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The Tampere Convention
Executive Summary

The Preamble of the Convention notes the essential role of telecommunications in humanitarian assistance and the need for its facilitation, and recalls the major legal instruments, such as respective Resolutions of United Nations and of the International Telecommunications Union, which prepared the way for the Tampere Convention.

Article 1 defines the terms used in the Convention. Of particular significance are the definitions of non-governmental organizations and non-State entities, as the Tampere Convention is the first treaty of its kind which attributes privileges and immunities to their personnel.

Article 2 describes the operational coordination, to be carried out by the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator (i.e. through the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA).

Article 3 defines the overall framework for the cooperation among States Parties and all other partners in international humanitarian assistance, including non-State entities.

Article 4 describes the procedures for request and provision of telecommunications assistance, specifically recognizing the right of a State Party to direct, control and coordinate assistance provided under this Convention within its territory.

Article 5 defines the privileges, immunities and facilities to be provided by the Requesting State Party, again emphasizing that nothing in this Article shall prejudice rights and obligations pursuant to international agreements or international law.

Articles 6, 7 and 8 define specific elements and aspects of the provision of telecommunication assistance, such as Termination of Assistance, Payment or Reimbursement of Costs or Fees, and establishment of a Telecommunications Assistance Inventory.

Article 9 can be considered as the core element of the Tampere Convention, as the Removal of Regulatory Barriers has been the primary aim of the work towards this treaty since 1990.

The remaining Articles, 10 to 17, contain the standard provisions concerning Convention's Relationship to Other International Agreements, Dispute Settlement, Entry into Force, Amendments, Reservations, Denunciation, and state that the Secretary-General of the United Nations is the depositary of the Convention and that the Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish texts of the Convention are equally authentic.