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International Telecommunication Union
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First World Information Society Day focuses on
WSIS implementation
ITU World Information Society Award presented to President Wade
of Senegal and Professor Yunus of Bangladesh
Geneva, 9 May 2006 — The first
World Information Society Day will be commemorated on 17 May 2006 to mark the
inception of the International Telecommunication Union in 1865, over 140 years
ago.
On this important occasion, the first
ITU World Information Society Award
will be presented to two distinguished and eminent personalities whose
outstanding personal contributions have furthered the cause of building a more
inclusive and equitable Information Society and helped close the digital divide.
The inaugural ITU Award will be given to President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal and
Professor Muhammad Yunus, Managing Director of Grameen Bank, Bangladesh.
The award ceremony will begin at 11h00 on 17 May 2006 at the International
Conference Centre Geneva (CICG). There will be an opportunity after the ceremony
for the laureates to meet the press.
A cluster of related activities will take place over a
10-day period, 9-19 May. Geneva will be the venue for several significant steps
being taken towards implementation and follow-up action on the
recently-concluded World Summit on the Information Society. According to the
Tunis Agenda, ITU along with UNESCO and UNDP will take the lead to facilitate
implementation of the WSIS Plan of Action. As part of the observance of World
Information Society Day, moderators and facilitators of action lines, such as
UNCTAD, ILO and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs will meet to take the
process forward. A second round of informal consultations will also be held on
the setting up of the Internet Governance Forum as a follow up to the
recommendations of the Summit.
ITU World Information Society Award laureates
President Wade, recipient of the ITU World Information Society Award,
has earned worldwide acclaim for his vision and dedication in promoting the
digital solidarity agenda that led to the creation of the Digital Solidarity
Fund. Welcomed by the World Summit on the Information Society (Geneva 2003 —
Tunis 2005) as an innovative financial mechanism of a voluntary nature, it aims
at transforming the digital divide into digital opportunities for the developing
world. The Geneva-based Digital Solidarity Fund also aims to close other
divides, such as gender, that deny the benefits of development to the less
privileged and vulnerable. By harnessing local resources and looking at the
difficulties afflicting poor and remote communities, the Fund’s work is
complementary to that of major financial institutions and multilateral
development agencies, and is especially critical in reaching the last mile in
ICT access.
The ITU Award also goes to another legendary figure, Professor Muhammad Yunus,
Managing Director of Grameen Bank, who pioneered microcredit for the rural poor
and who has successfully addressed the issues of poverty eradication and
development. By providing wireless payphone service in the rural areas of
Bangladesh he has empowered a new class of women entrepreneurs. Professor Yunus
has single-handedly transformed the information and communication landscape in
Bangladesh. His exemplary model, now being emulated in other regions and
countries of the world, shows that even remote and poor communities can take on
the challenge to bridge the digital divide.
Promoting cybersecurity
On 17 May, ITU will release the results of a worldwide public survey to
assess users’ trust of online transactions and awareness of cybersecurity
measures. The data collected through this survey will be used to increase global
awareness of cybersecurity, particularly in developing countries, and will help
decision-makers in assessing the cyberspace "trust" level with a view to
reviewing national and corporate strategies and priorities. An analysis of the
survey will be posted on a new website. The survey will continue beyond World Information Society Day to
elicit further information on these critical issues.
According to ITU Secretary-General Yoshio Utsumi, "Achieving cybersecurity
depends on the security practices of each and every networked country, business,
and citizen. To guard against the sophisticated skills of cybercriminals, we
need to develop a global culture of cybersecurity. This will require not only
good policing and legislation but also acute threat awareness and development of
tough ICT-based countermeasures."
ITU will also launch a Cybersecurity gateway that will serve as an
easy-to-use information resource on national and international
cybersecurity-related initiatives and websites worldwide, while promoting,
developing and implementing a global culture of cybersecurity.
About World Information Society Day
In recognition of ITU as the UN agency specializing in helping the world
communicate in the age of cyberspace, the World Summit on the Information
Society in Tunis, November 2005, called upon the United Nations to declare 17
May, which now marks World Telecommunication Day, as World Information Society
Day. Endorsed by the UN General Assembly, this observance takes into account the
realities of the new millennium where information and communication, aided by
the digital revolution, can and must be made available to all to build a people-centred
and knowledge-based Information Society that will help accelerate the pace of
development. The intention of commemorating World Information Society Day is to
focus global attention annually on reaching the enormous benefits of the digital
revolution in information and communication technologies to all humanity.
Details are available here.
For further information, contact:
Sanjay Acharya
Communication Officer
Tel: +41 22 730 5046
Email Contact
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