World Telecommunication and Information Society Day is an international day proclaimed in November 2006 by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference in Antalya, Turkey, to be celebrated annually on 17 May.

The day had previously been known as ‘World Telecommunication Day’ to commemorate the founding of the International Telecommunication Union on 17 May 1865. It was instituted by the Plenipotentiary Conference in Malaga-Torremolinos in 1973. The main objective of the day was to raise global awareness of social changes brought about by the Internet and new technologies. It also aims to help reduce the digital divide. World Information Society Day was an international day proclaimed to be on 17 May by a United Nations General Assembly resolution, following the 2005 World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis. 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. In 2025, ITU commemorates its 160th anniversary, highlighting its long-standing role in advancing global connectivity and fostering international cooperation.

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World Telecommunication & Information Society Day