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Theme WTISD 2011
Better life in rural communities with ICTs
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This year, World Telecommunication and Information Society Day
highlights the theme “Better life in rural communities with ICTs”,
which was adopted by ITU Council in 2009 and follows up on the
theme for 2010: “Better city, better life with ICTs”.
ICTs are increasingly in demand to meet the Millennium
Development Goals. In the rural context, ICTs provide enhanced
opportunities to generate income and combat poverty, hunger, ill
health and illiteracy.
Half the world’s population resides in rural districts and far flung
communities. This half — three billion people — represent the
poorer, less educated, and more deprived cousins of our urban
citizens. Indeed, latest figures indicate that as many as 70 per cent
of the developing world’s 1.4 billion extremely poor people live in
rural areas. They are also among the least connected to the benefits
of ICTs. We cannot allow this situation to continue.
As the leading specialized agency of the United Nations for
information and communication technologies (ICT), ITU looks
towards its Members to raise awareness of the role of ICTs in
creating fresh opportunities for a better life through long-term,
sustainable development, not least among the most vulnerable
sections of our society.
ICTs and related e-applications are key instruments in improving
governance and rural services, such as providing community health
care, safe drinking water and sanitation, education, food and
shelter; improving maternal health and reducing child mortality;
empowering women and the more vulnerable members of society;
and ensuring environmental sustainability. As ICTs increasingly
dictate lifestyles and behaviour patterns and power the growth of
trade and commerce, rural communities must not be allowed to fall
behind cities in their quest for connectivity.
Broadband connectivity is essential to establish the information and
communication highway that will feed both urban centres and rural
communities with the means to meet their development goals and
aspirations. ITU's Build on Broadband initiative is aimed at
increasing the roll out of this state-of-the-art technology. Last
September, the ITU/UNESCO-led Broadband Commission, which
includes leading proponents from around the world, submitted its
report to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon ahead of the MDG
Review in New York.
Developing a global partnership for development and using the
power of ICTs to meet the MDGs is a goal in itself. We therefore call
upon our Member States, Sector Members and Associates as well
as academia and citizens’ groups to pull together every conceivable
resource to ensure that rural communities worldwide are fully
connected to ICTs. Acting as catalysts, ICTs open the door to
myriad solutions in the quest for a more productive and better life in
our rural communities.
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), which met in
Geneva in 2003 and in Tunis in 2005, called upon countries to
consider establishing national mechanisms to achieve universal
access in underserved rural areas in order to bridge the digital
divide. ITU is committed to connecting the world and to ensure that
the benefits of ICTs reach the remotest corners as well as the most
vulnerable communities.
The theme of this year’s WTISD, “Better life in rural communities
with ICTs”, aims to ensure that ICTs will contribute to a better future
for our rural populations. As a means of bringing global attention to
this theme, ITU will present the annual World Telecommunication
and Information Society Award to eminent personalities who have
contributed to connecting rural communities to the benefits of ICT.
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