World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2012

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 (A/RES/60/252) 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:

• 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

Theme 2012: "Women and Girls in ICT"

Page Content Women are the bedrock of our societies. They are the pillars of strength in every family and community. Yet gender inequalities remain deeply entrenched. Women and girls are denied access to basic health care and education and to equal opportunities at work. They face segregation in economic, political and social decision-making and often suffer violence and discrimination. This situation is unacceptable and must be addressed with all the means available to us. Gender equality is a basic human right enshrined in the UN Charter, and it is one of the main objectives of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). ICTs are tools that can help accelerate progress towards achieving this target, and it is for this reason that ITU Council proposed that we focus our efforts this year on women and girls, using the power of ICTs to provide new digital opportunities to end discrimination and empower the female half of the world’s population to achieve their rightful place as equals in the world. And this effort with ICTs must begin not only from the cradle, but from antenatal health care, reaching out to the remotest communities – with every mother, every girl and every woman guaranteed her birthright. The theme of this year’s WTISD, “Women and Girls in ICT”, aims to ensure that this vulnerable female half of the world’s population will march forward as equals. World Telecommunication and Information Society Award 2012   H.E. Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, President of Argentina Page Content WTISD 2012 Laureate Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was elected President of Argentina in October 2007 and took office on 10 December 2007. She was re-elected President of Argentina in October 2011. In 2005-2007, she represented the Province of Buenos Aires as National Senator and was Chairwoman of the Senate Constitutional Affairs Committee. Earlier, from 1997 to 2001, she was a Congresswoman, representing the Province of de Santa Cruz and Vice Chair of the Education Committee of the Chamber of Deputies. From 2001 to 2005, she represented the Province of Santa Cruz as National Senator and from 2005 to 2007 she represented the Province of Buenos Aires. Under her able leadership, telecommunication development has made great strides in Argentina. The National Telecommunication Plan, pushed by Executive Power through the Ministry of Federal Planning and Public Investment Services, has taken far-reaching steps to connect the people of Argentina to ICTs. President Cristina Fernández has been a staunch supporter of the Movimiento Justicialista and committed to the defence of Human Rights. Sun Yafang, Chairman of Huawei Page Content Ms Sun Yafang is Chairman of Huawei, a position she has held since 1999. Ms Sun’s leadership has taken Huawei from a small local enterprise to a global giant providing innovative technologies and tailored solutions and services to leading telecoms operators worldwide. She is credited as the key contributor to the establishment and development of Huawei’s marketing and sales division and human resources leadership development. Ms Sun has spearheaded management reforms that have helped to transform Huawei into a multi-national corporation seen as a leading vendor in the telecoms industry. As Chairman, Ms Sun represents Huawei in the business community and communicates Huawei’s overseas development and corporate commitments with government officials and state dignitaries around the globe. She is also actively involved in a variety of corporate responsibility programmes as well as philanthropic activities. Ms Sun Yafang is an active member of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development. Geena Davis, Founder of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media Page Content Geena Davis is a Hollywood icon and one of its most respected actors appearing in several landmark roles. She is an Academy Award winning actor who made her feature film debut starring opposite Dustin Hoffman in ‘Tootsie’. She went on to star in such films as ‘The Fly’, ‘Beetlejuice’, ‘Earth Girls are Easy’, ‘Angie’, ‘The Long Kiss Goodnight’, and ‘Stuart Little’. She is also a world-class athlete having competed in international events in archery. Ms Davis is recognized for her tireless advocacy of women and girls and is the founder of the non-profit Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, a research-based organization working within the media and entertainment industry to engage, educate and influence the need for gender balance, reducing stereotyping and creating a wide variety of female characters for entertainment targeting children 11 and under. Geena Davis is an official partner of UN Women in a global effort to change the way media represents women and girls worldwide. She is ITU’s special envoy for women and girls in the field of information and communication technology.