above. Nevertheless, the Plenary Meeting itself shall be entitled to deal with any proposal.

17 Proposals or amendments presented during the conference

82

1 Proposals or amendments presented after the opening of the conference shall be delivered to the chairman of the conference, to the chairman of the appropriate committee or to the secretariat of the conference for publication and distribution as conference documents.

83

2 No written proposal or amendment may be presented unless signed by the head or deputy head of the delegation concerned. In the absence of the head and deputy head of delegation, any delegate who is authorized by the head of the delegation to act on behalf of the head of the delegation shall be able to sign any proposal or amendment.

84

3 The chairman of the conference or of a committee, a subcommittee or a working group may at any time submit proposals likely to accelerate the debates.

85

4 Every proposal or amendment shall give, in precise and exact terms, the text to be considered.

86

5

1) The chairman of the conference or the chairman of the appropriate committee, subcommittee or working group shall decide in each case whether a proposal or amendment submitted during a meeting shall be made orally or presented in writing for publication and distribution in accordance with No. 82 above.

87

2) The texts of all major proposals to be put to the vote shall be distributed in good time in the working languages of the conference, in order that they may be studied before discussion.

88

3) In addition, the chairman of the conference, on receiving proposals or amendments referred to in No. 82 above, shall refer them to the appropriate committee or to the Plenary Meeting as the case may be.

89

6 Any authorized person may read, or may ask to have read, at a plenary meeting any proposal or amendment they have submitted during the conference, and shall be allowed to explain their reasons therefor.

18 Conditions required for discussion of or decision or vote on any proposal or amendment

90

1 No proposal or amendment may be discussed unless it is supported by at least one other delegation when it comes to be considered.

91

2 Each proposal or amendment duly supported shall be submitted for discussion and thereafter for decision, if necessary by a vote.

19 Proposals or amendments passed over or postponed

92

When a proposal or an amendment has been passed over or when its examination has been postponed, the delegation sponsoring it shall be responsible for seeing that it is considered later.

20 Rules for debates in plenary meetings

20.1 Quorum

93

For a valid decision to be taken at a plenary meeting, more than half of the delegations accredited to the conference and having the right to vote must be present or represented at the meeting. This provision applies without prejudice to any provision in the Constitution or the Convention requiring a special majority for the adoption of any amendment thereto.

20.2 Order of debates

94

1) Persons desiring to speak must first obtain the consent of the chairman. As a general rule, they shall begin by announcing in what capacity they speak.

95

2) Speakers must express themselves slowly and distinctly, separating their words and pausing as necessary in order that everybody may understand their meaning.

20.3 Motions of order and points of order

96

1) During debates, any delegation may, when it thinks fit, submit a motion of order or raise a point of order, which shall at once be settled by the chairman in accordance with these Rules of Procedure. Any delegation may appeal against the chairman’s ruling, which shall however stand unless a majority of the delegations present and voting are against it.

97

2) A delegation submitting a motion of order shall not, during its speech, discuss the substance of the matter in question.

20.4 Priority of motions of order and points of order

98

The motions and points of order mentioned in No. 96 above shall be dealt with in the following order:

99

100

101

102

103

104

f) any other motions of order or points of order that may be submitted, in which case it shall be for the chairman to decide the relative order in which they shall be considered.

20.5 Motion for suspension or adjournment of a meeting

105

During the discussion of a question, a delegation may move that the meeting be suspended or adjourned, giving reasons for its proposal. If the proposal is seconded, the floor shall be given to two speakers to oppose the suspension or adjournment and solely for that purpose, after which the motion shall be put to the vote.

20.6 Motion for postponement of debate

106

During discussion of any question, a delegation may move that the debate be postponed for a stated period. Once such a proposal has been made, any discussion thereon shall be limited to no more than three speakers not counting the person submitting the proposal, one for the motion and two against, after which the motion shall be put to the vote.

20.7 Motion for closure of debate

107

A delegation may at any time move that discussions on the point at issue be closed. In such cases the floor shall be given to not more than three speakers, one for the motion and two against, after which the motion shall be put to the vote. If the motion succeeds, the chairman will immediately call for a vote on the point at issue.

20.8 Limitation of speeches

108

1) The Plenary Meeting may, if necessary, decide how many speeches any one delegation may make on any particular point, and how long they may last.

109

2) However, as regards questions of procedure, the chairman shall limit the speaking time allowed to a maximum of five minutes.

110

3) When a speaker has exceeded the time allowed, the chairman shall notify the meeting and request the speaker to conclude briefly.

20.9 Closing the list of speakers

111

1) During the debate, the chairman may rule that the list of speakers wishing to take the floor be read. The chairman shall add the names of other delegations which indicate that they wish to speak and may then, with the assent of the meeting, rule that the list be closed. Nevertheless, as an exceptional measure, the chairman may if finding it appropriate to do so rule that a reply may be made to any previous statement, even after the list of speakers has been closed.

112

2) The list of speakers having been exhausted, the chairman shall declare discussion on the matter closed.

20.10 Questions of competence

113

Any question of competence that may arise shall be settled before a vote is taken on the substance of the matter under discussion.

20.11 Withdrawal and resubmission of a motion

114

The author of a motion may withdraw it before it is put to a vote. Any motion, whether amended or not, which has been withdrawn from debate may be resubmitted or taken up by the author of the amendment or by another delegation.

21 Voting

21.1 Definition of a majority

115

1) A majority shall consist of more than half the delegations present and voting.

116

2) In computing a majority, delegations abstaining shall not be taken into account.

117

3) In case of a tie, a proposal or amendment shall be considered rejected.

118

4) For the purpose of these Rules of Procedure, a "delegation present and voting" shall be a delegation voting for or against a proposal.

21.2 Non-participation in voting

119

Delegations which are present but do not take part in a particular vote or expressly state they do not wish to take part shall not be considered as absent, for the purpose of determining a quorum as defined in No.　93 above, nor as abstaining for the purpose of applying the provisions of No.　121 below.

21.3 Special majority

120

In cases concerning the admission of new Member States, the majority described in Article 2 of the Constitution shall apply.

21.4 Abstentions of more than fifty per cent

121

When the number of abstentions exceeds half the number of votes cast (for, against, abstentions), consideration of the matter under discussion shall be postponed to a later meeting, at which time abstentions shall not be taken into account.

21.5 Voting procedures

122

1) The voting procedures are as follows:

123

124

125

1 if at least two delegations, present and entitled to vote, so request before the beginning of the vote and if a secret ballot under c) has not been requested, or

126

2 if the procedure under a) shows no clear majority;

127

c) by a secret ballot, if at least five of the delegations present and entitled to vote so request before the beginning of the vote.

128

2) The chairman shall, before commencing a vote, observe any request as to the manner in which the voting shall be conducted, and then shall formally announce the voting procedure to be applied and the issue to be submitted to the vote. The chairman shall then declare the beginning of the vote and, when the vote has been taken, shall announce the results.

129

3) In the case of a secret ballot, the secretariat shall at once take steps to ensure the secrecy of the vote.

130

4) Voting may be conducted by an electronic system if a suitable system is available and if the conference so decides.

21.6 Prohibition of interruptions once the vote has begun

131

No delegation may interrupt once a vote has begun, unless to raise a point of order in connection with the way in which the vote is being taken. The point of order cannot include any proposal entailing a change in the vote that is being taken or a change in the substance of the question put to the vote. Voting shall begin with the chairman’s announcement that the voting has begun and shall end with the chairman’s announcement of its results.

21.7 Reasons for votes

132

The chairman shall authorize any delegations which so request to give the reasons for their vote, after the vote has been taken.

21.8 Voting on parts of a proposal

133

1) When the author of a proposal so requests, or when the meeting thinks fit, or when the chairman, with the approval of the author, so proposes, that proposal shall be sub-divided and its various sections put to the vote separately. The parts of the proposal which have been adopted shall then be put to the vote as a whole.

134

2) If all the sections of a proposal are rejected, the proposal shall be regarded as rejected as a whole.

21.9 Order of voting on concurrent proposals

135

1) When there are two or more proposals on any one matter, they shall be put to the vote in the order in which they were presented, unless the meeting decides to the contrary.

136

2) After each vote, the meeting shall decide whether or not the following proposal shall be voted on.

21.10 Amendments

137

1) Any proposal for modification consisting only of a deletion from, an addition to, or a change in, a part of the original proposal shall be considered an amendment.

138

2) Any amendment to a proposal accepted by the delegation submitting the proposal shall at once be embodied in the original proposal.

139

3) No proposal for modification shall be regarded as an amendment if the meeting considers it to be incompatible with the original proposal.

21.11 Voting on amendments

140

1) When an amendment to a proposal is submitted, a vote shall first be taken on the amendment.

141

2) When two or more amendments to a proposal are submitted, the amendment furthest from the original text shall be put to the vote first; if this amendment does not obtain the support of the majority, of the remaining amendments, that furthest from the proposal shall then be put to the vote and the same procedure shall be followed until a subsequent amendment gains the support of the majority; if all the amendments submitted have been considered and none has gained a majority, the unamended proposal shall be put to the vote.

142

3) If one or more amendments are adopted, the proposal thus amended shall then be put to the vote.

21.12 Repetition of a vote

143

1) In the committees, subcommittees or working groups of a conference or a meeting, a proposal, a part of a proposal or an amendment which has already been decided by a vote within one of the committees, subcommittees or working groups may not be put to the vote again within the same committee, subcommittee or working group. This shall apply irrespective of the voting procedure chosen.

144

2) In plenary meetings, a proposal, a part of a proposal or an amendment shall not be put to the vote again unless:

145

a) the majority of the Member States entitled to vote so request, and

146

b) the request for a repetition of the vote is made at least one full day after the vote has been taken. This period shall not apply on the last day of a conference or other meeting.

22 Rules for debates and voting procedures in committees and subcommittees

147

1 The chairmen of all committees and subcommittees shall have powers similar to those conferred by Section　11 above on the chairman of the conference.

148

2 The provisions of Section 20 above for the conduct of debates in the Plenary Meeting shall also apply to the discussions in committees and subcommittees, except in the matter of the quorum.

149

3 The provisions of Section 21 above shall also apply to votes taken in committees and subcommittees.

23 Minutes of plenary meetings of plenipotentiary conferences, radiocommunication conferences and world conferences on international telecommunications

150

1 The minutes of plenary meetings of the above-mentioned conferences shall be drawn up by the secretariat of the conference, which shall ensure that they are distributed to delegations as early as possible, and in any event not later than five working days after each meeting.

151

2 After the minutes have been distributed, delegations may submit in writing to the secretariat of the conference any corrections they consider to be justified; this shall be done in the shortest possible time. This shall not prevent them from presenting amendments orally during the meeting at which the minutes are approved.

152

3

1) As a general rule, the minutes shall contain only proposals and conclusions, together with the principal arguments on which they are based, presented in terms as concise as possible.

153

2) However, any delegation shall have the right to require the insertion in the minutes, either summarized or in full, of any statement it has made during the debates. In this case, the delegation should, as a general rule, announce this at the beginning of its statement in order to facilitate the work of the reporters and must itself hand in the text to the secretariat of the conference within two hours after the end of the meeting.

154

4 The right accorded in No.　153 above regarding the insertion of statements in the minutes shall in all cases be used with discretion.

24 Reports of plenary meetings of radiocommunication assemblies, world telecommunication standardization assemblies, telecommunication development conferences, committees and subcommittees

155

2 Plenary meetings of the above-mentioned assemblies and conferences and committees and subcommittees may prepare any interim reports they deem necessary and, if circumstances warrant, they may submit, at the end of their work, a final report recapitulating in concise terms the proposals and conclusions resulting from the studies entrusted to them.

25 Approval of minutes of plenary meetings of plenipotentiary conferences, radiocommunication conferences and world conferences on international telecommunications, and reports

156

1

1) As a general rule, at the beginning of each plenary meeting of the above-mentioned conferences the chairman shall inquire whether there are any comments on the minutes of the previous meeting. The minutes shall be considered approved if no amendments have been handed in to the secretariat and no objection is made orally. Otherwise, the appropriate amendments shall be made in the minutes.

157

2) Any interim or final report must be approved by the Plenary Meeting, committee or subcommittee concerned.

158

2

1) The minutes of the last plenary meetings of the above-mentioned conferences shall be examined and approved by the chairman.

26 Numbering

159

1 The numbers of the chapters, articles and paragraphs of the texts subjected to revision shall be preserved until the first reading in the Plenary Meeting. The passages added shall bear provisionally the number of the last preceding paragraph in the original text, with the addition of "A", "B", etc.

160

2 The final numbering of the chapters, articles and paragraphs shall normally be entrusted to the Editorial Committee after their adoption at the first reading but may, by a decision of the Plenary Meeting, be entrusted to the Secretary-General.

27 Final approval

161

The texts of the final acts of a plenipotentiary conference, a radiocommunication conference or a world conference on international telecommunications shall be considered final when they have been approved at the second reading in the Plenary Meeting.

28 Signature

162

The texts of the final acts approved by the conferences referred to in No.　161 above shall be submitted for signature, in the alphabetical order of the Member States’ names in French, to the delegates provided with the powers defined in Article 31 of the Convention.

29 Relations with the press and the public

163

1 Official releases to the press about the work of the conference shall be issued only as authorized by the chairman of the conference.

164

2 The press and the public may, to the extent practicable, be present at conferences in accordance with the guidelines approved by the meeting of heads of delegations referred to in No. 49 above and with the practical arrangements made by the Secretary-General. The presence of the press and the public shall in no way disturb the normal conduct of the work of the meeting.

165

3 Other meetings of the Union shall not be open to the press and the public, unless the meeting in question decides otherwise.

30 Franking privileges

166

During the conference, members of delegations, representatives of Member States of the Council, members of the Radio Regulations Board, senior officials of the General Secretariat and of the Sectors of the Union attending the conference and the staff of the secretariat of the Union seconded to the conference shall be entitled to postal, telegram, telephone and telex franking privileges to the extent arranged by the host government in agreement with the other governments and recognized operating agencies concerned.

167

These election procedures shall apply to the election of the Secretary-General, the Deputy Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux of the Sectors, to the election of the members of the Radio Regulations Board, and to the election of the Member States which are to serve on the Council, in accordance with Articles　8 and 9 of the Constitution.

31 General rules on election procedures

168

1) At least six months prior to the opening of the conference, the Secretary-General shall invite Member States to submit candidatures.

169

2) Each candidature shall be accompanied by the curriculum vitae of the candidate, with the exception of candidatures for the election of Member States to the Council.

170

3) Candidatures must reach the Secretary-General not later than 23.59　hours (Geneva time) on the twenty-eighth day prior to the conference. That date shall be stated in the invitation sent by the Secretary-General.

171

4) Candidatures shall be published as conference documents as soon as they have been received by the Secretary-General.

172
PP-06

5) Elections shall begin on the fourth calendar day of the conference.

173

6) Elections shall be held in the following order: 1)　Secretary-General, Deputy Secretary-General and Directors of the Bureaux of the Sectors, 2)　members of the Radio Regulations Board and 3)　Member States of the Council.

174

7) Elections shall be held by secret ballot.

175

8) Elections should preferably be held using an electronic system when a suitable system is available and if the conference does not decide otherwise.

176

9) Whenever ballot papers are used, before proceeding to the vote, one teller for each region shall be designated by the chairman of the conference from among the delegations present. The chairman of the conference shall hand them the list of delegations entitled to vote and the list of candidates.

177

10) Provisions relating to the right to vote and proxy votes are given in the Convention.

32 Specific rules of procedure for the election of the Secretary-General, the Deputy Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux of the Sectors

178

1)

a) Elections shall be carried out in three stages, as follows: first, the election of the Secretary-General; second, the election of the Deputy Secretary-General; and third, the election of the Directors of the Bureaux of the Sectors. The election of the Deputy Secretary-General shall only start upon completion of the election of the Secretary-General. The election of the Directors of the Bureaux shall only start upon completion of the election of the Deputy Secretary-General.

179

b) If there is only one candidate for the post of Secretary-General or for the post of Deputy Secretary-General, elections shall be carried out in two stages: first, the election of the Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General, and then the election of the Directors of the Bureaux of the Sectors. The second group of elections shall only start upon completion of the first group of elections.

180

2) The same candidate may not stand for election to more than one post.

181

3) Before proceeding to the elections pertaining to each stage, each delegation entitled to vote shall receive:

182

a) a list of the posts included in the stage, bearing the names of all candidates in French alphabetical order, together with the names of the Member States which have nominated the candidates; or

183

b) when ballot papers are used to hold the elections, a separate ballot paper for each of the posts included in the stage, bearing the names of all candidates in French alphabetical order, together with the names of the Member States which have nominated the candidates.

184

4) Each delegation should indicate the candidate it supports:

185

a) by electronic means; or

186

b) when ballot papers are used to hold the elections, on its ballot paper by means of an "X" in the box against the name of that candidate.

187

5) Any candidate obtaining the majority (see No.　115 above) shall be elected.

188

6) Blank ballot papers shall be considered as abstentions. Ballot papers with more than one box marked, or bearing any mark other than an "X" inside a box, or bearing any mark whatsoever outside the boxes, shall be considered as invalid and shall not be counted. In computing the majority, delegations abstaining from voting shall not be taken into account.

189

7) When the number of abstentions exceeds half the number of votes cast, the provisions of No.　121 above shall apply.

190

8) When the counting of the votes is completed, the chairman of the conference shall announce the results of the ballot in the following order:

– number of delegations entitled to vote;

– number of delegations absent;

– number of abstentions;

– number of invalid ballot papers;

– number of votes recorded;

– number of votes constituting the required majority;

– number of votes secured by each of the candidates, in ascending order of the number of votes;

– name of the elected candidate, if any.

191

9) When, in the first ballot, no candidate obtains the necessary majority of the votes, then one or – if required – two further ballots shall be held after successive intervals of at least six hours, unless the conference decides otherwise, from the announcement of the results.

192

10) When, after the third ballot, no candidate has obtained the necessary majority of votes, then, after an interval of at least twelve hours, unless the conference decides otherwise, from the announcement of the results, a fourth ballot shall be held in which the two candidates having the largest number of votes at the third ballot shall be voted upon.

193

11) If however, after the third ballot, there is a tie between several candidates so that the two candidates to be voted upon at the fourth ballot cannot be selected, then one or, if necessary, two additional ballots shall first be held, after successive intervals of at least six hours, unless the conference decides otherwise, from the announcement of the results, to decide between the candidates in question.

194

12) When there is a tie in both the additional ballots mentioned in No.　193 above, then the eldest of the candidates still in contention shall be declared elected.

33 Specific rules of procedure for the election of the members of the Radio Regulations Board

195
PP-06

1) The total number of members of the Radio Regulations Board and the number of seats per region of the world shall be decided in accordance with Nos.　63 and 93A of the Constitution.

196

2) Before proceeding to the vote, each delegation entitled to vote shall receive:

197

a) a list bearing the names, in French alphabetical order, of the candidates, together with the names of the Member States which have nominated the candidates, grouped into the regions of the world; or

198

b) when ballot papers are used to hold the elections, a respective ballot paper bearing the names, in French alphabetical order, of the candidates, together with the names of the Member States which have nominated the candidates, grouped into the regions of the world.

199

3) Each delegation shall indicate the names of the candidates it supports, up to a maximum of the number of candidates per region whose election is permitted according to No.　195 above:

200

a) by electronic means; or

201

b) when ballot papers are used to hold the elections, on its ballot paper by means of an "X" in the box against each of these names.

202

4) Ballot papers bearing more than the permitted number of "X" per region shall be considered invalid and shall not be counted for the region or regions concerned. Ballot papers bearing any mark other than an "X" inside a box, or bearing any mark whatsoever outside the boxes, shall be considered invalid and shall not be counted.

203

5) After the count, a list shall be drawn up by the secretariat of the candidates in each region in decreasing order of the number of votes obtained. This list shall be handed to the chairman of the conference, after verification by the tellers in the case that ballot papers were used to hold the elections.

204

6) The candidates per region receiving the largest number of votes within the limit of the number of seats to be filled shall be elected as members of the Radio Regulations Board.

205

7) When required, a special ballot shall be held to decide between candidates for the same region having received an equal number of votes after an interval of at least six hours, unless the conference decides otherwise, from the announcement of the results.

206

8) When there is still a tie between several candidates for the same region following the special ballot, the eldest of the candidates still in contention shall be declared elected.

34 Specific rules of procedure for the election of the Member States of the Council

207

1) The total number of Member States to be elected and the number of seats per region of the world shall be decided in accordance with No.　61 of the Constitution and No.　50A of the Convention.

208

2) Before proceeding to the vote, each delegation entitled to vote shall receive:

209

a) a list bearing the names, in French alphabetical order, of the Member States which are candidates, grouped into the regions of the world; or

210

b) when ballot papers are used to hold the elections, a single ballot paper bearing the names, in French alphabetical order, of the Member States which are candidates, grouped into the regions of the world.

211

3) Each delegation shall indicate the names of the Member States it supports, but not more Member States per region than the number of countries whose election is permitted according to No.　207 above:

212

a) by electronic means; or

213

b) when ballot papers are used to hold the elections, on its ballot paper by means of an "X" in the box against each of these names.

214

4) Ballot papers bearing more than the maximum permitted number of "X" per region shall be considered as invalid and shall not be counted for the region or regions concerned. Ballot papers bearing any mark other than an "X" inside a box, or bearing any mark whatsoever outside the boxes, shall be considered invalid and shall not be counted.

215

5) After the count, a list shall be drawn up by the secretariat of candidate Member States in each region in decreasing order of the number of votes obtained. This list shall be handed to the chairman of the conference, after verification by the tellers in the case that ballot papers were used to hold the elections.

216

6) Those Member States which obtain the highest number of votes among the candidates from their region, within the limit of the number of seats to be filled for that region, shall be elected to the Council.

217

7) If, for any region, several Member States tie for the last seat or seats, then a special ballot shall be held, after an interval of at least six hours, unless the conference decides otherwise, from the announcement of the results, to decide between the candidates.

218

8) When there is a tie after the special ballot, the Chairman of the conference shall draw lots to determine the Member State(s) which shall be declared elected.

219

1 Any Member State may propose, at a plenipotentiary conference, any amendment to these General Rules. Amendments proposed must be submitted in conformity with the relevant provisions of Chapter　I above.

220

2 The quorum required for the examination of any proposed amendment to these General Rules shall be as indicated in Section　20.1 above.

221

3 In order to be adopted, any proposed amendment must be approved at a plenary meeting by more than half of the delegations accredited to the plenipotentiary conference which have the right to vote.

222

4 Unless otherwise decided by the plenipotentiary conference itself by a decision adopted by a two-thirds majority of the delegations accredited to the plenipotentiary conference which have the right to vote, amendments to these General Rules adopted in accordance with the provisions of this chapter shall enter into force, for all conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union, on the date of signature of the final acts of the plenipotentiary conference which adopted them.