INFORMATION SOCIETY: "CONNECTING THE WORLD"?

• Position: Brief Article

In June, 2005, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) launched the "Connect the World initiative", a multi-stakeholder partnership that is united in the objective of connecting the 800,000 villages - or 30% of all villages worldwide - which still lack any kind of connectivity. At the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis in November 2005, partner organisations signed a pledge to make good that commitment by 2015.

WTDC-06 will be the first opportunity to operationalise the political commitments enunciated at the Summit. The Panel, co-hosted ITU Secretary-General Yoshio Utsumi will provide an informal forum for stakeholders to exchange experiences and highlight concrete, implementation-focused solutions to be shared with WTDC participants.

The discussion will be based on an open and interactive discussion between eight eminent Connect the World partners and an...