December 18, 2019

 

Contact:  Dr Jim Poisant M: +1 703 728-4547 E: jpoisant@witsa.org

 

Fairfax, VA:  The World Information Technology and Services applauds today’s publication of the 2019 Network Readiness Index (NRI) report, ranking the network readiness of 121 economies based on their performance across 62 variables. Initially launched in 2002 by the World Economic Forum, the NRI has been redesigned in 2019 to reflect how technology and people need to be integrated within an effective governance structure in order to have the right impact on our economy, society and the environment.

Recognizing the pervasiveness of digital technologies in today’s networked world, the Index is grounded in four fundamental dimensions: Technology, People, Governance and Impact. This holistic approach means that the NRI covers issues ranging from future technologies such as artificial intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT) to the role of the digital economy in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The 2019 NRI is being released by the Portulans Institute, a Washington D.C. based technology and innovation think tank, in collaboration with WITSA.  “WITSA sincerely appreciates being selected as a 2019 NRI, Knowledge Partner.  We consider this report to be critical for Global ICT development,” said WITSA Chairman Yvonne Chiu.  

According to 2019 NRI, the three countries most likely to reap the benefits of the digital future are Sweden, Singapore, and the Netherlands. The study also reveals that the United States and other Northern and Western European countries are among the world’s most future-ready societies because of their success in combining technological opportunities and human wellbeing. “Technology today is not regarded as it was twenty years ago. Its social, environmental and organizational impacts should be perceived to be at least as important as its economic potential”, notes Bruno Lanvin, the 2019 NRI Co-Editor and Co-Founder of the Portulans Institute.

However, other regions do not fare as well. One concern that arises from the continued investment by high-income countries in their technology infrastructure is the persistence of a technological divide at the global level.

The report also warns that the positive impact of technologies will not be achieved unless we are able to set up effective governance mechanisms to integrate technology with the three key stakeholder groups – individuals, businesses, and governments. The report also found clear evidence that technological innovation can be a powerful tool to achieve the SDGs.

Given the strong performance and growth of the ICT sector, WITSA believes that it is imperative that nations do all they can to help ensure the ICT sector is thriving in their respective countries. To do this, there must be a comprehensive ICT infrastructure in place, governments must embrace the power of ICT to transform the delivery of public services, entrepreneurship should be encouraged and supported, and there has to be a strong focus on equipping the next generation with the necessary ICT skills. It is clear those industries harnessing ICT effectively tend to achieve much higher growth rates than those which do not.

ICT matters not just because of its economic impact, but also because of the way it enables positive social and cultural change. ICT can help to break down social barriers between nations and significantly within nations. It is clear that ICT is not only central to tackling the challenges of today; it should also be seen as a critical instrument to help tackle the challenges of tomorrow. For the future prosperity of all economies across the world, it is therefore essential that the digital opportunity is seized.

“As the evolution of the Digital Age unfolds, it is imperative that the requirements to derive maximum benefit from ICT be clearly understood and benchmarked for nations to measure progress”, stated WITSA Secretary General Dr. Jim Poisant.  “The NRI report serves as a beacon that illuminates the path to success in this new Age.”

“Digital Technology is reshaping the global economy and producing an improved growth model”, said WITSA Deputy Chairman Mr. Yannis Sirros. “It is critical that all nations fully engage and adapt to the evolving Digital Age in order to take advantage of all of its benefits. In order for this new age to create maximum global benefit it must be applied everywhere”, continued Mr. Sirros. “The Networked Readiness Index report provides an excellent, comprehensive view of what is required by nations to fully realize the benefit of ICT for their societies. As WITSA’s longest standing director, I am very proud of WITSA for being selected as a Knowledge Partner of this impactful report.”

Starting on December 18^th, the 2019 NRI complete report can be downloaded here, the Executive Summary here, or you can choose to navigate it at networkreadinessindex.org.  The NRI December 18^th global launch is hosted by Portulans Institute and WITSA at the Global Governance Centre at the Graduate Institute Geneva.

 Press contact:

For WITSA: Dr Jim Poisant M: +1 703 728-4547 E: jpoisant@witsa.org

For the NRI 2019: nri2019@portulansinstitute.org

 About WITSA:

The World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) is the leading recognized international voice of the global ICT industry, whose members from over 80 countries and economies represent more than 90 percent of the world ICT market. WITSA’s vision is “Fulfilling the Promise of the Digital Age.” When everyone on earth has access and is benefiting from ICT, WITSA’s vision will be realized. WITSA is dedicated to advocating policies that advance industry growth and development; facilitating international trade and investment in ICT products and services; strengthening WITSA’s national industry associations; and providing members with a broad network of professional contacts.

WITSA members are leaders in a globally interconnected marketplace. Because the challenges facing the ICT industry are undisputedly global in nature, WITSA members work together to achieve a shared vision on important issues of common interest. WITSA makes it possible for its members — ranging from Mongolia and Argentina to Kenya and the United States — to identify common issues and priorities, exchange valuable information, and present a united position on industry issues. For more information on WITSA, please visit www.witsa.org.  

 

October 25, 2019

Contact:  Dr Jim Poisant M: +1 703 728-4547 E: jpoisant@witsa.org

Fairfax, VA:  The World Information Technology and Services today published a statement of policy entitled “Supporting Digital Trade Rules for Innovation and Sustainable Economic Development: A Case for a Trade Agreement”. The paper welcomes the ongoing efforts at the World Trade Organization to negotiate a new comprehensive e-commerce agreement, making the case that the Joint Statement Initiative on E-Commerce (JSI) presents a critical opportunity for the global trade body to prove its relevance in the current political environment and could lead to broader WTO reforms as well.

“WITSA is concerned about the very real risk that the significant achievements in multilateral trade liberalization since 1948 might begin to erode, as nations become introspective and protective in the face of global financial and economic challenges”, stated WITSA Secretary General Dr. Jim Poisant. “This is a serious and complex issue for the global business community, affecting not just the future of multilateral negotiations, but – equally important – the future of global trade rule making and dispute settlement.” “A successful conclusion of the WTO e-commerce negotiations resulting in an agreement by the 2020 WTO Ministerial would invigorate global digital trade at a critical time and enhance the stature and relevance of the global trade body,” continued Dr. Poisant.

The statement makes key recommendations regarding a new WTO E-Commerce Agreement, including:

• Compliance with WTO non-discrimination principles, such as Most-Favored Nation (MFN) and National Treatment (NT);
• A New WTO ecommerce trade agreement should enable the secure movement of data across borders;
• , a new WTO trade framework should prohibit the forced localization of data or computing facilities for all sectors;
• A WTO agreement should permanently prohibit customs duties and other discriminatory measures from being applied to electronic transmissions;
• A new WTO digital trade agreement should include further commitments on trade facilitation that help enable cross-border e-commerce for businesses of all sizes, especially micro-, small- and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs);
• A WTO agreement on digital trade should include protections against requirements that companies provide source code or proprietary algorithms as a condition of market access, which severely limits open trade and investment and violates the principle of non-discrimination so fundamental to the entire trade system;
• An agreement should prohibit governments from imposing measures requiring companies to purchase or use a particular technology and governments from according a preference to a particular technology in their markets and should retain the obligation to support international standards which are integral to interoperable software, hardware and services which underpin the open Internet;
• A WTO agreement should strengthen existing cybersecurity collaboration mechanisms;
• An agreement should recognize that personal information must be protected regardless of where it is located, but also acknowledge that different approaches can achieve comparable levels of privacy protection and provide a mechanism to guarantee international transfers of protected data;
• A WTO agreement should recognize the importance of open government data by promoting access in machine-readable and open formats leveraging international standards.

The full statement can be found on the WITSA web site at the following link: https://witsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/DigitalTrade_final.pdf

 About WITSA:

The World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) is the leading recognized international voice of the global ICT industry, whose members from over 80 countries and economies represent more than 90 percent of the world ICT market. WITSA is dedicated to advocating policies that advance industry growth and development; facilitating international trade and investment in ICT products and services; strengthening WITSA’s national industry associations; and providing members with a broad network of professional contacts.

WITSA members are leaders in a globally interconnected marketplace. Because the challenges facing the ICT industry are undisputedly global in nature, WITSA members work together to achieve a shared vision on important issues of common interest. WITSA makes it possible for its members — ranging from Mongolia and Argentina to Kenya and the United States — to identify common issues and priorities, exchange valuable information, and present a united position on industry issues. For more information on WITSA, please visit www.witsa.org

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 9, 2019

Contact: Anders Halvorsen           ahalvorsen@witsa.org     +1 571 265-5964

 

• WITSA is the most comprehensive and influential entity representing the Information and Communications technology (ICT) and services industry in the world
• Awards recognize the entities that made the most significant contributions to mankind in 2019.
• Six “Global ICT Excellence” awards, one “Chairman” award and one “Eminent Persons Award” were recognized at the October 8, 2019 World Congress on IT Gala Dinner in Yerevan, Armenia.

 

Yerevan, Armenia: On the second day of the 2019 World Congress on Information Technology, the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) announced that seven private and public sector organizations from five different countries were selected to receive the 2019 WITSA Global ICT Excellence Awards, including the special WITSA Chairman’s Awards:

 

• 2019 Chairman’s Award: Bangladesh Vision 2021
• 2019 Public/Private Partnership Award: IoT Augmented Airfield Service System(by Airport Authority of Hong Kong / Center of Cyber Logistics, Asian Institute of Supply Chains & Logistics, Chinese University of Hong Kong / ubiZense Ltd.)
• 2019 Digital Opportunity/Inclusion Award: Lifelong Learning for Persons with Disabilities(by MCIT – Egyptian Ministry of Communication & Information Technology)
• 2019 Sustainable Growth Award: Give 543
• 2019 Innovative E-Health Solutions Award: ACE VR Limited– “Evaluation of Visual Disability in a Virtual Reality Environment”
• 2019 Digital Innovation Award: “A.I. powered vessel monitoring”, by DeepSea Technologies
• 2019 E-Education & Learning Award: Sunnet Co.for V2U Interactive Videotelephony Teaching Platform

                                      

WITSA bestowed the Eminent Persons Award to Mr. Karen Vardanyan, the Executive Director of the Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises of Armenia (UATE), to acknowledge his life-long service to the development of the Armenian ICT/high tech sector.

 

Finally, WITSA issued eleven merit awards. While not being selected as winners of one of the award categories, these merit winners nevertheless displayed first-rate use of ICT.

 

About WITSA

The World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) is the leading recognized international voice of the global ICT industry, whose members from over 80 countries and economies represent more than 90 percent of the world ICT market.  WITSA is dedicated to advocating policies that advance industry growth and development; facilitating international trade and investment in ICT products and services; strengthening WITSA’s national industry associations; and providing members with a broad network of professional contacts.  WITSA hosts the World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT), the premier global industry sponsored ICT conference.

WITSA members are leaders in a globally interconnected marketplace. Because the challenges facing the ICT industry are undisputedly global in nature, WITSA members work together to achieve a shared vision on important issues of common interest. WITSA makes it possible for its members — ranging from Mongolia and Argentina to Kenya and the United States — to identify common issues and priorities, exchange valuable information, and present a united position on industry issues.

 

For more information on WITSA, please visit www.witsa.org

 

 BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

At every World Congress on IT, the WITSA Global ICT Excellence Awards recognize select organizations whose use of IT has exhibited exceptional achievement within six broad categories: Public/Private Partnership Award; Digital Opportunity/Inclusion Award; Sustainable Growth; Innovative eHealth Solutions; Digital Innovation Award; E-Education & Learning Award. In addition, a special WITSA Chairman’s Award is presented to a nominee from the entire pool of candidates from all categories.

 

WITSA had also established its highest award called WITSA’s Eminent Persons Award in 2010.  The award recognizes those individuals who have made a significant and profound positive difference in the lives of others.  Since establishing the award in 2010, its recipients have included Dr Nelson Mandela, Dr Mike Lazaratis, Dr Vint Cerf, Dr. Robert Khan, Dr John O’Sullivan & Dr Percival, as well as Dr. Miguel Ângelo Laporta Nicolelis, a scientist best known for his pioneering work in “reading monkey thought”, and Dr. William Magee, Jr., CEO and Co-Founder of Operation Smile, who has dedicated the past 32 years to helping improve the health and lives of children and young adults around the world.  The intent of the Award is to recognize individuals who have made or continue to make significant contributions to mankind.  These contributions are not necessarily ICT related.

 

The 2019 WITSA Awards was remarkable for its large number of highly qualified nominees, received from WITSA’s network of ICT industry associations in over 80 countries around the world. WITSA therefore elected to also recognize the most noteworthy runner-up candidates by announcing several WITSA merit award certificates. While not being selected as winners of one of the award categories, these merit winners nevertheless displayed first-rate use of ICT.

 

The winners of the 2019 WITSA Awards are listed below:

WITSA Eminent Persons Award

Mr. Karen Vardanyan, Executive Director of the Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises of Armenia (UATE)

Mr. Karen Vardanyan was given the Eminent Persons Award to acknowledge his life-long service to the development of the Armenian ICT/high tech sector, absolute dedication and commitment to championing the design, introduction and scaling up of “Armath” engineering laboratories in Armenia, as well as his personal pledge to replicate this successful model in other countries facing developmental challenges and aspiring to achieve better livelihoods via the utilization of breakthrough educational technologies. Mr. Karen Vardanyan is an ICT/high-tech policy and strategy sector influencer with more than 30 years of professional experience of working in the different key capacities (including Government and the biggest sectorial business association) at the forefront of design and consultations with stakeholders of national policies aimed at advancement of innovation policies and strategies in the Republic of Armenia.

 

One of the most important and successful initiatives promoting the technological advancement of Armenia was initiated by Mr. Vardanyan: The establishment of “Armath” engineering club-laboratories within the public-school system of Armenia. This initiative helped about 7000 children improve the quality of their education, social status, socio-economic situation and lives of their families especially in rural areas. Strengthening technical education, this program will enhance Armenia’s reputation internationally as being a knowledge-based country. At Armath Engineering Laboratories, kids aged 10-18 are introduced to science, technology, engineering, and math education through interactive after-school classes, exciting competitions, innovative camps and more. To-be engineers are given the opportunity to design, build, test, and improve their own creations in a safe and fun environment, while making new friends and creating startups. With significant support of the Government of Armenia, the number of schools hosting “Armath” Engineering Laboratories will be doubled by the end of the year, thus servicing approximately 20,000 adolescents and achieving half-way benchmark to have such laboratory in each and every school of Armenia (by the end of 2020). 

For further information, see the detailed UATE nomination at: https://witsa.org/awards/2019/2019_WITSA_Eminent_Persons_Award_Nomination_Karen_Vardanyan.pdf

 

The Chairman’s Award

Bangladesh Vision 2021

Transforming into a Knowledge-based Digital Bangladesh: In order to take Bangladesh further up the value chain and become a true knowledge economy, The Digital Bangladesh program was launched in 2009. It aims to be at the forefront of achieving Honorable Prime Minister’s vision of transforming Bangladesh to a digital economy by 2021 and a developed economy by 2041. The four pillars – Human Resource Development, connecting citizens, Digital government and Promotion of IT/ITeS Industry are playing a central role in aiding this fantastic growth story of the knowledge-based economy.

 

As a result of this continuous commitment to continue supporting the IT/ITES industry, the country is now experiencing a massive internet-based service revolution having over 93million of internet users in the country and this number is growing gradually. The fact that Bangladesh is the second highest provider of online labor is also the testament of the increased capacity of the country’s internet penetration. Bangladesh have also been able to secure a steady business growth in the IT/ITES sector by 21% for past decade, growing the market in an exponential rate. Today in Bangladesh there are over 4500 companies operating and more than 120 Bangladeshi companies are exporting ICT products worth nearly ~$1bn to 35 countries

 

For more information, see: https://witsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/WITSA_Revised_File.pdf

Public/Private Partnership Award

 

IoT Augmented Airfield Service System (by Airport Authority of Hong Kong / Center of Cyber Logistics, Asian Institute of Supply Chains & Logistics, Chinese University of Hong Kong / ubiZense Ltd.)

 

The Airport Authority of Hong Kong (AAHK), a statutory body wholly owned by the Hong Kong SAR government, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), and ubiZense Ltd. collaboratively developed a solution, named IoT Augmented Airfield Service System (AS2), to improve the on-time performance of the Hong Kong International Airport. The collaboration is unique in a sense that the AAHK provided a real-life problem, the CUHK provided cutting edge research, and ubiZense Ltd. leveraged their innovation to realize the solution.

 

AAHK has been using AS2 since October 2018 and has seen the arrival baggage efficiency improve by 20%. Although, the improvement is contributed to various project, including AS2. Next, AS2 will focus on other turnaround processes, e.g. cargo, fueling, catering, etc., to further improve the on-time performance of aircrafts. Moreover, other aviation stakeholders are starting to use AS2, including airlines and ground handling operators, which can help to further improve the overall airport operations.

 

For more information, see: https://witsa.org/awards/2019/nominees/HKAA_by_HKITF.pdf

Digital Opportunity/Inclusion Award

Lifelong Learning for Persons with Disabilities (by MCIT – Egyptian Ministry of Communication & Information Technology)

The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), launched the “Lifelong Learning for Persons with Disabilities” (LLL4PwDs). The project is a tool to contribute to building the capacities of PwDs in relation to Information Technology (IT), in order to equip them with the skills required for the job market, enhance their independence, inclusion and therefore empowerment. The project aims at employing PwDs based on their abilities, skills and productivity, regardless of the 5% target set by the government. The project is conducted as a collaborative effort between the government, the public sector and the private sector.

The importance of the project, which is a Public Private Partnership (PPP), stems from its ability to mobilize the community to work together to support the capacity building and employment of PwDs. The project analyzes the IT job market needs from the perspective of relevance to PwDs and the willingness of job owners to employ them, which were never conducted in Egypt.

For more information, see: https://witsa.org/awards/2019/nominees/Lifelong_Learning_Project_for_PwDs.pdf

 

Sustainable Growth Award

 Give 543 

Give543.com was founded in February 2009. It’s a business focused on promoting the resue and donation of products/services in an effort to promote community “recycling” and prolonged use of all products/services. Individuals and organizations can both donate and make requests for donations on Give543’s platform. Different from other solutions which have mostly tried to innovate materials or improve waste processing technology, Give543 adopted a different approach to contribute to the environment protection and sustainable development of the planet. As is known to all that a very large percentage of pollution in the World is actually caused by the waste constituted with items that are usable but no longer used. These are called “idling items”. Give543 is committed to fully circulate commodities that have already been made to ensure every item can last to the last minute of its life cycle and reduce the idling items as much as possible so that resources put into manufacturing process are not wasted and environment is not burdened by excessive shopping and production. In short, Give543 acts as a utility to maximize efficiency and properly allocate resources to prevent unnecessary waste.

Currently, Give543 has over 50,000 member accounts and has redistributed more than 3 million items on its platform since its foundation. Over 460 charities and NPOs are registered on Give543 and receive on average of 650 items per month. Over 40 corporations are registered with Give543 and use its services as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility initiative averaging 16,000 item donations. Besides, Give543.com receives an average of 6.3 million page views per month and has been featured widely in the local press and media.

For more information, see: https://witsa.org/awards/2019/nominees/2019_Awards_NominatingForm_Give543.pdf

https://witsa.org/awards/2019/nominees/Attachment_1_of_the_supporting_information_Give543.pdf

https://witsa.org/awards/2019/nominees/Attachment2_news_release_Give543.pdf

 

Innovative E-Health Solutions Award

ACE VR Limited – “Evaluation of Visual Disability in a Virtual Reality Environment”

 

Clinical assessment of visual disability experienced by visually impaired patients is obfuscated by the lack of instruments that can inform real-world visual performance. ACE VR Ltd has provided a cost-effective solution to address this unmet clinical need via virtual reality (VR) simulation of real-world activities. With VR simulation, clinicians can visualize from a patient’s perspective how visual impairment impacts the quality of life. The VR system has been adopted in Hong Kong Eye Hospital, the only eye hospital in Hong Kong with a daily attendance of more than 1000 patients, to identify patients with visual disability for visual rehabilitation and patient education. The company plans to deploy the technology in general out-patient clinics, optical shops, and community centers for screening of visual disability, as well as for home-monitoring in patients with chronic eye diseases who require regular assessment of visual performance.

Global potential and scalability Unlike the standard visual function tests which are clinic-based and reliant on trained eye care professionals, the VR simulations can be administered in portable headsets at home. Frequent, home-based monitoring is therefore feasible for early detection of visual impairment. With the implementation of cloud-computing technology, clinicians can be informed whenever disease deterioration is detected for arrangement of early follow-up. Home monitoring can decrease the frequency of clinic visits and thereby increase the cost-effectiveness of many already overloaded health care systems across the world. In addition to enhancement of clinical care of patients with visual impairment, VR evaluation of visual disability is also important to clinical testing of novel treatments for eye diseases.

For more information, see: https://witsa.org/awards/2019/nominees/ACE_VR_by_HKITF.pdf

 

Digital Innovation Award

“A.I. powered vessel monitoring”, by DeepSea Technologies

 

Deep Sea Technologies is a high-tech company that specializes in vessel monitoring through the use of Artificial Intelligence. Deepsea Technologies offers a holistic solution that starts with an installation of a proprietary data acquisition system and ends in a cloud-based platform, Cassandra, where users can assess the health status of their vessels.

Deep Sea Technologies, established in 2017, comes in the forefront of the shipping industry to provide answers to three of the major challenges faced in the maritime world. The first is the distance between the vessels and the shipping companies, the second is the complexity of analyzing a vessels’ machinery data, and the third is the lack of transparency in communication between the onboard crew and the shipping company’s headquarters. DeepSea attempts to solve these problems through three steps: by installing a data acquisition system that bridges the distance between the vessel and the offices, by applying Artificial Intelligence (Machine Learning) algorithms, which reduce the complexity of monitoring a vessel’ s machinery, and by developing an intuitive platform that immediately, or even a priori, informs its users when something goes wrong.

For more information, see: https://witsa.org/awards/2019/nominees/DigitalInnovation_DeepSeaTechnologies.pdf

https://witsa.org/awards/2019/nominees/DeepSeaTechnologies_Cassandra.pdf

E-Education & Learning Award

Sunnet Co. for V2U Interactive Videotelephony Teaching Platform

 

The “V2U Interactive Videotelephony Teaching Platform”, is a tailor-made system specially created for instructional purposes by a local Taiwanese company, Sun Net. This one-to-one, long-distance, interactive videotelephony system allows its users to conduct interactive teaching through video and voice, hence mutually benefit the teachers and students and advance towards victory. Not only can this system be localized, exclusive interactive instructional videotelephony system can be developed to better meet the users’ requirements.

The design concept of this product is “to rely mainly on teaching and user-friendly operation as a supplement.” It is hoped that the power of technology can be used to assist in teaching, enable more people to experience the convenience brought forth by digital technology, and allow for a zero-burden experience for people who are starting to operate the V2U Interactive Videotelephony Teaching Platform. Hence, allowing the relevant parties involved to be more focused on teaching, and this advantage can be used to enhance the overall teaching quality.

For more information, see: https://witsa.org/awards/2019/nominees/2019_Awards_NominatingForm-SunnetCo..pdf

Merit winners

 Public/Private Partnership Award

• Scooter2Infra Safety System– a Scooter to Infrastructure Communication Application for Road Safety
• Chipside

Digital Opportunity/Inclusion Award

• “Genius Pocket”(by Affin Bank Berhad, Malaysia)
• Yi-Bing Lin – Smart Farming

Sustainable Growth Award

·         EverComm Uni-Tech Singapore 

Innovative E-Health Solutions Award

• Blockcord(by Agmo Studio Sdn Bhd)
• ICT Innovation for Self-Service Ophthalmoscope
• Electronic Health Record (EHR)

Digital Innovation Award

• M-POWER Information Corporation LTDfor GCRS – Group Consolidated Report System 
• CXA Group Pte. Limited
• SMART Maintenance platform(by Serba Dinamik IT Solutions)
• Yoti

E-Education & Learning Award

• StartEvo KIDIBOT(by Kuantero Srl)

Invited by Philippine’s Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), WITSA Chairman Yvonne Chiu visited Philippine from Sept. 9 to 12, to discuss the possibility of cooperation across nations, especially for the ICT industry. In this trip, Chairman Yvonne Chiu met with Rowel Barba, Undersecretary of DTI, executives from Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), and Angelica M. Cayas, International Investments Promotion Service Director of Board of Investments (BOI). They exchanged opinions on regional economies and urge for more effective collaborations through WITSA as a platform. In respect to such consensus, two initiatives were formed: Kaohsiung-GGLC (Global Gateway Logistics City in Clark) logistic center by sea or by land freights; and clinic services for Phil Chinese Charitable Association (Taiwan Weigong Hospital).

Chairman Yvonne Chiu also visited Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA), and Electronic Industries Association of The Philippines, INC. (EIAPI). She shared in-depth know-how from her solid IT software industry background, aiming to lead the software integration in Asia and link the industry with the International, via cross-nation and cross-industry communications.

Going forward, Chairman Yvonne Chiu reiterated WITSA’s vision of fulfilling the promise of the digital age, and committed that with the power of international ICT industry, she will facilitate Philippine to further develop ICT industry and demonstrate Asian power to the world.

Rowel Barba, Undersecretary of Philippine’s Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Yvonne Chiu, WITSA Chairman.

(From left): Victor Gruet, Director of Electronics Industries Association of the Phils., Chen, representative of Taiwan Trade Center in Manila, Natalie Hunter, Executive Director of Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA), Winston Cruz, Vice President of PSIA, Yvonne Chiu, WITSA Chairman, Suzzan Tsai, WITSA CSO, Huang, board member of CISA, and Michael Alfred V. Ignacio, officer from Manila Economic and Cultural Office.

WITSA Chairman Yvonne Chiu Delivers Opening Remarks at ASOCIO Smart City Summit 2018

ASOCIO Smart City Summit 2018 was held in Hanoi, Vietnam from Sept. 17 to 19, seizing the fast urbanization and booming smart city business opportunities among emerging countries in Asia. WITSA Chairman Yvonne Chiu was invited to deliver opening speech, and in her speech she reinforced the importance of regional cooperation in developing smart city solutions, and to breed local talents that can help accelerate Asia’s digital transformation. This year the event gathered 700 representatives from more than 10 member states, including Malaysia, Taiwan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Singapore, Bengal, S. Korea and Vietnam.

DigiTimes CEO Colley Hwang was also invited to give a speech. He shared Taiwan’s real practice in implementing Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system, and suggested that the Taiwan experience could be shared and replicated to other markets.

In the pre-meeting for ASOCIO Smart City Summit, Chairman Yvonne Chiu and Colley Hwang was received by General Nguyen Manh Hung, the Acting Minister of Information and Communications (MIC) Vietnam and Deputy Mayor of Hanoi. General Nguyen consulted Chairman Yvonne Chiu for strategies of transforming digital city into smart city. Chairman Yvonne Chiu suggested that through WITSA’s 83 member states in the world, WITSA is the best platform for Vietnam to obtain solid ICT technologies, solutions and application experience. Colley Hwang also noted that Taiwan’s concrete software and hardware integration experience could be shared and replicated to other countries in Asia. General Nguyen and Chairman Yvonne Chiu consented to work together on cultivating more talents by expertise exchange program.

WITSA Chairman Yvonne Chiu delivers opening remarks at ASOCIO Smart City Summit 2018

From left: WITSA Chairman Yvonne Chiu, DigiTimes CEO Colley Huang, WITSA CSO Suzzan Tsai and General Nguyen Manh Hung, the Acting Minister of Information and Communications (MIC) Vietnam and Deputy Mayor of Hanoi

Pre-meeting for ASOCIO Smart City Summit

Fairfax, VA:  The World Information Technology and Services Alliances (WITSA) and inclusite®,signed today a Memorandum of Understanding to drive awareness and collaboration on Inclusite’s innovative technology solutionand the importance of digital inclusion in achieving a Universal Connectivity andFulfilling the Promise of the Digital Age for all people, regardless of age, ability or socioeconomic status.

This collaboration aims to enable and broaden the participation of the entire workforce in the Digital Economy while increasing business opportunities, global integration, personalized experiences, autonomy and empowerment for people with all abilities.

“As a leading voice of the global ICT industry, WITSA vision is to “Fulfil the Promise of the Digital Age” for everyone”, said WITSA’s Secretary General Dr. Jim Poisant.  “ICT is positively impacting nearly every aspect of human life. Yet, billions of individuals around the globe are not receiving the benefits of enabling solutions such as inclusite®.  As an industry, it is our responsibility to put in place the right conditions and solutions to ensure that everyone will have an opportunity to benefit from Digital Age, thus contributing to WITSA’s vision”, continued Dr. Poisant.

“WITSA is extremely pleased to partner with inclusite® in promoting digital inclusion in our industry and throughout society”, stated Ms Yvonne Chiu, WITSA’s chairman. “As a winner of the 2017 WITSA Emerging Digital Solutions Award (WEDS), inclusite® has demonstrated that its solutions, products and services have generated global recognition and delivered positive outcomes in the Digital Inclusion market place”, continued Ms Chiu. “Inclusite’s approach to Universal Connectivity is forward thinking, progressive and distinguishes itself from similar businesses in the digital inclusion industry space”.

“inclusite® has generated global recognition and delivered positive outcomes in the Accessibility industry.”, said Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed., Founder and CEO of My Blind Spot. “inclusite® is committed to providing digital solutions that support the needs of the disability community, guiding their clients in making ICT infrastructures, including websites and mobile apps, usable and functional for all people.  The steps they take to ensure accessible digital platforms is the socially conscious thing to do, but equally important, the right thing to do for business.”

“Inclusite’s solution strives for moving beyond compliance and to focus on meaningful user experience”, said Frances West, founder of FrancesWestCo and former Chief Accessibility Officer of IBM.  “Its innovative approach of using new technologies such as Cloud computing and Artificial Intelligence allows them to enable access with minimum IT engagement or resources and to scale up enterprise-wide implementation with maximum impact”.

 “We live in a digital era in constant transformation enabled by innovative technologies, different needs and experiences”, said inclusite® Vice President, Fernando Pardeiro. inclusite® is the bridge in the Digital Divide and thus impacting the bottom line by generating new jobs, Digital Education, Economic Growth, Social Impact and Universal Digital Access.

About WITSA:

The World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) is the leading recognized international voice of the global ICT industry, whose members from over 80 countries and economies represent more than 90 percent of the world ICT market. WITSA is dedicated to advocating policies that advance industry growth and development; facilitating international trade and investment in ICT products and services; strengthening WITSA’s national industry associations; and providing members with a broad network of professional contacts.

WITSA members are leaders in a globally interconnected marketplace. Because the challenges facing the ICT industry are undisputedly global in nature, WITSA members work together to achieve a shared vision on important issues of common interest. WITSA makes it possible for its members — ranging from Mongolia and Argentina to Kenya and the United States — to identify common issues and priorities, exchange valuable information, and present a united position on industry issues.

For more information on WITSA, please visit www.witsa.org

About Inclusite®:

inclusite® is a smart software solution that improves accessibility and usability of ICT Infrastructures (primarily Websites, Intranets and Applications) without the need of any assistive technology.

inclusite® does not require the modification of existing web platforms to allow access to all people and thus generating a Universal Connectivity.  inclusite® also provides a personalized and inclusive experience with multiple interactive ways for everyone to choose how, when and where they want to communicate with the Web.   

inclusite® believes that a transcendent solution for Universal Digitalization and Connectivity will depend on companies to engineer disruptive and exponential technologies. Technology is an enormously disruptive force and inclusite® is a compelling example for Digital Democracy: with inclusite® no one is left behind;It’s the same Web for all.

For more information on inclusite®, please visit: https://www.inclusite.com

CONTACT ABOUT THIS PRESS RELEASE
Dr Jim PoisantM: +1 703 728-4547E: jpoisant@witsa.org	Mr. Fernando PardeiroM: +52 1 (998) 820 0140E: fpardeiro@inclusite.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 20, 2018

Contact: Anders Halvorsen ahalvorsen@witsa.org +1 571 265‐5964
 

WITSA is the most comprehensive and influential entity representing the Information and Communications technology (ICT) and services industry in the world
Awards recognize the entities that made the most significant contributions to mankind in 2018.
Eight “Global ICT Excellence” awards and two “Chairman” awards were presented by to the winners.
Hyderabad, India: On the second day of the 2018 World Congress on Information Technology, the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) announced that ten private and public sector organizations from seven different countries were selected to receive the 2018 WITSA Global ICT Excellence Awards, including two special WITSA Chairman’s Awards:
 

2018 Chairman’s Award: Electronics Service Delivery (ESD) – MeeSeva, Government of Telangana
2018 Chairman’s Award: TUMO center for Creative Technologies
2018 Public Sector Excellence Award: Ministry of Science and ICT & Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (for the “National Science & Technology Information Service”)
2018 Private Sector Excellence Award: Acer ITS Inc. for Acer Smart Parking Meter
2018 Sustainable Growth Award: National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia (NAHRIM): Malaysia Climate Change Knowledge Portal (N-HyDAA)
2018 Mobile Excellence Award: SSI of Institute for Information Industry (III)- for XParking
2018 Digital Opportunity Award: Digital Education Institute (DEI), Institute for Information Industry (III) for Learning Beyond School Alliance
2018 Digital Opportunity Award: Information Society S.A.: Broadband Network Development in White Rural Areas of Greece
2018 Innovative e‐Health Solutions: Electronic Health Record Sharing System (eHRSS), Electronic Health Record Office of Food and Health Bureau of The Government of the HKSAR/ Hospital Authority
2018 Emerging Digital Solutions Award (WEDS): Nesplora: For analyzing human behavior using immersive technologies

Finally, WITSA issued fourteen merit awards. While not being selected as winners of one of the award categories, these merit winners nevertheless displayed first-rate use of ICT.