''Connecting the Young: the opportunities of ICT'' - this has been chosen as the theme for this year’s World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, to be commemorated on 17th May.
This is the second time that the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has jointly celebrated World Telecommunication Day and World Information Society Day, which focuses on the importance of ICT in today’s society. This year, the ITU is underling the role to be played by ICT in the reduction of poverty and in the creation of long-term development opportunities. Given its application in the improvement of education systems through electronic learning technologies, ICT can offer young people new opportunities and greater choice for the future and is expected to contribute to a more productive and peaceful world.
In this context the ITU calls upon international governmental and non-governmental organisations and policy decision makers to provide children and young people with access to ICT. The ITU also recalls the initiatives in progress that aim to support children and young people in developing countries and countries in transition, in which all can participate: The youth education scheme - YES, in which ANACOM participated in 2004; The youth incentive scheme; ITU Telecom Youth Forums, which ANACOM has promoted at a national level in connection with other relevant entities; Global network of helplines for children; and Cybersecurity information for children and youth.
The sectoral commemorations of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day will take place in the Portuguese Foundation for Communications, and there will be presentations by, among others, Anabela Pedroso, Chairwoman of the Directive Council of Agência para a Modernização Administrativa (Agency for the Administrative Modernisation), about “Services of citizenship – new citizen communication channels”. The commemorations will also see the official presentation of the first volume of a collection of pedagogical material connected to the permanent collection of the Communications Museum, which is based at the Foundation, entitled “The crazy corridors of the museum – telecommunications”. In addition there will be a demonstration of a class in the “School of the Future” and the inauguration of the temporary exhibition “The mobile phone – your inseparable friend”.
As a founder member of Portuguese Foundation for Communications, ANACOM and its chairman, José Amado da Silva, will be present at the event.
Further information:
- Message from Mr Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General http://www.itu.int/wisd/2007/messages/ki-moon.html
- Message from Dr Hamadoun Touré, ITU Secretary-General http://www.itu.int/wisd/2007/messages/toure.html
- World Telecommunication and Information Society Day http://www.itu.int/wisd/2007/index.html
- World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2007: call for action http://www.itu.int/wisd/2007/call-action.html
Related information on ANACOM's website:
- World Days of Telecommunications and the Information Society https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=362513
