WSIS Forum 2012

Distinguished speakers
Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is a privilege to represent the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, at the opening of this year’s WSIS Forum.

The past year has shown, more than ever, the potential for profound societal change that information and communications technologies bring. I am pleased that Geneva, once again, serves as a platform for bringing together experts – from across the world – to discuss how to capitalize on this potential for the common good and how to enable the benefits to be shared equally. I congratulate the co-organizers on the progress achieved since we last came together. The WSIS process truly shows the value of inclusive partnerships.

Ensuring that the extraordinary potential for human progress is tapped to advance development and generate economic activity is a priority for the Secretary-General. It is therefore with pleasure that I deliver the following message on his behalf to this year’s WSIS Forum. I quote:

“I am pleased to send my greetings to this World Summit on the Information Society Forum.

You are here because you understand that information and communications technology have a central role to play in helping countries and people overcome poverty, hunger and disease.

In recent years, there has been an explosion of innovation. We are using mobile phones for everything from e-commerce to safe motherhood.

There has also been an explosion in numbers. For every seven people on earth, there are now six mobile phone subscriptions. With creativity and hard work, we can make a difference even in hard-to-reach communities.

We celebrate this progress. But we cannot forget that two thirds of the world’s people still do not have access to the Internet. They deserve to be connected.

In the age of industrialization, roads, railways and power networks were considered basic infrastructure. In our age of information, we have to add Internet access to that list.

Next month, the international community will come together at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio. Information and communication technologies can help us usher in a cleaner, greener world.

I urge you to use this Forum to find better ways for the world to use information and communications technologies to protect people and our planet. The applications for development are limited only by our imaginations.

I wish you every success and look forward to the ideas you will bring to the table at Rio and beyond.”
That was the end of the Secretary-General’s message.

Ladies and Gentlemen:
As the Secretary-General pointed out, there has been an explosion in numbers. Every day, new statistics about the use of information and communications technologies are published. 48 hours of YouTube video are uploaded every minute. Facebook now has 800 million users, of whom 50% log on daily. An average of 250 million ‘tweets’ are posted every day – and when I get back to the office, I am sure that I will add another one from my account also.

The list goes on – and the numbers are indeed impressive. But, we must remember that despite the spread of these technologies, many still do not have either reliable or affordable access to ICTs. And one quarter of the world’s population still lacks access to electricity. Our challenge is to reach those that are not yet in the statistics, to make sure that we establish a meaningful information society for all. An inclusive information society that embraces freedom of expression, education and cultural diversity. I have no doubt that your discussions this week will contribute towards achieving this shared objective.

I join the Secretary-General in extending my best wishes for a most fruitful and productive Forum, and I thank you for your attention.