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WELCOME MESSAGE FROM Mr. KAPIL SIBAL, MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
 On behalf of the Government of India, I would like to warmly welcome participants to the 5th World Information Technology Forum under the overall theme “ICT for Sustainable Human Development” to be held from 16 to 18 April, 2012 in New Delhi, India.
WITFOR 2012 is being organised in India for the first time. India presents enormous development challenges, as well as models of innovation and globally competitive IT capabilities. The use of ICT in areas like health and education is opening up newer avenues for reaching out to remote and marginalised populations, while offering affordable and accessible solutions to persistent challenges of development. It is bringing the government closer to its citizens and allowing for more transparent and robust governance.
The Forum provides an important opportunity for policymakers, development professionals, IT businesses and experts both to share their vision as well as enhance their understanding of the innovative uses of IT for development. While countries with similar growth imperatives can share their experiences, the Forum will also be instrumental in assessing and bridging the development divide between nations for a more equitable approach to progress.
The Government of India views ICT as a key tool in its vision of an inclusive society and equitable development, and in its quest to provide better governance via the delivery of basic rights like those to food, health and education. It is committed to a culture of enterprise and innovation, as well as to better and faster delivery of services to its citizens, and the growing use of IT for sustainable development is in alignment with the government’s vision.
I strongly believe that the efforts and expertise of India in the field of ICT, as well as the commitment of the Forum to promote its use for improving the lives of ordinary people, will ensure that WITFOR 2012 is an important milestone to the journey towards ‘Sustainable Human Development’.
I wish WITFOR 2012 every success.
Kapil Sibal Minister Communications & Information Technology and Human Resource Development, Government of India WELCOME MESSAGE FROM MR. LEON STROUS, PRESIDENT IFIP
Dear WITFOR 2012 participants,  On behalf of the International Federation for Information Processing and all the teams that have been involved in organizing this conference, it is my great pleasure to welcome you to this year’s World IT Forum. The organizers and program committees have succeeded in building upon the previous events and taking WITFOR a step further towards making it THE global forum to exchange and share knowledge about the use and application of ICT in developing countries.
IFIP, together with the host countries, provides - through WITFOR - a meeting place where stakeholders on all levels can meet and discuss ICT policies, their implementation, and the application of ICT in different sectors. It fosters cooperation between different stakeholders to make the implementation and application of ICT policies effective and sustainable. We have seen in previous editions, as you will in this one too, that there is a true mix of participants from government, right up to the highest levels, as also from industry, research / academia, UN bodies and NGOs.
It is rewarding for all those who have invested a lot of time in the preparations to see that this goal is achieved. What I personally have found very stimulating in all editions is the fact that there is real interaction between speakers and the audience and between the different stakeholders on all levels, also in between the sessions. I believe that this is a true distinguishing factor of WITFOR and you as participants have to make use of this precious feature as much as possible. Therefore I encourage you to be active and meet and discuss issues of concern with national and international colleagues.
I am convinced that you will agree with me after the closing session that you have enjoyed a very well organized event with a rich content. I express my thanks to our host of this edition, the Government of India’s Department of Information Technology in the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and to all the colleagues involved in India and abroad.
I hope to meet you personally during these days and trust that many of you will stay or become involved in future editions of WITFOR.
Leon Strous IFIP President |
Welcome Note 
