WSIS Forum 2010 to deliberate on topical ICT issues

TO further advance the course of Information Technology across the globe, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) will be holding a forum on how technology can further bridge the gap and accelerate progress towards the realisation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The forum, which is slated to hold between May 10-14, 2010 at the Geneva CICG and ITU headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, is co-hosted by ITU, UNESCO, UNCTAD and UNDP The forum, according to WSIS will be a key event aimed at focusing on tracking worldwide ICT deployment and impact of technology on the global development agenda. This year’s forum opening sessions will feature top-level speakers including: Dr Hamadoun Touré, Secretary-General, International Telecommunication Union (ITU); Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO); Dr Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary-General, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD); Ambassador Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General, United Nations – Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) (video message); Ms Cécile Molinier, Director, United Nations Development Programme(UNDP) Geneve; H.E. Mohamed Naceur Ammar, Minister of Communication Technologies, Tunisia, Mr. Art Reilly, International Chamber of Commerce, Business Action to Support the Information Society (ICC-BASIS), Chair, ICT Policy Committee of the USCIB, Mr. Richard Amalvy, Vice-Chairman of the Conference of Non Governmental Organisations in consultative relationships with the United Nations (CoNGO); H.E. Adama Samassékou, Former President of PrepCom of WSIS Geneva Phase; H.E. Janis Karklins, Former President of PrepCom of WSIS Tunis Phase.