“It is with great pride and excitement that we host WITSA’s 17th World Congress on Information Technology in 2010 in the Netherlands. It is without a doubt the premier event where business leaders, public officials and opinion leaders from all global regions come together to share and build a vision of a connected planet with access for all. ICT as enabler for economic growth will be the main topic on the agenda for WCIT 2010.
For WCIT 2010 we developed the central theme Challenges of Change. This ‘challenge’ reflects the sense of urgency that is felt by politicians, policy makers, companies and citizens, all seeking for ways to provide ICT a prominent role in the current economic crisis and the economic recovery package in Europe and in the rest of the world.
2010 also marks the focus year of the European i2010 Program, a key element of the Lisbon strategy for growth and employment. WCIT 2010 will therefore be the ideal opportunity to showcase the results and also to look ahead to the ambitions of the then newly formed European Commission. WCIT 2010 offers a stage to showcase the European achievements, highlights the successes and the opportunity to show the European best practices to the rest of the world and vice versa. On the agenda of WCIT 2010 will be issues of both European and global importance, such as energy, water, life and mobility.
The hosts of WCIT 2010 therefore invite the most innovative minds in business, politics and academia from all global regions to come together and discuss important global developments. With the signing of a Declaration of Amsterdam we hope we can contribute to such a world.”
Frank Heemskerk
Minister of Foreign Trade
Job Cohen
Mayor of Amsterdam
Coks Stoffer
Chairman WCIT 2010 Foundation
Challenges of Change
The World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) is the premier global ICT forum. It brings together over 2,000 captains of industry, government leaders and academics from more than 80 countries. During the three day summit delegates address global impact issues, regarding economic and social development. They exchange policies and ideas how ICT can enable change and innovation in all parts of the world.
Share, learn and look ahead
WCIT provides opportunities for all to share, learn and look ahead. Through this sharing of vision, and inspired by so many stories of successes large and small, we learn to face up to the challenges of change.
The world isn’t just changing now. It always has been changing. The pace of change has however accelerated, and fundemental shifts are taking place.
- First of all, information technology has provided us all with the means to accelerate change. In a world of transparency and full connectivity, it is simply easier to find what you need, find others that need it too, join forces, and invent. And the sharing of such ideas, discoveries, and lessons learned, in the space of seconds, ensures that others can build further, and tackle their challenges as well. The Result: a multiplier effect.
- Secondly, we have entered an era of multidisciplinairy technology. Engineers are increasingly collaborating with biologists to understand how living organisms can help to solve problems. Educational and training institutions seek out collaboration with gaming specialists to ensure that new learning methodology instruments are developed in line with the new mechanisms of today’s generation. Various technologies have combined in the past to enable applications, but there has been an increase in multidisciplinairy teaming to approaches in a unified way rather than through a hierachical relationship. The technology revolution is multidisciplinairy and is accelerating advances in every aspect of our lives.
- The results for further information technology growth could be astonishing. Effects may include significant improvements in human quality of life and life span, high rates of industrial turnover, lifetime worker training and reshuffling of wealth. But at the same time, we all realize that the achievements of such results depends on our capability to accept these changes – not as passive human beings, but by actively tackling challenges, and realizing guided change. Change not for the sake of change itself, but change that truly helps create a better emerging world.
During the WCIT 2010 some of the most influential and innovative minds in business, politics and academia from all global regions will come together and discuss these global developments. Their challenge is to explore the possibilities how through the application of IT change can be realized and even accelerated within the various dimensions of life leading to a better, safer, and opportunity-rich world. In order to create change the delegates will explore and discuss in-depth the process behind change.
Change: from inspiration to innovation to transformation.
More information
www.wcit2010.org/