World Information Society Day
Encyclopedia
World Information Society Day was proclaimed to be on 17 May by a United Nations General Assembly
resolution, following the 2005 World Summit on the Information Society
in Tunis
.
The day had previously been known as World Telecommunication Day to commemorate the founding of the International Telecommunication Union
in 17 May 1865. It was instituted by the Plenipotentiary Conference in Malaga-Torremolinos in 1973.
The main objective of the day is to raise global awareness of societal changes brought about by the Internet
and new technologies. It also aims to help reduce the Digital divide
.
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 (A/RES/60/252) in March 2006 stipulating that World Information Society Day shall be celebrated every year on 17 May. The first World Information Society Day took place on Wednesday, 17 May 2006.
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
resolution, following the 2005 World Summit on the Information Society
World Summit on the Information Society
The World Summit on the Information Society was a pair of United Nations-sponsored conferences about information, communication and, in broad terms, the information society that took place in 2003 in Geneva and in 2005 in Tunis...
in Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
.
The day had previously been known as World Telecommunication Day to commemorate the founding of the International Telecommunication Union
International Telecommunication Union
The International Telecommunication Union is the specialized agency of the United Nations which is responsible for information and communication technologies...
in 17 May 1865. It was instituted by the Plenipotentiary Conference in Malaga-Torremolinos in 1973.
The main objective of the day is to raise global awareness of societal changes brought about by the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
and new technologies. It also aims to help reduce the Digital divide
Digital divide
The Digital Divide refers to inequalities between individuals, households, business, and geographic areas at different socioeconomic levels in access to information and communication technologies and Internet connectivity and in the knowledge and skills needed to effectively use the information...
.
World Information Society Day
In November 2005, the World Summit on the Information SocietyWorld Summit on the Information Society
The World Summit on the Information Society was a pair of United Nations-sponsored conferences about information, communication and, in broad terms, the information society that took place in 2003 in Geneva and in 2005 in Tunis...
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
World Summit on the Information Society
The World Summit on the Information Society was a pair of United Nations-sponsored conferences about information, communication and, in broad terms, the information society that took place in 2003 in Geneva and in 2005 in Tunis...
. The General Assembly adopted a resolution (A/RES/60/252) in March 2006 stipulating that World Information Society Day shall be celebrated every year on 17 May. The first World Information Society Day took place on Wednesday, 17 May 2006.
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:- stimulating reflection and exchanges of ideas on the theme adopted by the Council
- debating the various aspects of the theme with all partners in society
- formulating a report reflecting national discussions on the issues underlying the theme, to be fed back to ITU and the rest of its membership
See also
- System Administrator Appreciation DaySystem Administrator Appreciation DaySystem Administrator Appreciation Day, also known as Sysadmin Day, SysAdminDay, SAD or SAAD, was created by system administrator Ted Kekatos...
- Programmers' DayProgrammers' DayProgrammers' Day is an international professional holiday, recognized in many technology companies and programming firms, that is celebrated on the 256th day of each year...
- Testers' Day
- ITU Global Cybersecurity Agenda
- Digital Society DayDigital Society Day-Importance of October 17 for India:October 17 is significant for the Digital Society in India since it was on October 17, 2000, that Information Technology Act 2000, the first law of the digital society in India was notified. This notification gave for the first time in the country, legal...
, each 17 October in India
External links
- World Telecommunication and Information Society Day - International Telecommunication UnionInternational Telecommunication UnionThe International Telecommunication Union is the specialized agency of the United Nations which is responsible for information and communication technologies...