The flexibility of the Convention as the organizing instrument of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), has allowed evolutionary changes in the composition of the organization (originally established in 1865) and has enabled it to modify its agenda so as to integrate the new demands of the Third World constituency for development assistance. This successful adjustment to the contemporary geopolitical environment is a move from the organization's past concerns of technical coordination matters to policy planning and technical assistance to the Third World. The Plenipotentiary Conference, a political event in which the representatives of member countries attempt to secure changes in the ITU's structure and functions, was an important factor in the move towards the development of a policy that has fostered the improvement of telecommunication equipment for developing countries. The more rigid institutional framework of a Charter, such as that of the United Nations, would not have allowed for the continuous process of adjustment to the changing political and technological environment that has made it possible for developing nations to increase their voice in world affairs. (Thirty-one notes are included, and two references are appended.) (MS)