PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Tourism & Economic Affairs, Transport & Telecommunications (Ministry TEATT) Hon. Ted Richardson congratulates all telecommunication sector workers on World Telecommunications and Information Society Day (WTISD), which is being internationally observed on 17th May.
The theme for WTISD is "Broadband for Sustainable Development." Digital development is a transformative tool to fast-track sustainable development. In order to realize its full potential it is essential to roll-out high speed broadband networks, making it affordable and universally applicable.
"I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all telecommunication workers as well as all those working in other fields where telecommunications are also being used to reach potential customers.
"The application of ICT is beyond anything anybody could imagine. Investments have been made and the country has also cooperated with others to facilitate more potential for our people where ICT development is concerned. It is indeed a day to reflect upon where technology had brought us and what the future may behold," Minister Hon. Ted Richardson said on Friday.
The purpose of 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 Convention and the creation of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
World Telecommunication Day has been celebrated annually on 17 May since 1969, marking the founding of ITU and the signing of the aforementioned convention in 1865. It was instituted by the Plenipotentiary Conference in Malaga-Torremolinos in 1973.
In November 2005, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) called upon the United Nations General Assembly to declare 17 May as World Information Society Day, and 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 the resolution in March 2006 stipulating that World Information Society Day shall be celebrated every year on 17 May.
