Kingdom Competes for United Nations WSIS Project Prizes

Headed by a delegation led by His Excellency the Governor of the Communications and Information Technology Commission and Chairman of the National Information Society Committee, Dr. Abdulaziz bin Salem Al-Ruwais, the Kingdom is participating with a specialized delegation from relevant government and private entities in the World Summit on the Information Society Forum in Geneva, at ITU headquarters — the UN specialized agency for telecommunications and information technology — during the period from 8 to 12 April 2019.

The Kingdom is opening the Forum's proceedings with a keynote address, as a strategic partner in implementing the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and a key player in promoting a culture of excellence and creativity in the field of telecommunications and information technology at the international level.

As part of the World Summit on the Information Society Forum, the Kingdom's projects (1,062 projects) are competing globally in 18 categories covering many pivotal topics and areas, including building trust and security in the use of telecommunications and information technology, e-government, information and communications infrastructure, e-learning and e-health, and the e-environment, among others.

The Forum is the largest annual gathering under the umbrella of the United Nations to discuss developments in the information society and examine the latest updates, and this year's Forum theme will be “ICT for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

More than 100 discussion sessions and workshops, and 10 high-level sessions covering a number of topics and issues of international interest that would contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, will be held during the Forum.

It should be noted that the Kingdom has won 8 awards and 8 certificates of excellence in the WSIS Project Prizes since their launch in 2012.