As a Specific Activity sponsor to the WSIS Forum, IEEE SA participated in many sessions, including making a High-Level Policy Statement, acting as a High-Level Track Facilitator, and hosting a Thematic workshop on How to Make Tech Development Work for Sustainable Development. This workshop explored various dimensions of the challenges and opportunities in identifying innovative approaches to promote and use technologies for sustainable development. It also addressed how the shared goal of sustainable development can be realized by harnessing technologies, while at the same time minimizing their disruptive and adverse effects.
IEEE contributed to the following sessions:
IEEE's WSIS 2020 contributions are accessible in the WSIS Highlights and Outcomes documents.
WSIS Highlights and Outcomes:
- IEEE WSIS 2020 Workshop Outcome (PDF)
- WSIS Stocktaking ICT Case Repository: The Coronavirus Response Special Report (PDF)
- WSIS 2020 High-Level Track Outcomes and Executive Brief (PDF)
Related Articles:
- Advancing Technology for Sustainable Development
- Achieving Sustainable Development Goals through ICTs
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IEEE WORKSHOP
Technologies are essential tools for sustainable development. They can enable breakthrough advances in areas like healthcare, agriculture, energy, education and mobility and contribute to sustainable, equitable and inclusive societies. They also present new and unique ethical and equity-related challenges, which can undermine trust -- hindering advances in sustainable development. Watch the IEEE WSIS session to gain unique and diverse perspectives and examples of steps to take to realize technology benefits while avoiding adverse effects.
SPEAKERS
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Supavadee Aramvith is Associate Professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand with a specialization in video signal processing. She is also a member, IEEE Educational Activities Board (EAB) and Chair, IEEE EAB Section Education Coordination Committee, and IEEE Humanitarian Activities Committee Communication Chair. Supavadee successfully advised 9 Ph.D., 27 Master’s, and 36 Bachelor’s graduates, and published over 136 papers in international conference proceedings and journals. She is the project leader and former technical committee chair to the Thailand Government in Telecommunications and ICT.
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Mei Lin Fung is a technology pioneer working to ensure that technology works for humanity as the next 3.9 bn people come online. Mei Lin serves as Vice-Chair for Internet Inclusion within the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Internet Initiative & Smart Village. She is on the World Economic Forum (WEF) Steering Committee for the Internet for All. Mei Lin works with EQUALS.org, developing the Global Women-in-Tech Taskforce. She is an MIT SLOAN graduate where she studied under two future Nobel Economics prize winners. She was a finalist for 2018 Woman of the Year at the Silicon Valley Women in IT Awards. -
Mina Hanna is Vice Chair of the IEEE USA Research and Development Policy Committee and serves as Editor of the Science Policy Column and as a member of the editorial board of IEEE Computer magazine. Mina is also a member of the IEEE Global Initiative for Ethical Considerations in Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems, the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society, the IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology and IEEE TechEthics. Mina received an MSc in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, and a BSc in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas-Austin. -
Maike Luiken is 2020 IEEE Vice President–Elect, Member Geographical Activities. She served as President of IEEE Canada in 2018 -2019 and, in 2018, as Chair, Policy Track, IEEE Internet Initiative. Currently Adjunct Research Professor at Western University, she was the founding Director of the Bluewater Technology Access Centre (now: Lambton Manufacturing Innovation Centre) following eight years as Dean at Lambton College with a number of portfolios: School of Technology and Applied Sciences, Business Development, Sustainable Development and Applied Research. Her strategic leadership in the development of the applied research & innovation capacity and portfolio led to Lambton attracting over 10 mn CAD public research funding. -
Sasha Rubel is programme specialist in the knowledge societies division of the Communication and Information Sector at UNESCO, where she coordinates UNESCO’s work on AI, internet governance, and WSIS. Prior to assuming her functions in March 2018, Sasha was regional Advisor for Communication and Information to the Sahel, based in the UNESCO regional office (Dakar), from 2015-2018, and Liaison Officer to the African Union and the Economic Commission for Africa (Addis Ababa), from 2013-2015. From 2011-2013, Sasha was Programme Coordinator in the Executive Office of the Communication and Information Sector.
MODERATOR
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Karen McCabe is a Senior Director, Public Affairs and Marketing at the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE SA) where she leads IEEE SA’s public affairs programs and engagement, including its global brand positioning and international and government body engagement, as well as leading strategic marketing communications for IEEE SA’s initiatives, programs products and communities.
ABOUT WSIS FORUM
The annual World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum brings together the largest gathering of the Information and Communications Technologies community that focuses on making the information society accessible to all. The WSIS Forum provides an opportunity for multi-stakeholder cooperation in providing meaningful connections to the information society. Importantly, the WSIS Forum 2020 incorporates the recently adopted United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as an important factor in the discussions.
The WSIS Forum 2020 was held entirely online starting on 22 June onwards, featuring a weekly programme, including a series of thematic/country workshops, high-level policy sessions, special tracks on various thematic areas, knowledge café, a Hackathon, and exhibition addressing issues that are critical to WSIS implementation and follow-up in a multi-stakeholder setting. The final week of the Virtual WSIS Forum 2020 took place on 7-10 September 2020, and consisted of policy statements, interactive high-level dialogues, a WSIS Prize ceremony, a ministerial round table as well as a series of WSIS Action Line facilitation meetings.