ITSO concludes its 42nd session of the Assembly of Parties in Washington, DC

Washington, DC, October 5, 2026 – The International Telecommunication Satellite Organization (ITSO) successfully concluded its 42nd session of the Assembly of Parties (AP-42), held from September 30 to October 2, 2026, at the Washington College of Law of American University, in Washington, DC. Representatives from 85 Parties participated in the Assembly, chaired by Ms. Kadianne Wood (Party of Jamaica), with Ms. Bianca Lins (Ph.D.) (Party of Liechtenstein) serving as Vice-Chair.

The Assembly of the Parties, which normally meets every two years, considered several important issues concerning the future work and strategic direction of the Organization. These included financial matters, the implementation of decisions adopted at AP-41, the common heritage of the Parties, the Public Services Agreement, the ITSO Advisory Commission, and the broader political and strategic objectives of ITSO.

AP-42 was the first Assembly of the Parties held under the leadership of ITSO Director General Renata Brazil-David (Ph.D.), who took office in July 2025.

The Assembly welcomed the participation of international and regional partner organizations. Participants included Mr. Mario Maniewicz, Director of the ITU Radiocommunication Bureau (ITU-R); Mr. John Omo, Secretary General of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU); Mr. Oscar León, Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Telecommunications Commission (CITEL); Mr. Laurent Parenté, Director General of the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO); and Mr. Piotr Dmochowski-Lipski, Executive Secretary of EUTELSAT IGO.

The Assembly also benefited from contributions from SES. Mr. Adel Al-Saleh, SES’s Director General, delivered a video message during the opening session, and Mr. Nihar Shah, SES’s Director of Strategy, gave a presentation to the Assembly.

Immediately prior to AP-42, ITSO hosted the Symposium entitled “Satellite Technology Advances Shaping Connectivity: An ITSO Perspective” on September 29, 2026. The Symposium brought together representatives from governments, international organizations, regulatory authorities, and industry to exchange views on developments shaping satellite connectivity, regulatory priorities, and the role of satellite communications in promoting inclusive and resilient connectivity.

Moderated by Mr. Elliot Sibeko (South Africa), the Symposium benefited from contributions by Mr. Mario Maniewicz, Director of the ITU Radiocommunication Bureau; Mr. Nihar Shah, Director of Strategy at SES; and Mr. Michael DeMarco, President, Aero Vertical, SES. The regional panel included Ms. Luiza Maria Thomazoni Loyola Giacomin (ANATEL, Brazil); Mr. Veli Yanıkgönül (Türksat, Turkey); Ms. Sitara Mehdiyeva (Azercosmos, Azerbaijan); Eng. Abraham S. Oshadami (Nigerian Communications Commission, Nigeria); and Mr. Nedal Alsamara (Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, Jordan), thus providing perspectives from the five ITSO regions.

The Director-General expressed her sincere gratitude to the Chair and Vice-Chair of AP-42, the Regional Vice-Chairs, the members of the Credentials Committee, and other officials for their leadership and contributions to the Assembly’s work. She also thanked all participating Parties, observers, partner organizations, speakers, and the Symposium moderator, as well as SES, for their constructive engagement and continued support of ITSO and its mission.

She also expressed her gratitude to the Parties of Brazil, France, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America for their generous hospitality and support for the social events organized within the framework of the Assembly.

The Assembly concluded with the approval of the Record of Decisions and reaffirmed the Parties’ continued commitment to the mission and objectives of ITSO.

Photos from the AP-42 meeting are available here. 

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ABOUT ITSO

ITSO is an intergovernmental organization comprised of 149 Member States that embodies the principle enshrined in United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1721 (XVI) that nations of the world should be able to communicate by satellite as soon as possible on a global and non-discriminatory basis. The International Telecommunications Satellite Organization, known as INTELSAT when it was established in 1973, was restructured in 2001. This restructuring led to the creation of a private entity, Intelsat Ltd., while the intergovernmental organization continued under the new name ITSO. Since then, ITSO has been responsible for overseeing Intelsat’s compliance with its public service obligations, a role that now extends to SES following its acquisition of Intelsat in July 2025. ITSO’s mandate is to ensure SES’s compliance with its public service obligations and to protect the common heritage of the Parties.