Bangladesh is going to face a tough contest to retain its council membership in the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) as some powerful contestants are vying for the similar seats in the UN agency, official sources said.
ITU is the specialised agency of the United Nations for the development of information and communication technologies, including networking, innovation-showcasing and knowledge-sharing across the ICT world.
"However, we're hopeful to be reelected ITU council member in the election to be held in Busan of South Korea at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2014," a top official with the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC) said.
The meet of the world body on the present-day fastest-growing sector is due during the period between October 20 and November 07.
A total of 17 countries, including Bangladesh, have already collected nomination papers against 13 posts in the ITU council under the Asia-Austrasia region. The other nominated countries are Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates.
Plenipotentiary conference is the key event at which ITU member-states decide on the future role of the organisation, thereby determining the organisation's ability to influence and affect the development of information and communication technologies (ICTs) worldwide.
Preferring anonymity, the official told the FE that high officials of the government also acknowledged the difficulty and termed it toughest competition for the country as some friendly countries will vie against one another.
"Dhaka may fail to retain its existing council membership for the next tenure unless the country takes necessary, cautious steps immediately as the election is knocking at the door," the source said.
All of the affiliated 193 countries of the United Nations (UN) will cast their vote to elect the respective countries to make the member of the ITU council for the next tenure.
Quoting Telecommunica-tions Minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui, the official said the minister already directed the relevant officials of the telecom regulator to work sincerely in this connection.
Besides, the country also launched massive campaign to prove its strength at the ITU council election. The campaigns include supplying documents, including brochures depicting the country's contribution to the sector.
"The ministry also sought help of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to work in this connection," the official said.
As part of the campaign trail, the country also awarded reception of the 10th WASIS (Wafer design Approach for Safety Increasing in worst case Situations minimizing joints).
Besides, Bangladesh is also eyeing the upcoming annual meeting of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) as major scope for campaign where all of the 53 Commonwealth nations will have representation. The meet will take place on September 8-12 this year in the capital.
The last election to the ITU council was held in Guadalajara of Mexico in 2010 where Bangladesh secured 6th position in the region by bagging 123 votes of the UN member-countries.
The 48-memebr council is the highest body for the ITU where a total of 13 members will represent the Asia-Austrasia region.
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