Session
Round Table - 90 Min
Background
The General Assembly endorsed the A/70/125 resolution on 16th December 2015, emphasizing the need for a high-level meeting in 2025 for a comprehensive review of the World Summit on the Information Society's (WSIS) progress known as WSIS+20 Review. The primary vision of WSIS is to form a “people-centered, inclusive and development-oriented information society” using information and communication technologies for sustainable growth. Due to rapid technological change, today’s information society differs greatly from what was envisaged in 2005. However, the WSIS vision still remains highly relevant.
Objective
The forum aims to promote detailed discussions among diverse stakeholders like UN bodies, governments, the private sector, civil society, IGF, and other communities active in ICT development. The deliberations will significantly contribute to the CSTD secretariat’s report, which will be central to the CSTD discussions on WSIS+20 Review, as instructed by the ECOSOC.
Discussion Themes
• To what extent and how has the vision of a "people-centred, inclusive and development oriented Information Society" evolved over the past 20 years since WSIS?
• How will ongoing trends and emerging technologies, particularly AI, impact progress towards human development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? Moreover, how can these trends enable or hinder the realization of the WSIS vision?
• What measures should be taken to advance international cooperation, including in terms of governance, to leverage emerging technologies for sustainable development in economic, social, environmental, and cultural dimensions?
Format
Mark your calendars for a 90-minute interactive discourse on the second day of the IGF in Kyoto from 15:15 - 16:45 (JST) in Room E (Workshop Room 6). The event promises participation from diverse stakeholders from government, academia, private sectors, civil society, and technical ICT communities. The Chair of the CSTD will moderate the discussions. Participants in the meeting room can ask for the floor by raising a hand. Remote participants can request the floor by using the hand raising function on the online platform (i.e. Zoom).
The CSTD secretariat has rolled out a survey questionnaire on WSIS+20 at the ITU website: https://www.itu.int/net4/wsis/forum/2024/CSTDSubmissions. Participants are encouraged to fill out the form.
For more information, please write to [email protected].
UNCTAD (CSTD Secretariat), ITU, UNESCO and UNDP
- Ms. Shamika N. Sirimanne, Director, Division on Technology and Logistics (DTL) and Head of the CSTD Secretariat, UNCTAD
-Mr. Yoichi Iida, Deputy Director General for G7/G20 Relations, Government of Japan
-Ms. Isabelle Lois, Senior Policy Advisor, Swiss Federal Office of Communications, Switzerland
- Mr. Kamel Saadaoui, Chief of Minister’s office, Ministry of Communication Technologies, Tunisia
- Mr. Amandeep Singh Gill, United Nation Secretary-Genera’s Envoy on Technology
-Ms. Anriette Esterhuysen, Senior Advisor on Global and Regional Internet Governance, Association for Progressive Communications, South Africa
-Ms. Temilade Adelakun, Youth Ambassador of the Internet Society & Associate Product Marketing Manager, Google Sub-Sahara Africa
To be followed by free interventions, physically and remotely, under the moderation of the CSTD chair
Ms. Ana Cristina Amoroso das Neves (CSTD, Chair)
Ms. Eva Xin
Mr. Matteo Ramina
17. Partnerships for the Goals
Targets: SDG 17 focuses on strengthening global partnerships for sustainable development. The WSIS, as a multi-stakeholder initiative, aligns with the spirit of SDG 17 by fostering partnerships and cooperation between different actors in harnessing information and communication technologies (ICTs) for development. Through WSIS, stakeholders come together to discuss and address the challenges and opportunities of the information society. By promoting dialogue, sharing knowledge, and engaging various actors, WSIS contributes to building stronger partnerships and advancing sustainable development efforts in line with SDG 17.