In accordance with Article 31 of the ITU Convention “Credentials for Conferences”, a delegation sent by a Member State to a radiocommunication conference “shall be duly accredited” (CV 324). Information regarding such accreditation process is provided in Circular Letters addressed to Member States before the Conference takes place. The information provided here aims to address certain frequently asked questions. Kindly note that the answers provided below are without prejudice to any decision of the WRC-23 Credentials Committee, which remains solely competent to consider and report to the WRC-23 Plenary on the admissibility of credentials submitted to the Conference. 

1. How is a delegation “duly accredited”? 

This is done by submitting an instrument of credentials, which needs to be signed by the Head of State, the Head of Government, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, or the Minister responsible for radiocommunication matters of the Member State concerned (CV 326). The credentials submitted shall, moreover, fulfil one of the following criteria (CV 328): 

confer full powers on the delegation; 
authorize the delegation to represent its government, without restrictions; 
give the delegation, or certain members thereof, the right to sign the Final Acts. 

For your convenience, a model instrument of credentials for use by delegations which fulfils the criteria set out in the relevant provisions of the ITU Convention is available here

2. In what form should the credentials instrument be submitted? 

The credentials instrument must be submitted in its original form – i.e. the original signed hard-copy of the document. If Member States wish to receive feedback from the secretariat prior to the submission of their original instrument, they are nonetheless welcome to send an advance electronic copy of their credentials to credentials@itu.int. 

A Note Verbale is not acceptable as a credentials instrument because it does not meet the requirements of CV 326. Following established practice, credentials sent by fax or by e-mail are also considered as not being in order.  

Please also note that if a credentials instrument is not already drafted in one of the official languages of ITU (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish), it should be submitted along with a certified translation in one of those official languages.  

3. Where and when can the original credentials instrument be submitted?  

Please submit the original credentials instrument “as early as possible” (CV 334) using one of the two following methods:  

Delivery by hand or registered letter to ITU headquarters in Geneva until Tuesday, 14 November 2023, to the following address:  

ITU Secretary-General
Credentials Committee Secretariat – Office T.1318
International Telecommunication Union  
Place des Nations  
CH – 1211 Geneva 20  
Switzerland


Delivery by hand to the Credentials Committee Secretariat at the Conference venue in Dubai, as of Friday, 17 November 2023. In order to facilitate the organization of work of the Credentials Committee, Member States are encouraged to deliver their credentials prior to the first session of the Credentials Committee, which in light of the established past practice normally takes place during the first week of the Conference.   

4. Does the submission of a credentials instrument mean that a delegation is automatically registered to participate for WRC-23? 

No.  

Accreditation and registration are separate and independent processes. While accreditation is performed by submitting an instrument of credentials, registration to WRC-23 is done through the online registration system. Correspondingly, both processes need to be completed to enable a delegation to fully participate in WRC-23. Additional information on registration may be found on the WRC-23 website here. 

5. What happens if the Credentials Committee finds that the credentials of a delegation are not in order?  

After having examined all submitted credentials, the Credentials Committee is mandated to submit a report containing its findings to the Plenary Meeting of the Conference for endorsement (GR 68).  

A delegation whose credentials are found not to be in order by the Plenary Meeting shall not be entitled to exercise the right to vote or to sign the Final Acts until the situation has been rectified (CV 333).  

6. What if a Member State is unable to send a delegation to attend WRC-23 in Dubai?  

A Member State which is unable to send a delegation to Dubai to attend WRC-23 will not be able to exercise its right to vote or to sign the Final Acts of the Conference.  

That being said, a Member State which is unable to send a delegation to Dubai to attend WRC-23 may submit a “Transfer of Powers” (“ToP”) instrument granting the delegation of another Member State present in Dubai the right to vote and to sign the Final Acts on its behalf (CV 336). A Transfer of Powers does not grant the receiving Member State a right to speak on behalf of another Member State. 

A template ToP can be found here. Such template meets the statutory requirements established by Article 31 of the Convention, which are similar to those relating to the submission of credentials. More specifically, a ToP:  

must be signed by the Head of State, Head of Government, Minister of Foreign Affairs, or Minister responsible for radiocommunication matters of the Member State concerned;  
must be submitted in its original form.   

See also Question 8.  

7. What if a Member State delegation is attending WRC-23 in person in Dubai, however, it is unable to attend one or more meetings of the Conference? 

A delegation which is not able to attend one or more meetings of the Conference may transfer to the delegation of another Member State its right to vote during those meetings (CV 336). For this to happen it is necessary that both the transferring and receiving delegations be duly accredited and physically present at WRC-23. An example of wording for such Transfer of Vote can be found here, however the actual scope of transfer – and hence, the wording itself – may differ depending on the number of meetings, meeting dates, etc. for which the transfer of vote is effective. A Transfer of Vote does not grant the receiving Member State the right to sign the Final Acts or a right to speak on behalf of another Member State. 

A Transfer of Vote is signed by the head or deputy-head of the delegation which will not be able to attend one or more meetings. As there is no statutory requirement in terms of form, a Transfer of Vote may be transmitted to the Credentials Committee secretariat via email (sent specifically to: credentials@itu.int) or delivered by hand; no original is required. A Transfer of Vote must include the name of the delegation receiving the transfer and the meeting (or meetings) where the Transfer of Vote will be in force.  

See also question 8.  

8. How many Transfers of Powers (ToP) and Transfers of Vote (ToV) can be given to a delegation? 

Transfers of Powers (CV 335) and Transfers of Vote (CV 336) are commonly and collectively referred to as ‘proxies’.  

While a delegation may receive more than one proxy (ToP, ToV, or both), it cannot exercise more than one proxy vote (CV 337) at any given time. In this regard, if a delegation receives more than one proxy, it will have to contact the Credentials Committee secretariat in advance in order to inform which delegated voting right it will be exercising in case of a vote, in addition to its own. Furthermore, while a Member State receiving a Transfer of Vote must itself be entitled to vote, this is not a requirement for delegations receiving a Transfer of Powers. Correspondingly, a receiving delegation which has lost its right to vote is still eligible to receive a Transfer of Powers.  

9. What is the deadline for submitting a Transfer of Powers or Transfer of Vote? 

As per the established practice, once a ToP or ToV is received, the Credentials Committee secretariat will promptly inform the Chairman of the Conference accordingly and, assuming that the corresponding requirements are met as indicated above, it will take the necessary administrative and technical measures so that the received ToP/ToV becomes effective in a transparent manner. These measures include publishing a Conference document to inform Conference participants of the ToP/ToV, as well as updating the credentials and voting databases to ensure that the absent Member State/delegation will be properly represented as per the ToP/ToV instructions. Due to the time required to implement these measures, Member States are informed that Transfers of Powers and Transfers of Vote received during the Conference will normally become effective at the next scheduled Plenary session. 

10. Where can I request further advice?  

Should you have any additional questions or require clarifications, please do not hesitate to contact the WRC-23 Credentials Committee secretariat at credentials@itu.int.