Chief, Media Relations and Public Information at ITU, Mr. Sanjay Acharya informed that in preparation for this annual event, experts from various fields of life engaged on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) development would be gathering at Geneva between May 14 and 25 on roundtable sessions.
Champion Infotel recalled that May 17 was slated to be the World Information Society Day to mark the inception of ITU over 140 years ago in the bid to fully connect the world that provides the benefits of ICT to all its inhabitants.
Mr. Acharya said that on this occasion, a number of steps would be taken to move forward the objectives of the outcome of the two-phased World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and the commitment of world leaders who gathered in Geneva in 2003 and in Tunis in 2005.
To this end, he said, some events have been lined up for the event between May 14 and 25, 2007.
According to him, the highlight of the celebration would be the global event and ITU World Information Society Award ceremony that to be held at ITU headquarters in Geneva on 16 May.
He said that the award honours those who have made a significant personal contribution towards building the information society, stressing that personal achievement may take the form of social accomplishment, mobilization of public opinion, or a key technical innovation.
He recalled that last year’s laureates went to the duo of President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal and Professor Muhammad Yunus, Managing Director of Grameen bank, who subsequently won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Mr. Acharya equally said that a facilitation meeting on the WSIS action line related to cyber security (C5) has been scheduled to hold on May 14 through 16, pointing out that WSIS outcome documents emphasized on building confidence and security in the use of ICT is a critical component of the global information society.
“Tough ICT-based counter measures at the national and international levels are needed to ensure online security and enhance the protection of personal information, privacy and data,” he said in a press statement made available to Champion Infotel.
ITU Secretary-General, Dr Hamadoun Touré, was quoted as saying that the need for greater cooperation between regulators, governments, e-security firms, communication service providers, and end-users in dealing with the challenges of building a safe and secure information society, would be a motivator for discussion at the event.
He explained that on May 16, ITU and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) would meet to smoothen the progress of work on building information and communication infrastructure according to WSIS Action Line C2, capacity building (C4), and creating an enabling environment (C6).
“This joint meeting will focus on key approaches and issues needed for implementation,” he said, stressing that some large-scale projects in the pipeline include harmonization of ICT policies in sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean, constructing a fibre-optic submarine communications broadband network in West Africa, and the development of ICT infrastructure along with migration to new technologies and services in the Pacific, among others.
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