PH Continues Winning Tradition at Annual United Nations ICT Awards

Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Ambassador Evan Garcia and ITU Secretary General Doreen Bogdan-Martin join DICT’s Secretary Ivan John Uy, Assistant Secretary Maria Theresa Camba, Director Cheryl Ortega and Director Emmy Lou Delfin onstage during the WSIS Prizes 2023 awarding ceremony on 14 March 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland. Photo credit: Philippine Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva. (Geneva PM photo)

GENEVA, 15 March 2023 – The Philippines was once again recognized during the World Summit on the Information Society Forum (WSIS) 2023 held on 14-17 March in Geneva, Switzerland. WSIS is organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations’ specialized agency for information and communication technologies. 

Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Ivan John E. Uy received the WSIS Prize trophy for their project, “Cybersecurity Education in the Face of New Normal Adversities” which offered free cybersecurity training to more than 23,000 individuals in Western Mindanao. The country received one of the eighteen top prizes from a field of more than 900 submissions. 

“We extend our sincerest gratitude for this recognition which inspires us to continue our pursuit of excellence in digital governance and ICT innovation,” Secretary Uy said in his acceptance speech. He added, “We recognize that our efforts not only benefit our country but also contribute to the betterment of the global community.” 

This is the second-straight year that the Philippines received a WSIS Prize. In addition, two other DICT projects were shortlisted at WSIS 2023. “The dedication of our government agencies in the Philippines such as the DICT inspires us to further advance the country’s interests in the ITU and other multilateral forums here in Geneva,” Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Ambassador Evan Garcia said. 

Secretary Uy also attended the High-level Policy Track of the WSIS Forum where he spoke on several panels including as Moderator of the Ministerial Roundtable. The DICT Secretary shared the Philippine government’s initiatives in using ICTs to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, harnessing the potential of Space for development, and the contribution of ITU and its member states to the discussions on the Global Digital Compact. 

WSIS is the world’s largest annual gathering of the ICT for development community. It is a global multi-stakeholderplatform facilitating the implementation of action lines for advancing sustainable development through digital technologies. END

DICT Secretary Ivan John E. Uy (on-screen and 3rd from right onstage) addresses the 2023 WSIS Forum on 15 March 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland. Photo credit: Philippine Mission to the UN in Geneva. (Geneva PM photo)

For more information, visit https://www.genevapm.dfa.gov.ph,  https://www.facebook.com/PHinGeneva/, or https://www.instagram.com/phingeneva/.