The purpose of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) is to help raise awareness of the
possibilities that the use of the Internet and other information and
communication technologies (ICT) can bring to societies and economies, as well
as of ways to bridge the digital divide.
17 May marks
the anniversary of the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention
and the creation of the International Telecommunication Union.
World Telecommunication Day
World
Telecommunication Day has been celebrated annually on 17 May since 1969,
marking the founding of ITU and the signing of the first International
Telegraph Convention in 1865. It was instituted by the Plenipotentiary
Conference in Malaga-Torremolinos in 1973.
World Information Society Day
In November 2005,
the World Summit on the Information Society called upon the UN General Assembly
to declare 17 May as World Information Society Day to focus on the importance
of ICT and the wide range of issues related to the Information Society raised
by WSIS. The General Assembly adopted a resolution in March 2006 stipulating
that World Information Society Day shall be celebrated every year on 17 May.
World Telecommunication and Information
Society Day
In November 2006, the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference
in Antalya, Turkey, decided to celebrate both events on 17 May as World
Telecommunication and Information Society Day. The updated Resolution 68 invites
Member States and Sector Members to celebrate the day annually by organizing
appropriate national programmes with a view to:
Ø stimulating
reflection and exchanges of ideas on the theme adopted by the Council
Ø debating
the various aspects of the theme with all partners in society
Ø formulating
a report reflecting national discussions on the issues underlying the theme, to
be fed back to ITU and the rest of its membership
The day is
celebrated with a different theme every year. The theme for WTD 2006 it was “Promoting
Global Cyber-security”, for WTD 2007 it was “Connecting the Youth, the
Opportunities of ICT”, for WTD 2008 it was “Connecting persons with
disabilities”. In 2016, World Telecommunication and Information
Society Day (WTISD-2016) will focus on the theme: “ICT entrepreneurship for social impact”, in accordance with Resolution 68 and as endorsed
by ITU Council 2015.
