The United Nations General Assembly resolution declared the World Information Society Day to be on 17 May, every year. The day was announced after the 2005 World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis. The day was earlier known as ‘World Telecommunication Day’ in order to honour the establishment of the International Telecommunication Union on 17 May 1865. The day was introduced by the Plenipotentiary Conference in Malaga-Torremolinos in the year 1973. World Telecommunication Day
World telecommunication day 2021
The key objective of the day is to raise the worldwide awareness of societal changes carried about by the Internet as well as new technologies. It also targets to help to reduce the digital divide.
Significance of World Information Society Day
The main objective of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) is to help raise responsiveness of the potentials that the usage of the Internet, as well as additional information and communication technologies (ICT), can take along to societies and economies, as well as of methods to connect the digital divide.
17 May also marks the anniversary of the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention as well as the formation of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). This year, we are going to celebrate the 50th anniversary of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, which has been observed every year since the year 1969.
World Information Society Day Symbols
UNESCO has not yet assigned a particular symbol for the day, even though it uses images of modern information and communication technologies in order to depict the significance of the day.
World Information Society Day History
The annual observance of World Telecommunication Day marks the formation of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on May 17, 1865. The day drew the attention to the work of ITU as well as the challenges of global communication. Well ahead in March 2006, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed May 17 as World Information Society Day in order to identify the hard work made to spread communication and ITU’s role in assisting people to connect all around the world. The UN’s first World Information Society Day was held on Wednesday, 17 May 2006.
2021 Theme: Bridging the standardization gap
Setting the ideals is an essential pillar of ITU’s mission as the dedicated agency of the United Nations for information and communication technologies (ICTs). ITU principles help in speeding up ICTs for entirely Sustainable Development Goals. The 2019 theme is going to permit ITU Membership and additional important stakeholders in order to emphasize on the chances for:
Contribution of developing nations in ITU’s standards-making process;
Empowering local specialists and authorities in the standardization procedure at the national, regional, and international levels; and
Endorsing the execution of global standards in developing nations
Now, the new theme has also announced on this World Information Day 2021 “Families and new technologies”.
World Information Society Day Observance
World Information Society Day helps in promoting people’s awareness of the power of information and communication in order to shape civilization in which they can construct, access, use and circulate information and knowledge in order to attain their complete prospective. Organizations such as UNESCO keenly take part in the day by welcoming people to take part in a number of activities in order to promote campaigns involved on this event.
