WSIS Forum welcomes largest-ever gathering of
‘ICT for development’ community
Over 1,700 international delegates gather in Geneva ahead of launch of
WSIS+10 Overall Review in New York on 1 June
Geneva, 25 May 2015 – Ten years after the
UN World Summit on
the Information Society (WSIS), participants from government, civil
society, the private sector and international organizations are meeting in
Geneva to identify emerging trends, fresh priorities and innovations for
advancing the ‘ICT for development’ agenda, while strengthening the impact of
ICTs as an enabler of sustainable development.
Hosted by ITU together with co-organizers UNESCO, UNCTAD and UNDP in close
collaboration with the UN and sister agencies including WIPO, UNDESA, FAO, UNEP,
WHO, ILO, WMO, ITC, UPU, UN Women, WFP, UNODC and the UN Regional Commission,
the WSIS Forum 2015 event (25-29 May) is the world’s largest annual gathering
of the ‘ICT4D’ community.
The WSIS Forum is the unique global platform for multi-stakeholder
coordination of implementation of WSIS-related activities, projects, and
initiatives. It aims to define strategies and tactics to help countries and
organizations more effectively harness the power of ICTs to meet new Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs).
This year’s Forum is a diverse and dynamic platform built on two tracks: a
High-Level Track, including diplomatic-level policy statements, a WSIS prize
ceremony recognizing grassroots innovations in the field of ICTs for social
good, and a Ministerial Round Table; and a Forum Track consisting of High-Level
Dialogues, Action-Line Meetings, Country- and Thematic Workshops, and Knowledge
Exchanges, as well as an exhibition in the ground floor area of the ITU
Montbrillant building.
Key topics on the
agenda include innovation, accessibility, gender
empowerment and mainstreaming (Beijing+20), sustainable development (‘Post-2015
Agenda’), cybersecurity, and WSIS beyond 2015 (WSIS+10).
Over 1,700 representatives from around 140 countries, including over 120
government ministers, ambassadors and heads of agencies, are expected to attend
the week-long event, which consists of some 140 different sessions.
Guest speakers at the High-Level Segment, which will take place on the
morning of Tuesday 26 May, include:
- Ban Ki-Moon, UN Secretary-General (video message)
- Houlin Zhao, Secretary-General, ITU
- Visionary Speech: Majed El Mesmar, Deputy Director General,
Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, UAE (Strategic Partner,
Platinum)
- Francis Gurry, Director General, WIPO
- Getachew Engida, Deputy Director General, UNESCO
- Mukisha Kituyi, Secretary-General, UNCTAD
- Neil Buhne, Director, UNDP Office in Geneva
- Philipp Metzger, Director General, OFCOM, Switzerland (Host
of the First Phase of WSIS in 2003)
- Noaman Fehri, Minister of Communication Technologies and
Digital Economy, Tunisia (Host of the Second Phase of WSIS in
2005)
- Thomas Luhaka Losenjola, Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of
Posts, Telecommunications and NTIC, Democratic Republic of Congo
(Strategic Partner, Gold)
- John E. Davies, Vice President, World Ahead Program, Intel
Corporation (Strategic Partner, Gold)
- Cyril Ritchie, President Conference of Non-Governmental
Organizations (CoNGO)
- Joseph Alhadeff, Chairman International Chamber of Commerce
Commission on the Digital Economy (ICC)
The High-Level Segment will be chaired by Magdalena Gaj, President of the
Office of the Electronic Communications, Republic of Poland. A full list of
speakers is available
here.
The High-Level Segment of the event on Tuesday morning will also feature the
awarding of 18 WSIS Project Prizes to organizations which have demonstrated
outstanding results in implementing projects and strategies to meet the WSIS
targets and promote digital inclusion. A full list of awardees and descriptions
of their projects is available here.
Some 140 policy statements will be presented on Days Two and Three of the
five-day event – an extremely important component of this year’s event in the
context of the WSIS+10 Overall Review, giving world leaders the opportunity to
emphasize their commitment to ensuring ICTs play a key role in driving
development and innovation at the community level.
This year’s event will also feature a Ministerial Round Table welcoming
Ministers from more than 60 countries. The session will provide a platform for
interactive debate on the trends, challenges and opportunities in the ICT
ecosystem, with the aim of strengthening the impact of ICTs on sustainable
development. It will also provide the opportunity for discussion on synergies
between WSIS and the Post-2015 Development Agenda. A WSIS-SDG Matrix, elaborated
by UN Agencies and coordinated by ITU, will be launched during the high-level
meeting of the UN Group on the Information Society (UNGIS). The matrix, with
will be continually updated, is currently the only reference tool for diplomats
working on designing the future of SDGs and WSIS beyond 2015. More information
on the WSIS-SDG Matrix is available here.
Unique opportunities to network and engage
WSIS Forum 2015 High-level Dialogues on Tuesday 26th, Wednesday 27th and
Thursday 28th will cover:
- Post 2015 Sustainable Development Goals & WSIS Action
Lines
- Making Empowerment a Reality: Accessibility for All
- Innovation in ICTs for Sustainable Development
- Building Trust in Cyberspace – Working Together
- Empowering Women to Innovate Through Technology
Full details of the timing and venue of these and all WSIS sessions is
available here.
Encompassing an increasingly popular exhibition component, the Forum Stream
offers delegates a diverse range of meetings and activities covering an
exceptionally broad span of ICT-related topics. Afternoon sessions each day will
also feature the release of new publications and briefings from participating
organizations.
The WSIS agenda is the result of a comprehensive open consultation process
involving all stakeholders. Spanning five phases, this year’s process welcomed
130 contributions from 50 countries.
Remote participation is an integral component of the event. Each session can
be joined remotely at:
www.itu.int/net4/wsis/forum/2015/About/RemoteParticipation.
Live and archived webcasts of key sessions can also be viewed at
www.itu.int/net4/wsis/forum/2015/Agenda/Webcast/Live.
This year’s WSIS Forum programme has been strengthened thanks to the
strategic partnership and contribution of the United Arab Emirates (platinum
partner), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (gold partner) and Intel
Corporation (gold partner). The Forum has also benefited from contributions by
partners including Japan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Switzerland, and Contributing
Partners Poland, Rwanda, ICANN, the Internet Society, and the International
Federation for Information Processing.
Photos of the event are available on Flickr:
http://bit.ly/1Lzv1kY
Watch video highlights and interviews with key participants
on ITU’s YouTube channel: http://bit.ly/1ITsMKV
Follow all the action and join the conversation at this year’s WSIS Forum on
Twitter at #WSIS.