Bangladesh along with the globe will observe World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) today with the theme “Connect 2030: ICTs for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”. Due to the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, Posts and Telecommunications Division and Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) have decided to keep the activities of WTISD in this year limited within online, radio and television programmes, said a BTRC press release on Saturday. To mark the day, International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has organized a virtual conversation from 2pm to 3pm on May 18 which would concentrate on attaining sustainable development goals in next 10 years through advancement of technology and upcoming challenges.
Every year since 1969, ITU celebrates WTISD, which marks the founding of ITU on 17 May 1865 when the first International Telegraph Convention was signed in Paris.
The year 2020 represents a unique opportunity for ITU membership to commemorate ICT’s contribution to the advancement of the Information Society, and to present the ‘Connect 2030 Agenda for Global Telecommunication/ICT Development’ (PP-18 Resolution 200, Rev.
Dubai, 2018) now linked to the Strategic Plan of the Union for the period 2020-2023, and specifically focusing on how technological advances in the coming 10 years will contribute to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and 17 SDGs, adopted by UNGA Resolution A/70/1 recognizes that the spread of information and communications technology and global interconnectedness has great potential to accelerate human progress and to bridge the digital divide. The theme of this year’s WTISD will allow ITU membership to reflect on the ICT advances for transition to smart and sustainable development. It will focus on specific ICT-enabled solutions and emerging trends for fostering economic, environmental and social sustainability, contributing to the five strategic goals of the Connect 2030 Agenda: Growth, Inclusiveness, Sustainability, Innovation and Partnership.
United Secretary General Ant>nio Guterres in a message said information technology can be a beacon of hope, allowing billions of people around the world to connect.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, these connections – with loved ones, with schools and colleges, with workplaces, with healthcare professionals and essential supplies- are more important than ever,” he said. Guterres said new technologies, from 5G and big data to cloud computing and artificial intelligence, are powerful tools to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges, including the pandemic.
Besides, ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao invited every individual to show the world what new technologies like 5G and Intelligent Transport, Internet of Things, AI and blockchain can do to improve people’s lives and facilitate social and economic development.
“These technologies and new innovations hold great potential for human progress; they are a powerful tool to achieve each and every one of the Sustainable Development Goals,” he said.
Mentioning that almost half of world’s population is still not using internet, Zhao said “We need to coordinate and redouble our efforts to connect everyone to global digital economy, and that for those connected, more must be done to ensure that connected life is safe and trustworthy.”
