Dear colleagues, partners, friends!
May 17 has been World Telecommunication Day since 1969. This day was established by the Plenipotentiary Conference held in Malaga Torremolinos in 1973 to commemorate the founding of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention in 1865.
In November 2005, the World Summit on the Information Society called on the UN General Assembly to designate 17 May as World Information Society Day to highlight the importance of ICT for development and to focus on a wide range of issues related to the information society. In March 2006, the General Assembly adopted resolution 60/252, which established that World Information Society Day should be celebrated annually on 17 May.
In November 2006, at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Antalya (Turkey), it was decided to celebrate May 17 as World Telecommunication and Information Society Day. The updated resolution 60/252 invites Member States and sector members to commemorate this day every year through the organization of appropriate national programs.
The theme of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2023 is “Empowering Least Developed Countries through Information and Communication Technologies”. ITU, where Russia’s positions have traditionally been strong, is calling on the public and private sectors to commit to universal connectivity and digital transformation in these countries through its Partner2Connect digital coalition. ITU notes that investments in these young, dynamic countries can provide sustainable growth for generations.
We hope that ICT will be an effective instrument of development, not colonization. We strongly stand for a fair information society. Happy holiday!