The IFIP World Information Technology Forum (WITFOR) 2016 has received a global response to its Call for Papers with presenters from 23 different countries submitting papers for consideration.

With a focus on progressing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), WITFOR 2016 brings together hundreds of senior policy-makers, ICT experts, representatives of NGOs and GOs, researchers and private sector organizations to devise ways to use ICT to solve the problems of developing nations.

To be held in San Jose, Costa Rica from 12-14 September, 2016, the World Information Technology Forum (WITFOR) 2016 has taken the theme “ICT for Promoting Human Development and Protecting the Environment”.

Local Organising Chair, Gabriela Marin, said almost half of the papers came from Latin America, a further 25 per cent from Europe, around 10 per cent each from North America and Asia and the remainder was split between Africa and Oceania.

“We’ve had a strong showing from Costa Rican authors who are interested in presenting their ideas for solving local development challenges, with further support from other Latin American nations,” she said.

Ms Marin said around two thirds of papers are from developing nations while the remainder are from developed countries.  “By bringing together experts from both developed and developing nations, the World Information Technology Forum (WITFOR) 2016 offers a powerful platform for international cooperation and the sharing of ideas and solutions to common problems.”

Ms Marin also said that the number of authors per paper is relatively low, suggesting that most research groups are small and that there is room to invite collaborators from abroad.  “We hope that WITFOR 2016 may become the natural setting to foster the creation of international and interdisciplinary research groups,” she concluded.

Authors of accepted papers will be notified the first week of May, with the program due to be finalised later that month.

For more information about the World Information Technology Forum (WITFOR) 2016, visit http://www.witfor2016.org