Britain's Johnson named new deputy secretary of ITU

Members of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) on Friday elected Malcolm Johnson from Britain as the organization's new deputy secretary-general following several run-off votes held after no candidate secured a majority.

Johnson received 104 votes from 168 member states who voted. The minimum required was 85 votes. The ITU has 193 members.

Candidates from Canada, Britain, Poland, Nigeria and Mauritania competed for the deputy secretary general seat, vacated after China's Zhao Houlin was elected secretary-general Thursday. With no candidate claiming a majority despite withdrawals by Mauritania and Canada, the election that began on Thursday was carried over to Friday.

Johnson has been serving as the director of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Bureau since 2007. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in science from the University of Wales.

The new deputy-elect speaks French in addition to his mother language, with some knowledge of Spanish.

The ITU on its website credited Johnson with getting developing countries and academia more involved in the ITU's activities and initiating a program to address developing countries' concerns over lack of interoperability and conformity to ITU standards.

"Having such a qualified and diverse field of candidates is testament to our commitment to the union and bodes well for its future. I hope we can rely upon their continuing participation in ITU, and I look forward to working with them over the next four years," Johnson said shortly after the election.

"I'm sure we'll continue the success of the current team. Of course, we will miss our current leader, Hamadoun Toure, but I'm sure that his spirit and presence will always be with us," he added.

The British delegation welcomed Johnson's election.

"Malcolm has done a tremendous amount to promote capacity-building and development throughout the ITU and throughout the globe, and has acted in the best traditions of the Union," an official from the delegation said.

"His commitment to accessibility and overcoming the global technology divide has served the membership well, and will continue to serve us all well as we go forward," she added.

South Korea is currently hosting the 19th ITU Plenipotentiary Conference, referred to as the PP-14, in the port city until Nov. 7.

The ITU is an information and communications arm of the United Nations that sets technological standards, allocates radio frequencies and satellite orbits, and works to improve the quality of communications services. (Yonhap)