India Strengthens Global Telecom Leadership at ITU Council 2026 in Geneva

Geneva:14/5/26:An Indian delegation led by Shri Mukesh Kumar, Deputy Director General (International Relations), Department of Telecommunications (DoT), participated in the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Council 2026 meeting held from 28 April to 08 May 2026 in Geneva, Switzerland.

During the Council meeting, the DoT delegation along with the Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations office in Geneva actively participated in discussions on several key issues related to global telecommunications and digital cooperation, while showcasing India’s growing leadership in the digital and telecom domain.

India presented the proposal for hosting the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-2030) in India. The ITU Council accepted India’s proposal to host the PP-2030 conference, marking a major milestone in India’s growing role in shaping global telecom and digital policy discourse. India’s proposal is likely to be approved at ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2026 to be held in November 2026 at Doha, Qatar. The delegation also made interventions on several important subjects including ITU regional presence, ITU membership and organisation of ITU events, among others.

Strongly canvassing for India’s candidatures for ITU elections, India hosted a Networking Reception on 30 April 2026 at the ITU premises, which witnessed participation from 69 Member States. During the reception, India presented its candidatures for ITU Council re-election and for Director, Radio communications Bureau (BR). Dr Revathi Mannepalli, India’s candidate for Director (BR) presented her vision related to Radio sector of ITU during the reception.

On the sidelines of the Council meeting, 15 bilateral meetings were held with Member States to garner support for India’s candidatures and strengthen engagement with ITU Member States.

On 8 May 2026, the Union Minister of Communications Shri Jyotiraditya M Scindia addressed the Council virtually and announced India’s voluntary contribution for implementation of WTSA resolutions including 6G, Artificial Intelligence, Digital Public Infrastructure, and Sustainable Digital Transformation. This contribution is also expected to create future opportunities for India in leading the work of the ITU and further contributing to global telecom standardisation and digital development initiatives.

About ITU Council

The ITU Council acts as the governing body of the ITU and comprises 48 elected Member States. It meets annually in Geneva to oversee the organisation’s strategy, policy, budget and financial control. India has been a member of the ITU Council since 1952.