Dear All, This is an edited/shortened version of the ITU Full media release available via http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2014/52.aspx#.VEWKZn8uvIU ITU's 19th ITU Plenipotentiary Conference opened its doors to over 3,000 delegates and almost 600 local and international media today in one of the world's most wired cities, with Host Country the Republic of Korea promising the most high-tech conference facilities ever offered at a UN treaty-making event. Hosted by Korea's Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP), the event takes place at Busan's BEXCO exhibition and conference centre from 20 October - 7 November. The Republic of Korea is widely recognized as the world's most connected country, *topping ITU's ICT Development Index for the past four consecutive years* <http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2013/41.aspx>. ITU's Plenipotentiary - so-called because of the full international treaty-making power accorded the heads of participating government delegations - is the world's largest meeting of international policy makers from the information and communication (ICT) sector. *Download photos*: www.itu.int/pp14/photos *View videos*: www.itu.int/pp14/videos *Get social*: www.int/int/pp14/social *Watch webcast*: www.itu.int/pp14/webcast *Follow the daily agenda/time plan*: www.itu.int/en/plenipotentiary/2014/ Pages/schedule.aspx <http://www.itu.int/en/plenipotentiary/2014/Pages/schedule.aspx> *Read backgrounders on conference topics*: www.itu.int/en/plenipotentiary/2014/newsroom/ Pages/backgrounders.aspx <http://www.itu.int/en/plenipotentiary/2014/newsroom/Pages/backgrounders.aspx> *PP-14 app*: http://newslog.itu.int/archives/652 Find more information on the *PP-14 Newsroom* <http://www.itu.int/en/plenipotentiary/2014/newsroom/Pages/default.aspx> Known informally as PP-14, this year's conference welcomes participants from some 175 ITU Member States, Sector Members and observer organizations, including over 104 Ministers, 35 Deputy Ministers, and 67 ambassadors. It is held every four years to set the strategic direction of ITU and to develop policies and recommendations that address the evolving needs of the Union's members. Issues on this year's agenda include digital inclusion and broadband rollout, broader international cooperation on ICT development, and new strategies to encourage membership and strengthen multi-stakeholder participation. For the first time, the conference will also try to reach international agreement on establishment of new global ICT development goals and targets under a new framework called 'Connect 2020'. *Agenda & Elections* One of the principal tasks of PP-14 will be to determine ITU's Strategic Plan for 2016-2020 and the Financial Plan for the same period, which will provide the resources needed to meet the goals and deliverables mandated by members. Later in its first week, the conference will *elect the Union's five top executives* <http://www.itu.int/en/plenipotentiary/2014/pages/elections.aspx> - the Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General, and the Directors of the Radiocommunication, Telecommunication Standardization and Telecommunication Development Bureau - as well as other governing bodies of the Union, the ITU Council and Radio Regulations Board. Current Deputy-Secretary-General Houlin Zhao, a Chinese national and respected telecoms engineer with over 30 years' experience in the international environment, will be confirmed as ITU's next Secretary-General. Five candidates are contesting the post of Deputy Secretary-General, and three candidates are contesting the post of Director of ITU's Telecommunication Standardization Bureau. The current incumbent Directors of both the Radiocommunication Bureau and the Telecommunication Development Bureau are running unopposed for a second term of office. There are 20 candidates for the 12 seats on the Radio Regulations Board, and 60 candidate countries for the 48 seats on ITU Council, the governing body which oversees the running of the Union in between quadrennial Plenipotentiary Conferences. The *elections <http://www.itu.int/en/plenipotentiary/2014/newsroom/Documents/backgrounders/pp14-backgrounder-elections.pdf>* begin on the morning of 23 October. For a *full list of candidates <http://www.itu.int/en/plenipotentiary/2014/Pages/candidates.aspx>* and profiles, see *https://itunews.itu.int/en/5237-Electing-ITU-top-executives.note.aspx* <https://itunews.itu.int/en/5237-Electing-ITU-top-executives.note.aspx> <https://itunews.itu.int/en/5237-Electing-ITU-top-executives.note.aspx> *Special Events* To complement the PP-14 discussions, host country the Republic of Korea is also planning an extensive programme of tech-focused side events for delegates and media, including a 5G forum, an exhibition of accessibility technology to aid persons with disabilities, an e-health exhibition, an expo on cloud computing and another on Big Data, and Korea's annual Science & Creativity Festival. In addition, this year's conference will also include a number of ITU-organized side events and programmes, including the gender-focused GEM-TECH Awards recognizing outstanding work in promoting gender equality using ICTs, five topical *Connect 2020 side event sessions* <http://www.itu.int/en/plenipotentiary/2014/Documents/connect2020-roundtables...> featuring debates between experts from government and industry, the launch of ITU's 150th anniversary celebrations, and a *Young ICT Policy Leaders programme* <http://www.itu.int/en/plenipotentiary/2014/Pages/yipl.aspx>. The ITU side event schedule kicks off with the *GEM-TECH Awards* <http://www.itu.int/en/action/women/gem/Pages/award.aspx> on 28 October at 9:30am KST, which will recognize seven winning projects and role models from around the world, as well as conferring five special Global Achiever Awards. A full list of finalists can be found here <http://www.itu.int/en/action/women/gem/Pages/finalists.aspx>. The award ceremony will be followed by a lunchtime High-Level Dialogue from 13:00-14:00 KST around the topic of "Gender and ICTs: Why gender equality matters and where do we stand today?". Confirmed panellists include H.E. Omobola Johnson, Minister of Communications, Nigeria; Engida Getachew, Deputy Director-General, UNESCO; Ambassador Pamela Hamamoto, US Permanent Representative to UN in Geneva; and leading international gender advocates from private industry and civil society. The day-long gender theme will culminate in an invitation-only GEM-TECH Gala Dinner at Busan's prestigious APEC Nurimaru House. Beginning the following day, *ITU's Connect 2020 Roundtable programme* <http://www.itu.int/en/plenipotentiary/2014/Documents/connect2020-roundtables...> comprises a series of topical discussions with high-level panellists around the key themes of the ITU Strategic Plan - growth, inclusion, sustainability, innovation and monitoring: - *29 October, 13:00-14:00* - Which technologies will connect the next 1.5 billion users? - *30 October, 13:00-14:00* - Achieving full digital inclusion: feasible by 2020? - *31 October, 13:00-14:00 *- Ensuring the long-term benefits of development: Managing growth in a sustainable way - *3 November, 13:00-14:00* - Addressing the emerging innovation challenges in ICT-enabled markets - *4 November, 13:00-14:00* - Building a robust monitoring framework for the global ICT agenda To celebrate 150 years since its founding in Paris in 1865, ITU will also use PP-14 to officially launch its 'ITU150' campaign, with presentations on ITU's plans to celebrate its anniversary from January, along with a preview of the programme of national celebrations planned by ITU's global membership. Finally, ITU's Young ICT Policy Leaders (YIPL) programme - another innovation for an ITU Plenipotentiary Conference - aims to develop the policy making skills of tomorrow's ICT professionals through a series of informal 'Meet the Leader' sessions with experienced PP delegates and private sector experts. Each national delegation at PP-14 has been invited to nominate two young members of their delegation (aged under 35) to participate in the programme, and the City of Busan is also funding participation of 35 delegates from Least Developed Countries, to ensure maximum global inclusion. *All side-event debates will be webcast - follow the discussions remotely * *here* <http://www.itu.int/en/plenipotentiary/2014/Pages/webcast-se.aspx>. *Follow @ITU and the hashtag #Plenipot14 for the latest updates. Go to http://www.itu.int/pp14/social <http://www.itu.int/pp14/social> social media channels.* *Download images from the conference at **www.itu.int/pp14/photos* <http://www.itu.int/pp14/photos>. *View video material from the conference at **www.itu.int/pp14/videos* <http://www.itu.int/pp14/videos>. *Broadcast media can download HD video from the PP-14 virtual video newsroom at: **http://www.itu.int/en/videos/Pages/default.aspx* <http://www.itu.int/en/videos/Pages/default.aspx>. *Follow the conference by webcast at **www.itu.int/pp14/webcast* <http://www.itu.int/pp14/webcast>. A wide range of background materials are available from the PP-14 Newsroom <http://www.itu.int/en/plenipotentiary/2014/newsroom/Pages/default.aspx>. *Access the PP-14 Special Edition of ITU's bimonthly magazine, ITU News, * *here* <https://itunews.itu.int/en/>*. * *Information about ITU's previous Plenipotentiary Conference, PP-10, can be found on the **PP-10 Newsroom* <http://www.itu.int/plenipotentiary/2010/newsroom/>*. *