Headquarters Bangkok, Thailand | Establishment 1 July 1979 | |
Membership 38 countries
4 associate states
131 affiliates | ||
The Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT) was founded on the joint initiatives of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Contents
The APT was established by treaty; the treaty was concluded in Bangkok in March 1976 and came into force in February 1979. After the treaty came into force, APT was formally organized on 1 July 1979. The APT is an intergovernmental organization and operates in conjunction with telecom service providers, manufacturers of communications equipment, and research and development organizations active in the field of communication, information and innovation technologies.
APT serves as the organization for information and communications technology (ICT) in the region. The APT covers 38 member countries, with 4 associate members and 131 affiliate members.
Throughout the past years, APT has been able to assist members in the preparation of Global conferences such as ITU Plenipotentiary Conference (PP), World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC), World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA) and the ITU meetings. APT is also involved in promoting regional harmonization of their programmes and activities in the region.
Membership
There are currently 38 Member (countries), 4 Associate Members, and 134 Affiliate Members in the APT. Any member of the ESCAP which is within the region is eligible to be part of the APT while to be an associate member, any territory, part or group of territories within the region which is an associate member of ESCAP is eligible. Associate members are highlighted in green. A state becomes a member of APT by ratifying the founding treaty, the Constitution of the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity.
Objective
The objective of the Telecommunity shall be to foster the development of telecommunication services and information infrastructure throughout the region with a particular focus on the expansion thereof in less developed areas.
In furtherance thereof, the Telecommunity may:
Structure
The APT has three major functioning organs: the General Assembly, Management Committee and General Secretariat. The General Assembly consists of the President and the Vice Presidents; the Management Committee consists of the Chairman and the Vice Chairmen; the General Secretariat consists of the Secretary General, the Deputy Secretary General and other professional staff.
The APT is divided into five sectors each managing different aspects of the matter handled by the Telecommunity. These sectors are , Policy and Regulations (PRF), Radiocommunication (RF), Standardization, Human Resource Development (HRD), and ICT Development (APTICT).
Leadership
The APT is headed by a Secretary General who is elected to a three-year term by the member states of the conference at the General Assembly. The Chief Executive of the Telecommunity holds a D-2 rank in the United Nations.