In 2016, World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD-2016) focused on the theme: "ICT entrepreneurship for social impact", in accordance with Resolution 68 and as endorsed by ITU Council 2015.
ICT entrepreneurs and start-ups and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have a particularly relevant role in ensuring economic growth in a sustainable and inclusive manner. They are involved in the development of innovative ICT-enabled solutions with a unique potential to make a long-lasting impact in global, regional and national economies and as an important source of new jobs, especially for youth, in the current knowledge economy.
The theme for WTISD-16 is in line with ITU's work in unlocking the potential of ICTs for young innovators and entrepreneurs, innovative SMEs, start-ups, and technology hubs as drivers of innovative and practical solutions for catalyzing progress in achieving international sustainable development goals, with a focus on SMEs from developing countries.
World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)The WSIS Forum 2016 was held from the 2-6 May 2016 at the ITU headquarters in Geneva and attracted more than 1,800 WSIS Stakeholders from more than 150 countries. Several high-level representatives of the wider WSIS stakeholder community attended the Forum with more than 85 ministers and deputies, several ambassadors, CEOs and civil society leaders contributing passionately towards the Forum's programme. The highlight of the Forum was the Prime Minister of Tonga, who graced the event with his presence. On-site attendance and remote participation increased tremendously during the WSIS Forum 2016.
The WSIS Forum was co-organized by ITU, UNESCO, UNDP, and UNCTAD, in close collaboration with all WSIS Action Line Facilitators/Co-Facilitators (UNDESA, FAO, UNEP, WHO, UN Women, WIPO, WFP, ILO, WMO, UN, ITC, UPU, UNODC, UNICEF and UN Regional Commissions).
The Chairman of the WSIS Forum 2016, Mr Daniel Sepulveda (USA), played a key role in providing high-level guidance for the Forum and its outcomes. At the High-Level Policy Sessions of the High-level Track (HLT), which took place on 3-4 May, high-ranking officials of the WSIS Stakeholder community participated in these moderated policy sessions. They were divided into 16 sessions covering 14 themes, which were based on the Geneva Plan of Action with particular focus on the WSIS Action Lines. The HLT was moderated by facilitators who were nominated by different stakeholder types to represent their respective communities. Building on the open consultation process, more than 150 sessions were held during the WSIS Forum 2016. The overall theme of the Forum was "WSIS Action Lines: Supporting the Implementation of SDGs". An exhibition space provided the perfect atmosphere to network, learn, and share, and the commitment and dedication of the WSIS stakeholders was evident from the outcomes submitted by the session organizers.
The outcomes were presented on the last day of the Forum and were submitted to the Commission on Science and Technology (CSTD), the UN General Assembly, and ITU Council. Some of the key outcomes are:
WSIS Forum 2016: Outcome Document;
WSIS Forum 2016: High Level Track Outcomes and Executive Brief;
WSIS Action Lines Supporting Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (2016);
WSIS Forum 2016 and SDG Matrix;
WSIS Stocktaking Report 2016; and
WSIS Stocktaking Success Stories 2016.
All relevant documentation and the agenda for the next meeting are updated constantly and are available at
www.wsis.org/forum. The WSIS-SDG Matrix is available at
www.wsis.org/sdg.
ITU TELECOMAs the global platform for accelerating ICT innovation for social good, ITU Telecom World 2016 brought together governments, corporates and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from emerging and developed markets around the world. Focusing on the importance of collaboration across the ICT ecosystem to grow the digital economy, and the vital role of SMEs, the event contributed to objective 1.1 in a number of ways.
The event welcomed participants at the highest level including Heads of State, Prime Ministers, Ministers, Regulators, leading representatives of international organizations and UN agencies, and C-level executives from the Host Country and the global ICT industry, including SMEs. The international Exhibition at ITU Telecom World 2016 featured 250 exhibitors from 37 countries demonstrating innovation, talent and investment opportunities including National Pavilions, world famous tech-brands and SMEs.
Under the theme "Collaborating in the Digital Economy," the Leadership Summit & Forum convened influential stakeholders from across the ICT industry and governments, to discuss topics such as how to best reach the digitally disenfranchised, tackling cybersecurity or questioning the integrity of data. Forum discussions explored key technologies such as 5G, or AI and key areas such as digital financial inclusion, accelerating growth or opening new markets. Other forum highlights included B2G and B2B dialogues and a Ministerial Roundtable.
This event was a platform for ITU, its membership and partners, all of whom were heavily involved throughout the event, from helping develop and curate the Leadership Summit and Forum programme, to the ITU-T Standards for Global ICTs Thematic Pavilion, and a series of important co-hosted events, enabling debate on important global issues.
ITU Telecom World 2016 also acted as a global platform, enabling a significant number of important agreements between to be concluded. Targeted networking opportunities throughout also helped enhance international dialogue and increase collaboration among stakeholders. The ITU Telecom World Awards programme recognized excellence and innovation in ICT solutions with social impact.
ITU Telecom World 2017 will take place from 25-28 September 2017, in Busan, Republic of Korea, and will focus on smart digital transformation.
A full report on ITU Telecom World events is available in document
C17/19.
Broadband Commission for Sustainable DevelopmentThe Broadband Commission met three times in 2016, meetings comprised: a Special Session of the Commission at Davos in January; a meeting hosted in conjunction with the Global Education & Skills Forum (GESF) by the Sunny Varkey Foundation in Dubai, UAE, in March; and the Commission's annual meeting in New York in September, ahead of UN GA week.
In 2016, the Commission published a number of reports, including its
annual State of Broadband 2016 report, which is now widely referenced; the
report by the Working Group on Demand; and the report of the Working Group on Health for publication at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2016. ITU prepared an estimate of the investment needed to connect the next 1.5 billion people by 2020 to achieve the Connect 2020 goals (USD 450 billion dollars), which was published at the Commission's Special Session in Davos and is available from the Commission's website:
www.broadbandcommission.org/Documents/publications/davos-discussion-paper-jan2016.pdf. The Commission continues to engage in a number of outreach activities, and has a social media presence.
