The COVID-19 crisis has exposed startling digital inequalities, both between and within countries. World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD), celebrated annually on 17 May, focuses on a timely theme this year: Accelerating digital transformation in challenging times.
See the WTISD 2021 page in English, French, Arabic, Russian, Spanish and Chinese.
ITU Member States and Sector Members are encouraged to share stories, make use of common strategic communication materials, and to join conversations on issues related to the campaign.
"The information society has emerged as one of the main lines of defence against COVID-19," said Houlin Zhao, ITU Secretary-General. "In 2021, ITU will use World Telecommunication and Information Society Day to unite the world in pursuit of digital transformation in every field of business and all aspects of life."
Seeking stories on digital transformation
WTISD 2021 celebrations - taking place virtually as part of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) this year - will showcase how governments, companies and academia can work together to improve global telecommunication resilience and strengthen information and communication technologies (ICTs) for future crises.
In the weeks remaining up to the event, ITU will compile and update multimedia, audio and visual materials on its WTISD campaign site regularly, and also help to disseminate such materials via social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, LinkedIn, Instagram, SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker, as well as through ITU News channels.
Members are also invited to adopt, share and promote the common hashtags #Connect2030 and #DigitalTransformation. The WTISD 2021 campaign poster will be available in ITU's six official languages.
Supporting Connect 2030 goals
While governments and the private sector have worked together to save lives and sustain economies, the pandemic has highlighted the urgency of advancing ITU's Connect 2030 Agenda, which aims to accelerate the world's digital transformation while leaving no one behind. Connect 2030 goals and targets contribute, in turn, to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Key Connect 2030 targets related to digital transformation include:
- Target 1.4 - whereby all countries should adopt a digital agenda or strategy.
- Target 1.7 - whereby the population should be interacting with government services online.
- Target 3.1 - calling on countries to improve their cybersecurity preparedness.
- Target 3.5 - stipulating that all countries should have national emergency telecommunication plans as part of disaster risk reduction.
- Target 4.1 - calling on all countries to fostering telecommunication/ICT-centric innovation.
- Target 5.1 - which encourages increased and effective partnerships and cooperation in the telecommunication/ICT environment.
Advocacy toolkit and content requirements
We encourage Member States, Sector Members and other partners and stakeholders to share their videos and other materials by 9 April.
See the technical requirements for photographs and videos.
We also invite all stakeholders to share WTISD 2021 campaign messages and material with your own networks and to join conversations on digital transformation in these challenging times.
See the WTISD 2021 advocacy toolkit for more about what you can do.
