Opening Remarks by Malcolm Johnson, ITU Deputy Secretary-General
PP-22 Side Event - WSIS Process: WSIS Beyond 2025
Organised by Nigeria
3 October 2022 - Bucharest, Romania
Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for taking time out of your lunchbreak to join us. Many thanks to Nigeria for organising this side event together with ITU secretariat.
It was at the suggestion of the WSIS Forum Chairman H.E. Prof Ali Ibrahim Pantami to have this side event here to promote the importance of WSIS to achieve the SDGs, and to brainstorm on how we can make sure that the WSIS+20 review comes to the right decision on its continuation beyond 2025. Unfortunately, he had to return to Nigeria for urgent business.
I presented our document 47 on WSIS+20, and the SG’s proposed roadmap, at WGPLEN last week. The roadmap presents an inclusive preparatory process engaging all Stakeholders and UN agencies involved (over 30) to take stock of progress on the outcomes of the World Summit, WSIS Action Lines, and their support to the implementation of the SDGs.
I believe the WSIS process has been a force for global public good for many years, and the WSIS Forum goes from strength to strength where people come together to exchange good ideas to bring the benefits of ICTs to all people: older persons; youth; women; indigenous people; rural and isolated communities, so in my opinion there would be something wrong if the UN did not agree to continue it.
The WSIS Forum is the result of an open consultative process which has already begun for next year, which will be held during week 13-17 March. I hope you will all contribute. Each year it improves on the previous year and this year took advantage of the lessons learned during COVID with huge remote participation of over 30,000 as well as over 1000 attending physically.
I wish you a very productive discussion, which I am sure will help the WSIS process continue to develop and evolve to help with socio-economic sustainable development and bring the benefits of the technology to everyone everywhere.
Thank you.