ITU Plenipotentiary Conference
Treaty-making conference of the United Nations on ICT and telecommunications
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Plenipotentiary Conference (PP) is the highest policy-making meeting of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). It is composed of all 194 ITU Member states and meets every four years.
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| Date | 9 November 2026– 27 November 2026 |
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| Location |
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| Also known as | PP-26 |
| Participants | Member states of the International Telecommunication Union |
| Website | https://pp.itu.int/2026/en/ |
The Conference determines the policies, direction and activities of the ITU, as well as electing the members of other ITU organizations, and positions at the secretariat, namely the Secretary-General, the Deputy Secretary-General, and the Directors of the ITU's three technical bureaus: Radiocommunication, Standardization, and Development.[1][2] The Plenipotentiary Conference also elects 48 Member States to serve on the ITU Council and 12 Member States to serve on the Radio Regulations Board (RRB).
Sessions
PP-14
The 2014 Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-14) was held 20 October to 7 November 2014 in Busan (Republic of Korea).[3]
PP-18
The 2018 Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-18) was held from 29 October until 16 November in Dubai (United Arab Emirates).[4] The conference elected the following ITU officers at the secretariat:
- Secretary-General: Houlin Zhao (2nd term)
- Deputy Secretary-General: Malcolm Johnson (2nd term)
- Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau: Mario Maniewicz (1st term)
- Director of the Standardization Bureau: Chaesub Lee (2nd term)
- Director of the Development Bureau: Doreen Bogdan-Martin (1st term)
The conference saw a shift in debate from traditional telecommunications infrastructure issues to emerging tensions over digital applications and services, with developing countries seeking ITU engagement with over-the-top services, artificial intelligence, and other ICT applications, while developed countries raised concerns about mission creep and the ITU entering areas beyond its core telecommunications expertise.[5]
PP-22
The 2022 Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-22) was held from 26 September until 8 October in Bucharest, Romania. The election of the ITU Secretary-General attracted some attention because it was between Doreen Bogdan-Martin of the United States and Rashid Ismailov of Russia.[6] In the end, the conference elected the following ITU officers[7]:
- Secretary-General: Doreen Bogdan-Martin (1st term)
- Deputy Secretary-General: Tomas Lamanauskas (1st term)
- Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau (ITU-R): Mario Maniewicz (2nd term)
- Director of the Standardization Bureau (ITU-T): Seizo Onoe (first term)
- Director of the Development Bureau (ITU-D): Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava (first term)
Bogdan-Martin became the first woman to lead the ITU since its founding in 1865. She won with 139 of the 172 votes cast.[8] The conference also elected the 48 members of the ITU Council and the 12 members of the Radio Review Board[9]. Additionally, the conference chose Doha, Qatar, as the site of the 2026 Plenipotentiary Conference.[10][11][12]
PP-26
The 2026 Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-26) will be held from 9 to 27 November 2026 in Doha, Qatar.[13] The logo for PP-26 is a version of a shell holding a pearl.[14]