october 14, 2016
NEWS
Washington DC, 14 October 2016 – Today, representatives from 120 member states of the International Telecommunication Satellite Organization (ITSO) concluded their deliberations at the 37th Assembly of Parties. The meeting was held in Washington, D.C. at American University’s Washington College of Law and was chaired by Mr. Nikolai Nikiforov, the Minister of Communications and Mass Media of Russia.
The Assembly, which meets on a bi-annual basis, took important decisions on a number of key issues including the extension of the ITSO goals and objectives through the year 2020, the extension of strategic plan for ITSO to 2018 and the approval of the bi-annual budget for the organization.
During the meeting of the Assembly of Parties, the Parties of Nepal and Sri Lanka delivered the final two letters required for the amendment to Article XII (c)(ii) to enter into force. As a result, and in accordance with Article XV(e) of the ITSO Agreement, the amendment will enter into force on January 16, 2017 for all Parties, including those that have not yet accepted, approved, or ratified it and have not withdrawn from ITSO.
The Assembly of Parties elected Patrick Masambu as the new Director General and CEO of ITSO for four years, through July 2021. Mr. Masambu, a citizen of Uganda, will replace Mr. José Toscano whose mandate will run through July 2017.
The International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO) is an intergovernmental organization based in Washington, DC, with 149 member nations. ITSO’s role is to ensure that Intelsat S.A. provides public telecommunications services, including voice, data and video, on a global and non-discriminatory basis. Previously known as “INTELSAT”, the organization was established in 1973 and restructured in 2001, resulting in the creation of a private entity, Intelsat, Ltd (Now called Intelsat S.A.). For more information, visit www.itso.int/.