Bureau of the Former ITU Staff Members’ Section International Telecommunication Union Pensions – a close call December 2006 Bulletin No. 21 he United Nations retirees (17 votes in the management of Summary TJoint Pensions favour, 11 against and the Pension Fund will Board held a meeting one abstention) – had be referred back to 1 Editorial (Pensions) in Nairobi in July. allowed itself to the Joint Board for a Most of the time be persuaded to careful review, subject 2 The Plenipotentiary these meetings, at recommend to the to maintaining the Conference which retired staff General Assembly due Secretary General’s are represented by a to open in September responsibility for the 3 Complementary Insurance FAFICS delegation that the management Fund’s management. (Federation of of part of the Funds 3 Our Annual Meeting Associations of Former (the North American J. Balfroid Civil Servants), deal portfolio, worth 9 billion 4 News of the Federation with problems leading dollars) should be 4 Our little jaunt into to a fairly predictable entrusted to a private Emmental outcome that have asset management little effect on current company. 7 The Onion Fair pensions. Meanwhile the 7 Autumn Luncheon This year, however, originator of the the atmosphere was proposal, who has 8 Artists’ Corner very tense owing to the since been disowned tabling of a proposal and has handed in his 8 Press cuttings by a representative of resignation, had already 10 Letters to the Editor the Secretary-General started a round of to hand over the consultations of private 10 Globe-Trotters Corner management of the fi rms with a view to assets of the Pension furthering his own 11 Wanted Fund and of the Fund “interests”. itself to the private 11 They have passed away sector. Most of you At the time this article were invited to sign a is being written, the 11 Our Web Site petition rejecting this fi nal conclusions of 11 End of the Year wishes proposal. As a fi rst the General Assembly step, however, the are not yet known, but 12 Bureau of the Section Joint Board – despite it is more than likely the opposition of the that the Joint Board’s representatives of recommendations will participants (active not be adopted and civil servants) and that the question of Page 2 Bureau of the Section Plenipotentiary Conference, Antalya The Plenipotentiary Conference results. The new leaders of ITU staged and that a TELECOM ITU was held in Antalya, Turkey, (2/5th of its members having event would be held every four from 6th to 24th of November, being renewed) are: years; a rotation of venues would 2006, in the presence of some Secretary-General: be considered. It should be noted 2000 delegates representing 161 Mr. Hamadoun I. Touré (Mali); that the criteria for selecting the (out of 191) Member States of he headed the BDT TELECOM Board were reviewed. the Union, as well as of several from 1998 to 2006. members of the sectors. The For the time being, the ITU conference was inaugurated by Vice Secretary-General: name retains all its traditional the President of the Government Mr. Houlin Zhao (China); importance; however, a group of Turkey. The shorter conference he was in charge of TSB of Council members will be duration (three weeks instead of from 1998 to 2006. assigned to the study of several defi nitions, including in the fi eld four for prior conferences) did not Director, BDT: cause any major problem, apart Mr. Sami Al-Basheer of the Internet, and thus will be from the evening meetings in the (Saudi Arabia) in a position to modify related fi nal week and a sustained high terminology. The Conference also pace of work at week’s end. We Director, BR: looked at ITU’s role in following Mr. Valery Timofeev (Russia); are all pleased with the work up implementation of the results he was already Director of our colleagues in service as of the World Summit on the from 2002 to 2006. well as the preparations made Information Society; the Council and the hospitality extended by Director, TSB: group will continue its work in the host country. It should be Mr. Malcolm Johnson that regard. Another group will stressed that there were several (United Kingdom) study within the Union the role of parallel meetings and various civil society. working groups to resolve specifi c We congratulate the new team, problems. with whom we hope to maintain It should be noted, in conclusion, cordial relations. that the next ITU Council It should be pointed out that the (Geneva, 4th to 14th of conference was held at Beldibi, The Conference also elected September, 2007) will need to a seaside town about 30 km the new members of the Radio resolve several issues and to from Antalya. This is a tourist Regulations Board as well as community (outside of the low the Council members for the create various working groups, season) and groups together, period 2007-2010. As to work namely: accomplished, we revised several within a radius of 5 km, various To fi nalize the Financial Plan articles of the Convention and hotels and similar establishments, for the period 2008-2011 we adopted/revised a number of which enabled participants to (Dec. 5), which for the time Decisions and Resolutions (always concentrate on the task at hand. being foresees a defi cit of on the increase). We also fi nalized In the back-country of Beldibi 40 million CHF, with a stand the imposing peaks of the a new strategic plan (Res. 71) and contributory unit set at Taurus mountain chain (circa decided to convene, in Geneva, 318’000 CHF (the contributory 3000m). Certain mountain tops during the fi rst quarter, 2009, unit for Sector Members is were already covered in snow. the 4th World Forum to consider set, for the moment, at 1/5th In the area surrounding Antalya all issues relating to the possible of that amount). A group will (a city of 1 million inhabitants, revision of the International with a charming old town and Telecommunication Regulations. have the task of studying the an attractive harbour) there are We also brought up the possible real costs of their participation several historic sites through convening of a World Conference [sector members], and that of which several civilizations have in 2012. associate members, in the passed (Mesopotamian, Greek, work). As you know, Geneva will host the Roman, Ottoman and right up to next Universal Exhibition, in 2010 To continue work of the New modern times); these sites alone (this year it is being held in Hong Council Oversight Group,with are worth the trip. Kong). The Conference decided in a new group called the On another note, let’s look at addition (Res. 11) that regional Management and Budget the broad outline of Conference exhibitions would continue to be Group. December 2006 Page 3 To continue work of the In conclusion a Resolution is to be held in Mexico in October- tripartite group on human (Res.77) has set the dates of the November 2010. resources management within Council for the end of the year I remain at the disposal of any the Union, while awaiting and those of the Plenipotentiary friends who would like to have the results of deliberations on Conference for the period April- more details about the Conference employment by the June. However, there has been and about Antalya. International Civil Service already an exception in that the Commission. next Plenipotentiary Conference Fabio Bigi Complementary Insurance – Health Insurance As was announced in our bulletin N° 20 of July 2006, a meeting had been foreseen for the end of the year in order to take a fi nal decision concerning the scale of contributions to be applied for the year 2007. In view of the estimated results of the year 2006 and the favourable situation of the reserve fund, it has been decided not to apply any increase for the contributions for the year 2007. It should be noted however that, due to the complete elimination of the “symbolic” subsidy granted by the Staff Union, the pensioners scale of contribution will include an additional amount of 2.45 CHF (In this connection, see bulletins N° 19 and 20). A re-examination of the contract presently in force with the Insurance Company will be effected on the basis of the experience acquired since its entry into force. Our Annual Meeting Our annual meeting was Bureau chairman reviewed particular esteem was the perfect held on 8th November 2006. the salient points from the organization of all the outings Although stripped of any formal previous reporting period and in by our friend Bernard Bourloud, trappings, this meeting acts as particular the marked success of as well as the huge burden of a General Assembly and enables the trip to Dordogne in May. This administrative tasks carried the exchange of ideas on the kind of outing, lasting a week on out discreetly by our secretary, activities of the Section during average, is the year’s important Liliane de Michely Jeanmonod. the last reporting period and event and we are sure that the The translators, Peter Whiting also defines a program for the (planned) tour of Ireland, that and Yann Saunders, also were following year. It should be noted got the Meeting’s unanimous to be thanked for taking on the that statutory issues, e.g. the recommendation, will go down translation of our Bulletins; Financial Report, are dealt with in the Section’s history (see the special thanks go out to the during the ordinary General activities projects on page 11).