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Download a PDF file of this Press Release May. 27, 2009

The Hague, May 27th 2009 - A select group of public and private parties is invited to Amsterdam to talk about how social and economic problems can be solved with IT. The World Congress on IT (WCIT), that will take place between May 25 and 27 2010, will deal with global issues such as energy, water and e-inclusion (how can everyone get involved with the information society). These topics will be developed by partners, such as Capgemini, Exact, IBM, KPN and Microsoft. Today, State Secretary of Economic Affairs Frank Heemskerk, Mayor Job Cohen of Amsterdam and Coks Stoffer, board member of ICT~Office and chairman of the ‘Stichting Voorbereiding WCIT’, have presented their ambitions for the event.

IT congress with a focus on application
"During the WCIT, the emphasis is not on IT itself, but on the applications of IT", says Coks Stoffer, board member of ICT~Office and chairman of the „Stichting Voorbereiding WCIT‟. "This is of course exceptional for an IT conference. It‟s more about what technology can do for its users, for example in Water, E-government and Spatial Planning. Partners have been asked to develop these topics. For example the track Sharing Space is led by Kadaster and the track Security & IT is led by Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI).”

Schwarzenegger and the European Agenda
California is leading in IT & Energy, that is why Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is invited as keynote speaker. This track is led by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, co-host of the WCIT 2010. "Sustainability through IT is highly important to us,” State Secretary Frank Heemskerk of Economic Affairs said: “Sustainability will be key during the conference. The IT sector should be greener. Moreover, WCIT has been added to the agenda of the EU presidency of Spain in the first half of 2010. Topics discussed during WCIT will affect more than just the Netherlands, but affect also Europe, Asia, America and Africa."

Amsterdam hosts IT Summit
In 2010 Amsterdam will form the world platform for the IT industry. In three days over 2000 visitors are expected in the RAI, delegations from more than 80 countries, Amsterdam has the opportunity to promote itself as the „IT gateway to Europe‟. The theme for WCIT 2010 is Challenges of Change. The changes that occur because of developments in IT are major and offer not only economic opportunities but also opportunities of social importance. The creative industry in Amsterdam will certainly benefit, that‟s why the Hogeschool van Amsterdam is requested to develop this track.

Expenditure exceeds $ 4.1 trillion in 2011
Every two years, the WCIT is organized in a different country under auspices of the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA). President Dan E. Khoo stressed that IT contributes to worldwide growth of the economy, which Digital Planet estimated to exceed $ 4.1 trillion in 2011. "Amsterdam has won the bid for WCIT from strong competition like Hong Kong and St. Petersburg, because the Netherlands is most certainly a world leader within the IT industry. As gateway to Europe, we are delighted that the Netherlands was chosen as the host of the 2010 World Congress on IT."

Global themes
Safety, Creative Industries, E-Government, Mobility and Sharing Space by using IT are in addition to Water, Energy and E-Inclusion, the global themes that will be discussed during WCIT 2010. Track leader of Safety, Tjark Tjin-A-Tsoi, CEO of NFI, said: "The growing use of IT creates new security issues from cyber terrorism to attacks by virusses. Forensic digital technology is one of the fastest growing areas within the NFI. The WCIT will also discuss the dark side of the digital world and that together with private and public parties we join forces and explore these safety issues."

About WCIT
The World Congress on IT (WCIT) is the most important IT congress in the world and takes place from May 25 to 27 2010 in Amsterdam. This world congress is a unique collaboration between the international ICT industry, users and governments. The WCIT is organized under the auspices of WITSA (World Information Technology and Services Alliance). It is the bi-annual event where politicians, CEO's and academics discuss opportunities and possibilities that IT applications offer. The WCIT 2010 host is ICT~Office, co-hosts are the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the City of Amsterdam.