Page 120 - SAMENA Trends - February 2020

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REGULATORY NEWS

WSIS Forum 2020: Media Registration Now Open for World’s Largest Annual

Gathering of the ‘ICT for Development’ Community

The 2020 edition of the World Summit on
the Information Society (WSIS) Forum, 6
to 9 April 2020, Geneva, Switzerland, will
focus on “Fostering digital transformation
and global partnerships: WSIS Action
Lines for achieving Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs)”. In 2020,
the Forum celebrates 15 years of
providing a multi-stakeholder platform
to discuss, share experiences, showcase
innovation, and foster partnerships in
strengthening the impact of information
and communication technologies (ICTs)
for sustainable development. WSIS Forum
2020 is organized by the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU), the
United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the and sustainable development; and (2) 7. Innovation for SDGs: providing a
United Nations Conference on Trade and Gaming and e-Sport. platform for all stakeholders to present
Development (UNCTAD) and the United 2. ICTs and Youth: youth will offer their success stories and good practices as
Nations Development Program (UNDP), in insights and propose solutions to well as discuss systemic approaches
partnership with more than 30 UN sister harvest the power of ICTs for the benefit towards building ICT-centric
organizations. The Chairman Designate of of all. innovation ecosystems accelerating
the Forum is H.E. Mr. Gustavo Montalvo, 3. Extended Reality for SDGs: showcasing digital transformation and facilitating
Minister, Ministry of the Presidency of the innovative applications of extended achievement of SDGs.
Dominican Republic. reality for sustainable development. The WSIS Forum is the only UN-system
WHAT: In addition to interactive high-level 4. ICTs and Accessibility for Persons event of its kind, where both program and
dialogues and key policy statements, with Disabilities and Specific Needs: agenda are entirely crowd sourced during
event highlights will also include the WSIS using ICTS to empower people living an open consultation process. The process
Prizes ceremony (18 prizes), a ministerial with disabilities and people with aims at ensuring a participatory and
round table, country workshops, thematic specific needs and promoting equal inclusive spirit of the forum and actively
workshops, training sessions, knowledge participation in society. engages governments, civil society, the
cafés, a photo contest, a Hackathon 5. ICTs and Older Adults: highlighting the private sector, academia, the technical
on Smart Sustainable Cities as well as ICT dimension of the silver economy community and intergovernmental
an exhibition where exhibitors explore opportunities and the use of ICTs for organizations. The Forum enables on-
and address issues critical to WSIS the aging society. The track will focus site, as well as virtual participation
implementation, through innovative on several areas, including healthy from all over the world to engage with
technological ideas, hardware and aging through remote care and artificial high-level representatives of the wider
applications. intelligence, age-friendly environments, WSIS Stakeholder community, including
Special Tracks at the WSIS Forum 2020 digital skills of older adults, and more. ministers and deputies, ambassadors, as
1. ICTs and Sports: discover how 6. ICTs and Gender mainstreaming: well as leaders from the private sector,
technology is taking sports to new addressing issues related to gender and academia and civil society.
heights. The track will focus on two ICTs, in particular on the digital gender
angles: 1) Sports as an enabler of peace divide.

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