World Telecommunication Day
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Dear Friends,
Human communication has always been a combination of intellect and
emotion — a characteristic that helps to define our shared humanity. Our
information society has a way of reminding us of this reality, often in a
dramatic fashion. A recent example is the Asian earthquake and tsunami disaster
when information and communication technologies (ICT) brought the tragedy home
to us in a manner unimaginable in the not-so-distant past and produced a surge
of unprecedented global sympathy and humanitarian action.
From the birth of the telegraph, through radio and television
broadcasting to satellite communications and the Internet, the work of ITU has
been essential in harnessing the power of technology to fulfil a human basic
need for communication. May 17th 2005 marks 140 years since ITU took on this
important mission.
The year 2005 also marks another important anniversary for ITU. The
release of the Maitland Report 20 years ago helped the world realize that it
was not right that only a minority of the human race should enjoy the benefits
of ICT while a majority lived in comparative isolation. The ITU report,
prepared by the Maitland Commission, is a landmark in identifying the digital
divide between information "haves" and "have nots" and in
proposing concrete solutions to bridge it. Since its publication, ITU has been
working in earnest to bring the benefits of ICT to all of humanity.
In 2003, ITU held the first-ever World Summit on the Information Society
in Geneva. At the Summit, world leaders from 175 countries endorsed a
Declaration of Principles and a Plan of Action that embraced the idea of
universal, accessible and affordable access to ICTs. The Declaration of
Principles has set the stage. The Plan of Action points the way forward.
Discussions at the Summit also highlighted the fact that the digital divide is
not only among countries, but also within countries. Access to ICT also varies
greatly between urban and rural areas, between the rich and the poor, between
the educated and the illiterate and between men and women. This multiplicity of
divides is a major impediment to the emergence of an equitable and viable
Information Society.
The second phase of the Summit, to be held this November in Tunis, will
measure progress made in fulfilling the specific objectives set in Geneva and
will call on all stakeholders to transform the political will expressed at the
first phase into long-term commitments. To help focus the world’s attention on
the importance of this mission, ITU members selected as the theme for World
Telecommunication Day 2005, Creating an Equitable Information Society:
Time for Action.
Looking ahead to Tunis, the true test of an equitable information
society will be the extent to which today's powerful knowledge-based
communication tools are able to connect different peoples across all
geographic, economic and information divides. As the members of the Maitland’s
Commission stated 20 years ago "Neither in the name of common humanity nor
on grounds of common interests, is such a disparity acceptable". Clearly,
the time for action is now!
Yoshio UTSUMI
Secretary-General
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World
Telecommunication Day
17 May 2005
Message by Mr Kofi A. ANNAN
Secretary-General
United Nations
We live in an age in which communication between people is essential to
achieving our shared goals of development and peaceful coexistence. New
innovations in information and communication technologies have increased
exponentially our capacity to connect with each other. It is up to us to use to
harness the potential of these technologies in our work to extend the benefits
of education, health care, trade and environmental protection to all.
The theme of this year’s World Telecommunication Day, "Creating
an Equitable Information Society: Time for Action", calls on us to
give shape to the vision adopted at the first phase of the World Summit on the
Information Society in 2003. I urge Member States and all other stakeholders to
reaffirm their commitment to that process, and to participate at the highest
levels when the Summit reconvenes in Tunis in November of this year.
Efforts to build an equitable and accessible information society depend
on the strength of partnerships between Governments, civil society and
businesses, underpinned by the support of international organizations such as
the United Nations. On this World Telecommunication Day, which marks the 140th
anniversary of the founding of the International Telecommunication Union, let
us pledge to bridge technological differences and promote interconnectivity for
all. Together, we can create a truly global information society that will
benefit all the world’s people.
Kofi A. Annan
Secretary-General
United Nations