The Philippines has been re-elected as a council member of the International Telecommunication Union, a  specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for many matters related to information and communication technologies, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday.

The DFA said the country won a seat in the ITU Council under Region E (Asia and Australasia) for the term 2023-2026 at elections held during the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2022 at the Palace of Parliament, Bucharest, Romania last Monday.

The highly-contested election had 16 candidates for 13 seats. The Philippines ranked seventh out of the 13 member states elected, joining Australia, Bahrain, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Thailand and United Arab Emirates.

The ITU Council is the Union's governing body tasked to decide on the day-to-day activities in between the ITU Plenipotentiary Conferences. It also prepares the strategic and policy planning of the Union, ensures proper and efficient implementation of programs and activities, and approves the budget of the Union.

During the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2022, the secretary-general, deputy secretary general, directors for the Radio Communication Bureau, Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, Telecommunication Development Bureau, as well as 12 Radio Regulations Board, and the 48 council members were elected.