World Telecommunication and Information Society Day has been celebrated annually on 17 May.

The celebration of this universal history is connected with the founding of the International Telegraph Union. On May 17, 1865, the International Telegraph Union was founded in Paris to define uniform standards for telegraphic communications of that time, and since 1932 it has been called the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). On May 17, 1865, the International Telegraph Union, the predecessor to the modern ITU, was founded in Paris as the first international standards organization. The Union was tasked with implementing basic principles for international telegraphy.  In 1932, the International Telegraph Union and the International Radiotelegraph Union were merged into a single organization - the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
 
Until 2005, this date was celebrated as International Telecommunication Day.

Within the framework of the second stage of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) held in Tunis in 2005, called upon the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to declare 17 May as World Information Society Day to focus on the importance of ICT and the wide range of issues related to the Information Society raised by WSIS. The General Assembly adopted a resolution on March 27, 2006, stipulating that World Information Society Day shall be celebrated every year on 17 May.  
In November 2006, the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Antalya, Turkey, decided to celebrate both events on 17 May as World Telecommunication and Information Society Day.

Traditionally, the UN and ITU Secretaries-General deliver an annual address on this day.

For many years now, it has become a tradition to hold various events on May 17 in most countries of the world at the international level.

Since 1992, Azerbaijan has been a member of the UN specialized agency for Information and Communication Technologies - the International Telecommunication Union. All the requirements and recommendations set out in the cooperation with the organization are fulfilled. World Telecommunication and Information Society Day is widely celebrated in our country in this regard.

The main goal of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day is to enhance the use of information and communication technologies (ICT), and at the same time, to promote awareness to bridge the digital divide.

The development of the information society is one of the bases and strategic goals of the state policy of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The basis of this policy was laid by national leader Heydar Aliyev. According to his decree the "National Strategy on Information and Communication Technologies for the Development of the Republic of Azerbaijan (2003-2012)" was approved. With the implementation of that strategy, the necessary reforms were carried out to create the foundations of the information society in our country, and the relevant legal, economic, technological, and manpower basis was formed.
  
State care for the formation of the information society in Azerbaijan, the rapid development of information and communication technologies, and its transformation into a leading factor serving the welfare of our people is part of the policy aimed at the future prospects of our country.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev successfully continues this policy. Currently, in continuation of those measures, the latest technological innovations have been applied in the country, and access to the Internet with wired, wireless, and mobile technologies has been established. As a result, 75 percent of the population became Internet users, and 65 percent of them became broadband Internet users. The number of computers used in homes and workplaces has increased. The mobile sector developed rapidly, 3G and 4G services were introduced. The first telecommunication satellite "Azerspace-1" and the Earth observation satellite "Azersky" were launched into orbit, thus Azerbaijan joined the ranks of space exploring countries. The training of highly qualified staff on ICT was expanded, large-scale projects on "e-government" were implemented, and electronic services important for society were provided.
  
The "E-government" portal www.e-gov.az was developed and put into operation in order to create conditions for the organization of information exchange between the information systems of state bodies and the use of electronic services provided by state bodies on the basis of the "one-stop" principle.
   
Large-scale comprehensive measures are being implemented toward the sustainable development of the information society, e-government, information and knowledge economy. As a result of these measures, broadband internet infrastructure has been developed in Azerbaijan, and a number of projects have been implemented aimed at ensuring the use of safe, high-quality, and low-cost internet services for citizens.  "National Strategy for the Development of the Information Society in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2014-2020" was approved by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated April 2, 2014, and specific goals and tasks for the development of this field until 2020 were defined in the strategy. This strategy has created favorable conditions for building the foundations of the information society, wide use of ICT by citizens, society, the private sector and state bodies, and for planning the next stage of action.
      
As a result of the work carried out for the development of ICT in Azerbaijan, important steps are being taken towards faster integration of the country into the global digital space, formation of new forms of social and economic activity (e-government, e-commerce, distance education, etc.), creation of information and knowledge market, increasing efficiency in various areas of the economy, improving the quality of products and services.
 

Recommended literature:

1. Niyazov, Xalid Qüdrət oğlu. Dövlət informasiya siyasəti və informasiya hüququ : monoqrafiya / X. Q. Niyazov ; elmi red. A. İ. Mustafazadə ; AMEA Hüquq və İnsan Haqları İnstitutu. - Bakı : Elm və təhsil, 2017. - 412 s.
2. Əliquliyev, Rasim Məhəmməd oğlu. İnformasiya cəmiyyəti : maraqlı xronoloji faktlar / R. M. Əliquliyev, P. M. Salmanova ; elmi red.: Z. Q. Cəbrayılova, R. Mahmudova ; AMEA İnformasiya Texnologiyaları İnstitutu. - Bakı : İnformasiya Texnologiyaları nəşriyyatı, 2013. - 169 s. 
3. Əliquliyev, Rasim Məhəmməd oğlu. İnformasiya cəmiyyətində bazar iqtisadiyyatının transformasiyası məsələləri : ekspress-informasiya / R. M. Əliquliyev, R. Ş. Mahmudov ; elmi red. Y. N. İmamverdiyev ; AMEA İnformasiya Texnologiyaları İnstitutu. - Bakı : İnformasiya Texnologiyaları nəşriyyatı, 2013. - 58 s.