World Congress on IT News

Interim President Temer Invited to Open WCIT 2016!

The Interim President of the Republic of Brazil, Michel Temer, received a formal invitation to participate in the opening ceremony of the World Congress on Information Technology – WCIT Brazil 2016 this week. If accepted, Temer will be the 18th largest representative of the host countries to attend the event, joining the ranks with Margaret Thatcher, Mikhail Gorbachev and Bill Clinton, who have keynoted at past WCIT events.

The Secretary-General of the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA), Dr. James Poisant, and the President of the Federation of Brazilian Information Technology Companies (ASSESPRO), Jeovani Salomão, were received by Brazilian Interim President Michel Temer. The meeting took place at the Palace of Jaburu, where the leadership of many Brazilian industry giants also gathered. Read More!

See Our New WCIT 2016 Brochure! Fulfilling The Promise of The Digial Age: Challenges and Opportunities

WITSA Secretary General Meets  with WCIT 2017 Project Team and Taiwan Government Officials

WITSA’s World  Congress on IT returns to Taiwan in 2017, following one of the most successful WCITs ever held in Taipei in June 2000. On March 14-16, WITSA Secretary General Dr. Jim Poisant met with the WCIT 2017 Project Team and Taiwan government officials in Taipei:

 

WITSA Policy Action & Reaction

WITSA Co-signs Global Industry Statement to Advance TiSA Digital Trade Agenda

WITSA on June 1st co-signed a global industry statement to Trade Ministers gathering in Paris. Negotiations for a Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) kicked off in Geneva on May 26 in a round that includes the ministerial meeting on June 1 on the margins of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris that is aimed at helping bring about a conclusion this year. The negotiations, which are chaired by the European Union, will last until June 3. The purpose of the global industry letter is to advance the digital trade agenda in the on-going negotiations in order to combat the increasing trend of digital protectionism. The promotion and preservation of Internet openness and cross-border information flows must be actioned as a matter of priority.
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WITSA Seeks Recommitment of All Nations to Multilateral Trade Liberalization

WITSA has updated its Statement of Policy on International Trade in ICT Goods and Services”, urging all its members and their governments to redouble their efforts to establish and implement multilateral trade liberalization under the auspices of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The paper strongly advocates that reducing and removing trade barriers that limit the availability or increase the cost of ICTs to end-users is a necessary requirement in fulfilling the promise of the Digital Ageand calls for immediate actions to be taken by all WTO member nations to accede to the expanded Information Technology Agreement (ITA), and to participate in the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) and Environmental Goods Agreement negotiations.
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WITSA Challenges Industry to Capitalize on Women Talent in the Marketplace

WITSA has published a new statement of policy, “Women in Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs): Capitalizing on an untapped global resource”, challenging businesses to take advantage of female talent in ICT to boost profits and competitiveness. WITSA recognizes the importance of and applauds the United Nations September 2015 ratification of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, all of which have varying degrees of focus on progress for women and one which specifically calls for gender parity and full empowerment for all women and girls. As discussions take place on how to connect the next billions, WITSA supports a strategic focus and calls for actions to narrow the gender gap.
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WITSA Supports Multistakeholder Internet Governance Ecosystem

WITSA has published a new Statement of Policy on Internet Governance, supporting the strengthening of current collaborative, multistakeholder Internet governance ecosystems, which combined provide a light touch and effective regulatory environment. In the paper, WITSA reiterates its support of governance arrangements that ensure continued growth of the Internet, enabling access for all, anywhere, and which maintain incentives for technological innovation and service quality improvements.
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Global ICT Industry Opposes Backdoor Decryption

WITSA on March 8th issued a strong statement, saying the ICT industry cannot and will not support or cooperate in the development of “backdoor” decryption technologies.
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Institutional Relationships

WITSA Supports 1st European Celebration of Women in Computing

WITSA proudly supported the April 25-26, 2016 inaugural European Celebration of  Women in Computing, which took place in Brussels, Belgium. The event featured . 515 participants from 37 countries and brought together female tech talents starting their tech careers as well as leading businesses and research representatives, providing them with opportunities for networking, getting inspired by incredible career paths, learning leadership skills, finding role models, understanding the gender dimension in innovation and presenting their own tech innovations, with the goal of going for a tech career.
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WITSA Supports UNCTAD’s Newly Proposed Aid for eTrade Initiative

See the April 8, 2016 letter from WITSA Secretary General Dr. Jim Poisant to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in support of their newly proposed Aid for eTrade initiative.

 

Special Announcements

WITSA Issues Letters Requesting Intervention to Free Nizar Zakka

WITSA has issued several letters requesting the intervention of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mr. Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein to help secure the release of Mr. Nizar Zakka, a U.S. permanent resident of Lebanese citizenship imprisoned in Tehran, Iran. WITSA also sent letters to the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations as well as the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs.
See more! See also the #FreeNizarZakka page.

EXTENDED! Seeking Nominations for the 2016 WITSA Global ICT Excellence Awards by July 6th

At the request of several members, we are happy to announce that the deadline for submitting nominees for the 2016 Global ICT Excellence Awards has been extended to Wednesday, July 6^th.
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WITSA Awards 2021 World Congress on IT to Bangladesh

The WITSA Board of Directors at it March 10th meeting in Canberra, Australia, selected the Bangladesh Computer Samity (BCS) to host the 2021 World Congress on IT in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
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