World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD), or World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, is a day dedicated to raising awareness of the opportunities offered using the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICTs) for societies and economies, as well as ways to bridge the digital divide. This year, WTISD focuses on the Empowerment of Least Developed Countries through Information and Communication Technologies. The day is celebrated on 17 May, which marks the anniversary of the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention and the creation of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
The main objective of the WTISD is to promote digital connectivity and transformation in the least developed countries by addressing the challenges of Internet access and use in these nations. With 2.6 billion people still unconnected, reducing the digital divide and ensuring that everyone can benefit from digital technologies is crucial. This day provides an opportunity to explore how digital innovation can help connect everyone and unlock sustainable prosperity for all. To celebrate WTISD 2024, digital experts and innovators came together in a virtual event on 17 May, broadcast live from the ITU TV studio in Geneva, Switzerland. During this discussion, they explored how digital innovation can enhance sustainable development.
People to connect
“Globally, 2.6 billion individuals remain disconnected, creating significant digital gaps that inhibit innovation,” said online Ms Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General, ITU. “Many nations, lacking essential legislation, investments, and digital skills, are failing to keep up with today’s rapidly changing digital world. This year’s World Telecommunications and Information Society Day 2024 focuses on how digital innovation may help link everyone and create sustainable prosperity for all. As a result, the simultaneous commemoration of World Telecommunication Day and World Information Society Day demonstrates the worldwide community’s commitment to promoting the development and application of ICT for the benefit of all people”.
According to Tomas Lamanauskas, ITU’s Deputy Secretary-General, it is important to forge impact-driving partnerships to advance global connectivity, help the information and communication technology industry cut emissions and address the climate crisis, and implement results-oriented management, with maximum transparency and accountability, to prepare ITU for a dynamic future. As Deputy Secretary-General, he fosters close collaboration across varied radiocommunication, standardization, and development activities, reinforcing the collective role of ITU as an agency.
A story to remember
World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) commemorates two significant events in the history of global communication. Firstly, it marks the founding of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in 1865, when the first International Telegraph Convention was signed. Followed by in November 2005, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) called upon the United Nations General Assembly to also declare May 17th as World Information Society Day. Then, in 2006, the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Antalya, Turkey, agreed to combine the two events as World Telecommunication and Information Society Day.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a specialized international organization of the United Nations responsible for setting telecommunications standards and using the airwaves. Founded on May 17th 1865, in Paris by 20 members under the name International Telegraph Union, it changed its name to ITU in 1932. Since 1947, the ITU has been one of the specialized agencies of the United Nations, based in Geneva. In summary, the ITU is key in promoting international cooperation, setting standards and ensuring equitable access to communications and information technologies globally.
It does so by dealing with the global organization and allocation of radio frequencies and orbits of telecommunication satellites. Radio frequencies and satellite orbits are limited resources increasingly in demand by services such as fixed and mobile communications, broadcasting, amateur radio, space research, emergency communications, GPS, and environmental monitoring services. The ITU-R works to ensure the efficient and harmonized use of these resources. ITU standards form the basis of modern information and communication technologies. Developed by study groups of experts from both the public and private sectors, ITU Recommendations help manage global information traffic, enabling harmonious social and economic development worldwide. Furthermore, it strives to enable all inhabitants of the planet to communicate through access to information and communication infrastructures and services. ITU-D acts concretely as a specialized executive agency of the United Nations for the development of projects in this field.
