Background Information about the Day

Creation of the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day

The World Telecommunication Day is celebrated annually on 17 May, marking the founding of ITU and the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention in 1865. It was instituted by the Plenipotentiary Conference in Malaga-Torremolinos in 1973. 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. The General Assembly adopted a resolution (A/RES/60/252) in March 2006 stipulating that World Information Society Day shall be celebrated every year on 17 May.

In November 2006, the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Antalya, Turkey, decided that celebrating World Telecommunication and Information Society Day would have significant value in supporting ITU’s main strategic orientations. The updated Resolution 68 invites Member States and Sector Members to celebrate the day annually by organizing appropriate national programmes. This would stimulate reflection and exchanges of ideas on the theme adopted by the Council; debate the various aspects of the theme with all partners in society; and formulate a report reflecting national discussions on the issues underlying the theme, to be fed back to ITU and the rest of its membership.

Theme of the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2007

Connecting the Young: the opportunities of ICT

Young people are the best promoters of ICT and are key contributors to building an inclusive Information Society. This should be taken into account in all actions and projects targeting the use and access of ICT, not only as a way to widen ICT opportunities for children and young people but also as a way to accelerate bridging the digital divide and contribute to the development of the telecommunication sector as a whole.

Past Observances