The International Telecommunication Union began with the first international telegraph networks and is the oldest agency in the UN family

Background

The International Telecommunication Union is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies.
Its membership is made up of 194 Member States and more than 1000 companies, universities and international and regional organizations.
It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has regional offices on every continent.
The Union is the oldest agency in the UN family, connecting people for over 160 years.
It was established in 1865 to manage the first international telegraph networks, and its mandate has since expanded to voice telephony, radiocommunications, communications satellites and, most recently, artificial intelligence and the metaverse.
Its Member States have set two strategic goals for the Union for 2024 to 2027: universal connectivity and sustainable digital transformation.
ITU's work is organised in the Radiocommunication, Standardization and Development sectors, and its top five officials were elected at the 21st Plenipotentiary Conference.