The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a United Nations specialized agency for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), is calling for submissions for the eighth edition of the contest for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Prizes. The WSIS Prizes 2019 will serve as “exceptional international recognition” of WSIS stakeholders who support the implementation of WSIS Outcomes, particularly WSIS Action Lines for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The 2019 edition is to recognize stakeholders as winners and champions for their excellence in supporting the implementation of WSIS outcomes, in particular WSIS Action Lines supporting achievement of
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Contest is open to all stakeholders and entities representing governments, private sector, international and regional institutions, civil society and academia. Each entity is allowed to submit one project per category. Stakeholders are invited to consult the rules for project submission and nomination criteria at the WSIS Prizes website.
WSIS Prizes is a unique international contest developed in response to requests from the WSIS stakeholders to create an effective mechanism to evaluate and recognize individuals, governments, civil society, local, regional and international agencies, research institutions and private-sector companies for outstanding success in implementing development oriented strategies that leverage the power of ICTs as an enabler of development.
The WSIS Prizes contest is an integral part of the WSIS stocktaking process; set up in 2004 to assist WSIS implementation and follow-up. The contest was held for the first time in 2012, and rapidly gained attention and popularity within the ICT for Development (ICT4D) community.
Building upon the outcomes of the United Nations General Assembly Overall Review on WSIS as well as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the WSIS Prizes 2019 reflect close linkages with achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The WSIS Prizes contest serves as the platform for identifying and showcasing the success stories across the WSIS Action Lines defined in the Geneva Plan of Action and SDGs.
It also provides us with models that can be replicated in the interests of empowering the community at the local level, providing everyone with an opportunity to participate in the contest and, most importantly, recognizing the efforts made by stakeholders to contribute to the development of society and their commitment to achievement of both the WSIS goals and SDGs.
For information, click: https://www.itu.int/net4/wsis/prizes/2019/
