MEDIA RELEASE

 

IFIP WITFOR 2016 Announces Call for Papers and Demos

 

Leading ICT Conference for Developing Countries Takes Theme of  

“ICT for Promoting Human Development and Protecting the Environment”

Tuesday 10 November 2015 – The leading international ICT conference aimed at examining and promoting strategies to assist developing countries, the World Information Technology Forum (WITFOR) has announced a Call for Papers and Demos for the 2016 event, to be held in San José, Costa Rica, next September.

An initiative of IFIP, the global association for the ICT profession, WITFOR 2016 will bring together senior policy-makers, academics, ICT experts, vendors and representatives from various NGOs and GOs to discuss ICT strategies to advance the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

WITFOR 2016 will explore solutions and strategies to improve global conditions by reducing poverty and hunger, achieving universal education, promoting gender equality, ensuring environmental sustainability, combating diseases, and reducing mortality.

To be held in San José, Costa Rica from 12-14 September 2016, WITFOR 2016 will take the theme of ICT for Promoting Human Development and Protecting the Environment. 

With a focus on putting ICT-enabled development initiatives on the agenda of the different organisations, government bodies and groups involved in empowering developing nations, WITFOR 2016 will comprise a range of keynote and technical presentations on the following topics:

  • ICT and cross-cutting development issues, involving human, environmental and economic development problems: 
    • ICT and climate change 
    • ICT and sustainable energy 
    • ICT and employment 
    • Digital divide 
    • E-government 
    • E-readiness and ICT impact 
    • Smart cities 
  • ICT and human development problems: 
    • ICT and poverty 
    • ICT and food security 
    • ICT and health 
    • ICT and education 
    • ICT and gender 
    • ICT and conflict resolution/human rights 
    • ICT and human settlements
    • ICT role on enhancing human capabilities 
  • ICT and environmental problems: 
    • ICT and water, including sanitation 
    • ICT and sustainable production and consumption 
    • ICT and sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources 
    • ICT and biodiversity 
    • ICT and the combat of desertification 
    • ICT and the prevention/management of natural disasters 
  • ICT and economic development problems: 
    • ICT and sustainable economic growth 
    • ICT sector and economic growth 
    • ICT and infrastructure and industrialization 
    • ICT and innovation 

The conference is looking for expressions of interest from ICT technical experts, academics and policy makers to present papers covering a range of approaches or perspectives to address pressing sustainable problems. Submissions will be reviewed by the Program Committee with papers selected on the basis of originality, relevance, and quality.

Submission details for full and short papers can be found at http://www.witfor2016.org/submission

WITFOR is also looking for demonstrations of pilot/sample projects in different stages along with case studies, technical recommendations, experiences, policies, initiatives and best practices regarding innovative ICT applications promoting human development and/or protecting the environment, in the same areas proposed for the papers.

Submission details for demonstrations can be found at http://www.witfor2016.org/submission.

 

About WITFOR

The World Information Technology Forum (WITFOR) was initiated by the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) and has been held periodically since 2003 with past events in Lithuania, (2003), Botswana, (2005), Ethiopia (2007), Vietnam (2009) and India (2012). WITFOR brings together senior policy-makers, academics, NGOs and GOs representatives, ICT experts and the private ICT sector to explore ways to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals promoted by the United Nations. The event seeks to improve global conditions by reducing poverty and hunger; achieving universal education; promoting gender equality; ensuring environmental sustainability; combating diseases and reducing mortality.

 

About IFIP

IFIP, the International Federation for Information Processing, is the global professional federation of societies and associations for people working in Information and Communications Technologies and Sciences. Established under the auspices of UNESCO in 1960 and recognised by the United Nations, IFIP represents ICT professional associations from more than 50 countries and regions with a total membership of over half a million. It also brings together more than 3,500 scientists from industry and academia, organising them into over 100 Working Groups and 13 Technical Committees to conduct research, develop standards and promote information sharing. Based in Austria, IFIP organises and supports over 100 conferences each year, fostering the distribution of research and knowledge to academics and industry practitioners alike.

Website: http://ifip.org

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ifipnews

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ifip—international-federation-for-information-processing

 

MEDIA ENQUIRIES

Caroline New: caroline@quantumvalues.com

Shuba Paheerathan: shuba@quantumvalues.com