India participated in ‘World Summit on the Information Society Forum 2021’
Recently the Indian Union Minister of Telecom has represented India at the World Summit on the Information Society Forum 2021.
What is World Summit on the Information Society Forum?
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) is a two-phase United Nations-sponsored summit on information, communication and, in broad terms, the information society that took place in 2003 in Geneva and in 2005 in Tunis.
Aim of World Summit on the Information Society Forum
The aims of World Summit on the Information Society Forum is to bridge the global digital divide separating rich countries from poor countries by increasing internet accessibility in the developing world.
World Summit on the Information Society Forum 2021
- The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2021 represents one of the world's largest annual gathering of the ‘ICT for development’ community.
- WSIS’s chief aim is to bridge the global digital divide separating rich countries from poor countries. The WSIS aims to achieve this by increasing internet accessibility in the developing world.
- The summit is co-organized by International Telecommunication Union(ITU), UNESCO, UNDP and UNCTAD.
- The telecom minister mentioned that under the flagship program BharatNet, nearly 6,00,000 villages are being connected through laying of more than 4,00,000 Km length of optical fiber cable and use of satellite communication services.
- Through submarine cable networks small and remote islands of Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep and other inaccessible areas are being connected with funding from Government.
- Establishment of ITU Area office and Innovation Centre in India with involvement of SMEs, Academia and Startups in the region will go a long way in development of technologies, standards and solutions best suited for rural and remote areas of developing nations.
What is International Telecommunication Union
- Established in 17 May 1865, the International Telecommunication Union is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for all matters related to information and communication technologies.
- It is open to all Member States of the United Nations. There are currently 193 Member States of the ITU. This includes all the UN member states except the Republic of Palau.
- The ITU promotes the shared global use of the radio spectrum, facilitates international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, assists in developing and coordinating worldwide technical standards, and works to improve telecommunication infrastructure in the developing world.
- It is also active in the areas of broadband Internet, wireless technologies, aeronautical and maritime navigation, radio astronomy, satellite-based meteorology, TV broadcasting, and next-generation networks.