UNGIS

7 July 2022, 08:00-09:00 New York time (UTC-4) / 14:00-15:00 CEST (UTC+2) | Recording
A side event organized by the United Nations Group on the Information Society (UNGIS) and the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) 

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are rapidly transforming societies and economies, with potential to address complex and interconnected development challenges and build a sustainable future for all as envisioned in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. More needs to be done to leverage the development potential of digital technologies.  

After more than 15 years of engagement from all WSIS stakeholders, the WSIS Forum remains the leading global platform for multistakeholder collaboration to make ICTs a critical driver of global development, and this session is one of its contributions to the HLPF process.

Highlighting the theme of the WSIS Forum 2022, this session will focus on how the ICTs and the WSIS Action Lines can help accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), learning from the COVID-19 experience to build an inclusive, resilient, and sustainable societies and economies. It is important to strengthen partnerships and digital cooperation towards achieving goals and targets across the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  

Since its inception, UNGIS has played an important role in the WSIS process, including by forging collaboration and partnerships among UN Chief Executives Board (CEB) members to achieve WSIS objectives. UNGIS is committed to maintain ICT and science and technology issues at the top of the UN agenda and advocating for the implementation of ICT for development solutions in the programmes of CEB members. Drawing on the respective competencies of the different members of the Group, UNGIS is working collectively to implement more coordinated actions, greater coherence and effectiveness in the UN’s overall support to the implementation of the WSIS outcomes.

The WSIS process is built on the framework of the 11 WSIS Action Lines that cover all aspects of ICTs for development. Since 2015, the WSIS process and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development are being aligned by stakeholders to integrate ICTs into their approaches in implementing the activities/initiatives to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. 

Speakers

• Mr. Malcolm Johnson, Deputy Secretary-General, ITU (Chair of UNGIS) 

• H.E. Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), Minister, Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, Nigeria, Government 

• Dr. Tawfik Jelassi, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, UNESCO (Vice Chair of UNGIS)

• Mr. Torbjörn Fredriksson, Head of E-Commerce and Digital Economy Branch, UNCTAD (Vice Chair of UNGIS)

• UNDP (Vice Chair of UNGIS)

• Mr. Jean-Paul Adam, Director Technology, Climate Change and Natural Resources Management Division, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), (Vice Chair of UNGIS)

• Mr. Moshe Kao, Programme Management Officer, UN Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries

• Mr. Liberato C. Bautista, President, Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CoNGO), Civil Society

• Ms. Mei Lin Fung, Chair and Co-Founder, People Centered Internet, WSIS Gender Trendsetter

• Mr. Michael Hodin, CEO, Global Coalition on Aging, Private Sector