Every year, May 17 is celebrated as World Telecommunication and Information Society Day. In 2021, it falls on Monday. World Telecommunication and Information Society Day has been celebrated since 1969 to mark the founding of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention (ITC) in 1865.

World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2021 Date and Theme:

May 17 marks the anniversary of the International Telegraph Convention's first signing and the creation of the International Telecommunication Union. This year, the special day will be celebrated on Monday, May 17, 2021. The theme for this year is ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​"Accelerating Digital Transformation in challenging times​"​. ​​

World Telecommunication and Information Society Day History

World Telecommunication Day

The day was previously known as 'World Telecommunication Day' to celebrate the founding of the International Telecommunication Union on May 17, 1865. The main motive of the day was to raise awareness of social changes brought by the Internet and new technologies.

World Information Society Day

"In November 2005, the World Summit on the Information Society called upon the UN General Assembly to declare 17 May as World Information Society Day to focus on the importance of ICT and the wide range of issues related to the Information Society raised by WSIS. The General Assembly adopted a resolution (A/RES/60/252) in March 2006 stipulating that World Information Society Day shall be celebrated every year on 17 May," the ITU website stated.

World Telecommunication and Information Society Day

In November 2006, the International Telecommunication Union Plenipotentiary Conference in Antalya decided to celebrate both special events on May 17 as World Telecommunication and Information Society Day.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 17, 2021 03:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).