UNGIS

9 July 2021, 08:00-09:00 New York time (UTC-4) / 14:00-15:00 CEST (UTC+2)
A side event organised by the United Nations Group on the Information Society (UNGIS)/WSIS/Russian Federation

Throughout more than 15 years of multi-stakeholder engagement through the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have rapidly transformed societies and economies, with potential to address the most complex and interconnected development challenges and to build a sustainable future for all as envisioned in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. More needs to be done to leverage the development potential of digital technologies. 

The WSIS process remains the leading global and multistakeholder platform to engage ICTs as a critical driver of sustainable development. This side event is organized by the UN Group on the Information Society (UNGIS), established by the UN Chief Executives Board in 2005 as the first and primary digital cooperation model of the UN system to promote digital cooperation. 

As one of the Group’s contributions to the HLPF process, this session, organised by the UNGIS co-vice chairs, will focus on how ICTs and the WSIS Action Lines can help accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), learning from the COVID-19 experience to build more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable societies and economies and to strengthen partnerships and digital cooperation towards achieving the goals and targets across the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In addition, all WSIS Stakeholders will have the opportunity to share their efforts, experiences, and contributions to the WSIS Process.

Since its inception, UNGIS has played an important role in the WSIS process, including forging collaboration and partnerships among UN Chief Executives Board (CEB) members to achieve WSIS objectives. Drawing on the respective competencies of the different members of the Group, UNGIS is working collectively to implement more coordinated actions, greater coherence, and effectiveness in the UN’s overall support to the implementation of the WSIS outcomes. UNGIS is committed to maintaining ICT and science and technology issues at the top of the UN agenda, and to advocating for the implementation of ICT for development solutions in the programmes of CEB members. 

The WSIS process is built on the framework of the 11 WSIS Action Lines that cover all aspects of ICTs for development. Since 2015, the WSIS process and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development are being aligned by stakeholders to integrate ICTs into their approaches in implementing the activities/initiatives to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

This session will focus on how the ICTs and the WSIS Action Lines can help accelerate the SDGs learning from the COVID-19 experience to build inclusive, resilient, and sustainable societies and economies. It is important to strengthen partnerships and digital cooperation towards achieving goals and targets across the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Recording

Speakers

• Mr Tawfik Jelassi, Assistant Director General for Communication and Information, UNESCO (Chair of UNGIS)
• Mr. Malcolm Johnson, Deputy Secretary-General, ITU (Vice Chair of UNGIS)
• Ms Isabelle Durant, Acting Secretary-General, UNCTAD (Vice Chair of UNGIS)
• Mr Haoliang Xu, Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator and Director of the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (RBPPS), UNDP (Vice Chair of UNGIS)
• Dr Roman Chukov, Representative of Russia to the MAG IGF, Chair of the Council, Center for Global IT-Cooperation
• Dr Ian Philp MD CBE, Visiting Professor, University of Suffolk and Founder, Age Care Technologies, (Winner of WSIS Healthy Ageing Innovation Prize – Age Care Technologies, United Kingdom)
• Ms. Diana Wilson, CEO, Yielding Accomplished African Women (Winner of WSIS Prizes 2021 – Action Line C7 E-learning)
• Ms Joanna Ruan, Vice-President, GIMUN, Switzerland/China (WSIS Youth Campaigner)
• Mr Dusan Stojkovic, Product Marketing Specialist, Mindvalley, Serbia/Malaysia (WSIS Youth Campaigner) 

Moderator

• Ms Gitanjali Sah, Strategy and Policy Coordinator, ITU