Over the years, the holiday was held under different themes, including ‘Promoting Global Cyber Security’, ‘Providing a link between the disabled’, ‘Protecting Children in Cyberspace’, ‘Improving the livelihoods of rural communities through ICT’, ‘Women and Girls in ICT’, ‘ICTs and Improving Road Safety’, and ‘Telecommunications and ICT: Drivers of innovation’. This year World Telecommunication and Information Society Day will focus on the theme “ICT entrepreneurship for social impact”. ICT entrepreneurs and start-ups and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have a particularly relevant role in ensuring economic growth in a sustainable and inclusive manner. They are involved in the development of innovative ICT-enabled solutions with a unique potential to make a long-lasting impact in global, regional and national economies and as an important source of new jobs, especially for youth, in the current knowledge economy. The theme for WTISD-16 is in line with ITU’s work in unlocking the potential of ICTs for young innovators and entrepreneurs, innovative SMEs, start-ups and technology hubs as drivers of innovative and practical solutions for catalysing progress in achieving international sustainable development goals, with a focus on SMEs from developing countries. Source: ITU website World Telecommunication and Information Society Day was previously known as World Telecommunication Day and World Information Society Day. This Day has been celebrated since 1969 according to the decision of the session of the Administrative Council of the International Telecommunication Union. This date was chosen due to the fact that on May 17,1865, after two and a half months of difficult negotiations in Paris, the first International Telegraph Agreement was signed and the International Telegraph Union was founded, since 1932 - the International Telecommunication Union. PrintPDF