May 17, 2007	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 29, 1428

RAWALPINDI, May 16: The World Information Society Day is being celebrated on Thursday to help make the internet a global facility for all people and to raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of internet and other information and communication technology (ICT) can bring to societies and economies.

The event celebrated each year on May 17 promotes awareness of the power of information and communication to build societies in which everybody can create, access, utilise and share information and knowledge to achieve his/her full potential.

The establishment of a World Information Society Day, which was suggested in the “Tunis Agenda for the Information Society” adopted by the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Tunis in 2005, was decided by the United Nations General Assembly in March last year. The theme of this year’s observance is “Connecting the young”.

Young people are among the most prolific and knowledgeable users of ICT. But the digital revolution is out of reach for many of them, especially young girls and women and people living in remote and underserved regions.

In an increasingly networked world, the young are not only the beneficiaries but often the driving force behind the latest innovations and practices, and for many, the dependence on ICT has come to determine their choice of lifestyle.—A Reporter