Castries, Saint Lucia. May 12, 2016- The Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority, ECTEL, will join the world to commemorate World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2016, on Monday, May 17th. ECTEL is also at the same time recognizing girls in ICT Day which was observed on April 28, 2016.
To mark the occasion, ECTEL will engage young students at the St. Joseph’s Convent in Castries, Saint Lucia as part of efforts to encourage young girls and women to consider careers in ICT.
The one-hour presentation will begin with an awareness on Girls in ICT, then students will be introduced to wireless technologies and opportunities for youth in ICT advancement. The session will culminate with a Question and Answer segment to allow students to discuss the issues raised during the presentation.
World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD-2016) will focus on the theme: “ICT entrepreneurship for social impact”, in accordance with Resolution 68 and as endorsed by ITU Council 2015.
The theme for WTISD-16 is in line with ITU’s work in unlocking the potential of ICTs for young innovators and entrepreneurs, innovative SMEs, start-ups and technology hubs as drivers of innovative and practical solutions for catalysing progress in achieving international sustainable development goals, with a focus on SMEs from developing countries.
ECTEL, in collaboration with the NTRCs in Grenada, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Vincent and the Grenadines has supported numerous ICT development projects through the Universal Service Fund. At present, other initiatives are being implemented through the Caribbean Regional Communication Infrastructure Project (CARCIP) in Saint Lucia, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. These include expansion of the broadband network, implementation of IP PBX systems in the public service, establishment of Internet Exchange Point(IXP) ICT Training and Capacity Building and ICT Business Incubation.
The purpose of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) is to help raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICT) can bring to societies and economies, as well as ways to bridge the digital divide.
World Telecommunication Day has been celebrated annually on 17 May since 1969, marking the founding of ITU and the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention in 1865. It was instituted by the Plenipotentiary Conference in Malaga-Torremolinos in 1973.
(Press release courtesy of the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL))
