The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) will host the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA-16) in Yasmine Hammamet, Tunisia, from 25 October to 3 November 2016.

WTSA is the primary meeting of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T). While WTSA is a non-treaty level conference, the recommendations and resolutions that are approved shape the future direction of the Telecommunication Standardization Sector and can set new precedents that the ITU can later reference for an even more expansive role.

It is important that the four-year work program defined at WTSA-16 does not in anyway conflict with or duplicate the work done elsewhere in the Internet ecosystem nor expand the scope and mandate of the ITU.

To understand the process, we suggest you read:

• our WTSA-16 Background Paper
• our matrix of WTSA-16 resolutions - the status of relevant resolutions and the country co-signers
• our Overview of the Digital Object Architecture (DOA) - explaining the system and the questions policy makers should ask
• Who Makes the Internet Work: The Internet Ecosystem

Blog posts:

• The Road to Yasmine Hammamet: Expectations for WTSA-16
• What is the Digital Object Architecture (DOA)? Read our new information paper
• Midway through the WTSA – late nights negotiating text in the Medina
• The Internet of square brackets

Additional resources:

• Collaborative Security
• Policy Framework for Enabling Internet Access
• Policy Briefs (available in English, French and Spanish):
  • Internet Interconnection
  • Internet Invariants
  • The Internet of Things (IoT)
  • IPv6 Adoption
  • Internet Exchange Points (IXPs)
  • Open Internet Standards
  • The Challenge of Spam
• Anti-Spam Toolkit
• IXP Toolkit
• The Internet of Things (IoT): An Overview - Understanding the Issues and Challenges of a More Connected World

Internet Society Activity

As a Sector Member of the ITU, the Internet Society will have a team on the ground in Tunisia participating in discussions and reporting on activities. Please watch the public policy section of our blog. You can also track activity about the overall WTSA event using the hashtag #ITUWTSA on Twitter and other social networks.