IFIP WITFOR 2007: ICT FOR DEVELOPMENT AND PROSPERITY

Recognizing the developmental opportunities offered by digital technologies and the need for developing countries and developed countries to collaborate to exploit such opportunities, the World Information Technology Forum (WITFOR) 2007 is organized by the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) and hosted by the Federal Government of Ethiopia, in cooperation with the Ethiopian ICT Development Agency (EICTDA), the Ethiopian Information Technology Professional Association (EITPA) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).

The purpose of the conference is to help implement information development strategies and projects in developing countries. Significantly, it will take the World Summit on the Information Society's (WSIS) Plan of Action a step forward, by converting policy statements to actual, implemental projects that should help developing countries to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals.

The aim of WITFOR is to examine different initiatives on effective, context sensitive development and use of ICT applications, access to quality relevant information, and the development of "fair use principles" in the Internet Age. In particular the WITFOR events are intended to:

• help put ICT-enabled development initiatives on the agenda of different organizations, governmental bodies, and groups currently involved in information and communications technologies.
• work with different groups to ensure that the issue of ICT diffusion and sustainable effective use is on the agenda of senior policy makers and political leaders.
• assist international organizations and donor agencies to build issues of the spread of ICTs and access to information into their loan and funding programs with adequate financial and institutional allocations.
• develop guidelines on these issues and advise governments, to formulate and follow the best strategy for the use of ICT in order to achieve global ICT-equity.

The forum will address issues critical to developing countries, such as the application of ICT in fighting HIV / Aids, poverty, access to education, empowerment, environment, as well as social, ethical, and legal consequences of IT. It will also showcase leading edge ICT solutions for economic development, as well as best practice project, from around the world.

The inaugural WITFOR was held in Lithuania, in 2003. The second was held in Botswana, in 2005, with over 700 participants. This year’s Forum, the third which will be held in Ethiopia, will bring together an expected 1000 delegates, including ICT Ministers, senior policy-makers, academics, NGOs and GOs, ICT experts and the private ICT sector.