Russian Defeat at ITU Sector Plenary Seen Reflecting Ukraine Outrage

Setting the leadership structure for study groups has been noncontroversial and reflects the strong, effective push by Ukraine to sanction Russia at every level possible, officials said. “I was surprised to see this happen,” said Fiona Alexander, former NTIA associate administrator-international affairs. “I don’t recall anything like this happening in the ITU before.” Some anticipate Russia's invasion will affect the race for ITU secretary-general, with American candidate Doreen Bogdan-Martin facing Russian candidate Rashid Ismailov (see Ref:2203020068]).

Study group leadership positions carry notable importance, as chairs lead the studies for the next four years and can help shape outcomes, said Wiley's David Gross, a former State Department official. The committees are "where the real work occurs," emailed Tony Rutkowski, former counselor to two ITU secretaries-general and a former chief of the Relations Between Members Division.

The ITU has tried to stay apolitical and focus on technical issues like telecommunications standardization, said Gross. But Ukraine made a plea for international support last week during the ITU Standardization Sector's plenary meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. Citing civilian deaths and injuries, an unnamed Ukrainian delegate said Russia "blatantly disregarded the ITU values" and the Ukrainian delegation won't support any Russian Federation candidates, per a transcript of Wednesday's plenary proceedings. The delegate urged other nations to do likewise. Several nations, including France, Canada, Australia and the U.K., followed suit.

"We remain steadfast in our belief that as an organization we must uphold the principles of leadership in positions of this body that they should be committed to upholding the U.N. charter and its mandate for peace," said an unnamed U.S. delegate, according to the transcript. "We cannot accept having Russian leadership positions in ITU Study Groups while they are in active war with their neighboring state. We believe that there is a broad consensus on having a clean slate of candidates with the Russian leadership candidates ... deleted from that list."

When no consensus was reached on Russian candidates -- with China, Cuba, Belarus and Mozambique opposing the call for zeroing out Russian technical specialists from working group leadership -- there was a secret ballot vote, he said. Going to secret ballot, while not unprecedented, is unusual, Gross said. A majority of nations in the secret ballot vote -- 53 -- agreed the Russians would be excluded, while 19 backed Russia and 28 abstained, he said. While no Russians received leadership positions, six Americans were named as vice-chairs of various working groups, per the plenary meeting report.

The move, while unusual for the ITU, is "not shocking in light of what Russia is doing," Gross said. The Russians made it clear after the vote they would continue to be part of the ITU and work in the study groups as members, he said. An exclusion like this "has never occurred," Rutkowski said. He said since Russia sometimes instigated contentious work in committees "where they held leadership roles and ran roughshod over the rules to get their way, there will be no love lost."

“There is no doubt that ITU has become yet another geopolitical battlefield” following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, John Strand of Strand Consult told us. Strand said Russia being left off the ITU committees probably won’t have much real-world impact. “It is, of course, sad for the Russians that they cannot participate in the work,” he said: “Right now, the ITU people are experiencing the same thing that Russian athletes experience around the world.”

“The immediate practical implication [is]stranding China as likely the lone powerful voice representing a more authoritarian approach toward internet governance within the study groups themselves, which do quite a lot of the substantive work of the ITU,” emailed Chris Riley, senior fellow at the R Street Institute. Riley also sees implications for the secretary-general race. “This feels like a crucial moment in time as the ITU considers engaging more with the internet space,” he said.

“For quite a long while, the ITU functions, and in particular spectrum policy and harmonization, have been susceptible to larger geopolitical events and positions,” said former FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly. “The recent ITU decisions should not be a surprise given the rightful outrage of the world over the tragedy and atrocities caused by Russia in its invasion of Ukraine,” he said.

“The Russians are being isolated by the rest of the world,” said Cooley’s Robert McDowell, also a former FCC commissioner: “It is difficult for their usual client states to support them while atrocities are being committed by Russian forces in the Ukraine. So icing them out of key ITU groups and talks is not surprising. ... When Switzerland departs from its tradition of being neutral, one can start to see how past alliances are changing rapidly. But it is horribly sad that it took this atrocity to result in these realignments."

Gross said the vote "is not good news for Russia" and its secretary-general candidacy, but that vote isn't until the fall and "lots of things can change." Rutkowski said he expects the Ismailov candidate submission will be withdrawn, which would leave Bogdan-Martin unopposed. “If this presents the West with a bigger opportunity to lead ... that seems like a good thing,” said Nathan Leamer, an aide to former FCC Chairman Ajit Pai.

“Following the entire UN system solidarity with Ukraine, the #ITU member states voted to block the representatives of Russia in leading the working groups of the standardization sector,” tweeted Sabin Sarmas, a Romanian lawmaker. He called the decision “unprecedented.” “Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukrainian civilian population was strongly condemned,” tweeted Ukraine’s Mission to the U.N.