The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) was held at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Headquarters in Geneva on March 24 with the participation of the official delegation of the United Arab Emirates, headed by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA).
The UAE’s delegation included representatives from the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and the Future, the National Media Council, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Education and the General Women Union.
During the summit, H.E. Eng. Majed Sultan Al Mesmar, Deputy Director General of Telecommunication Sector at the TRA, was announced as the Chairman of WSIS Forum 2018 in addition to announcing the General Women Union as the winner of the summit's fifth category awards on building confidence and security in using technology.
The union initiated the National Digital Child Campaign in cooperation with the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, to support capacity building that adapts to changes, enhances the skills of scientific research, empowers discovery and self-learning, acts as a guide for a secure and positive usage of new technologies, and spreads digital awareness for an optimal use of the internet and avoiding cybercrime.
WSIS is an ideal platform that gathers ICT society from around the world, and became one of the most active enablers towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The UAE is keen to actively participate in this event and committed to its programs and initiatives through action plans and roadmaps, with specific key indicators linked to the realization of the UAE vision 2021.
The UAE has recently undergone a major shift towards sustainability, and under the guidance of the wise leadership, it has started to bid goodbye to its last barrels of oil, although being home to one of the largest oil reserves.
H.E. Majed Sultan Al Mesmar thanked the summit organizers for their trust and reviewed the UAE supportive efforts in working with summit to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
He said: “We are keen to have an active and distinguished presence in this event. This year, the UAE’s participation is exceptional with diverse projects and smart initiatives that highlight our successful experiences in information technology and digital transformation, which is in line with our leadership directives to place our country among the top countries of the world on global competitiveness indicators in various fields.”
H.E. Al Mesmar added: “WSIS is gaining an increasing importance from one year to another as it became the event that policy makers around the world await and follow-up. Our participation is part of a comprehensive strategic plan that is based on interacting with global experiences, and presenting the experience of the UAE in various fields especially those related to government with a focus on shaping the future, utilizing the ICT for the best of humanity in general, in addition to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in particular.”
