Archived Newsroom • Press Release |
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ITU invites submissions for the 2013 World Summit
on the Information Society Project Prizes
Geneva, 10 September 2012 – The
International Telecommunication Union is pleased to announce the second edition
of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Project Prizes, an annual
contest which recognizes excellence in the implementation of projects and
initiatives which further the WSIS goals of improving connectivity to
information and communication technologies (ICTs) in line with the 11 Action
Lines laid out in the
WSIS outcome
documents agreed at the
UN World Summit on the
Information Society.
The
WSIS Project Prizes 2013
(
www.wsis.org/stocktaking/prizes
) contest
is open to all stakeholders including governments, the private sector,
international organizations, civil society, regional and international agencies,
research institutions and others. Interested parties are invited to nominate a
project by completing the online form at
www.wsis.org/stocktaking/prizes. The deadline
for submission of project descriptions is 16 December 2012.
The winning
projects will be announced during a special awards
ceremony to be held on 13 May 2013 during the
WSIS Forum
2013 in Geneva, Switzerland.
“The WSIS
Project Prizes emphasize the importance of the WSIS
Stocktaking Process in the Overall Review of the
implementation of the WSIS outcomes,” said ITU
Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun I. Touré. “This
Stocktaking Process is the key platform that allows the
international development community to take stock of
WSIS achievements, and to share best practices on a
global scale.”
The 18
winners will have the opportunity to network, showcase
their projects at an international level, share
knowledge and experience as well as learn about other
strategies and models which further the WSIS goals. A
special Showcasing Roundtable and Gala Dinner will
provide global visibility for winning organizations, and
winners will also be highlighted in the 2013 edition of
the WSIS Stocktaking Report on Success Stories.
In 2012,
more than 170 projects from 50 countries were nominated.
The winning projects can be found in the 2012
WSIS Stocktaking Report on Success Stories.
For further
details on the World Summit on the Information Society,
please see:
www.itu.int/wsis/index.html
Follow WSIS
news on Twitter at #WSIS.
For editors - quotes from a few of last year’s winners:
Vujica Lazović, Deputy Prime Minister, Montenegro:
“Winning this award is a direct recognition of the
efforts that have been made in Montenegro to develop a
modern information society.”
Diego Molano Vega, Minister of ICT, Colombia:
"It's a great honour for the government of Colombia,
especially for the Ministry of ICT and for Computadores
para Educar, to receive this international award in
recognition of our comprehensive strategy of bringing
technology and training teachers, in addition to
promoting environmental responsibility; three elements
that make difference to this social program, which is
aimed at contributing to poverty reduction and
development.”
Lakshmi Vaidyanathan, Director of RTBI, India:
“Participation in such a contest allowed us to learn
about other best practices and approaches, exchanging
views and more so, meeting an international community of
people with like-minded interests and challenges.”
Manal Al Abdwani, Director General of Planning &
Follow Up, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Oman:
“Winning this award for the One-Stop-Shop of the
Ministry of Commerce and Industry shows the project’s
contribution towards the growth of the national economy.
The IT industry helps in simplifying procedures and cuts
short the document cycle through the use of modern
technologies.”
Krzysztof Glomb, President of the ‘Cities on
Internet’, Poland: “It is important that a
Polish project which is socially innovative won in
international competition. This project is based on the
real demands of society and it is changing also the
perception of rural areas. The WSIS Prize is not only an
award for the Association, but for all Lighthouse
Keepers and those who are keen on digital education in
Poland”.
Note on the WSIS Stocktaking Process
The WSIS
Stocktaking process provides a comprehensive register of
ICT-oriented development activities carried out by
governments, international organizations, the business
sector, civil society and other entities. The Tunis
Agenda for the Information Society adopted by the 2005
Summit mandates ITU to maintain the WSIS Stocktaking
Database as a publicly accessible system providing
information on ICT-related initiatives and projects
linked to the 11 WSIS Action Lines.
United
Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) resolution
2012/5 “Assessment of the progress made in the
implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the
World Summit on the Information Society” reiterates the
importance of sharing the best practices at the global
level, and while recognizing excellence in the
implementation of the projects and initiatives which
further the WSIS goals, encourages all stakeholders to
nominate their projects to the annual WSIS Project
Prizes as an integral part of the WSIS Stocktaking
process.
For more information,
please contact:
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Sarah Parkes
Media Relations, ITU
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Jaroslaw Ponder
Strategy and Policy Advisor, ITU
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About ITU...
About WSIS
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) is a UN process that was
initiated in two unique phases in order to create an evolving multi-stakeholder
platform aimed at promoting Information Society at the national, regional and
international levels. The goal of WSIS is to achieve a common vision, desire and
commitment to build a people-centric, inclusive and development-oriented
Information Society where everyone can create, access, utilize and share
information. The Final Review of this process will take place in 2015.
www.wsis.org