What is the United Nations Information and Communication Technologies Task Force?

In its fourth year, the Information and Communication Technologies Task Force, through its core activities, working groups and regional nodes, made a substantive contribution to the preparations for the Tunis phase of the World Summit on the Information Society by sponsoring several regional meetings, organizing a series of global forums, producing several publications and participating actively in events organized by other stakeholders; organized three high-level round tables linking information and communication technology (ICT) with science and technology and the Millennium Development Goals; and provided substantial input to the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development through the working group on ICT indicators and Millennium Development Goals mapping. While the mandate of the Information and Communication Technologies Task Force expired at the end of 2005, the task of harnessing the potential of ICT for advancing development is not finished. The global alliance for ICT and development was recently approved by the Secretary-General, and its mission will be to facilitate and promote further integration of ICT with development activities, thus contributing to linking the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society with the broader United Nations development agenda (link).