17th May: World Telecommunication & Information Society Day
World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) has been celebrated annually every 17 May since 1969 to mark the founding of ITU and the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention in 1865.
2021 Theme: “Accelerating Digital Transformation in challenging times”.
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.
The COVID-19 crisis has not only highlighted the critical role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for the continued functioning of societies but has also brought to the fore the startling digital inequalities between and within countries.
At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgency of accelerating digital transformation and advancing the goals and targets of the Connect 2030 Agenda to leave no one behind.