Geneva, 10 February 2022

The Intersputnik International Organization of Space Communications has decided to become a sponsor of the new International Telecommunication Union (ITU) headquarters project in Geneva, Switzerland.

Intersputnik – an international satellite communications services organization and active ITU member – will sponsor a cafeteria in the new ITU building, whose construction is scheduled to start in 2023 and finish in 2026.

The 200-seat cafeteria will be named the “Intersputnik Café”.

The building will face Place des Nations in the heart of Geneva’s international district. As conceived by the architects, this new home will enhance ITU’s image as a key global institution for peace and cooperation and underscore the organization’s commitment to sustainable, inclusive technological development.

“I welcome Intersputnik’s decision to sponsor the cafeteria in ITU’s future home,” said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao. “It will serve as a reminder of the ties that bind ITU and Intersputnik in our pursuit to bring the benefits of space communications and digital transformation to all people.”

Partnership promoting satellite tech

Intersputnik and ITU – the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs) – have been working in close partnership since 1983, when the first cooperation arrangement was signed.

Satellite technologies are of vital importance for the telecom industry, where ITU is entrusted with the key global coordinating role on the use of frequencies and orbits. Bearing this in mind, Intersputnik welcomed the opportunity to contribute to ITU’s new headquarters.

“By participating in the new ITU building preparations, Intersputnik along with its esteemed Member States and Signatories reaffirms its commitment to remain involved in and keep contributing to the global processes aimed at achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, primarily bridging the digital divide,” said Ksenia Drozdova, Director General of Intersputnik.

“We consider the strengthening and enhancement of multidirectional worldwide cooperation, as well as the promotion of global and regional initiatives to ensure a safe and secure environment, to be among our top priorities. We are confident that the new ITU headquarters will become the working space where the most urgent problems and challenges of our time will be successfully addressed and solved, including by implementing advanced satellite technologies.”

Fostering multilateral dialogue

The choice of the sponsorship option was well considered and deliberate, Director General Drozdova added.

“By sponsoring the cafeteria, we would like to emphasize Intersputnik’s multinational status and convey the atmosphere of good neighborliness and respect for different cultures and traditions, views and opinions that have been developed in our organization,” she said.

“A successful multilateral dialogue can be established only by following the above principles. I am sure that the cafeteria at the new ITU headquarters will become one more platform for informal interaction and communication among ITU’s Members and Signatories, as well as ITU staff and other satcom and telecom industry players, for the benefit of the global ICT infrastructure development and boosting digital inclusion for the world’s population.”

Intersputnik currently holds ITU Gold Sector Member status. It is a keen participant in two pivotal areas of ITU’s work, being long active in the Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) and having more recently joined the Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D).

About the International Telecommunication Union

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs), driving innovation in ICTs together with 193 Member States and a membership of over 900 companies, universities, and international and regional organizations. Established over 150 years ago, ITU is the intergovernmental body responsible for coordinating the shared global use of the radio spectrum, promoting international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, improving communication infrastructure in the developing world, and establishing the worldwide standards that foster seamless interconnection of a vast range of communications systems. From broadband networks to cutting-edge wireless technologies, aeronautical and maritime navigation, radio astronomy, oceanographic and satellite-based earth monitoring as well as converging fixed-mobile phone, Internet and broadcasting technologies, ITU is committed to connecting the world. For more information, visit www.itu.int

Image: © ITU / CHRISTIAN DUPRAZ ARCHITECT