WSIS Forum 2017

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2017 represents the world's largest annual gathering of the ‘ICT for development’ community. The annual WSIS Forum is a global multi-stakeholder platform facilitating the implementation of the WSIS Action Lines for advancing sustainable development. The Forum provides an opportunity for information exchange, knowledge creation and sharing of best practices, while identifying emerging trends and fostering partnerships, taking into account the evolving Information and Knowledge Societies.

The WSIS Forum is constantly evolving and strengthening the alignment between the WSIS Action Lines and the Sustainable Development Goals. The Forum will serve as a key platform for discussing the role of ICTs as a means of implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and targets, with due regard to the global mechanism for follow-up and review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Organizers & WSIS Action Line Facilitators

Outcomes

More than 2,500 ICT experts and advocates from around the globe are taking part this week in the WSIS Forum 2017, where they will exchange knowledge and experiences towards achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With a focus on sustainable development trends and inclusive ICT initiatives in key SDG priority areas, this year's forum features more than 200 specialized workshops covering a wide array of topics identified through a participatory process with WSIS stakeholders. Participants are set to include at least 500 high-level policy-makers from 150+ countries, including government ministers and experts, civil society leaders, academics, business leaders and international organizations.

WSIS Forum 2017 will result in several concrete outcomes that will enable stakeholders to strengthen implementation of WSIS Action Lines and the alignment of the WSIS and SDG processes.

Press Release

Outcomes and Achievements

WSIS Publications

Photos and Videos

Highlights: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4

WSIS Forum 2017 Playlist

Photos

High-Level Track

Policy Statements will be delivered during the High-Level Track (13-14 June 2017) of the WSIS Forum 2017 by high-ranking officials of the WSIS Stakeholder community, representing the Government, Private Sector, Civil Society, Academia and International Organizations. The high-level track will consist of the opening segment, interactive policy dialogues, ministerial round table, and a high-level networking programme. Policy statement sessions will be moderated by high-level track facilitators and will be grouped around different themes identified as important by the WSIS Stakeholders during the open consultation process.

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Videos Messages

ITU Secretary-General:
Houlin Zhao
Video

UNIDO Director General:
Li Yong
Video

WIPO Director General:
Francis Gurry
Video

ITC Executive Director:
Arancha González
Video

UNESCO Director General:
Irina Bokova
Video

ILO Director-General:
Guy Ryder
Video

UN Secretary General:
António Guterres
Video Available Soon

Agenda

The WSIS Forum is the only event of its kind where the programme is completely crowdsourced. The engagement of governments, civil society, the private sector, academia, the technical community and intergovernmental organizations in the preparatory process ensures broad ownership and continual improvements of the Forum. The Agenda and Programme for the Forum is built on the basis of official submissions received during the Open Consultation Process on thematic aspects and innovations on the format of the WSIS Forum 2017.

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Session Formats

Participation

The ITU, UNESCO, UNCTAD and UNDP are pleased to invite you to the WSIS Forum 2017, which the ITU will host in Geneva (Switzerland) from 12 to 16 June 2017. An invitation letter in all six official UN languages is available here. This event builds upon the tradition of annual WSIS May meetings, and its new format is the result of open consultations with all WSIS Stakeholders. Registration is necessary for all WSIS Stakeholders intending to participate in forum or the Open Consultation Process physical meetings.

Register for WSIS Forum 2017

WSIS Action Lines

Hackathon

As a continuation of the discussions initiated at the 2016 WSIS Forum, a Hackathon on ICTs for SDGs focusing on E-health will be held at the WSIS Forum 2017. We invite all interested coders to participate in the WSIS Hack for Health.

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Virtual Reality for SDGs

Pursuing a first partnership in 2016, WSIS and World VR Forum join forces to be at the forefront of Virtual Reality for advancing development. A shiny new Virtual Reality Track will be held at the WSIS Forum 2017 bringing together high-level personalities, world class VR experience and a very special focus on education.

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TEDxGeneva

After a successful debut at WSIS Forum 2016, TEDxGeneva and the WSIS Forum bring you to the crossroads of our fast-changing society--the crossroads of technology acceleration, human tradition, artificial intelligence, and an interconnected world.

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Sustainable Development Goals

WSIS Stocktaking

Call for Update and New Entries

The WSIS Stocktaking database, currently with 8.000 plus entries and a growing community of 200.000 stakeholders, is a unique global tool for collecting information and regular reporting on ICT related initiatives and projects, carried out by governments, international organizations, the business sector, civil society, academia and other entities, in the context of 11 WSIS Action Lines.

In support of the WSIS Implementation and Follow-up, all WSIS Stakeholders are invited to update and submit new entries online. Submitted activities will be reflected in the WSIS Stocktaking Report 2017, which will be released at the WSIS Forum 2017.

WSIS Prizes 2017

WSIS Prizes is an international contest developed in response to requests from WSIS stakeholders to create an effective mechanism to evaluate and recognize individuals, governments, civil society, local, regional and international agencies, research institutions and private sector companies for outstanding success in implementing development-oriented strategies that leverage the power of ICTs. The WSIS Prizes contest is an integral part of the WSIS stocktaking process. The contest was held for the first time in 2012, and rapidly gained attention and popularity within the ICT for Development (ICT4D) community.

All WSIS Stakeholders are encouraged to submit their project descriptions to the WSIS Prizes contest.

WSIS Photo Contest

WSIS is inviting you to picture how Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs ) are playing an enabling role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Participate in building a collage of ICT for Sustainable Development photographs from around the world.

Send photos of your projects, people, and organizations that are leveraging the power of ICTs to make difference. The contest runs from 2 March to 22 May 2017. The three winning entries in the WSIS photo contest will be awarded and presented at the Forum. In addition the winners will be invited to join ITU’s #ICT4SDG campaign. A dedicated poster and other campaign materials highlighting their work will be created and shared within ITU and its stakeholders.

Partners

Strategic Partner

Partners for specific activities

Contributing Partners

Supporting Partners

Sponsorship Opportunities

Moving towards 2025, and following the multi-stakeholder approach, the WSIS Forum will build upon the outcomes of the WSIS+10 Review and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. All WSIS stakeholders are invited to become a partner of the WSIS Forum 2017 and to explore the benefits and available packages.

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