The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, TRA, is leading the UAE's official delegation participating in the World Summit on the Information Society, WSIS, in Geneva.
The summit will formally begin at the International Telecommunication Union, ITU, Headquarters on Monday, 12th June, and runs until 16th June.
Along with the TRA, the UAE side includes representatives from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and Prevention, Dubai Health Authority, and Mohammed bin Rashid Smart Learning Programme. The delegation will include, for the first time, a group of four students from Khalifa University, Higher Colleges of Technology, University of Sharjah, and the American University in the Emirates. The students’ group will participate in the ‘Hackathon Special Track Challenge’ included in the WSIS Forum Agenda for this year, which starts on 11th June. The winners will be announced on 13th June.
Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, TRA Director-General, commented, "We are always keen to have an excellent participation at WSIS, through coordinating efforts with all government entities in the country, to highlight the UAE’s successful experiences in the fields of information technology, solutions and related programmes. The UAE has won several prizes during the previous sessions, which reflect the volume of work on the national level in all areas related to the ICT sector and smart government." He added, "Our participation this year is exceptional due to the presence of a group of outstanding students whom have been selected to take part in the Hackathon Special Track Challenge. The students will present solutions for specific problems to a panel of leading international experts, whom will select and honour the best solutions. This is part of our vision of investing in young national talent, and equipping it with science and knowledge to enable them to cope with the rapid technological developments." The UAE delegation agenda includes two workshops, the first being about ‘health and learning’, which will be run by the Mohammed bin Rashid Smart Learning Programme and Dubai Health Authority, on 12th June. The second will be on ‘Smart Health: Towards a Happier Nation’, in collaboration with the TRA, on the same day.