IARU

The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) is a federation of national associations of certified radio amateurs, representing over 150 countries and separate territories around the world.

How is IARU organised?
The three IARU Regions are organised to broadly mirror the structure of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and its related regional telecommunications organisations.

The Regions comprise:
– IARU Region 1: Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Northern Asia
– IARU Region 2: The Americas
– IARU Region 3: Asia-Pacific

What has IARU done for radio amateurs?
The IARU represents the interests of the Amateur Radio Service worldwide to relevant international organisations, promoting the interests of amateur radio and seeking to protect and enhance its spectrum privileges.
Over the years, the IARU has worked hard to give all radio amateurs new bands as well as access to new regional allocations on – 136 kHz; 475 kHz; 5 MHz; 10 MHz; 18 MHz; 24 MHz; 50 MHz and 70 MHz

In addition to that, the IARU has obtained:
The Region 1 extension of the 7 MHz amateur band.
A world-wide 5 MHz allocation.
Extensive improvements in international roaming for radio amateurs.
Significant progress towards international certificate harmonisation at “full” level and now at entry level.
Extensive representation in the Working Parties of ITU and at WRC.
Sensible emission standards from PLT systems, involving much work in the international standards forums.
Support for the development of amateur radio in developing countries.
Greater involvement, through lobbying, in the EU political process, where matters of relevance to amateur radio are being discussed.

What are the current IARU Region 1 objectives?
Promotion of spectrum requirements
The spectrum requirements of the amateur services are published on the IARU web site
Particular emphasis on regaining 300 kHz of spectrum worldwide at 7 MHz.
To get a harmonised 1,8 MHz allocation in all three Regions.
To get a harmonised 50 MHz allocation in all three Regions.
To get a common harmonised 3,4 GHz allocation in all three Regions.
To strengthen the youth activities and to establish Youth Committees in all member societies.
To strengthen the cooperation with relevant bodies within the EU and other International organisations.
To strengthen the cooperation, involvement and mutual understanding between the IARU and its Member Societies.

Development of the amateur services
The IARU continues working with developing countries to promote growth of the amateur services and a supportive regulatory environment. To help this, IARU runs amateur radio leadership courses for developing national societies, and amateur radio administration courses for national administrations. Region 1 is also actively seeking ways of encouraging more newcomers to become radio amateurs.
Improving the range of Web-based information provision on IARU matters
To make IARU more accessible to member societies and radio amateurs in general.

What are the other activities of IARU Region 1 to support and develop amateur radio?
The IARU organises and promotes a number of contests on HF, VHF, UHF, SHF and above.
The IARU organises Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF) championships, which have proved to be a good way of drawing young people into amateur radio.
The IARU runs High Speed Telegraphy championships.
The IARU organises training programs for national authorities in amateur radio administration.
The IARU develops and promotes the consensus views of national member societies on such issues as band plans, optimum amateur spectrum usage, standards for repeaters and amateur qualifications.
The IARU plays an active role in the standards-setting forums for such matters as EMC.
The IARU also promotes and sponsors the growth of amateur radio in African countries, sponsors a number of beacons for propagation research, organises a monitoring service to guard amateur bands against unauthorized intruders and is active in ensuring that amateur radio’s value for communication at times of national emergencies is both recognized and utilized.

How is the IARU organisation structured and how is its officers appointed?
Worldwide the Administrative Council (AC) leads the IARU. Representatives of each Region propose candidates for President and Vice-President of the IARU, whose term of office is five years.
The officers for the Region 1 Executive Committee (EC) are appointed for a three-year period through a vote of Member Society representatives at the triennial General Conference.

Region 1 has a number of Committees and coordinators performing a variety of tasks:
C 1: Steering Committee
C 2: Credentials and Finance Committee
C 3: General Administrative and Organisational Committee (G3BJ)
C 4: Permanent HF Committee (DK4VW)
C 5: Permanent VHF/UHF and Microwaves Committee (ON4AVJ)
C 6: Election and Ballot Committee
C 7: Permanent EMC Committee (DL9KCE)

Committees C1, C2 and C6 are established only during conferences. During Conferences, an additional number of temporary committees and working groups are established in order to perform various tasks during the conference.
The Conference also appoints various Working Groups and Coordinators to handle business between Conferences.

Youth working group (PA2LS)
Amateur Radio Direction Finding – ARDF (OK2BWN)
Amateur Radio Space Exploration Group – ARSPEX (ON6TI)
Emergency Communications (G0DUB)
Political Relations (DL9KCE)
High Speed Telegraphy – HST (LZ1PJ)
Support To the Amateur Radio Service – STARS (TU2OP)
International Programme for Handicapped Amateurs – IPHA (OD5RI)
IARU Monitoring System – IARUMS (DK2OM)
Amateur Radio Observation Service – AROS (G0MGX)
External Relations Committee – ERC (G3PSM)
Regulatory Affairs (HB9MQM)

All officers of the IARU Region 1, are volunteers and unpaid.

How is the IARU recognised internationally?
The IARU is recognised by the United Nations as a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) by virtue of its consultative status with other United Nations bodies, i.e. the ITU. The ITU recognises the IARU as an international organisation (CV/Art.19, No. 230).

How does the IARU interact with the ITU?
The IARU is a Sector Member in the Radiocommunication (R) and Telecommunication Development (D) Sectors of the ITU. It participates in Plenipotentiary Conferences, World Radiocommunication Conferences and World Telecommunication Development Conferences. The IARU actively participates in the ITU-R Study Groups, the Working Parties and Task Groups, the Radiocommunication Advisory Group (RAG), the Conference Preparatory Meetings and the ITU-D Study Group 2.

Does IARU participate in regional telecommunications organizations?
The three IARU Regional Organisations participate in the work of regional telecommunications organisations such as the Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT), the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT), the African Telecommunications Union (ATU), the Arab Spectrum Management Group (ASMG), the Russian Communications Committee (RCC) and the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL).

Fonte: IARU R1