UN System Documentation

Photo ©ITU/D. Woldu                         

International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

• Founded in 1865 in Paris as International Telegraph Union
• Name change decided at Madrid Plenipotentiary Conference in 1932; entered into force on 1 Jan. 1934
• Relationship Agreement with UN (1949)
  • 30 UNTS 316
• Governing Bodies
  • Plenipotentiary Conference
    • Meets every four years
  • ITU Council
    • Meets annually
    • 48 members
• Basic Texts
• Recommendations
  • Subscription required
  • Radiocommunications (ITU-R)
  • Standardization (ITU-T) 
  • Development (ITU-D)
• Data
• Library and Archives

Secretaries-General of ITU

• 2023-: Doreen Bogdan-Martin (United States of America)
• 2014-2022 : Houlin Zhao (China)
• 2007-2014: Hamadoun Touré (Mali) 
• 1999-2006: Yoshio Utsumi (Japan) 
• 1989-1999: Pekka Tarjanne (Finland) 
• 1983-1989: Richard Edmund Butler (Australia) 
• 1967-1982: Mohamed Ezzedine Mili (Tunisia) (Press release BIO/1068-ITU/162 [1973])
• 1965-1967: Manohar Balaji Sarwate (India) (ITU/97-BIO/397 [1965])
• 1958-1965: Gerald C. Gross (United States of America) (Acting)
• 1954-1958: Marco Aurelio Andrada (Argentina) 
• 1950-1953: Leon Mulatier (France) 
• 1935-1949: Franz von Ernst (Switzerland) 
• 1928-1934: Joseph Raber (Switzerland) 
• 1921-1927: Henri Etienne (Switzerland) 
• 1897-1921: Emile Frey (Switzerland) 
• 1890-1897: Timothie Rothen (Switzerland) 
• 1890: August Frey (Switzerland) 
• 1873-1889: Louis Curchod (Switzerland) 
• 1870-1873: Charles Lendi (Switzerland) (Acting Director 1870-1872, Director 1872-1873)
• 1869: Louis Curchod (Switzerland)