ITSO Concludes its 42nd Assembly of Parties in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., 5 October 2026 – The International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO) successfully concluded its 42nd Meeting of the Assembly of Parties (AP-42), held from 30 September to 2 October 2026 at American University Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C. Representatives from 85 Parties participated in the Assembly, which was chaired by Ms. Kadianne Wood (Party of Jamaica), with Dr. Bianca Lins (Party of Liechtenstein) serving as Deputy Chair.
The Assembly of Parties, which meets once every two years, considered a number of key matters concerning the future work and strategic direction of the Organization. These included financial matters, the implementation of decisions adopted at AP-41, the Parties’ Common Heritage, the Public Services Agreement, the ITSO Advisory Committee, and the broader policy and strategic objectives of ITSO.
AP-42 marked the first Assembly of Parties held under the leadership of ITSO Director General Dr. Renata Brazil-David, who assumed 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 Telecommunication 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, Chief Executive Officer of SES, delivered a video message during the opening session, and Mr. Nihar Shah, Chief Strategy Officer of SES, delivered a presentation to the Assembly.
Immediately prior to AP-42, ITSO hosted the Symposium “Satellite Developments Shaping Connectivity – An ITSO Perspective” on 29 September 2026. The Symposium brought together representatives of governments, international organizations, regulators and industry to exchange perspectives on developments shaping satellite connectivity, regulatory priorities, and the role of satellite communications in advancing inclusive and resilient connectivity.
Moderated by Mr. Elliot Sibeko (South Africa), the Symposium featured contributions from Mr. Mario Maniewicz, Director of the ITU Radiocommunication Bureau; Mr. Nihar Shah, Chief Strategy Officer of SES; and Mr. Michael DeMarco, President, Aero Vertical, SES. The regional panel brought together Ms. Luiza Maria Thomazoni Loyola Giacomin (ANATEL, Brazil); Mr. Veli Yanıkgönül (Türksat, Türkiye); Ms. Sitara Mehdiyeva (Azercosmos, Azerbaijan); Engr. Abraham S. Oshadami (Nigerian Communications Commission, Nigeria); and Mr. Nedal Alsamara (Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, Jordan), providing perspectives from ITSO’s five regions.
The Director General expressed her sincere appreciation to the AP-42 Chair and Deputy-Chair, the Regional Vice-Chairs, members of the Credentials Committee, and other officials for their leadership and contributions to the work of the Assembly, and thanked all participating Parties, observers, partner organizations, Symposium speakers and moderator, and SES for their constructive engagement and continued support for ITSO and its mission.
She also expressed appreciation 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 held in connection with the Assembly.
The Assembly concluded by approving the Record of Decisions and reaffirming the continued commitment of Parties to the mission and objectives of ITSO.
AP-42 Meeting photos are available here
ABOUT ITSO
ITSO is an Intergovernmental organization with 149 member states, that incorporates the principle set forth in Resolution 1721(XVI) of the General Assembly of the United Nations, which established that communication by means of satellite should be available to the nations of the world as soon as practicable on a global and non-discriminatory basis. Originally established in 1973 as INTELSAT, the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization was restructured in 2001. The restructuring resulted in the creation of a private entity, Intelsat Ltd., and to the continuation of the intergovernmental organization with a new acronym (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 SES acquisition of Intelsat in July 2025. ITSO’s mission is to ensure SES’s successful performance of its public service obligations and to safeguard the Parties’ Common Heritage.
