WSIS PRIZES 2017

ABOUT

WSIS PRIZES

WSIS Prizes is a unique international contest developed in response to requests from the WSIS stakeholders to create an effective mechanism to evaluate and recognize individuals, governments, civil society, local, regional and international agencies, research institutions and private-sector companies for outstanding success in implementing development oriented strategies that leverage the power of ICTs as an enabler of the development. The WSIS Prizes contest is an integral part of the WSIS stocktaking process; set up in 2004 to assist WSIS implementation and follow-up. The contest was held for the first time in 2012, and rapidly gained attention and popularity within the ICT for Development (ICT4D) community.

Building upon the outcomes of the United Nations General Assembly Overall Review on WSIS as well as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the WSIS Prizes 2016 reflect close linkages with achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The WSIS Prizes contest serves as the platform for identifying and showcasing the success stories across the WSIS Action Lines defined in the Geneva Plan of Action and SDGs. It also provides us with models that can be replicated in the interests of empowering the community at the local level, providing everyone with an opportunity to participate in the contest and, most importantly, recognizing the efforts made by stakeholders to contribute to the development of society and their commitment to achievement of both the WSIS goals and SDGs.

 

WSIS PRIZES 2017

Building upon the outcomes of the United Nations General Assembly Overall Review on WSIS (Res. A/70/125) as well as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Res. A/70/1), the WSIS Prizes, facilitated by ITU in coordination with all WSIS stakeholders, the WSIS Prizes 2017 contest, while continuing to highlight progress made towards achieving the WSIS goals, will also continue to reflect to which of the newly proposed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) the submitted projects are mostly linked to.

All stakeholders are urged to encourage their networks to join the WSIS Prizes process, including the multistakeholder open consultation process for the WSIS Forum 2017, in order to ensure that all features correspond to the real needs of the WSIS implementation process towards 2025. Phase one will open the call for submissions to the contest of the WSIS Prize 2017. Starting from 5 September 2016 until 1 March 2017, all stakeholders are invited to submit WSIS related projects to the WSIS Prize 2017 contest. In order to process the submission, stakeholders are requested to complete the submission form for WSIS Prize 2017 online here.

ICTs are enablers for sustainable development, and reporting on ICT success stories to best showcase the possible achievement of SDGs is the major objective of WSIS Stocktaking process, including WSIS Prizes, as already recognized and anticipated by the WSIS stakeholders community. The contest thus comprises 18 categories which are linked to the 11 WSIS Action Lines outlined in the Geneva Plan of Action and SDGs.

 

Call for Submissions

English عربي 中文 Español Français Русский

 

PHASES

Submission phase / 5 September 2016 – 1 March 2017
Deadline for last submission: 23:00 CEST.

Stakeholders are invited to submit WSIS related projects to the WSIS Prize 2017 contest.
Submit

Nomination phase / 2 March – 29 March 2017

Review of submitted projects by the Expert Group and announcement of projects nominated for voting phase.
Nominated Projects

Voting phase / 30 March – 30 April 2017
Deadline for casting last vote: 23:00 CEST.

Public Online Voting of Nominated Projects (identification of five projects per category with the highest number of votes).
Vote

Selection phase / 1 May – 8 May 2017

Selection of Winning Projects by the Expert Group.
Champion Projects

Prize Ceremony / WSIS Forum 2017 (12 June – 16 June 2017)

Public announcement of winners during WSIS Prize 2017 Ceremony at WSIS Forum 2017, and the release of the WSIS Stocktaking: Success Stories 2017 publication.
2017 Winners

CATEGORIES

The contest comprises 18 categories that are directly linked to the WSIS Action Lines outlined in the Geneva Plan of Action. While continuing to highlight progress made towards achieving the WSIS goals, the WSIS Prizes categories will reflect to which of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) the submitted projects are most closely linked.

Action Line C1

Category 1

Action Line C1

Action Line C2

Category 2

Action Line C2

Action Line C3

Category 3

Action Line C3

Action Line C4

Category 4

Action Line C4

Action Line C5

Category 5

Action Line C5

Action Line C6

Category 6

Action Line C6

Action Line C7: e-government

Category 7

Action Line C7: e-government

Action Line C7: e-business

Category 8

Action Line C7: e-business

Action Line C7: e-learning

Category 9

Action Line C7: e-learning

Action Line C7: e-health

Category 10

Action Line C7: e-health

Action Line C7: e-employment

Category 11

Action Line C7: e-employment

Action Line C7: e-environment

Category 12

Action Line C7: e-environment

Action Line C7: e-agriculture

Category 13

Action Line C7: e-agriculture

Action Line C7: e-science

Category 14

Action Line C7: e-science

Action Line C8

Category 15

Action Line C8

Action Line C9

Category 16

Action Line C9

Action Line C10

Category 17

Action Line C10

Action Line C11

Category 18

Action Line C11

Goal 1: No Poverty

Sustainable Development Goal 1

No Poverty

Goal 2: Zero Hunger

Sustainable Development Goal 2

Zero Hunger

Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being

Sustainable Development Goal 3

Good Health and Well-Being

Goal 4 Quality Education

Sustainable Development Goal 4

Quality Education

Goal 5 Gender Equality

Sustainable Development Goal 5

Gender Equality

Goal 6 Clean Water and Sanitation

Sustainable Development Goal 6

Clean Water and Sanitation

Goal 7 Affordable and Clean Energy

Sustainable Development Goal 7

Affordable and Clean Energy

Goal 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth

Sustainable Development Goal 8

Decent Work and Economic Growth

Goal 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Sustainable Development Goal 9

Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Goal 10 Reduced Inequalities

Sustainable Development Goal 10

Reduced Inequalities

Goal 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

Sustainable Development Goal 11

Sustainable Cities and Communities

Goal 12 Responsible Consumption and Production

Sustainable Development Goal 12

Responsible Consumption and Production

Goal 13 Climate Action

Sustainable Development Goal 13

Climate Action

Goal 14 Life Below Water

Sustainable Development Goal 14

Life Below Water

Goal 15 Life On Land

Sustainable Development Goal 15

Life On Land

Goal 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Sustainable Development Goal 16

Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Goal 17 Partnerships for the Goals

Sustainable Development Goal 17

Partnerships for the Goals

WSIS PRIZES 2016

Facilitated by ITU in coordination with all WSIS stakeholders, the WSIS Prizes 2016 contest provided a platform to identify and showcase success stories across the WSIS Action Lines defined in the Geneva Plan of Action and Sustainable Development Goals. For the fifth year in a row, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) recognized outstanding success stories from around the world for their part in building an inclusive information society. It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to award the WSIS Prize 2016 winners and champions’ dedication and commitment in the implementation of the WSIS Outcomes, while honouring the outstanding projects from the international WSIS community.

More than 400 ICT success stories were submitted for the 2016 edition of the prize. Out of 311 nominated projects, 179 projects came from the government sector, 41 from the business sector, 31 from civil society, 14 from international organizations, and 46 from academia and other entities. The eighteen winners of WSIS Prizes were presented with an award at the WSIS Forum 2016, held from 2 to 6 May 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland. Detailed descriptions of winning projects are available at the WSIS Prizes 2016 website

An innovation in 2016 WSIS Prizes contest was an introduction of the WSIS Prize Champions category, which recognizes those contenders having emerged from the online voting phase with more than 245.000 votes from the WSIS community. Their projects were among those having received the highest number of votes and having gained the best reviews by the members of the Expert Group.

The winners of the WSIS Awards along with the champions form a key part of our global and grassroots community engaged in online and community advocacy. Our common objective is to inspire and advance sustainable development through the effective use of ICTs.

 

6

YEARS RUNNING

1200

PROJECTS SUBMITTED

1.65M

VOTES CAST

SUBMIT

SUBMISSION PHASE

Phase I: Submission phase—5 September 2016 – 1 March 2017

Phase I will open the call for submissions to the contest of the WSIS Prizes 2017. During the period from 5 September 2016 until 1 March 2017, all stakeholders are invited to submit WSIS related projects to the contest for WSIS Prizes 2017. In order to process the submission, stakeholders are requested to complete the submission form for WSIS Prizes 2016 online that contains two parts:

  • Part one: executive summary (100 words)
  • Part two: project information (1500-2000 words and 1 photo)

Submit

The contest is open to all stakeholders, entities representing governments, private sector, international and regional institutions, civil society and academia. Each entity is allowed to submit one project per category. Stakeholders are invited to consult the rules for project submission and nomination criteria below prior to submitting a project.

RULES AND GUIDELINES

Rules and guidelines for submission phase

  1. All projects must be submitted through the online questionnaire.
  2. For each project submission only one category should be selected, out of 18 categories.
  3. Each entity could submit one project per each category
  4. The same project may not be submitted twice.
  5. All details requested in the questionnaire should be completed strictly respecting the type of stakeholder and the structure of the submission template. The incomplete submissions will not be accepted. Minimum number of words requested should be respected (executive summary 100 words and project information 1500-2000 words/ Word Format).
  6. The project will be counted for the competition if the project description presents one activity and not a list of activities.
  7. All projects submitted to this competition should cover work that is completed or at the end of a major phase in order to provide evidence of results and impact on society.
  8. The project submission deadline should be strictly respected. Late submissions will not be accepted.
  9. Projects should be submitted in English only.
  10. Winning projects of previous WSIS Prizes contests are not eligible to participate in the contest.

Nomination criteria

  1. The submission should be complied with rules for project submission. The requested information in the template should respond to all questions and provide detailed information on the goals, timeframe, project's added value and importance, results and challenges. Minimum number of words requested should be respected (executive summary 100 words and project information 1500-2000 words).
  2. It should highlight the relevance of the project to the respective WSIS Action Line as referenced in the Geneva Plan of Action.
  3. The project description should clearly demonstrate the following:
    • the results achieved and impact generated
    • community empowerment
    • relevance to SDGs
    • ability of the model to be replicated
    • sustainability of project
    • partnerships development
    • promotion of WSIS values in the Society

Rules and guidelines for voting phase

  1. The first five most voted projects are selected based on the appreciation/voting of projects by WSIS stakeholders representing WSIS online network. The stakeholders are invited to appreciate/vote for projects in all 18 categories.
  2. Only registered members of the WSIS Stocktaking Platform (STK) with requested complete information may vote for/appreciate a project. The information should contain organization details: name, type, country and user details: username and e-mail
  3. Entities are not allowed to vote for/appreciate their own project
  4. Votes/appreciations of all STK members are weighted equally
  5. Each STK member may only vote for/appreciate one project in each category
  6. Stakeholders should complete the voting process by voting in each category (in total 18)
  7. WSIS Stocktaking reserves the right to use the entity (organization) details submitted by stakeholders

SUBMISSION FORM

NOMINATIONS

NOMINATION PHASE

Phase II: Nomination phase—2 March – 29 March 2017

During Phase II, an Expert Group revised the projects referring to the rules for project submission and nomination criteria. The outcome of the Expert Group's work was a list of nominated projects listed below. The Expert Group consisted of professionals working on the implementation of WSIS outcomes. The decisions of the Expert Group are final and without appeal.

Nominated Projects

All nominated projects will also be part of the WSIS Stocktaking Report 2017.

RULES AND GUIDELINES

Rules and guidelines for submission phase

  1. All projects must be submitted through the online questionnaire.
  2. For each project submission only one category should be selected, out of 18 categories.
  3. Each entity could submit one project per each category
  4. The same project may not be submitted twice.
  5. All details requested in the questionnaire should be completed strictly respecting the type of stakeholder and the structure of the submission template. The incomplete submissions will not be accepted. Minimum number of words requested should be respected (executive summary 100 words and project information 1500-2000 words/ Word Format).
  6. The project will be counted for the competition if the project description presents one activity and not a list of activities.
  7. All projects submitted to this competition should cover work that is completed or at the end of a major phase in order to provide evidence of results and impact on society.
  8. The project submission deadline should be strictly respected. Late submissions will not be accepted.
  9. Projects should be submitted in English only.
  10. Winning projects of previous WSIS Prizes contests are not eligible to participate in the contest.

Nomination criteria

  1. The submission should be complied with rules for project submission. The requested information in the template should respond to all questions and provide detailed information on the goals, timeframe, project's added value and importance, results and challenges. Minimum number of words requested should be respected (executive summary 100 words and project information 1500-2000 words).
  2. It should highlight the relevance of the project to the respective WSIS Action Line as referenced in the Geneva Plan of Action.
  3. The project description should clearly demonstrate the following:
    • the results achieved and impact generated
    • community empowerment
    • relevance to SDGs
    • ability of the model to be replicated
    • sustainability of project
    • partnerships development
    • promotion of WSIS values in the Society

Rules and guidelines for voting phase

  1. The first five most voted projects are selected based on the appreciation/voting of projects by WSIS stakeholders representing WSIS online network. The stakeholders are invited to appreciate/vote for projects in all 18 categories.
  2. Only registered members of the WSIS Stocktaking Platform (STK) with requested complete information may vote for/appreciate a project. The information should contain organization details: name, type, country and user details: username and e-mail
  3. Entities are not allowed to vote for/appreciate their own project
  4. Votes/appreciations of all STK members are weighted equally
  5. Each STK member may only vote for/appreciate one project in each category
  6. Stakeholders should complete the voting process by voting in each category (in total 18)
  7. WSIS Stocktaking reserves the right to use the entity (organization) details submitted by stakeholders

NOMINATED PROJECTS

Category 1

Category 2

Category 3

Category 4

Category 5

Category 6

Category 7

Category 8

Category 9

Category 10

Category 11

Category 12

Category 13

Category 15

Category 16

Category 17

Category 18


VOTE

VOTING PHASE

Phase III: Voting phase—30 March – 30 April 2017

Phase III provides an online mechanism for all WSIS stakeholders to participate in the contest of WSIS Prizes 2017. The list of nominated projects is available here. The WSIS multi-stakeholder community is invited to participate and cast its vote for one project in each of 18 categories. To begin voting, click the button below.

Vote

The deadline for completing votes is 30 April 2017 (23:00 Geneva time). The first five most voted projects will be selected based on the appreciation/voting for project descriptions by WSIS stakeholders representing WSIS online network. The rules for voting should be strictly respected.

RULES AND GUIDELINES

Rules and guidelines for submission phase

  1. All projects must be submitted through the online questionnaire.
  2. For each project submission only one category should be selected, out of 18 categories.
  3. Each entity could submit one project per each category
  4. The same project may not be submitted twice.
  5. All details requested in the questionnaire should be completed strictly respecting the type of stakeholder and the structure of the submission template. The incomplete submissions will not be accepted. Minimum number of words requested should be respected (executive summary 100 words and project information 1500-2000 words/ Word Format).
  6. The project will be counted for the competition if the project description presents one activity and not a list of activities.
  7. All projects submitted to this competition should cover work that is completed or at the end of a major phase in order to provide evidence of results and impact on society.
  8. The project submission deadline should be strictly respected. Late submissions will not be accepted.
  9. Projects should be submitted in English only.
  10. Winning projects of previous WSIS Prizes contests are not eligible to participate in the contest.

Nomination criteria

  1. The submission should be complied with rules for project submission. The requested information in the template should respond to all questions and provide detailed information on the goals, timeframe, project's added value and importance, results and challenges. Minimum number of words requested should be respected (executive summary 100 words and project information 1500-2000 words).
  2. It should highlight the relevance of the project to the respective WSIS Action Line as referenced in the Geneva Plan of Action.
  3. The project description should clearly demonstrate the following:
    • the results achieved and impact generated
    • community empowerment
    • relevance to SDGs
    • ability of the model to be replicated
    • sustainability of project
    • partnerships development
    • promotion of WSIS values in the Society

Rules and guidelines for voting phase

  1. The first five most voted projects are selected based on the appreciation/voting of projects by WSIS stakeholders representing WSIS online network. The stakeholders are invited to appreciate/vote for projects in all 18 categories.
  2. Only registered members of the WSIS Stocktaking Platform (STK) with requested complete information may vote for/appreciate a project. The information should contain organization details: name, type, country and user details: username and e-mail
  3. Entities are not allowed to vote for/appreciate their own project
  4. Votes/appreciations of all STK members are weighted equally
  5. Each STK member may only vote for/appreciate one project in each category
  6. Stakeholders should complete the voting process by voting in each category (in total 18)
  7. WSIS Stocktaking reserves the right to use the entity (organization) details submitted by stakeholders

VOTING FORM

Voting Phase Complete

The voting phase is now complete. 1.1 million votes were cast in this year's WSIS Prizes contest. The list of WSIS Prizes 2017 Champions were announced on 8 May.


WSIS Prizes 2017 Champions were announced on 8 May at the conclusion of the Selection Phase.

WSIS Prizes 2017 Winners were announced on 13 June during the WSIS Prize Ceremony at WSIS Forum 2017.

CHAMPIONS

2017 CHAMPIONS

ITU announced 90 Champions of the prestigious WSIS Prizes contest while the 18 Winners, out of these 90 Champions, will be recognized at a ceremony at Geneva International Conference Centre on 13 June, as part of the annual WSIS Forum 2017 (12 - 16 June).

Champions

WSIS Prizes honor outstanding projects that leverage the power of information and communication technology (ICT) to accelerate socio-economic development. Besides the highlighted relevance of the project to the respective WSIS Action Line as referenced in the Geneva Plan of Action, the selection process was based on the project's impact on the community and linkages with the Sustainable Development.

345 ICT success stories from around the world were nominated for the Online Voting Phase (30 March – 30 April) following a comprehensive review by the Expert Group of 467 submitted projects submitted by the WSIS Stakeholder community. Based on the results of the intensive Online Voting Phase, which saw over 1.1 million votes cast by WSIS stakeholders, a selection of winning projects was made by the Expert Group.

The eighteen winners will go on to win WSIS Prizes 2017 and will be presented with an award at the WSIS Prizes ceremony during the WSIS Forum 2017, 12-16 June 2017 in Geneva, Switzerland. At the same occasion, 72 WSIS Prize 2017 Champions (first four runner-up projects in each category) will be recognized during the special ceremony dedicated to their success and will receive special certificates of achievement.

Out of 345 nominated projects, based on regional distribution, there are:

  • 42 projects are from the Africa region

  • 45 projects from the Americas region

  • 66 projects are from the Arab region

  • 104 projects from the Asia and Pacific region

  • 41 projects from the CIS region

  • 42 projects from the Europe region

  • 5 nominated projects come from international organizations

Out of 345 nominated projects, based on entity distribution, there are:

  • 143 from the government sector

  • 77 from business sector

  • 56 from civil society

  • 22 from international organizations

  • 47 from other entities

CHAMPION PROJECTS

Category 1

Category 2

Category 3

Category 4

Category 5

Category 6

Category 7

Category 8

Category 9

Category 11

Category 12

Category 13

Category 14

Category 15

Category 16

Category 17

Category 18

WINNERS

WSIS PRIZES 2017 WINNERS

  1. Action Line C1 The role of government and all stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for development:

    AQDAR’s E-SAFE SCHOOL ONLINE SAFETY

    Khalifa Empowerment Program for Students, United Arab Emirates

  2. Action Line C2 Information and communication infrastructure:

    South-to-North Water Diversion ( Eastern route ) communication optical cable project for water resources dispatch and management system

    China Communications Technology Co., Ltd., people´s republic of china

  3. Action Line C3 Access to information and knowledge:

    DAISY-standard Accessible Reading Materials for Students with Visual and Print Disabilities

    Access to Information (a2i) Programme, Prime Minister's Office, People's Republic of Bangladesh

  4. Action Line C4 Capacity building:

    Punto México Conectado Program

    Ministry of Communications and Transportation, Mexico

  5. Action Line C5 Building confidence & security in the use of ICTs:

    Multimedia distance-learning course on the safe use of Internet resources

    A.S. Popov Odessa National Academy of Telecommunications, Ukraine

  6. Action Line C6 Enabling environment:

    Egypt’s National Program for ICT Accessibility in Education for Persons with Disabilities

    Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Arab Republic of Egypt

  7. Action Line C7 E-government:

    Rendering of state and municipal services in electronic format

    Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation

  8. Action Line C7 E-business:

    National Trade Platform

    Singapore Customs, Republic of singapore

  9. Action Line C7 E-learning:

    E-Learning and Virtual Classroom System

    Kuwait University, state of kuwait

  10. Action Line C7 E-health:

    Informed: an innovating, socializing project at the service of Cuban public health

    National Information Center for the Medical Sciences, Cuba

  11. Action Line C7 E-employment:

    Social Network for Health Promoting Hospital

    Advanced Info Services., Thailand

  12. Action Line C7 E-environment:

    Greenmap Belarus

    Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus, republic of belarus

  13. Action Line C7 E-agriculture:

    Electronic Application System

    Rural Support Service, republic of latvia

  14. Action Line C7 E-science:

    Communication Technology and Networking for Development

    World Science Project, Ghana

  15. Action Line C8 Cultural diversity & identity, linguistic diversity:

    Turkcell "Hello Hope” Mobile App for Integration of Syrian Refugees

    Turkcell, Turkey

  16. Action Line C9 Media:

    Agribusiness TV

    MEDIAPROD, Burkina Faso

  17. Action Line C10 Ethical dimensions of the Information Society:

    Internet Sehat (Internet Healthy) Towards Indonesian Information Society

    ICT Watch - Indonesia, republic of indonesia

  18. Action Line C11 International & regional cooperation:

    African School on Internet Governance

    Association for Progressive Communications, republic of south africa


INTERVIEWS

STORIES

E-employment Collaboration

Ministry of Manpower

WSIS Prizes 2015

The Sultanate of Oman has actively participated in the WSIS Summits in 2003 Geneva and 2005 in Tunis and was also a donor for Tunis Summit. The Sultanate is committed to work towards achieving the WSIS goals, and to drive the information society initiatives in all walks of life; bridging the digital divide through capacity building in order to develop Oman knowledge society. In addition, the e.Oman strategy pillars are aligned with WSIS action lines. Since the inception of the WSIS projects prizes, Oman was actively participating in this prestigious information society award. The WSIS project prizes is an excellent platform to share Oman experience with the rest of the world.

In 2015, the Ministry of Manpower, Oman chose to highlight the ground-breaking implementation of the e-Employment Collaboration system, which targets and caters to:

  1. Omanis nationals by empowering them to seek gainful and satisfying employment opportunities, at the ease of their own pace and place.
  2. Foreign skilled and un-skilled manpower by empowering them to online access their contracts and payment details.
  3. Private sector companies and businesses, by enabling them to apply, submit and track clearances for work permits electronically, and update employee details on centralized government system.
  4. Sanad Centres to directly cater with the job seekers, employees and employers to provide e-Employment services.
  5. Other Ministries and Government agencies to actively collaborate in achieving the national objectives.

The project has shown significant impact, specifically by reducing the number of visits a sponsor or a job seeker has to make to the Ministry office. The system has registered 209,951 Omani workers in the private sector, with 4,203 applications registered through mobile app, 21,800 through the Ministry Portal, and finally 8,877 directly over the Ministry counter. The system also has registered 1,618,290 foreign workers in private sector, 152,570 registered private sector businesses, integrating 18 commercial local banks and several government entities.

Winning the WSIS Prizes Contest in 2015 represents unique recognition of the Ministry of Manpower for excellence in the implementation of WSIS outcomes, linked to the WSIS Action Lines outlined in the Geneva Plan of Action. The resounding media coverage of the prestigious honor not only shone the spotlight on the Ministry’s efforts throughout the nation, but also inspired other Ministries and Government agencies to follow suit and enhance their own IT/ICT capabilities for the betterment of the society and the nation.

We believe that the WSIS stocktaking process and its Prizes contest is truly its flagship component, as it provides a unique and global platform to benchmark national capabilities, and on the other side provides a wonderful and rich experience for the participating countries and the agencies to be recognized amongst their peers.

Learn More 

Tele-education in 1000 rural Government Schools

Indian Institute of Management Bangalore

WSIS Prizes 2015

Winning the WSIS Prize was a fulfilling experience as it brought about a brief flashback of all those challenges we surmounted to make it happen. This was immediately followed by an invigoration to prod on and discover new horizons. Providing Education is a universal concern. However, access to quality education in remote geographical areas has been a universal challenge. ICT has helped address this challenge. We are not alone in trusting ICT to deliver; there are several forays around the globe. Winning the WSIS Prize would affirm this belief and act as a reinforcement to decision makers. These were our thoughts when we submitted our project.

Education empowers individuals to lead the communities they live in. Significantly, providing quality education will help acquire required livelihood skills and build knowledge society. This is particularly important in developing countries where remote areas have high proportions of weaker sections of the society. The major goal our project attempts to reach people in remote areas. Preliminary analysis shows that there is significant improvement in performance of students particularly those belonging to weaker sections.

Our initial focus was on providing education through ICT in 1,000 Government-run schools where weaker sections dominate. The same is likely to be raised to 2,000 schools. The number of beneficiaries will also double from about 186,000 to an estimated 350,000+ students. There are also request from other states.

Today, when we mention that we have won the WSIS Prize people want to know more about what we do. It helps build credibility of the project and reaching out various stakeholders. This Prize may also have encouraged the Government to add another 1,000 schools under the ICT project.

ICT is essential for providing quality education that is really inclusive and equitable as it enables transcending of socio-economic barriers and taking Education where it is required most. Hence we see a definite connect between the Sustainable Development Goals and our ICT project.

To conclude, we believe that the WSIS Stocktaking process makes available valuable information to interested parties, fostering further interaction and development on the global scale. While the WSIS Prize bestows recognition for achievement, it also signifies a responsibility to continue sharing and cause the global community of innovators and change agents to flourish. In doing so, the Prizes form the flagship component of the stocktaking process.

Learn More 

Fight Violence Against Women — FightVAW

YoungInnovations

WSIS Prizes 2015

WSIS recognizes and evaluates important projects from around the world that have implemented WSIS Outcomes, and have contributed significantly to addressing community needs. Our project, Fight Violence Against Women (FightVAW), within the e-employment ICT applications category of WSIS Prizes, relates to WSIS Action Lines. WSIS Prizes 2015 was an interesting platform which introduced us to international projects that have contributed to community development. It was equally exciting to share our story.

FightVAW is an ICT based initiative that promotes greater awareness and changes in social norms that lead to Gender Based Violence (GBV), improves the quality and reach of support services for GBV victims, and strengthens the capacity of support services providers in Nepal. It resonates strongly to current demands of Nepal, especially post April 2015 earthquake where the situation of women and girls have become even more vulnerable.

We have been able to engage multiple national and international stakeholders who worked towards attaining MDG of ending gender disparity and promoting equality. Sustainable plans to mainstream the project at national level have paved paths for replicable projects even at international levels.

After WSIS awards, FightVAW gained national recognition with more stakeholders curious about the project implementation and impact. We managed to increase partnerships with new organizations to assist mainstreaming of project at national level.

FightVAW relates directly to the Sustainable Development Goals set for 2030. It works actively in attaining the Goal 5 - Achieve gender equality and empower girls and women. Among the targets, there are two that FightVAW addresses directly, eliminating violence against women and girls and making use of technology, especially information and communication, to empower women. FightVAW, hence, is actively incorporating the SDG targets to contribute significantly to attaining them.

WSIS Prizes’ role is important in evaluating projects and understanding their contribution in community development. It is an indicator to assessing the progress made towards SDGs, as it brings together multiple international projects that are contributing directly towards it. In coming years, we hope to see WSIS expand its area incorporating significantly high number of projects within its realm for better recognition of projects and eventual social development.

Learn More 

PlacesToGo

The Academy Of Public Administration under the Aegis of the President of the Republic of Belarus

WSIS Prizes 2016

PlacesToGo was a 2016 WSIS Prize Champion for Action Line C8: Cultural diversity and identity, linguistic diversity and local content.

In 2014, 137,000 international tourists arrived in Belarus to enjoy our diverse national culture, and with so much to see and do we developed PlacesToGo, a student-led project designed to attract tourists to the unusual and peaceful places of Belarus.

PlacesToGo efficiently utilizes technology to promote tourist sites within the region. A regional leader in information and communication technologies (ICTs), Belarus was ranked at number 36 in ITU’s global ICT Development Index in 2015, climbing 14 places since the previous year. Yet, only 52% of the population has Internet access.

Through PlacesToGo, the Academy of Public Administration under the aegis of the President of the Republic of Belarus aims to:

  1. Broaden its project visibility to improve SDG literacy.
  2. Establish a tri-level network between government, business and academia.
  3. Increase high-skilled specialists' education and training.
Learn More 

1.1M

VOTES CAST

18

PRIZE WINNERS

90

CHAMPIONS

CONNECT

World Summit on the Information Society
Executive Secretariat


International Telecommunication Union, Place des Nations, 1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland


+41 22 730 5111


+41 22 730 6453


wsis-prizes@itu.int


wsis-info@itu.int


www.wsis.org