IITF Side Event at Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues 2006

"Indigenous Peoples and the WSIS: Towards International Indigenous Connectivity"
Tuesday, 23 May 2006, Conference Room 3
1:15 p.m.-2:45 p.m.

"A follow up on the work accomplished at WSIS in Tunisia as well as a discussion of post-WSIS follow-up. Reports on Indigenous Connectivity in the Americas and on the
creation of an international indigenous portal."

Invited Speakers:

Kenneth Deer (Post-WSIS)
Tarcila Rivera (Americas connectivity)
Anne-Kristin Håkansson (IITF & Portal)
Joe Shirley (Update on ITU Office)
Dan Hughes (Govt support of ICT Issues)

Organizer:
International Indigenous ICT Task force

Co-Sponser: Government of Canada and Government of Sweden

World Information Society Day: May 17 May 2006

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), held in November 2005, adopted the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society, which recognized that there is a need to build more awareness of the Internet. It specifically called upon the declaration of May 17th as World Information Society Day; the annual observance was officially proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly. This Day will help raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet and other information communications technologies (ICTs) can bring to societies and economies, as well as of ways to bridge the digital divide. The theme for 2006 is "promoting global cybersecurity". More information.

ANNAN CALLS FOR GLOBAL SECURITY IN CYBERSPACE

From on-line banking to the benefits of telemedicine, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called on the world community to enhance global
security in cyberspace so as to realize the full potential of information and communication technologies (ICT) and accelerate the pace of development.

“In an increasingly interconnected and networked world, it has become critically important to safeguard our vital systems and infrastructures against attack by cybercriminals, while instilling confidence in online transactions in order to promote trade, commerce, banking, telemedicine, e-government and a host of other e-applications,” he said in a message marking the first World Information Society
Day.

“As this depends on the security practices of each and every networked country, business and citizen, we need to develop a global culture of cybersecurity,” he
added

He called on all Member States and stakeholders to help increase global awareness of cybersecurity, and to develop an international network of initiatives and
ICT-based countermeasures to enhance security and build trust in the use of information and communication technologies.

“This is essential for the continued growth and development of our economies, and especially important for developing countries,” Mr. Annan said.

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), held in Geneva in 2003 and Tunis in 2005, decided to mark the Day in recognition of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the world’s oldest international organization, which was founded on 17 May 1865 and is now a UN specialized agency.