Treaty Transmittal: Amendments to the Constitution and Convention of the ITU

On Tuesday, April 8, the President transmitted to the Senate, for its advice and consent to ratification, the amendments to the Constitu­tion and Convention of the International Telecommunication Union (Geneva, 1992), as amended by the Plenipotentiary Conference (Kyoto, 1994) and the Plenipotentiary Conference (Marrakesh, 2002), together with the declarations and reservations by the United States, all as contained in the Final Acts of the Pleni­potentiary Conference (Antalya, 2006). The transmittal package (Treaty Doc. 110-16) is here. According to the letter of transmittal, the amendments, "among other things: clarify the functions of certain International Telecommunication Union (ITU) officials and bodies; reduce the frequency of certain ITU conferences; clarify eligibility for re-election to certain ITU positions; enhance oversight of the ITU budget and provide for results-based (as well as cost-based) budget proposals; expand the scale of available contribution levels for Member States and Sector Members; and, clarify the definition of and role of observers participating in ITU proceedings."