Editing ITU-T (section)

== International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs) ==
In addition to the ITU-T Recommendations, which have non-mandatory status unless they are adopted in national laws, ITU-T is also the custodian of a binding international treaty, the International Telecommunication Regulations. The ITRs go back to the earliest days of the ITU when there were two separate treaties, dealing with telegraph and telephone. The ITRs were adopted, as a single treaty, at the World Administrative Telegraphy and Telephone Conference held in Melbourne, 1988 (WATTC-88).<ref>[http://www.itu.int/ITU-T/itr/files/ITR-e.doc itu.int] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071129123333/http://www.itu.int/ITU-T/itr/files/ITR-e.doc |date=2007-11-29 }}</ref>

The ITRs comprise ten articles which deal, ''[[inter alia]]'', with the definition of international telecommunication services, cooperation between countries and national administrations, safety of life and priority of telecommunications and charging and accounting principles. The adoption of the ITRs in 1988 is often taken as the start of the wider liberalization process in international telecommunications, though a few countries, including United States and United Kingdom, had made steps to liberalize their markets before 1988.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/stratpol/ITRs/auth/itr-03.doc|title=itu.int|website=itu.int|access-date=6 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303234310/http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/stratpol/ITRs/auth/itr-03.doc|archive-date=3 March 2016}}</ref>

The Constitution and Convention of ITU provides for the amendment of ITRs through a World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT).  Accordingly, in 1998 there began a process of review of the ITRs;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.itu.int/ITU-T/itr-eg/|title=ITU-T – Review of the International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs)|author=tsbedh|work=itu.int|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024014855/http://www.itu.int/ITU-T/itr-eg/|archive-date=2007-10-24}}</ref> and in 2009 extensive preparations began for such a conference, WCIT-12.  In addition to "regional preparatory meetings",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.itu.int/en/wcit-12/Pages/preparatory.aspx|title=WCIT-12: Preparatory Process|work=ITU|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216152919/http://www.itu.int/en/wcit-12/Pages/preparatory.aspx|archive-date=2014-12-16}}</ref> the ITU Secretariat developed 13 "Background Briefs on key issues" that were expected to be discussed at the conference.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.itu.int/en/wcit-12/Pages/WCIT-backgroundbriefs.aspx|title=WCIT-12: Background Briefs and FAQs|work=ITU|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216152857/http://www.itu.int/en/wcit-12/Pages/WCIT-backgroundbriefs.aspx|archive-date=2014-12-16}}</ref>  Convened by former ITU secretary-general Hamadoun Touré, the Conference, WCIT-12, was then held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, during the period 3–14 December 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.itu.int/osg/wcit-12/highlights/dec13-14.html#.VFWh4ShOQ5R|title=WCIT-12 Highlights – 13–14 December 2012|work=itu.int|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113214140/http://www.itu.int/osg/wcit-12/highlights/dec13-14.html#.VFWh4ShOQ5R|archive-date=13 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.itu.int/en/wcit-12/Pages/default.aspx|title=World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT-12)|work=ITU|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013043202/http://www.itu.int/en/wcit-12/Pages/default.aspx|archive-date=2012-10-13}}</ref>