ITU celebrated its
150th anniversary throughout the complete year in 2015, from 1 January to 31 December. Most of the other ITU events that took place in the course of 2015 also had an anniversary component or side event. On 17 May 2015 ITU celebrated both its 150th Anniversary and World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD 2015) in Geneva.
In 2015, the
WSIS Forum attracted more than 1,800 WSIS Stakeholders from over 150 countries. Several high-level representatives of the wider WSIS Stakeholder community took part, with more than 100 high-level participants (including ministers and deputies, ambassadors, CEOs, and Civil Society leaders) contributing passionately to the programme.
ITU Telecom World 2015 took place from 12 to 15 October in Budapest, Hungary. It was hosted by the Government of Hungary, and welcomed participants at the highest level. ITU Telecom World 2015 combined an exhibition for digital solutions, a forum for sharing knowledge, and a networking hub between nations, organizations, and individuals. Over 50 countries and their SMEs participated in the Exhibition.
The
Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development held two meetings in 2015, one in February, in Paris, hosted by UNESCO, and one in New York, in September, ahead of UN GA week and the Sustainable Development Summit. The Broadband Commission’s annual ‘State of Broadband’ report attracted widespread media coverage around the world.
In October 2015, ITU launched the
EMERGE Initiative, a new global initiative aimed at reinforcing the participation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the work of ITU. The initiative is aligned with the Innovation and Partnership Goal of the ITU Strategic Plan for 2016-2019 and the Connect 2020 Agenda.
In the second half of 2015, the
ITU News team produced the final print editions of ITU News; as mandated, 2016 marks ITU News’ transition to an all-digital publication.
Concerning
ITU and the United Nations, the ITU Liaison Office in New York played a key role throughout the negotiation process of the new post-2015 development framework, advocating for increased visibility of ICTs and strengthening relationships with different stakeholders. These collective efforts resulted in having the vital role of ICTs as a catalyst for developments specifically recognized as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
ITU has continued to work in the area of
ICTs and climate change including smart sustainable cities. Key activities conducted during the period include collaboration with GeSI (Global e-Sustainability Initiative) to promote sustainability targets in the Connect 2020 agenda, participation in the 2015 World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, UN Climate week, and the UN Climate Conference (COP 21) held in Paris in November 2015.
In 2015, ITU continued its work on
ICT Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities and Persons with Specific Needs, including areas such as including accessibility criteria in the development of ITU technical recommendations and the promotion of public policies that establish an accessible ICT sector, as well as further advances in making ITU a more accessible organization for persons living with disabilities (including staff, delegates and the general public).
