ITU

Overview about ITU:
ITU (stands for International Telecommunication Union) is a specialized agency of the United Nations, with headquarters at Geneva. It was created in 1934 as a result of the merging of the International Telegraph Union (est. 1865; the first international governmental organization) and the International Radiotelegraph Union (est. 1906); there are now 191 member nations. The union functions under the International Telecommunication Convention, which was adopted in 1947 and revised in 1967. The goal of the organization is to extend and improve all forms of international telecommunication by allotting radio frequencies, by encouraging the establishment of low rates, and by perfecting communications in rescue operations. The ITU is governed by the plenipotentiary conference at which all members are represented; it normally meets once every four or five years. The conference elects an administrative council of 29 members. Conferences for the regulation of telecommunication in space have been among ITU's more recent activities.

The ITU is made up of three sectors:
The Telecommunication Standardization Sector, whose secretariat is the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau or TSB, known prior to 1992 as the International Telephone and Telegraph Consultative Committee or CCITT (from its French name "Comité consultatif international téléphonique et télégraphique");
The Radiocommunication Sector, whose secretariat is the Radiocommunication Bureau or BR, known prior to 1992 as the International Radio Consultative Committee or CCIR (from its French name "Comité consultatif international des radio communications");
The Telecommunication Development Sector, whose secretariat is the Telecommunication Development Bureau or BDT, created in 1992.
It is estimated that ICTs contribute around 2-2.5 per cent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These percentages are likely to grow as ICTs become more widely available. At the same time, ICTs can be a major linchpin in efforts to combat climate change and serve as a potent, cross-cutting tool to limit and ultimately reduce GHG emissions across economic and social sectors, in particular by the introduction and development of more energy efficient devices, applications and networks, as well as their environmentally sound disposal. ITU will work closely with its membership to lead efforts to achieve a climate neutral ICT industry.