IAFI celebrates World Telecom and Information Society Day

ITU-APT foundation of India (IAFI) celebrated the Annual World Telecommunication and Information Society Day WTISD on 17th May 2022 with a get together of telecom professionals, experts, and DOT officials. The event was addressed by Shri R K Saxena, Wireless Advisor to the Government of India, Mr. T R Dua, Chairman, IAFI and Mr. Bharat Bhatia, President IAFI.

Since 1969, the World Telecommunication Day (WTD) has been celebrated on the 17th May every year to mark the founding of ITU on the 17th of May 1865, when the first International Telegraph Convention was signed in Paris. Since the year 2006, 17th May is celebrated as World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD).

When the world telecom leaders met in Tunis in November 2005, the main issue on their mind was internet governance, a huge controversial topic at that time. But they found time to recommend to the UN General Assembly (UNGA) to declare 17th May as the World Information Society Day, saying that “there is a need to build more awareness of the Internet in order to make it a global facility which is truly available to the public. We call upon the UNGA to declare 17 May as World Information Society Day to help to raise awareness, on an annual basis, of the importance of this global facility, on the issues dealt with in the Summit, especially the possibilities that the use of ICT can bring for societies and economies, as well as of ways to bridge the digital divide”. Following this declaration, the UNGA adopted Resolution 60/252 in March 2006 stipulating that World Information Society Day shall be celebrated every year on 17th May.

With the UNGA declaration of 2006, the ITU decided to merge the World Telecom Day with the World information society day in November 2006, when the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Antalya, Turkey, decided to merge both events to be called the 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 programs on the chosen theme of that year.

This year’s theme raises awareness of the important role of telecommunications /ICTs in supporting people to stay healthy, connected and independent – physically, emotionally and financially. Supporting a life of healthy ageing is also critical for the sustainability of economic and health systems. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) hopes to foster initiatives to accelerate digital technologies for older persons and healthy ageing that will contribute towards the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing.

The idea of WTISD is to stimulate a reflection and exchanges of ideas on a new theme every year, which is adopted by the ITU Council every year for debating the various aspects of the theme with all partners in society for 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 COVID-19 crisis has not only highlighted the critical role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for the continued functioning of societies but has also brought to the fore the startling digital inequalities between and within countries. ITU Members have stepped up and engaged in activities that have proven essential in saving lives and sustaining economies. They have demonstrated their remarkable resilience in the face of challenging times.

WTISD 2022 is an opportunity for the nations to continue to push for digital transformation by promoting national strategies on ICT development, smart policies to encourage investments, cooperation, and partnership. This year, the WTISD is focussed on the ageing of the global population, which will be the defining demographic trend of the 21st century—yet our societies struggle to see the opportunities that this trend can unfold. Telecommunications and information communication technologies (ICTs) have a role to play in achieving healthier ageing, but also in helping people build smarter cities, combat age-based discrimination at the workplace, ensure financial inclusion of older persons, and support millions of caregivers across the world.

CT Bureau