In November 2005, the World Summit on the Information Society called upon the UN General Assembly to declare 17 May as World Information Society Day to focus on the importance of ICT and the wide range of issues related to the Information Society raised by WSIS. In November 2006, the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Antalya, Turkey, decided to celebrate the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day on 17 May of every year.
The purpose of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) is to help raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICT) can bring to societies and economies, as well as of ways to bridge the digital divide .
This year, World Telecommunication and Information Society Day highlights the theme “Better life in rural communities with ICTs”. ICTs are increasingly in demand to meet the
Millennium Development Goals. In the rural context, ICTs provide enhanced opportunities to generate income and combat poverty, hunger, ill health and illiteracy.
Celebrating World Teleco & Information Society Day WTISD 2011