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ITU Award goes to President Tarja Halonen of Finland,
Sam Pitroda and Kristin Peterson
World Telecommunication and Information Society
Award will be presented on 17 May
Geneva, 10 May 2011—
ITU
marks the 146th anniversary of its establishment on 17 May this year by
recognizing three eminent personalities who have contributed to the ongoing
digital revolution. President of Finland Tarja Halonen, telecommunication
innovator Sam Pitroda, and CEO of Inveneo Kristin Peterson will be awarded the
2011 ITU World Telecommunication and Information Society Award in recognition of
their dedication to promoting ICTs as a means of providing a better life for
humanity, particularly in rural communities.
Making the announcement, ITU Secretary-General
Hamadoun Touré lauded the work of the three eminent laureates for their
leadership and dedication towards promoting ICTs as a means of providing a
better life through global sustainability, particularly in rural communities.
“Information and communication technologies are constantly reshaping the way the
world communicates while creating opportunities for a better life through
long-term, sustainable development, not least among the most disadvantaged
sections of our society,” Dr Touré said. “As we focus on extending the reach of
ICTs to the remotest rural communities in every corner of the world, it is my
pleasure to honour those who have dedicated themselves to harnessing the full
potential of ICTs so that we can all enjoy a more productive, peaceful and — in
every way — a better life, particularly in rural areas.”
The Awards will be presented on 17 May 2011 at a
ceremony at ITU headquarters in Geneva.
World Telecommunication and Information Society Day
(WTISD) marks the establishment of ITU on 17 May, 1865. It highlights the
potential of information and communication technologies (ICT) in meeting the
development and economic aspirations of societies and on the importance of the
Internet as a global resource.
This year’s theme for WTISD, “Better Life in Rural
Communities with ICTs” brings attention to those who reside in rural districts
and far flung communities — half the
global population, or nearly 3.5 billion people — representing the poorer, less
educated, and more deprived cousins of the world’s urban citizens. Among them
are as many as 1.4 billion of the world’s extremely poor people, who are also
among the least connected to the benefits of ICTs. “We cannot allow this
situation to continue,” Dr Touré said. “It is time for global action to connect
rural communities to the opportunities offered by ICTs.”
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, referring to
people living in poor rural communities, said, “Their lives can be transformed
as we connect village schools to information and knowledge on the Internet,
bring telemedicine to far-flung rural health centres, provide accurate weather
information to farmers and fishermen, and supply up-to-date market information
to producers.” Mr Ban also noted: “Recent events around the world, in particular
in North Africa and the Middle East, have
highlighted the catalytic role that mobile phones and social media can play in
galvanizing public opinion against repression.
And in the aftermath of natural disasters that have struck with greater
frequency and force, we have seen how these technologies are a vital part of the
aid response, establishing lines of communication that can save lives, reunite
families and help emergency relief reach people in need.”
ITU World Telecommunication and Information Society Awards
President of Finland Tarja Halonen is co-chairman of
the High-level United Nations Panel on Global Sustainability and has focused on
several key issues, from sustainable sourcing to improving access to education
and improving maternal health in low-income countries. Finland is one
of the premier centres for ICT innovation and productivity, especially in the
mobile phone sector. In July 2010, Finland made broadband a legal right
for all citizens, which is in line with ITU’s campaign to accelerate broadband
connectivity in order to feed both rural communities and urban centres with the
means to meet their development goals and aspirations.
Mr Sam Pitroda is currently Adviser to the Prime
Minister of India on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations and
Chairman of the National Innovation Council of India. He is also widely
considered to have been responsible for
India’s telecommunications revolution and has
been a leading campaigner to help bridge the global digital divide. As
technology Adviser to
Prime Minister
Rajiv
Gandhi in the mid-1980s, Mr Pitroda not only heralded the telecom
revolution in India, but also
made a strong case for using technology for the benefit and betterment of
society through several missions on telecommunications, literacy, dairy, water,
immunization, and oilseeds. He has continued to redefine the role technology can
play in a society like India
by linking it to better delivery of services for the underprivileged in the
country.
Ms Kristin Peterson is CEO of Inveneo, a non-profit
social
enterprise that takes computers, Internet access and
telephony to rural and underserved communities in the developing world. To help
offset connectivity issues and environmental challenges, Inveneo’s solutions
incorporate cost-efficient and sustainable features that include ultra-low-power computing and long-distance
wireless connectivity and they partner with local ICT entrepreneurs for
in-country deployment. Ms Peterson has led Inveneo’s efforts to deliver
education, healthcare, economic development and relief projects in Haiti and in 25 countries throughout Sub-Saharan
Africa and South Asia with life-impacting ICTs.
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For more information, please contact:
Sanjay Acharya
Chief, Media Relations and Public Information,
ITU
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