The Commission on Information Society was established at the 34th UBC Executive Board meeting in Viljandi, on 7-8 June 2002. The City of St. Petersburg was appointed as lead city of the Commission.

The purposes of the Commission on the Information Society

The comprehension of those advantages which are carried by the development and distribution of information and communication technologies (ICT) has grown in the world today. Their revolutionary influence concerns the activity of the state structures and the civil society institutions, economic and social spheres, science and education, culture and the way of people life. As it is emphasized in Okinava Charter of the Global Information Society, ICT become a vital stimulus of developing the world economy. They give people the opportunity to use widely their potential and serve for the achievement of the complementary purposes of maintaining steady economic growth, increasing well-being, strengthening democracy, peace and stability.

The Information Society appears to be a step in developing the modern civilization, being described by increasing the role of information and knowledge in the society’s life, increasing the role of information and communication technologies in creating economic potential, occurrence of the global information infrastructure providing an opportunity of effective information interaction of people, their access to global information resources.

The purpose of activity of the Commission on the Information Society is to promote developing the countries of the Baltic Sea region due to active introducing information and communication technologies in the activity of the state bodies, citizens and business.

To achieve the specified purpose the Commission on the Information Society will operate in the following main directions:

• Support of the international programs of the EC eEurope, eEurope+, etc and the national initiatives directed on developing the Information Society in the countries of the Baltic Sea region

• Carrying out the work on coordination of the efforts of the cities - UBC members in their activity on the following directions:

• e-Government;
• e-Learning;
• e-Security;
• e-Skills
• e-Commerce;
• e-Environment;
• Indicators

• Developing offers on forming the long-term state policy in the countries of the Baltic sea region in the field of informatization process

• Promoting the increasing an effective overall performance of the UBC Commissions on the ground of introducing the information technologies in their activities

• Promoting the improving an information exchange between the UBC members on the ground of using modern information and communication technologies

• Interaction with the Commission on Business Cooperation in the field of developing the information and communication technologies in the Baltic Sea region

More information at: http://www.baltic.org/projects/ubc_is_com/introduction/