UNGIS

At its annual gathering at the WSIS Forum 2015, the United Nations Group on the Information Society (UNGIS) welcomed a new tool developed by a number of United Nations agencies to map how information and communications technologies (ICTs) may contribute to the implementation of the proposed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The mapping exercise describes the interfaces between the Action Lines adopted at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) with the proposed SDGs. The matrix was developed by the various facilitators of the Action Lines, under their respective mandates, with the aim of identifying where the potential for ICTs to promote and realize the development goals is the greatest.

Mr Houlin Zhao, Secretary-General of ITU and the outgoing Chair of UNGIS (2014-2015) congratulated the UN family for the excellent achievement and thanked them for great collaboration on the WSIS Action Lines and SDG Matrix while stressing: “ITU was pleased to coordinate this effort and I hope that the Matrix will serve as an easy reference for stakeholders engaged in shaping the future of both, the SDGs and the WSIS processes beyond 2015”

Mr Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary-General of UNCTAD and newly appointed Chair of UNGIS (2015-2016) noted in a comment: "This exercise has illustrated the value of different parts of the United Nations working together. Once the matrix has been finalized, it will serve as a basis for recommending ways for information and communications technologies to help accelerate progress towards implementing the SDGs."

UNGIS encourages all WSIS Stakeholders to review the Matrix and provide feedback so that it can be finalized immediately after the SDGs have been formally adopted by Member States in September 2015.