Message from the WSIS Team

Dear WSIS Stakeholders,

Greetings from the WSIS Team! There are less than 40 days to the WSIS Forum 2012 and all preparations are in full swing. Session descriptions for all the Sessions/Workshops at the WSIS Forum 2012 with the names of panelists will be available in the WSIS Forum 2012 website this week. The WSIS Forum this year consists of more than 125 sessions, in different formats that allow greater participation and exchange of knowledge.

We would like to encourage all the onsite participants to register at http://www.itu.int/cgi-bin/htsh/edrs/ITU-SG/meetings/edrs.registration.form?_eventid=1000065. Registering for the event will not only include you in our database but will also facilitate the registration process during the WSIS Forum 2012. Please ensure that you have already booked your accommodation, you can find accommodation details here. An official invitation letter has been posted on the WSIS Forum website.

Once registered all onsite participants can network with each other through the imeetyouatWSISForum component. We have launched imeetyouatWSISForum as an extension of the forum, to help you meet other attendees, start conversations, interact with scheduled speakers and build your personalized schedule of sessions

For more information on the WSIS Process or to learn more about the WSIS activities please follow the WSIS Process twitter stream or find us on Facebook.

Please feel free to contact us at wsis-info@itu.int

Best wishes
WSIS Team 

WSIS Forum 2012

Open Consultation Process on the Thematic Aspects and New Innovative Format

Final Brief Meeting

16 April 2012, 15h00 - 17h00, Room C1, ITU, Geneva

The final brief meeting of the WSIS Forum 2012 will be held on 16 April from 15:00 to 17:00 hrs. in Room C1, ITU Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland. Remote Participation will be made available for his meeting.

• Official Invitation Letter

Participate in the meeting by registering:

• Onsite
• Remote

We are pleased to announce the partners of WSIS Forum 2012

Strategic Partners

Partners for specific activities

Media Partners

WSIS Stocktaking

WSIS Stocktaking platform has reached more than 6000 members!

We would like to take this opportunity to update you on some of the latest activities on the WSIS Stocktaking Process.

We are also pleased to announce that the fourth edition of the biennial WSIS Stocktaking report 2012 will be released during the WSIS forum 2012. The latest edition will reflect more than 1,000 WSIS related activities from May 2010 to the present day, each emphasizing efforts carried out by governments and stakeholders actively working towards achieving WSIS goals. Read more at: http://www.wsis.org/stocktaking

In addition, the winners of WSIS Project Prizes 2012 will be announced during the WSIS Forum 2012. WSIS Project Prizes 2012 will provide international visibility and recognition, with winners showcased at two interactive sessions:

• WSIS Stocktaking: WSIS Project Prizes Showcasing (Part 1)on Tuesday, 15 May in Room IV from 11.15am -13.00pm
• WSIS Stocktaking: WSIS Project Prizes Showcasing (Part 2)on Wednesday, 16 May in Room IV from 9.00 am - 10.45 am.

The compilation of extended descriptions of the winning projects can be found in the WSIS Stocktaking Report on Success Stories 2012 that will be released and presented during the session WSIS Stocktaking: WSIS Project Prizes Showcasing (Part 1).

United Nations Group on the Information Society (UNGIS)

Incorporating ICT for Development into the UNDAF Process

Find below, a letter issued by UNGIS on incorporating ICT for Development into the UNDAF Process.

Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of the United Nations Group on the Information Society (UNGIS) which we co-chair, we write to request your good co-operation to follow through on the commitments made in ECOSOC Resolution 2009/7 "Assessment of the Progress Made in the Implementation of and Follow-Up to the Outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society".

The Resolution calls for the 'inclusion of a component in the UNDAF on information and communication technologies for development (ICTD)', and urge co-ordinated action to implement the Tunis Agenda, as agreed at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in 2005. (Please find attached Resolution 2009/7 and the Tunis agenda).

The United Nations, working collaboratively, can support countries' efforts to make the most of the opportunity ICTs represent to accelerate progress towards the MDGs and other internationally agreed on development goals.  New technologies, such as social networks and mobile phones, for example, can and are being used in ways which empower people to access services, share knowledge, and have a say in the decisions which impact them.

ITU and UNDP's technical advisers stand ready to provide substantive and technical support to aid UNCT's to incorporate ICT for Development in their UNDAF.  For more information,  please contact Raul Zambrano, Policy Advisor, Democratic Governance Group, Bureau for Development Policy, raul.zambrano@undp.org .

We look forward to your feedback and working with you to unlock the potential of ICTs to advance sustainable human development.

Yours sincerely,

For more information on UNGIS related activities for the year 2011-2012 please visit www.ungis.org

Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development

The Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development is an international, multi-stakeholder initiative to improve the availability and quality of ICT data and indicators, particularly in developing countries. Launched in 2004, the Partnership helps measure the information society by:

• Defining a core list of ICT indicators and methodologies to collect these indicators.
• Helping developing countries collect ICT statistics, particularly through capacity-building and hands-on training for national statistical offices.
• Collecting and disseminating information society statistics in a number of formats, including a global report and database

For more information please visit www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/partnership/