CHAPTER II General Provisions Regarding Conferences

ARTICLE  23

Invitation and Admission to Plenipotentiary Conferences when There is an Inviting Government

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

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

3. The Secretary-General shall invite the following organizations to send observers:

a) the United Nations;

b) regional telecommunication organizations mentioned in Article 43 of the Constitution;

c) intergovernmental organizations operating satellite systems;

d) the specialized agencies of the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

4.     (1) The replies of the Members 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.

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

(3) The replies of the organizations and agencies referred to in Nos. 259 to 262 above must reach the Secretary-General one month before the opening date of the Conference.

5. The General Secretariat and the three Bureaux of the Union shall be represented at the Conference in an advisory capacity.
6. The following shall be admitted to Plenipotentiary Conferences:

a) delegations;

b) observers of organizations and agencies invited in accordance with 259 to 262 above.

ARTICLE  24

Invitation and Admission to Radio communication Conferences when There is an Inviting Government

1. The precise place and exact dates of the conference shall be fixed in accordance with the provisions of Article 3 of this Convention, following consultations with the inviting government.
2. (1) The provisions of Nos. 256 to 265 of this Convention shall apply to radio communication conferences.

   (2) Members of the Union should inform the recognized operating agencies of the invitation they have                        received  to participate in a radio communication conference.

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. 259 to 262 of this Convention which may be interested in sending observers to participate in the conference in an advisory capacity.

    (2) The interested international organizations referred to in No. 273 above shall send an application for admission to the inviting government within a period of two months from the date of notification.

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

4. The following shall be admitted to radiocommunication conferences:

a) delegations;

b) observers of organizations and agencies referred to in Nos. 259 to 262 of this Convention;

c) observers of international organizations admitted in accordance with Nos. 273 to 275 above;

d) observers representing recognized operating agencies authorized in accordance with Article 19 of this Convention to participate in the radiocommunication study groups and duly authorized by the Member concerned;

e) in an advisory capacity, the elected officials, when the conference is discussing matters coming within their competence, and the members of the Radio Regulations Board;

f) observers of Members of the Union participating in a non-voting capacity in a regional radio communication conference of a region other than that to which the said Members belong.

ARTICLE  25

Invitation and Admission to Radio communication Assemblies and to Telecommunication Standardization and Telecommunication Development Conferences when There is an Inviting Government

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

a) the administration of each Member of the Union;

b) the entities or organizations authorized in accordance with Article 19 of this Convention to participate in the activities of the Sector concerned;

c) regional telecommunication organizations mentioned in Article 43 of the Constitution;

d) intergovernmental organizations operating satellite systems;

e) any other regional organization or other international organization dealing with matters of interest to the assembly or conference.

3. The Secretary-General shall also invite the following organizations or agencies to send observers:

a) the United Nations;

b) the specialized agencies of the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

4.   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.

5.    The General Secretariat and the elected officials of the Union shall be represented at the assembly or                        conference in an advisory capacity.

6.    The following shall be admitted to the assembly or conference:

a) delegations;

b) observers of organizations and agencies invited in accordance with Nos. 287 to 289 and 291 and 292 above;

c) representatives of entities or organizations referred to in No. 286 above.

ARTICLE  26

Procedure for Convening or Cancelling World Conferences or Radio communication Assemblies at the Request of Members of the Union or on a Proposal of the Council

1. The procedures to be applied for convening a second world telecommunication standardization conference in the interval between successive Plenipotentiary Conferences and fixing its precise place and exact dates or for cancelling the second world radio communication conference or the second radio communication assembly are set forth in the following provisions.
2.      (1) Any Member of the Union wishing to have a second world telecommunication standardization                              conference convened shall so inform the Secretary-General, indicating the proposed place and dates of                 the conference.

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

(3) If a majority of the Members, determined in accordance with No. 47 of this 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 Members by the most appropriate means of tele communication.

(4) If the proposal accepted is for a conference 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 conference.

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

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

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

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

4. The procedures indicated in Nos. 301 to 307 above, with the exception of No. 306, shall also be applicable when the proposal to convene a second world telecommunication standardization conference or to cancel a second world radio communication conference or a second radio communication assembly is initiated by the Council.
5. Any Member of the Union 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 this Convention.

ARTICLE  27

Procedure for Convening Regional Conferences at the Request of Members of the Union or on a Proposal of the Council

In the case of a regional conference, the procedure described in Nos. 300 to 305 of this Convention shall be applicable only to the Members of the region concerned. If the conference is to be convened on the initiative of the Members of the region, it will suffice for the Secretary-General to receive concordant requests from a quarter of the total number of Members in that region. The procedure described in Nos. 301 to 305 of this Convention shall also be applicable when the proposal to convene such a conference is initiated by the Council.

ARTICLE  28

Provisions for Conferences Meeting when There is no Inviting Government

When a conference is to be held without an inviting government, the provisions of Articles 23, 24 and 25 of this Convention shall apply. The Secretary-General shall take the necessary steps to convene and organize it at the seat of the Union, after agreement with the Government of the Swiss Confederation.

ARTICLE  29

Change in the Place or Dates of a Conference

1. The provisions of Articles 26 and 27 of this Convention for convening a conference shall apply, by analogy, when a change in the precise place and/or exact dates of a conference is requested by Members of the Union or is proposed by the Council. However, such changes shall only be made if a majority of the Members concerned, determined in accordance with No. 47 of this Convention, have pronounced in favour.
2. It shall be the responsibility of any Member proposing a change in the precise place or exact dates of a conference to obtain for its proposal the support of the requisite number of other Members.
3. Where the issue arises, the Secretary-General shall indicate, in the communication referred to in No. 301 of this Convention, 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 at the place initially chosen.

ARTICLE  30

Time-Limits and Conditions for Submission of Proposals and Reports to Conferences

1. The provisions of this Article shall apply to the Plenipotentiary Conference, world and regional radio communication conferences and world conferences on international telecommunications.
2. Immediately after the invitations have been dispatched, the Secretary-General shall ask Members to send him, at least four months before the start of the conference, their proposals for the work of the conference.
3. All proposals the adoption of which will involve amendment of the text of the Constitution or this 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.

4. Each proposal received from a Member of the Union shall be annotated by the Secretary-General to indicate its origin by means of the symbol established by the Union for that Member. Where a proposal is made jointly by more than one Member the proposal shall, to the extent practicable, be annotated with the symbol of each Member.
5. The Secretary-General shall communicate the proposals to all Members as they are received.
6. The Secretary-General shall assemble and coordinate the proposals received from Members and shall communicate them to Members as they are received, but in any case at least two months before the opening of the conference. Elected officials and staff members of the Union, as well as those observers and representatives that may attend conferences in accordance with the relevant provisions of this Convention, shall not be entitled to submit proposals.
7. The Secretary-General shall also assemble reports received from Members, the Council and the Sectors of the Union and recommendations by conferences and shall communicate them to Members, along with any reports by the Secretary-General, at least four months before the opening of the conference.
8. Proposals received after the time-limit specified in No. 316 above shall be communicated to all Members by the Secretary-General as soon as practicable.
9. The provisions of the present Article shall apply without prejudice to the amendment provisions contained in Article 55 of the Constitution and in Article 42 of this Convention.

ARTICLE  31

Credentials for Conferences

1. The delegation sent by a Member of the Union to a Plenipotentiary Conference, a radiocommunication conference or a world conference on international telecommunications shall be duly accredited in accordance with Nos. 325 to 331 below.

2. (1)    Accreditation of delegations to Plenipotentiary Conferences shall be by means of instruments signed by              the Head of State, by the Head of Government or by the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

(2) Accreditation of delegations to the other conferences referred to in No. 324 above shall be by means of                            instruments signed by the Head of State, by the Head of Government, by the Minister for Foreign Affairs                        or by the Minister responsible for questions dealt with during the conference.

   (3) Subject to confirmation prior to the signature of the Final Acts, by one of the authorities mentioned in Nos.            325 or 326 above, a delegation may be provisionally accredited by the Head of the diplomatic mission of                the Member concerned to the host government. In the case of a conference held in the Swiss                                      Confederation, a delegation may also be provisionally accredited by the Head of the permanent delegation            of the Member concerned to the United Nations Office at Geneva.

3. Credentials shall be accepted if they are signed by one of the competent authorities mentioned in Nos. 325 to 327 above, and fulfil one of the following criteria:

• they confer full powers on the delegation;
• they authorize the delegation to represent its government, without restrictions;
• they give the delegation, or certain members thereof, the right to sign the Final Acts.

4.      (1) A delegation whose credentials are found to be in order by the Plenary Meeting shall be entitled to exercise the right to vote of the Member concerned, subject to the provisions of Nos. 169 and 210 of the Constitution, and to sign the Final Acts.

(2) A delegation whose credentials are found not to be in order by the Plenary Meeting shall not be entitled to exercise the right to vote or to sign the Final Acts until the situation has been rectified.

5. Credentials shall be deposited with the secretariat of the conference as early as possible. The Committee referred to in No. 361 of this Convention shall be entrusted with the verification thereof and shall report on its conclusions to the Plenary Meeting within the time specified by the latter. Pending the decision of the Plenary Meeting thereon, any delegation shall be entitled to participate in the conference and to exercise the right to vote of the Member concerned.

6. As a general rule, Members of the Union should endeavor to send their own delegations to conferences of the Union. However, if a Member is unable, for exceptional reasons, to send its own delegation, it may give the delegation of another Member powers to vote and sign on its behalf. Such powers must be conveyed by means of an instrument signed by one of the authorities mentioned in Nos. 325 or 326 above.
7. A delegation with the right to vote may give to another delegation with the right to vote a mandate to exercise its vote at one or more meetings at which it is unable to be present. In such a case it shall, in good time, notify the Chairman of the conference in writing.
8. A delegation may not exercise more than one proxy vote.
9. Credentials and transfers of powers sent by telegram shall not be accepted. Nevertheless, replies sent by telegram to requests by the Chairman or the secretariat of the conference for clarification of credentials shall be accepted.
10. A Member or an authorized entity or organization intending to send a delegation or representatives to a telecommunication standardization conference, a telecommunication development conference or a radio communication assembly shall so inform the Director of the Bureau of the Sector concerned, indicating the names and functions of the members of the delegation or of the representatives.