Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, welcome and thank you for joining us for the Highlights and Key Achievements session of this year’s forum.
Special thanks to our panelists for joining us, some very early in the day, and for your efforts in making this year’s forum such a success.
And Happy World Telecommunication and Information Society Day! I hope you will be able to join our celebration which begins at 13:00 Geneva time.
During this challenging period I am very pleased that the virtual format of the Forum has been so much appreciated by all stakeholders. It has enabled much increased participation and a meaningful collaboration, cooperation and coordination world-wide. As the pandemic continues to isolate us, the WSIS forum’s collaborative spirit has been a shining testament to our resilience.
Some of the tangible outcomes and achievements of the Forum will be presented by our panellists today.
We are delighted that the Forum has brought together more than 11000 participants from over 180 countries in the more than 200 sessions held over 15 weeks since we started in January, and we have had more than 20,000 views on our Facebook session recordings.
Stakeholders have shared their work, their initiatives, innovations and their best practices in implementing ICTs, highlighting the crucial role of the WSIS Action Lines in achieving the SDGs and overcoming the challenges of Covid-19.
The WSIS process is, above all else, about collaboration and partnerships. This is more important today than ever, and the WSIS Forum is the perfect example of how to bring together many different stakeholders for the common good.
One thing that Covid has clearly shown is that we are all dependent on each other. We are only safe when everyone else is safe. So collaboration is key.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all stakeholders for their participation and continuous support to the WSIS process and for realising the Forum’s vision of building inclusive knowledge and information societies.
This year’s 2021 forum was especially pioneering. New activities included: A fully virtual hackaton, a series of Facebook Live interviews with our stakeholders who submitted their projects in the COVID-19 repository, and WSIS TalkX sessions. This year also saw the launch of the new ICTs for Well-being and Happiness special track, the new Emerging Technologies for Sustainable Development (Startups) special track, and a timely Cybersecurity special track. The forum also achieved a high degree of cross-sector participation from senior officials in various ministries, ambassadors and mayors from cities around the world.
I am also pleased to note the innovative projects submitted to our virtual hackathon on Ageing Better with ICTs and the special prize we launched this year entitled: the WSIS Healthy Ageing Innovation Prize. Awarded in collaboration with the Global Coalition on Aging (GCOA), the prize focuses on ICTs that specifically address the needs of people over the age of 60 to achieve and sustain their ability to live an active and engaged life.
I also look forward to the Opening Segment that will be held tomorrow where the 18 Winners and 72 Champions of the WSIS 2021 Prizes will be acknowledged and rewarded.
Last but not least, I would like to thank our generous sponsors, without whom we would not be able to organise this Forum, and recognise the efforts of the entire of WSIS community for your contribution and commitment towards the Forum’s success.
This is a truly global event resulting in concrete actions on the ground that can make a difference to peoples lives - thanks to your dedication.
I wish you a very enjoyable session.
Thank you.