WSIS 2017 theme is 'Information and Knowledge Societies for SDGs', and is comprised of high-level tracks, special tracks and includes broader participation representing the Government, Private Sector, Civil Society, Academia and International Organizations. 

WSIS 2017 will serve as a key platform for discussing implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and targets, with due regard to the global mechanism for follow-up and review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. (See: Linking WSIS Action Lines with Sustainable Development Goals).

WSIS AGENDA ITEMS RELATED INFORMATION AND DATA ACCESS SERVICES

International Organizations and Open Access - WIPO.
Facilitating access to content produced by International Organizations. International organizations produce a wealth of data and content such as images, videos, reports, scientific results.  An increasing number of them have adopted an Open Access policy to facilitate the distribution and re-use of their material. Read more

Connectivity, Meaningful Access and Inclusive Growth in Developing Countries - International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Business Action to Support the Information Society (BASIS) in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
By exploring the opportunities and challenges developing countries face while implementing these projects, participants will exchange experiences and share perspectives on related dialogues taken up in various policy arenas. Read more

Mapping and Data Collection to enable Internet Connectivity at Schools - Project Connect. 
Project Connect is a new non-profit created in January of 2017, working to provide online mapping of every school in the world, including real-time data about the quality of each school’s connectivity, in order to create an observable metric of the progress towards enabling educational access and opportunity for all students. Read more

The Digital Transformation of Learning, Education and Training and the SDGs - The Geneva Learning Foundation.
SDG Target 4.7: aims to ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development. For most if not all global organizations, it is a major challenge to scale up their education and other capacity-building efforts. The workshop will explore new ways to harness digital learning toward this goal. Read more

ICTs for Safety, Security and Disaster Recovery, EC MEDICI Framework - EC MEDICI Framework of Cooperation.
Nowadays the demand for "safety & security" in all its forms has increased, especially quantitatively and qualitatively, making clear the need for new approaches to enable the entire sector to ensure better results. It is time to extend the scope from “confidence and security” to a much more general scenario including not only security in a broader sense but even safety, natural and human disasters recovery and management...Read more

Cyberlaw, Cyber Security Law, Internet of Things and Emerging Global Trends - Pavan Duggal Associates.
The Thematic Workshop will examine the contribution of global events like International Conference on Cyberlaw, Cybercrime & Cybersecurity for the purposes of identifying Cyberlaw and Cyber Security trends.
Read more

Public Open Data and E-Governance for Local Government - Permanent Mission of Estonia in Geneva. 
This session brings together representatives from NGO, private sector and government backgrounds with experience in e-government and open data tools for local government to focus on two themes: 

• international multistakeholder cooperation for experience sharing and capacity building for e-government and
• tools for turning the increasingly available public open data into knowledge and action at the local level. Read more

Data Needs for Knowledge Societies: Defining Data Skills for International Organisations - Geneva Internet Platform, UNIGE and DiploFoundation.
The concrete outcome of this multi-stakeholder session will be a listing of data skills, with a particular focus on skills needed for the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and practical ways to think about capacity development in the field, based on multi-stakeholder partnerships between academia, industry and international organizations. Read more

Data Localization and Barriers to Cross-Border Data Flows - University of Zurich.
This workshop will take stock of the growth of data localization measures and barriers to data flows and assess the impacts of these trends; consider what can be achieved via international trade instruments in the current geopolitical context; and explore the possibility of a parallel track of multistakeholder dialogue and norm setting that is balanced and supported by diverse actors. It will consider whether normative approaches involving monitoring and reporting could help to ensure that data policies do not involve arbitrary discrimination or disguised digital protectionism, and do not impose restrictions greater than what is required to achieve legitimate public policy objectives. Read more

E-Science and Sustainable Development in the Information and Knowledge Societies - IUST Research Center for ICT Strategic and International Studies (ICT-SIS).
A new paradigm for science has been emerged called e-science, which is referred in WSIS Action Line 7. E-science has considerable effects on the way in which research is conducted and on the innovation process. Both of them are important prerequisites for sustainable development. Read more

Capacity Building: Building Capacity to Leverage eAgriculture Applications - International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
ITU and FAO are cooperating to promote the use of ICTs in agriculture. ICTs play a key role in supporting the achievement of SDG 2, in that ICTs provide access to digital information services and online education to farmers, extension agents, and many service providers in the agricultural production and delivery services within the value chain.  Read more

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Related content: 

• World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)
• WSIS Action Lines / Sustainable Development Goals Matrix – WSIS Forum 2016 Outcomes