PHILIPSBURG:--- May 17th marks the day on which the global telecommunications industry celebrates “World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD)” and commemorates the founding of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in 1865.
WTISD has been celebrated annually since 1969 to highlight the importance of communication technologies. It also aims to help raise awareness of the possibilities the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICT) can bring to societies and economies.
The theme of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2022 is “Digital technologies for older persons and healthy aging” and puts the spotlight on more than a billion people around the world that are currently aged 60 years or older. Amid the overall aging of the global population, the ITU is promoting digital solutions for older people. ITU Secretary-General, Mr. Houlin Zhao–stated: “By 2050, the number of people aged 65 years or older is projected to reach 1.5 billion. “Ageing in a digital world – from vulnerable to valuable” is the first-ever report to be produced by ITU to raise awareness in the ICT sector on the importance of being prepared to respond to the needs and requirements of aging populations”.
In support of the ITU goals, the interim director of Bureau Telecommunications and Post St. Maarten, Mrs. Judianne Labega-Hoeve, urges all key stakeholders in the ICT industry to make ongoing efforts to support healthier aging in Sint Maarten and develop services that are geared to help seniors to remain active and independent in their home and work environment. Mrs. Labega-Hoeve continued: “All residents on our island, regardless of their age, deserve to live in dignity and we see ICT as an important driver for senior citizens' social inclusion. We, therefore, remain fully committed to collaborating with the Ministry of TEATT to develop comprehensive policy approaches to support the aging population and to accelerate digital technologies for older persons in our society”.
In closing, Mrs. Labega-Hoeve wishes all the workers in the telecommunications industry a very happy World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2022.
More information to be found on: https://www.itu.int/wtisd
