Zhao Houlin was elected secretary-general of the United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on Thursday, the first Chinese to hold the position in its 150-year history.

ITU is the United Nations agency commissioned to address issues concerning information and communication technologies. 

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Zhao won the confidence of 152 ITU member countries who attended the 19th ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Busan, South Korea, taking the reign from incumbent Secretary General Hamadoun Toure. His appointment was short of only four present votes. 

Zhao will assume office in January and will serve the organization for the next four years.

In his acceptance speech, Zhao assured an audience of member states, ICT regulators, academic institutions and private companies that he will do his best to "fulfill the ITU's mission" and "through close cooperation, ensure the ITU delivers excellent services".

His first task, divulged in an interview published at ITU's website, is to round up a management team that will "establish a common vision and action plan to lead the Union", based on PP-14's approved strategic and financial plans.

He is campaigning to empower startups in the "remotest corners of the world" and provide educational opportunities for young people.

The newly-elected secretary-general is the third Chinese to be elected to a key UN post. The other two are Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Li Yong, Industrial Development Organization director-general.

Zhao, 64,  graduated from Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications and received a Master's degree in telematics from the University of Essex in the United Kingdom.

He has 30 years of experience as a telecoms engineer under his belt. Prior to his role as deputy secretary general, he served as director of ITU's Telecommunication Standardization Bureau from 1999 to 2006. He became deputy secretary-general and was re-elected to another four-year term in 2010.

Membership in the ITU includes 193 member-states, 700 information and communications companies, telecommunications experts and academic universities.

Elections have begun for Zhao's successor, with candidates from Canada, Mauritania, Nigeria, Poland and the United Kingdom. Once a new deputy secretary general is announced, deliberation of new officials will begin for the TSB, the Radio Communication Bureau and the Telecommunication Development Bureau.

TagsZhao Houlin, ITU